ONE of North Yorkshire's biggest livestock markets is preparing to move in a bid to secure a sustainable future.

After almost a century in its present location, Thirsk Auction Mart is planning to move to purpose-built premises on the edge of the town's bypass.

But for the move to go-ahead, local planners will need to approve not just the plans for the new site, but also a redevelopment scheme for the existing Station Road site.

And York-based Persimmon Homes is about to submit an outline planning application for a development of about 150 homes.

A quarter of the new homes would be low-cost housing and part of the 11-acre site would be turned into a recreational area.

Over the years, the auction mart has been slowly hemmed in by housing and the move would allow the operators to double in size and reduce local congestion.

Manager Robin Cordingley said: "Our premises are far from ideal at the moment, both in location and facilities.

"We are in a residential area, the site has been developed in piecemeal fashion over the years, the buildings are rather dated and our facilities are limited.

"The new site is much more easily accessible. At the moment heavy lorries travelling to the mart from Ripon, York, Northallerton and Helmsley tend to go through the middle of Thirsk or along Topcliffe Road, past two schools.

"In future they won't even need to touch the town, which will be much safer for everyone."

The mart's chairman, Harry Woodhead, added: "With the mart at Ripon now closed permanently and with Northallerton down from two markets to one a week, we feel it is even more vital than ever before that Thirsk continues to have its own.

"In making the move we would also be releasing land for badly-needed low-cost and other housing in Thirsk."

The other two owners of the Station Road site, country store Farmway and builders' merchants Todds, are both planning moves to alternative, purpose-built facilities.