A public inquiry heard this week how homes would be overlooked and access would be affected if plans were approved to convert an old barn into a house.

The nine-year battle to gain planning permission on land next to Burnside Mill, Cockshott Fold, Addingham, will soon be coming to an end.

After being refused planning permission to transform a barn on the land into a house in February 2001, developer P R Whittaker took the issue to a public inquiry in Ilkley Town Hall on Tuesday.

Also there were members of Addingham Parish Council and residents of Beckside Close, who are in opposition to the move, and Michael Allison, of Allison and Macrae Architects, who represented Mr Whittaker.

Issues concerning the village green space, disturbances it would cause and how trucks would access the site were all discussed by both parties.

The developers' intention is to extend the barn to transform it into suitable living accommodation, but in doing so it is feared that it will dominate the properties below on Beckside Close.

These houses are at a lower level to the north of the barn and the objectors feel their privacy would be invaded.

Resubmitted plans showed the proposed extension to be smaller than the original plans, which were refused by the council.

A council planning spokesman said: "There will be some overshadowing at certain times and further domination and over looking to some homes on Beckside Close, especially numbers four to seven."

Beckside Close residents were concerned that they would be overlooked because their homes had French windows backing on to the development.

The council report claimed that screening by fences, walls or planting would not be a solution to the problem as it would also cause overlooking and add to the oppressive effects upon the homes.

The access to the site is via a shared industrial and residential junction with Main Street, which passes Burnside Mill and homes on Beckside Close.

The proposed driveway of the barn conversion would run close to the rear gardens of these homes and at a considerably higher level, thus also causing intrusion and disturbances for the residents.

The Chairman of Addingham Parish Council, Gordon Campbell said: "We as a parish council support the refusal of the original application. We have great concern over the access for the site and the question of the elevation. We feel if they were to build this then they would probably have to knock down the barn and rebuild it."

Mr Allison said: "We certainly do not accept that the traffic movement will be great, we expect four to five traffic movements a day. We started this in 1993 and since the barn has become derelict and we intend to restore it with the original stone and keeping in character with the area."

Coun Campbell added: "Personally I feel the elevation of the barn is the problem and not the character they intend to build it in."

Concerns were also expressed that the steep slope access to the barn would be a great problem for tenants in terms of the