Plans to turn a former fire service HQ into a 16-bedroom social housing building have been withdrawn after concerns about introducing residential properties into an industrial estate.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service's former Northallerton base on Thurston Road in the town was set to become social housing after an application was submitted to North Yorkshire Council in May this year.
Under the proposals, the building would have been turned into 16, one-bedroom apartments for a social housing provider, which would have included an office, meeting room and laundry space, while the 46 car parking spaces would remain for residents and visitors.
In the planning documents submitted to North Yorkshire Council, the applicant, Mr Cossins, it was considered that "the self-contained nature of this site does mean the proposal will have little interaction with the general industry/storage/distribution facilities that can be seen further up Thurston Road."
Meanwhile, the application stated that "the office in question has more of a connection to the offices and retail premises at the junction of Thurston Road/Darlington Road and therefore once converted residents have great vehicular and pedestrian access."
The former emergency service HQ appeared for sale online earlier this year with property group Lambert Smith Hampton - which marketed it as an office building.
However after concerns were raised about the impact of introducing housing into an industrial estate by Janice Johnston, the environmental health officer for North Yorkshire Council, the application was withdrawn.
In the concerns, the environmental health officer said: "This service has considered the potential impact on amenity and the likelihood of the development to be affected by a nuisance.
"We have given careful consideration to the application information. The proposal would introduce residential accommodation into an established area of light industrial use. There is potential for a severe adverse impact on future residents from noise generated by the nearby industrial units, but the applicant has not provided any noise assessment with the application."
The objection went on to say: "Environmental Health is unable to provide meaningful comments on the suitability of this use in this location without the noise assessment and therefore cannot support this application. For the above reasons, the Environmental Health Service is not able to support the application and refusal is recommended.
Confirming the withdrawal of the application on July 18, Trevor Watson, assistant director of planning at North Yorkshire Council said on the planning portal: "I am writing to confirm that, by recent correspondence, the above application received by this Council on May 2 2024 has now been withdrawn.
"This means that it will not be processed further and my file on the matter will be closed. A fresh application will therefore be required if at any time in the future it should be decided to revive the proposal."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here