MALTON’S Wentworth Street car park was first earmarked as a site for a supermarket six years ago.

In a report commissioned by Ryedale District Council, entitled A Strategy for Malton Town Centre published in February 2008, the car park was highlighted as one of four key sites for future development.

Consultants WSP Group said the car park was under-used and claimed 81 per cent of the site lay empty.

Three options were laid on the table for the site, all included building affordable housing. But the consultants “strongly” recommended building a supermarket and new flats.

A vision for Malton’s livestock market was unveiled by the Fitzwilliam Estate in 2007 with initial plans for a supermarket, six retail outlets, 51 flats and four houses on the two-acre site.

Retail specialists Roger Tym Associates produced a report for the Estate which said Malton had a “healthy town centre”, but noted there was scope for expansion for businesses, especially in the fashion and clothing sector and the town needed to attract customers who shopped at retail parks in York.

With two major proposals on the table, battlelines were drawn with arguments raging over which development provided the best option to stem the flow of shoppers’ spending outside Ryedale.

Members of Ryedale District Council voted in August 2010 to put the car park on the market after they were told there was a healthy interest by seven potential development companies. They also heard the scheme was likely to generate £5 million to be used to support new jobs and investment in business park developments, leisure facilities and affordable housing across Ryedale.

The decision led to a protest march through the town and a petition, signed by more than 2,000 people, questioning where they were expected to park if the sale went ahead.

Councillors voted to sell the car park the following November. Leeds-based GMI Holbeck Land was revealed as the developer behind the plan to build a supermarket and petrol station.

However, the Fitzwilliam (Malton) Estate unveiled revised plans for the livestock market site to include a medium-sized high quality food store and smaller retail units in March 2011, with the market expected to move to an alternative site.

More than 200 people packed the Milton Rooms on March 29, 2012, to hear a debate over opposing plans to deliver retail developments in the town. Ryedale District Council’s planning committee voted to approve plans for a retail unit, offices and a petrol station on the site, providing the Government raised no objections.

GMI Holbeck argued its proposal for the car park would create 230 permanent jobs and bring much-needed retail regeneration to Malton.

However opponents, including Councillor Edward Legard, said it would rip out the heart of the town.

A separate application by the Fitzwilliam Estate to demolish and redevelop the livestock market for a retail scheme was turned down because there was no alternative site for the market. The following June, Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, announced his decision not to call in the application to build the store on the car park and ruled that the authority should make the decision.

An appeal was lodged by the Fitzwilliam Estate leading to a five-day public inquiry and a ruling from a Government inspector paving the way for Malton Livestock Market to be replaced with a retail unit and car park. Ryedale Distirct Council also conceded during the inquiry that it would have to reconsider the Wentworth Street decision because of a technical point.

An amended planning application for a foodstore on the car park, was submitted by GMI Holbeck Land Ltd in December 2013. The revised scheme, included plans for an enhanced walkway to the Market Place, three hours’ free parking and a public piazza for community events.

To fight the plans, campaign group MASS – Malton Against Super Store – backed by Totally Locally Malton and Norton, Malton and Norton Chamber of Trade and the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate, was set up to “lead the resistance”.

However, the plans to build a supermarket on the car park were once again approved by Ryedale councillors in April, despite four members of the planning committee walking out before the crucial vote.

The planning committee voted to approve the officer recommendation that the application be notified to the Secretary of State and outline planning permission be granted should he decide not to intervene.

Last week, Ryedale District Council was informed by the Government office that: “The Secretary of State has decided, having had regard to this policy, not to call in this application. He is content that it should be determined by the local planning authority.”