THE former headquarters of a men’s clothing retailer will be bulldozed and transformed into a 112-home estate, planners have agreed.

Hambleton District Council’s planning committee has approved the scheme for the brownfield four-hectare site off the A61 in Thirsk, which was left vacant by Austin Reed when the clothing chain appointed administrators in 2016. The committee heard a key design characteristic of the proposal would be a village green feature at the entrance to the site, meaning the development itself would set back from the A61.

The meeting was told the use of this greenspace would help to soften the developments’ impact whilst also providing opportunity for sports and recreation.

Councillors approved the proposal subject to conditions including that developers Bellway Homes provided acoustic fencing.