A HOUSEBUILDER has caused outrage by seeking permission to start work on a York housing development at 7am each day.

Barratt Homes told City of York Council it wanted the early start on its 83-bedroom scheme in Eastfield Lane, Dunnington, 'due to the preferred hours of our trades, the majority of which prefer to start at 7am and finish at 4.30 latest, particularly with shortening days as we move away from summer.'

It added: "Whilst this reason may seem petty, the truth is that trades are in short supply and some have already left to work on other developments.

"Completion for this development will only be delayed if we cannot maintain an appropriate labour force until then."

But one local resident, Heather Ballantyne, said the proposal was 'absolutely disgusting.'

She said: "It's bad enough that the development is going ahead and the chaos it is going to cause to our street but this is going to make it even worse.

"If they want to start at 7 am then there would be even earlier traffic going to the site and heavy wagons too.

"Floodlights for the development will impact the houses that border the development. No consideration has been given to the residents surrounding the development."

She added that all objections to the early starting time needed to be made to York council in writing by Tuesday.