PROPOSALS to create a major retail park on the outskirts of North Yorkshire's county town look set to be thrown out once again.

Plans to demolish the Sundial Hotel, just outside Northallerton, to make way for the development will come under the microscope this week - five years after a similar scheme was rejected.

The hotel's owners are keen to see it pulled down, paving the way for a 45,000 sq ft retail park to be built in its place.

Planning permission for a supermarket, petrol station and car wash were refused by Hambleton District Council in 1997 and, two years later, more proposals for a retail park were refused because the authority felt there were better locations available closer to the town centre.

This time, Northallerton Town Council has registered its objections, saying it would be disappointed by the loss of a well-known hotel.

Its concerns are shared by senior officials at Hambleton District Council, who are calling for the plans to be refused at a meeting next week.

Other traders have expressed fears over a potential loss of business, as well as a heavy increase in traffic around the Standard Way industrial estate.

Hambleton's head of development control, Maurice Cann, said that the current premises of Walter Thompson Construction, on the Fordy site, fronting on to the High Street, were a more suitable site.

"Recent discussions with the company have found that the site is available for a non-food retail scheme with a feasible relocation of the existing business. Therefore, on existing evidence, the Fordy site is considered available, suitable and viable," said Mr Cann.

He added: "The application site, however, lies at a distance of 950 metres from the town centre, which is considered unfeasible."

The application will be considered by the district council's planning committee when it meets on Thursday, at the Stone Cross civic centre, in Northallerton.