Plans for barns to be transformed into wedding venue divides community

Farmers A Wainwright and Son’s revised proposal to convert agricultural buildings at Sproxton, near Helmsley, would boost the local economy by at least £1.5m and demand for local services from wedding attendees by at least £1m a year, a planning application submitted to Ryedale District Council claims.

The application comes a year after a similar scheme was rejected over concerns of the development’s impact on residents’ quality of life and highway safety.

The documents state the applicant has “worked tirelessly” since the scheme was rejected to overcome the concerns, proposing to bypass Sproxton village by building a new access to the A170.

They also propose the use of an innovative sound system to reduce music sounds coming from the venue during events. The documents add a study of the sound impact had demonstrated good operational music levels would be possible, whilst causing no more than a low impact at the nearest home, with mitigation measures.

The papers state: “It is considered that this would achieve the acceptable impacts required to protect quality of life, and so protect residents from nuisance proactively.”

The scheme has attracted numerous letters of support from villagers, some of whom have highlighted the benefits to the rural economy.

One neighbour wrote the proposed new access road would “provide a golden opportunity to massively improve current traffic conditions through the narrow village street”, as the new road would be used for the vast majority of farm traffic.

He stated: “This is a real benefit since there is already congestion between ever larger farm vehicles and ever increasing visits from delivery lorries ontop of movements by residents.”

The neighbour said with a sound reduction scheme “the investment will be able to deliver on its very important economic and employment benefits for Helmsley and Ryedale whilst minimising any disruption and nuisance to Sproxton village”.

However, a number of residents have lodged objections to the scheme saying the proposed access road to the venue would see vehicles turning offthe A170 at a point with limited visibility, which would be “particularly dangerous at times when guests arrive in large numbers”.

They added music noise, however distant, and the noise of a largegroup of people partying would not be “in keeping with life in such an idyllic hamlet, especially at night when other ambient sounds have died down”.

They said efforts to limit the noise from events at the venue were likely to be ineffective.

One objector stated: “Weddings are events where family and friends get together, celebrate, consume large amounts of alcohol and at the end usually bid their protracted and often emotional goodbyes.

“The welfare and quality of life of the local population will not be at the forefront of these revellers’ minds, and trying to manage the resulting noise in these circumstances might prove impossible and may even cause more disruption.”