RYEDALE District Council (RDC) is to reconsider investing in the relocation of Malton’s livestock market.

Members of RDC’s policy and resources committee have recommended not to commit taxpayers’ money to the project and instead resolved to support farmers and developers to deliver the scheme through private funds.

In December 2018, councillors agreed to spend £50,000 on a

report looking into a business

case for relocating Malton livestock market from the town centre to

a new council-owned facility at

Eden Business Park, near Malton.

Last July councillors were told Align Property Partners had been commissioned to undertake this work, and had submitted two reports; an options’ appraisal and a business case, which recommended that the council supports a relocation of the livestock market to the business park.

The future of Malton’s town centre livestock mart was thrown into doubt when the lease at its current site expired in October 2013.

Plans for a new market at Eden Business Camp were granted planning permission by RDC the following August.

The Fitzwilliam Malton Estate, which owns the present livestock market site, has planning permission for a three-storey car park, a public square and retailing outlets on the land.

It has since granted a number of extensions to allow the market to continue on its present site and last year said it was reviewing other options for the two-acre site.

Estimates suggested the new market could cost up to £6 million, with a possible council contribution in excess of £4 million.

But after considering the reports put forward by the policy and resources committee, members recommended that the council should instead take an enabling role on the project.

This would include actively working with partners to create a viable commercial proposal, but would not include making an investment in the construction of the new facility.

Cllr Keane Duncan, leader of RDC, said that feasibility work commissioned by the last council, at a cost of up to £50,000, had concluded but did not present a clear way forward.

“This is a new council, and we’ve taken a fresh look at the proposals,” he said.

“We considered whether to put council funds into the scheme, but these are uncertain times and investing Ryedale taxpayers’ money into a big capital project comes with a risk. There is no clear way forward and our role in the scheme continues to be as controversial now as it was a year ago. Ultimately, we do not feel this is an enterprise the council should take a direct role in, but we will continue to engage with and support third parties to bring their plans to fruition. The livestock market is an important facility for our district, and we want to see it flourish.”

The committee’s recommendations will now go before the full council when it meets on Thursday, December 5.