A site of pasture land will see new restaurants, a 100-bed hotel and petrol station after a £57 million development was approved despite objections from local residents.

The site will be found off the A1(M) and will be headed by Roadchef near Catterick Village, North Yorkshire.

The plans have recently come under fire after it was argued that the site was just several miles away from the Leeming Bar and Scotch Corner Motorway Rest Areas.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Natural England also warned the £57m development would impact a nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The Northern Echo: An artists impression of what the development could look likeAn artists impression of what the development could look like

Both have concluded there will be an overall loss of habitat at the site, and it could also impact on Swale Lakes Site of Special Scientific Interest and important bird populations.

However, planning officers at Richmondshire District Council said the scheme would benefit the local economy.

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The plans will see a 100-bedroom hotel, two drive-thru restaurants, including Costa and McDonald's, a fuel filling station, convenience shop and HGV overnight parking off junction 52.

Overall, the development will create 8,912 square metres of restaurant and cafe floorspace. In comparison, Tesco Superstore in Catterick Garrison has floorspace of 6,899 square metres.

The Northern Echo: An artists impression of what the development could look likeAn artists impression of what the development could look like

The application has received a majority of rejections from residents, with 34 objections and just three supporters.

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Another objector, Richmondshire Climate Action Partnership, said the developers had provided no tangible or compelling evidence that a new MSA was needed as "there are already many A1/A1(M) rest and refuelling stop facilities for southbound and northbound traffic."

The firm has confirmed that it would pay almost £2m to create wildlife habitats elsewhere to compensate for the impact on fauna and flora in the area, such as curlew, and in particular on the nearby SSSI at Swale Lakes.

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