ANOTHER major housing development could be on its way to a village near Selby - in a scheme described as a "flagship" for the area's environment.

Fulford Builders Ltd wants to put up 40 "carbon neutral" new homes in South Milford.

The firm is proposing to knock down a building to create the large new development in a 2.3-acre patch of land on Southlands Close, which used to be home to a cattery and kennels.

South Milford Parish Council says it wants to meet Selby District Council planners to discuss the impact of such a big development in the village.

Chairman Bill Hobman said: "It's a relatively small village. Because of the scale of the development we've asked for a site meeting with Selby District Council planning authority before we decide what our response will be." A large housing development is already being put up on land to the north of the proposed scheme - after being called in by the Secretary of State and finally approved in 2005.

Fulford Builders is proposing the 40 properties would be made up of one-bedroom apartments and two, three and four-bedroom houses - of which 16 would be affordable homes.

Their proposal is for the homes to have a "zero carbon" impact on the environment. This would be achieved by building terraces to maximise insulation and positioning the homes to attract as much sunlight as possible.

Homes would also have special facilities to catch water for gardens, and will be fitted with special low flow showers and toilets.

Heating and power would be provided by a special combined system using renewable bio-diesel fuel. In a report to planning chiefs, developers said: "We have demonstrated that the proposed residential development will constitute a flagship zero carbon scheme for Selby District and we have shown that such developments are supported by recent Government guidance."