A SECOND round of public meetings connected to the proposed 500-homes development in Malton was held in the Milton Rooms at the weekend.

People were given the opportunity on Saturday to question the development team behind the plans, including architect Jan Maciag and masterplanner Leon Krier, as well as looking at alterations which had been made since the first consultation.

Provisionally named High Malton, the proposed development is described as a self-contained community of homes, shops and employment.

The plans for the 21-hectare site, between Castle Howard Road and Middlecave Road with the A64 forming the western boundary, have been submitted by the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate.

They were given conditional backing by Malton Town Council last month. Members of Malton Residents’ Group have raised concerns about the effect the development would have on the character of the town and Ryedale. They are also concerned about an increase in the number of HGVs in the area and the impact on the setting of the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Tobias Burckhardt, who is managing the project for the Estate, said: “The event was a chance for people to put their questions and concerns directly to us.

“We also wanted to report back to everyone on the changes to the design made following points made by residents in the first round of consultations.”

Alterations include a re-design of the development at Middlecave Road to improve screening of the development and retain the existing hedges and the route of the public footpath.

Since the first consultation in March, it has also been agreed that traffic will be restricted so that only 10 per cent of the site will have access to Middlecave Road.

Mr Burckhardt said there were continuing concerns about traffic, school and healthcare provision as well as disruption to neighbours during the construction.

He said: “People have concerns about traffic and we are working with the highway authority to find a solution that they can approve.

“The Local Plan requires land for 1,500 houses to be built in and around Malton, so this land inside the bypass will have to be part of that requirement.

“There is a choice to build cheaply and unimaginatively or to support High Malton, and get a development centred on high quality, sustainability and good design.

“Many people who spoke up on Saturday buy into that.”

On Friday, a stakeholder event at the Talbot Hotel in Malton was attended by invited guests. Kim Slowe, managing director of ZeroC Holdings, the preferred developer for the first phase, spoke at the event. ZeroC is an established developer of houses throughout the UK and a philosophy of championing renewable technology.