FLAGGING Skipton firm Castle Acoustics has come back with a fourth attempt to sell its land on Shortbank Road for housing and offices.

The speaker manufacturer, which went into administration earlier this year, wants to clear its Park Mill site and build 10 homes and a block of five offices, incorporating a landscaped area.

In March, the company was refused permission by Craven District Council to build 10 homes and six offices on the site.

Two previous attempts to develop the land were also unsuccessful.

Agent for the latest application, Jo Steel, said Castle Acoustics' position was continuing to weaken.

In an application design statement, the agent said: "It's now a case of hoping to retrieve some of the jobs that used to exist on the site."

Plans for the land include three-bedroom homes, two-storey office blocks, 29 car parking spaces and a garden area with a water feature.

Mr Steel said since the last refusal, the applicants had worked with the council to try to resubmit something to its taste.

He said a revised scheme had been drawn up and the fresh proposals fully addressed the previous reasons for refusal.

When the last application came to the planning meeting in March, councillors criticised the look of the homes. They said the design was "atrocious" and likened them to beach huts.

Comments were also made that the development would exacerbate traffic on the surrounding roads and that the site should be preserved for employment.

Mr Steel said significant alterations had now been made to the design.

He explained: "What was then a continuous terrace of eight dwellings is now proposed as two blocks of four."

The agent added that there had also been changes to the elevation and height of the scheme, which would reduce the physical mass of the development.

He added: "The proposed dwellings are similar in design to ones approved by the council at Sidgwick Court."

Mr Steel added that the current buildings on the site had no significant merit and were not listed.

He said the mixed-use development would add to the amenity of the area.

"The site is well located to the town centre and nearby housing areas and will attract users and employees who travel to work either by public transport or on foot or bike."

Mr Steel explained that 24 people had previously worked for Castle Acoustics at Park Mill, but the new offices would accommodate 40 employees.

"Therefore, approval of this mixed use development scheme will offer the potential for a significant increase in jobs on the site," he added.

Castle Acoustics has been trading at Park Mill since 1973, carrying out both design and manufacture functions.

It has been looking to relocate to smaller, single-storey premises since February 2003 amid growing industry competition from developing countries.

It enlisted the help of the council in trying to find new premises and submitted its first application for its current site in January last year. That application was to build 13 homes plus a landscaped area.

The latest plans will be determined at a future meeting of Craven District Council's planning committee.