CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 51 houses on Burnside allotment land, Skipton, have been withdrawn after public pressure.

But, a new application for 31 houses is likely to be resubmitted in the near future.

At the end of last year Burley Development Company bought the land for £1.2 million subject to getting planning permission for housing development.

The Burley-in-Wharfedale based firm applied to build 51 two and three bedroom houses with a new road from Carleton Road.

The plans were not well received by the local community and after listening to concerns from Craven District Council, the Environment Agency and local residents, Burley Development has decided to withdraw its plans.

Managing director Michael Wormald said he had listened to everyone affected by the development and decided to alter the application.

He hoped that the new scheme to build 31 larger family sized homes with large gardens and greenfield views would be accepted by the council, residents and the Environment Agency.

Local resident Geoff Hoyle said he was pleased to receive a letter from the council confirming that the plans had been abandoned.

But, he added, he was disappointed to learn an amended scheme would be put in its place.

"It is a sad day for us that they are still going ahead. We thought we had got rid of the idea of building on this land. I thought one of the reasons was they had already got the required number of houses in the Skipton or Craven area. Why do they need some more? Also why on a greenfield site which is supposed to be a place to avoid."

Council planning officer Roger France said the original plans had received criticism from the council and from the Environment Agency. He said there were technical problems with the site which needed addressing.

Last year Skipton Town Council agreed to sell the land opposite the crematorium, claiming the allotments were underused and there were vacant allotments elsewhere in the town.

Councillors said the land had become overgrown and the sale of it would provide a large income which the council could put to good use.

When Burley Development's original plans were announced, Mr Hoyle and other residents expressed concern about the extra traffic the 51 homes would bring to the area and the risk of more accidents at the junction of Burnside Crescent and Carleton Road.

They were also worried about the risk of floods as they claimed the beck often overflowed on the west side.

They thought a housing development would make the problem worse as the grass and trees which absorbed a lot of the water at the moment were going to be removed.

Another resident claimed that a new Government definition included allotment land as a greenfield site not brownfield and should not be built on.