A BLUEPRINT has been unveiled to demolish the former headquarters of a men’s clothing firm and replace it with a housing estate.

Bellway Homes has applied to Hambleton District Council transform the former Austin Reed site, opposite Thirsk Racecourse off the A61.

When the 116-year-old clothing chain appointed administrators in 2016, blaming its situation on cash flow difficulties and challenging retail market conditions, the council’s leader Councillor Mark Robson said the loss of the firm after about 50 years in the town would be a blow.

Developers have proposed building 112 homes, including 33 with four bedrooms, on the four-hectare brownfield site. A spokesman for Bellway said its plan represented “a sustainable and high quality living environment” which made efficient use of land. He added: “The proposal is a well planned sustainable solution with dwellings which will meet high architectural standards alongside the creation of pleasant and well planned streets.”

Ahead of the council’s planning committee considering the application, officers have recommended it be approved.

In a report to the committee, officers concluded: “The loss of employment land and the jobs formerly generated on the site is regrettable, however in the absence of environmental harm through the retention of landscape features and the social benefits of a well located sitE... results in a conclusion that on balance the proposals are appropriate.”