OUTSTANDING concerns over the impact of a 67-home estate on the wildlife of a greenfield site have led to planners remaining undecided as to whether they will support the scheme, despite a similar plan for the area having been approved six years ago.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has objected to the proposal to help meet Richmondshire District Council’s Local Plan target of building 1,900 homes in Catterick Garrison by 2028 due to fears for bat populations, grasslands and hedgerows in the 7.5-acre site off Hipswell Road.

Ahead of the council’s planning committee meeting to consider the plan later this week, officers said the local flood authority had also raised issues, over the proposed surface water drainage strategy for the development, that remained unresolved.

In a report to the committee, officers said if the proposal was granted it would include 15 affordable houses, which at 22.4 per cent of the estate’s homes was significantly less than the 40 per cent expected by council’s policy as developers had identified “relatively substantial development costs”.

Officers stated: “Although this is a greenfield rather than brownfield site, it is very well located in relation to, and highly accessible from, the town centre.

“Importantly, it is also a site that can be developed without harm to the distinctive identity of Hipswell village.”