Estate appeals against rival supermarket plan

Ryedale District Council approved plans for the superstore on the site of a car park in Malton in North Yorkshire which the authority has agreed to sell for a £5m windfall.

The Fitzwilliam Estate, which has owned much of the centre of Malton for the past 300 years, had put forward plans for a smaller food store on the town’s livestock market site.

A spokesman for the estate confirmed an appeal has been lodged with the Planning Inspectorate against the council’s decision to refuse the re-development of the market. The appeal could now go before a public inquiry, although the decision rests with the Planning Inspectorate.

The council claimed the market re-development was not viable or suitable for the town, and would impinge on the heritage in the centre of Malton. But opponents maintained the decision to support the supermarket scheme was pushed through at a planning meeting on March 29 without taking into account the strength of public feeling.

Broadcaster Selina Scott has been at the forefront of the campaign to prevent the supermarket being built on the Wentworth Street car park amid concerns it will destroy the livelihoods of independent retailers. Local Government Minister Eric Pickles could still call in the council’s decision for a public inquiry.