AN animal feed manufacturer has been given the go-ahead for a £700,000 scheme to build a new warehouse and extend its lorry park, after a planning officer changed his recommendation from refusal to approval.

Members of Ripon area planning committee of Harrogate Borough Council approved the scheme at I'Anson Bros Ltd, in Masham, backing an approval recommendation from officer Mike Warden.

A council planning official said the change of recommendation had been made because the firm had come up with a landscaping scheme to mitigate the impact of development.

Earlier, in the absence of a landscape plan for the area, Mr Warden had suggested councillors refuse the scheme.

Councillors did not impose any restrictions on times of vehicle movements to and from the site.

Company chairman Chris I'Anson had criticised the possibility of restrictions on vehicles using the factory as "wholly unacceptable".

He said the business had to retain flexibility to respond to customer demand.