A DECISION to grant or refuse retrospective planning permission for a change of use from a scrap yard to an engineering workshop in a North Yorkshire village has been deferred.

Applicant John Thistlethwaite has applied to Richmondshire District Council planning committee to change his scrap year in Harmby, near Leyburn, to a workshop to assemble cattle hoof trimming crushes, bale handlers and repairs on hydraulic hoses.

The cages of the cattle crushes would be welded off-site and brought to the yard, before being unloaded and taken to another location for galvanisation.

Lorries will return approximately once a fortnight, and around two cattle crushes will be produced on-site each month.

Mr Thistlethwaite has said a forklift truck would only be in use for around 30 minutes a day and the reversing bleeper would be disconnected. Workshop doors would be closed when any noisy work is completed.

Harmby Parish Council is concerned that they applicant is continuing to use the site without correct planning permission, and that noise is a major issue.

A spokesman for the council said: “This is a peaceful village and while the old scrap yard created some noise this application does have the potential to be worse and is very difficult to police.”

But local resident Mr N Burgham supports the application and said that change of use had not caused any problems, and that it was generally quieter than the previous business.

Planning officer Peter Featherstone said members had voted to defer the decision to allow for a noise assessment.