VILLAGERS are jubilant after plans to develop a 375,000 litre-capacity fuel storage centre were unanimously rejected.

Fuel giant BWOC, which supplies around a billion litres of petroleum products throughout the UK, had applied for planning permission to change a haulage yard in the grounds of Londonderry Lodge, on the edge of RAF Leeming, North Yorkshire, to a fuel store.

The Grade II-listed building, dates back to the 1860s and was formerly used as a transport cafe. The company wanted to use it as a base as domestic heating oil and agricultural oil distribution centre.

Residents reacted furiously – saying it would ruin their quality of life and could have the potential for a disaster, with 10 properties being less than 25 metres from the site, which would house three 125,000 litre tankers.

Hambleton District Council planning committee refused permission, citing explosions at similar sites in Buncefield, Hertfordshire, in 2005; and Aiskew, Bedale in 1996.

The explosion at the oil storage depot in Buncefield created the largest fire in Western Europe since the Second World War and led to years of devastation for the community.

Margaret Curry from Londonderry, Leeming and Newton Parish Council said residents had mentioned Buncefield in their own objections – not because the sites were similar in size or type of fuel, but because it was due to human error and machinery failure.

“There are too many factors at play. Health and Safety Executive has said the development would be outside of its remit so it would be down to the applicant to ensure safety," she said.

“How could they control when people had barbecues, or were smoking, when there were fumes?

“The development is at the entrance to the village so if there was an incident, emergency services would struggle to get through.

“Residents would have their quality of life severely compromised.”

Cllr John Noone said he also remembered a fuel storage explosion in Aiskew, near Bedale, in 1996.

He said: “It beggars belief the developers would consider something like this so close to residents. I remember when the Aiskew fuel site went up and it was huge.

“We have great industrial estates in Hambleton – that’s where this belongs.”

Planning committee chairman Cllr David Webster said he did not believe the development would be safe on an industrial estate.

He added: “If there was an explosion at one of our industrial estates it would be catastrophic.”

Councillors voted unanimously to refuse the application.