A NEW housing development in Norton has been named after a former town mayor.

Mennell Court, in Wood Street, has been named after Cllr Keith Mennell, who was mayor of Norton five times, and died in 2014, aged 84.

The development, which has been built by Yorkshire Housing, includes 10 flats and is a mixture of one and two bedroomed homes.

Members of Norton Town Council put forward the suggestion of Mennell Court after Yorkshire Housing contacted the council for possible names.

Cllr Mennell became a councillor in 1969 when he joined Norton Urban District Council. He first served as mayor in 1977 and also served on a number of committees, including the Norton Dispensary Fund.

He was honoured with one of the first Freeman of Norton-on-Derwent awards in 2012 and decided to resign from the town council the following year after his wife, Cynthia, died.

Cllr Mennell’s son John Mennell said: “It’s a proud moment for our family. My father was a great man, always trying to help and always doing his best for the area.

“He very much liked to look after the people of Norton, if he felt there was something to be improved, then he would set to it and give everything to make the change.”

Yorkshire Housing chief executive Mervyn Jones said: “Ryedale is particularly in need of more affordable housing and Yorkshire Housing is delighted to increase its stock in the area.”

Built by Transcore Ltd, the £1 million development was partly-funded by a Homes England grant and saw Yorkshire Housing work with architects Bowman Riley, chartered quantity surveyors Turner and Holman and Ryedale District Council.