RESIDENTS opposed to the building of 36 new homes in Gargrave say the proposed site is totally unsuitable - despite it being allocated for housing in the village's neighbourhood plan and also the Craven Local Plan.

The Gargrave Action Group says the site, off Marton Road, should never have been allocated for housing and says it is prone to flooding and will bring more traffic on an already narrow and dangerous road.

Developers, RN Woolers, however say it is an 'excellent opportunity to provide new, high-quality housing in Gargrave', 30 per cent of which will be affordable, but adds it will listen to concerns before progressing with the plans.

Helen Johnson, a member of the Gargrave Action Group, said: "The site has no pavement in places, no safe pedestrian access, no access for the disabled or those with mobility problems, and is half a mile from the nearest bus stop on the main A65.

"Car use will therefore be maximised along a narrow and dangerous route with poor visibility at junctions, down Marton Road then along Church Street which crosses a narrow historic listed bridge over the River Aire to reach the A65.

"The road access from the A65 is also shared by National Cycle Route 68 and the Pennine Way and people enjoying these national amenities will be placed at increased risk of injury as will the local community."

Kath Ashby, Gargrave Parish Council clerk,  added: "One of the major concerns within the village are the narrow footpaths and widths over the river bridge. As a parish council we would like North Yorkshire County Council as the new unitary authority to sort out this long standing issue because we feel that a footbridge down stream from the current bridge would satisfy the needs of both pedestrians and also the large number of vehicles that use this road.

"This will only become worse following any further development.

It is planned that the houses will be a mix of one, two, three and four bedroom, with the majority, two and three bed, reflecting local need. Woolers says there will be large areas of public open space, tree planting and landscaping and all properties will have their own gardens, amenity space, and resident and visitor parking.

A public consultation event last month with members of the project team, from Bowman Riley, and a representative of Woolers, was attended by about 60 people, raising issues about highways and drainage, sustainability, and amenity.

A spokesperson for the developer said: “The site, which has been earmarked by the council for residential development, presents an excellent opportunity to provide new, high-quality housing in Gargrave.

“We believe in communicating openly with the community and all stakeholders and our consultation event was an invaluable exercise to glean the opinions of local people. We will now take stock and carefully review the comments before progressing.”