Plans for 645 homes and a new primary school in Norton, North Yorkshire, were today given the go-ahead by North Yorkshire Council's strategic planning committee.

Council officers had recommended the full planning application for the new homes and outline application for a two-form entry school at Norton Lodge, in Beverley Road be approved.

The proposed development will also include a new link road connecting Beverley Road to Hugden Way.

A total of 141 affordable homes will be built as part of the development.

Plans for the scheme were first submitted in 2021 by developers Barratt Homes and Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd.

The application was later amended with the school repositioned to the north of the site and a reduction in the 672 homes originally proposed.

The school will now be built next to a bacon factory and slaughterhouse owned by Sofina Food Group.

Sofina voiced concerns about the proximity of the school and noise and odour coming from its factory.

The Environment Agency and the council's children's and young people's services also raised the impact of noise and odour from the factory on residents of the proposed housing and users of the school.

But the meeting heard that an eight-metre acoustic barrier would be erected between the factory and the school, which would be at least 45 metres away.

Planning officer Alan Goforth added: "The noise of distressed animals, which has been referred to within the Environment Agency's comments, are audible once you're towards the rear of the (factory) site.

"But from officer visits, our experiences are that you cannot hear them from the application site due to the attenuation provided by the existing buildings."

The meeting heard from Paul Butler, agent for the applicants, who said the scheme would deliver much-needed housing to the area.

On the issue of noise concerns, he added: "If the factory continues to operate in the same manner which they have been required to do by their existing permits, there will be no concerns in respect of noise or odour.

"If/when this development is completed, it will be the noise of the new community that residents will hear, including children playing at the school, not the factory."

Councillor Caroline Goodrick said she did not believe the school was in the ideal location.

She added: "I see this as incompatible land use, and looking at the report from children and young people's services, they seem to be in agreement with that position."

The councillor also raised concerns that the amount of affordable housing had been reduced from the 35 per cent required in the local plan to around 22 per cent.

Councillor Andy Brown said the authority had "caved in" to the developers over the issue.

In response, council planning officers said they had "pushed and pushed" but this was the level that had been agreed with the developer in order to ensure that the scheme would be progressed.

The meeting heard that the new homes would have solar panels and air source heat pumps.

The application was approved unanimously, subject to a number of conditions, including a requirement for Yorkshire Water to ensure that the town's sewage system had the capacity to cope with the new housing.