The Councils East area planning committee will meet on Thursday with one of its longest agendas in recent times. Whether this signals an upturn in the local economy we will have to wait to see but an increase in investment levels is welcome.

The projects to be considered include:

• The erection of three-storey block of 16, 2 bedroom apartments and 7, two storey 3 bed houses with associated access at the former YWCA on Water Lane.

• Change of use from offices to 8 residential apartments at Hollycroft in Wenlock Terrace

• The installation of roof mounted flues and associated external plant and machinery with a ground mounted fresh air handling unit to ventilate the Nanocentre, a facility within the building associated with research into the production of solar cells and precision silicon fibre optics. The building is located at Helix House on Innovation Way in Heslington and is being challenged by local Cllr N Barnes. (No doubt many will think that this is just the kind of hi tech industry that the Council should be encouraging?)

• The erection of a single 50kW wind turbine with a hub height of 25 metres at Crockey Hill Road near Wheldrake

• Erection of six houses and the conversion of a barn into three dwellings on land to the rear of the Fox Inn Public House located on The Village in Stockton-on-the-Forest.

• The temporary use of part of a car park at the Designer Outlet on St Nicholas Avenue for a funfair

• A change of use and conversion of existing property to an 8 bed house in multiple occupation in Wilberforce Avenue

• A mooring for one vessel on the towpath adjacent to the Millennium Bridge on the eastern side of the River Ouse to be used as a café.

• The erection of a dormer bungalow to rear with access from Thirkleby Way at 305 Hull Road

• Substantial open-sided steel framed barn at the eastern edge of the Market Garden, Eastfield Lane Dunnington

Full details of the proposals can be found by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/East-Plan-8th-Oct