A COUNCIL has apologised for causing years of distress to people in two villages after admitting it failed to control planning at a nearby airfield.

Hambleton District Council has also agreed to pay £5,000 compensation to both Bagby and Thirkleby parish councils after being found guilty of maladministration in respect of nearby Bagby Airfield by the Local Government Ombudsman.

However, the council is still to decide whether to pursue another of the Ombudsman’s recommendations – to launch a discontinuance order in a bid to close the airfield.

People living nearby, who have spent years battling to reduce the level of air traffic at the airfield, near Thirsk, said they were pleased the council had faced up to its responsibilities and they accepted the apology.

But Action 4 Refusal, which represents a group of residents in Bagby and Thirkleby, and submitted the complaint to the Ombudsman, said it still wanted assurances that the grass airstrip would be placed under tighter controls.

Group spokesman Stephen Hornsby said: “No one is against the idea of an airfield making money, but it is too close to the villages for it to be any bigger.

“We want the council to assure us it will put enforcements on the airfield to keep flight numbers down.”

At a Hambleton District Council cabinet meeting yesterday, leader Neville Huxtable admitted that the council failed to realise there had been a breach of planning control in 1997 when ownership of the airfield changed.

“The issues relating to Bagby are complex and some date back over ten years,” said Councillor Huxtable.

“Acting on this at the time may have prevented some of the problems with the airfield that were later identified.”

He added: “As leader of the council, I would like to publicly apologise to the residents of Bagby and Thirkleby for any mistake the council has made and the distress it may have caused.”

Coun Huxtable said there may be significant financial implications in regaining planning control over the use of the airfield.

“Making a discontinuance order can leave the council liable for compensation to the landowner if it adversely affects relevant interests in the land. It is not possible to identify such costs at this time, but it will be taken into consideration by the planning committee.”