FORMER playing fields at a top York private school have been sold to a house building firm.

Local residents fought a long but unsuccessful battle against planning permission being granted for residential development on the Mount School’s land.

They threatened to take City of York Council to the High Court over its handling of the planning application but eventually failed to apply for judicial review.

Now national property consultancy Carter Jonas says it has completed the sale of the land, along with two other residential development sites in Yorkshire, to Mulgrave Homes.

It said it marketed the development opportunity on behalf of the school and selected a joint venture between Mulgrave Homes and Helmsley Group as the preferred developer.

“Carter Jonas planning team then secured planning permission on behalf of the developer for 12 executive residences, which are within walking distance of York Racecourse and only half a mile from York Railway Station.”

The school said in September that it was more than two months late in filing its annual accounts and report because it was waiting on auditors’ advice until the sale of the fields had been completed.

Last year’s report revealed that the school was set to receive about £3 million for the playing field land.