A major tourism venture looks set to be created on the site of a former coal mine near York.

The planning committee of City of York Council is recommended to approve the final details of plans from Cheshire-based Flannigan Estates when it meets next Thursday.

The scheme at North Selby Mine at New Road, Deighton, has already been approved at outline stage.

The former coal mine is one of five former mines in the Selby Coal field, which closed over 20 years ago.

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Approved plans already allow for static and touring vans on the 36.4 ha site.

As previously reported, when plans were first submitted in 2019, the scheme promised a boost to the local area of £7m to £9m, creating between 400 and 500 direct, indirect and induced jobs.

The Reserved Matters application, to be determined at the meeting, aims to confirm the location of some 80 touring pitches, 216 static caravans with leisure facilities including a café/wine bar, laundrette, gym and beauty spas.

Such facilities would be centrally placed within the site using the former colliery buildings which would be refurbished.

A report prepared by planning staff for the committee meeting notes the current and former North Yorkshire councils, plus Deighton Parish Council, had no comment to make on the scheme.

Gazette & Herald: The proposed layout of the site

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust had concerns over the impact extra cats and dogs may have on wildlife at a nearby SINC (Site of Importance for Nature Conservation).

Escrick Parish Council objected due to lack of clarity on details such as the pitches.

There were also seven objections citing noise, traffic and harm to neighbouring biodiversity.

Assessing the issues, planners noted the proposed scheme aimed to retail the existing site layout as possible, with woodland areas accommodating the tourist vans and a central bowl, which has much of the existing hardstanding, would accommodate the static vans and the facilities.

Their report said: “The works to the former colliery buildings would comprise general refurbishment and internal conversion with no additional extensions or additional built footprint created.

“The overall additional built footprint would be modest and the layout, incorporating the most intense activities within the more sheltered central area of the site is felt to be acceptable allowing the productive reuse of a former industrial site which has been disused and derelict for a protracted period of time.”

Recommending approval, their report added the principle of approval for leisure was established by the granting of planning approval in 2022 and the submitted details were consistent with these proposals.

Detailed plans showed how the biodiversity of the nearby SINC would be protected and how the amenity of nearby properties would not be harmed.

It added: “The proposal is therefore felt to be acceptable in planning terms and approval is recommended.”