CONTROVERSIAL proposals for a new supermarket in a market town near York have been recommended for refusal by planners.

The Retail Development Partnership’s application to build the store and five houses on the former Falcon Office Furniture site on Stillington Road will go before Hambleton District Council’s planning committee on March 1, but the scheme has been fiercely opposed by residents and businesses.

A report which will go before the planning meeting said the store would have a “detrimental impact on the vitality and viability” of Easingwold and nearby villages, lead to road safety problems and “cause serious harm to the living conditions” of neighbouring residents. Planning officers also raised concerns about how the scheme would "minimise opportunities for crime".

Easingwold Town Council, North Yorkshire County Council's highways department and the Forest of Galtres Society are among those who have opposed the development, with 240 objection letters being sent to the council together with ten supporting the plans.

The planning report said 1,551 people had signed a petition calling for the supermarket proposals to be rejected "in the first tranche, with more to come".

The Keep Easingwold Special campaign said there was "overwhelming opposition" to the proposals and the new store would threaten the future of existing shops, markets and businesses, adding that it was in an "unsuitable" location and raised "serious highways issues". Campaign spokesman Terry Browne said: “We fully support the recommendation as we believe there is strong evidence the supermarket would harm our town.

"We hope council members will follow the advice of their planning officers and also listen to our local community, where opposition has been very strong."

The applicants have said the supermarket would reduce the number of shopping trips taken outside Easingwold and have spin-off benefits for local businesses, as well as creating new jobs.

Supporters of the store said it would provide "competition" and job opportunities and encourage more shoppers into Easingwold.