DEVELOPERS could move a step closer to building 77 homes on a patch of farmland in an East Yorkshire town tomorrow.

David Wilson Homes has said 65 construction jobs will be created if East Riding of Yorkshire Council approves plans for the £7.8 million housing scheme at a site called Nine Acres, in Pocklington, which the authority’s planning committee is due to debate.

Officers said the application should be approved as long as an agreement is reached with the developers over children’s play areas, affordable housing and a contribution towards the cost of reducing the speed limit in nearby Burnby Lane from 60mph to 30mph.

The applicants have said the project would help the area meet its housing needs and support the local economy to the tune of £1.26 million each year through an influx of new residents.

Pocklington Town Council has opposed the plans, saying approval has already been given for 99 new houses in Pocklington and the Nine Acres scheme is “premature”, as the council’s Local Plan suggests the area would need 100 new homes a year.

It also has concerns over extra traffic and parking, and said it did not believe homes suitable for elderly and disabled people were being provided.

Meanwhile, 117 objection letters have been sent to the council, covering issues such as flooding, pressure on local roads and services and whether Pocklington needs the new housing.

In a report, the council’s director of planning and economic regeneration, Alan Menzies, said the plans were a departure from local planning policy.

But he added: “There is an identified shortfall in housing supply in East Yorkshire, and the site is on the edge of a town and lies in a sustainable location with good access to local services.”

The same meeting will also discuss David Wilson Homes’ plans for 182 homes at Molescroft, near Beverley, with councillors being asked to allow officials to approve the scheme once affordable housing and roads matters are agreed.