A VOTE next week could decide if Catterick Parish Council is allowed to expand the village cemetery.

Technically, the application goes against policies set by Richmondshire District Council as it constitutes development in the countryside.

The land lies to the north of the cemetery in a meadow on the site of the former Pallett Hill Quarry.

However, as there have been no objections, planners may decide the need for more space for burials overrides rules which were drawn up to prevent too much farmland disappearing under concrete.

Officers are recommending trees and shrubs are planted to help screen the area from nearby homes.

If the Environment Agency and the county highways department have no objections, the application is likely to be approved when the district council's planning committee meets on Tuesday