A DECISION on whether a £300 million Selby development should go ahead has been delayed.

Proposals for the first phase of the huge Olympia Park scheme, on land owned by animal feed manufacturer BOCM PAULS, were submitted to Selby District Council last May. The proposed development would include 1,000 homes, a supermarket and a school.

But concerns raised by North Yorkshire County Council about education and highways issues have delayed the application going before a planning committee.

The county council said the possibility of the Olympia Park school being separated from the housing development by a road regularly used by lorries would be “undesirable” and “would not provide a quality environment for education provision”.

The 92-hectare site earmarked for Olympia Park, between Barlby Road and the Selby bypass, is owned by BOCM PAULS and Selby Farms.

The current application is for the land owned by BOCM and includes 985 homes.

The application described the scheme as “exciting” and would help meet demand for housing, create jobs and boost the local economy.

However, two of the town's major employers – Potter Group and Clipper Logistics Group – have objected, saying their road access arrangements and business could be affected.

A Selby council spokeswoman said: “Following the consultation period, we received a number of comments, including concerns raised by North Yorkshire County Council in relation to education and highway matters and the Highways Agency.

“Discussions are ongoing and we are now waiting for the applicant to respond to these."

In a letter to planners, the county council's strategic planning officer for children and young people's services, Andrew Dixon, said the department had no objections “in principle” to the Olympia Park scheme, but the applicants had not yet shown the proposed school site was suitable “in terms of safety and noise pollution”.