A PLAN for an abattoir and meat processing factory between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough should be refused, say North Yorkshire County Council planners.

The development is proposed at Rougham Farm, near the villages of Marton-cum-Grafton and Arkendale, and will eventually be decided by Harrogate Borough Council.

But after being consulted about the scheme, North Yorkshire County Council is urging Harrogate to turn it down.

The plan has also sparked two public meetings in the area where opposition has been almost unanimous.

County planners say development would lead to a loss of the best and most versatile agricultural land and would have an unacceptable impact on the rural environment.

A spokesman for Harrogate council said that a date for the hearing had not yet been fixed.

The applicants say the scheme would replace outdated premises in Knaresborough.

They have also claimed that the move is vital because of additional regulations imposed on the livestock industry following BSE and the recent foot and mouth crisis.

They also argue that support for the project has come from the farming community.

Objectors fear the site could become a major meat processing factory in the middle of the countryside.