OPPOSITION has forced a waste company to change plans for an electricity generator at a North Yorkshire tip.

Thornton-le-Dale residents urged Yorwaste to rethink its plans for its Caulklands landfill site.

The company intends to generate electricity using methane emission from rubbish dumped on the site.

But villagers forced the proposals to be put on hold after concerns that the generator would create noise and pollution. Yorwaste has now agreed to submit new plans, moving it further away from homes.

A company spokesman said: "Yorwaste had managed to allay fears over noise and emissions after bringing in specialists to investigate these concerns, but it has now taken a further step by agreeing to submit a new planning application which will take the facility as far away from residents' homes as possible. The new planning application, which will be submitted to the North York Moors National Park Authority shortly, would see the facility being located in the far north-east corner of the Caulklands site."

The decision is a direct result of public concerns. Jenny Morris, Yorwaste's technical manager and environmental representative, said: "After taking on board the views of local residents, we had another look at our proposal and decided it would be in everyone's interests to move the proposed electricity generating facility further away from the village."

Thornton-le-Dale Parish Council Chairman Wilf Garbutt said: "The new proposals which they have put forward to us do quieten our fears, but this now means the planning process has to start all over again.

"It might be months before they even put in the new application, so we will be waiting a long while for the decision, it all has to go back into the melting pot and who knows what might happen.

"But we are pleased that they have taken notice of what has been said and we are hopeful the final plans will suit everybody."

Updated: 10:13 Thursday, March 20, 2003