Furious residents in Ingleton accused planning chiefs of wrecking their village over plans to maximise the value of a development site due to be sold off at auction.

Villagers expressed their fierce opposition to an outline planning application to build four homes at a Craven District Council-owned garage site at Burnmoor Crescent.

Currently there are 17 single-storey garages on the site, which are leased out to residents.

There is also an access to St Mary’s Vicarage.

Now, under a scheme drawn up by the council’s agents, two pairs of semi-detached homes with back gardens and parking spaces have been proposed.

The site would be worth considerably more with the benefit of planning consent, members of the council’s planning committee were told.

But residents, who expressed their objections at the meeting, said the proposals had caused great anger in the community.

Objector John James, who lives near to the proposed development site, said: “There is a great groundswell of local opinion against this proposal. People are worried that Ingleton is losing its status as a village.

“Over 100 houses have been given planning permission in Ingleton and have yet to be built on sites including the old pit yard, the ex-council yard, the old Imperial Garage site and the old laundry site.

“According to the council’s local needs survey on the website, Ingleton and Gargrave have to provide five per cent of that per year and we believe that Ingleton is already fulfilling its share.”

Ingleton Parish Council said it was concerned about the loss of car parking and questioned why Ingleton was second only to Skipton in the number of new builds planned. Coun Carl Lis (Ind) called on the planning committee to reject the plans.

“This is a case of over-development,” he said. “The site is too small for four houses and parking.”

He said further new homes in the village would also put a strain on local services such as doctors and dentists.

Coun John Roberts (Con) said it did seem that developers were targeting Ingleton.

“It would be absurd to add another four homes to that list,” he said.

“Also, the entrance into the site is very tight. Where would all those cars from the garages go?”

The council’s agent said his brief had been to maximise the value of the site before it was auctioned off under a Government initiative to raise public funds.

Officers had recommended approval of the scheme Their report to the meeting stated the new homes “would maintain the character and appearance of the surrounding area and the neighbouring conservation area”.

They also said there would not be an “unacceptable loss of privacy or amenity to neighbouring residents”.

But members of the planning committee threw out the plans fearing that the loss of the garages would create more on-street parking and possibly block access to emergency vehicles.