A developer has hit back at claims of his “improper” relationship with the leader of Craven District Council.

In July, leaked emails posted onto an internet website included correspondence between Coun Chris Knowles-Fitton and Brian Verity, of Skipton Properties.

The council immediately launched an investigation into how the emails, which also included correspondence between senior council officers and others, were leaked.

Coun Knowles-Fitton also responded to calls for his resignation by reassuring fellow councillors and residents there was nothing improper in his dealings with Mr Verity and that he routinely talked to all sorts of people.

But since then, a member of the public has put in a formal complaint to the council and asked for an investigation into the relationship between Mr Verity and Coun Knowles-Fitton.

Now, Mr Verity has sought to defend himself and has also criticised the council for not explaining why he contacted both the leader and council chief executive, Paul Shevlin. Mr Verity, who wants to build an estate of homes at Elsey Croft, off Otley Road, Skipton, said his question had been about council-owned land bordering the site.

“The question was very simple. I wanted to know whether they wanted to join their land onto our land,” he said.

“It was a very simple question and I am still waiting for a reply.”

Mr Verity, who is about to submit a new application for the site for 120 homes – 110 fewer than an application submitted earlier this year – said he had now decided to go ahead without the council’s involvement.

The council’s piece of land would have been enough for around 70 houses.

He said he could understand why people could misinterpret his contact with the leader, but insisted he had acted properly.

“I have done nothing wrong. People might not like what I do, but what I do I do professionally and properly,” he said.

“My question was a simple one and I don’t understand why it was not explained.”

Mr Verity, who was also behind the failed bid by Muir Group Housing Association to build 74 houses at Green Lane, Glusburn, said Craven needed to build more houses if it was to thrive.

And he criticised the council for not giving planning permission for new housing when it was so behind in its house building targets.

He said the new application for Elsey Croft, which he hopes to submit later this month, includes not only significantly fewer houses, but is better-suited to the landscape.

“We have learnt from the Green Lane application and for Elsey Croft we have come up with a better scheme,” he said.

The government inspector, who ruled against Green Lane following a public inquiry, criticised the loss of dry stone walls, which he said were a feature of the landscape.

“We are making the development work better with the topography,” said Mr Verity.

He believed there needed to be 300 houses built across the whole of Craven every year for the next 25 years if the area was to flourish.

“What will happen to Skipton if new houses are not built is it will get older and older, and that is not good for a town.

“The people that are here now are retiring here, that is one of the problems. We need new housing and young people,” he said.

Mr Verity said in the recent past, Craven had been fortunate in building new housing on brownfield, previously-used, sites, but that had run out.

“I’m not advocating building everywhere, but Craven has got to build houses and at the moment, it’s not happening.”