I AM a resident of South Otterington and am writing to express my anxieties about the proposed sale of Newby Wiske Hall to PGL, a children’s activity holiday company.

The prospect of up to 800 children aged between seven and 17 participating in various adventure activities when our nearest operational children’s accident and emergency department is some 30 miles away, is extremely alarming.

The children’s emergency facilities at our local hospital in Northallerton have been downgraded and ambulances are instructed to take children with serious injuries to James Cook Hospital at Middlesbrough, 30 miles away by road.

An ambulance on “blue lights” could not travel to James Cook Hospital in less than 25 - 30 minutes from Newby Wiske Hall.

Furthermore, it can take anything up to 30 minutes for an emergency ambulance to arrive in Newby Wiske, consequently any child requiring hospital treatment for whatever reason, will not arrive at within “the golden hour” unless the air ambulance is called in.

This plan will have an enormous negative affect on everyone who lives in Northallerton and the surrounding areas, as the influx of children and staff will increase the population of Newby Wiske by as many as 900 people each and every day seven days a week, an increase of over 400 per cent on a small heritage village and designated conservation area. Consequently, local people will be required to share their already depleted public services. This will put added pressure and a greater work load on staff at our local South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, paramedics expertise, GP surgeries and services, and this will also significantly increase the cost to the tax payer.

Paul Vayro, South Otterington