A COMPANY which was at the centre of a protest over plans to build an asphalt plant is offering to set up a community liaison group to address residents' concerns.

Stuart Haines, managing consultant for W Clifford Watts, which owns Whitewall Quarry in Norton, gave a presentation to the town council about the history of the site and plans for the future.

Mr Haines said the company, which employed 22 staff, wanted a positive relationship with people living in the area following the controversy of the asphalt plant application which was turned down on appeal last year.

He said the company was keen to support local charities and sports teams and was aiming to raise £10,000 towards Breast Cancer.

"The site has planning permission until 2023 and with remaining resources after then we would be looking to apply to extend the timeframe," he said.

"However, we recognised that since the asphalt application there have been a lot complaints and interest in what we do."

Mr Haines said the company wanted to work alongside its neighbours in a positive way by setting up a local liaison committee with the support of the town council and North Yorkshire County Council.

"It would give us the opportunity to talk about issues as they arise and help to address them and also to show people who live near the site what we do on a day-to-day basis," he said.

"Ultimately, we would like to extend our hours to help expand the business but we realise this would be difficult and is why we would like to work with local people."

Mr Haines said the quarry was licensed to operate from 6.30am to 5.30pm on weekdays and 7am to noon on Saturday.

"We now have tracking devices on all vehicles to enable us to control speeding and ensure that all lorries are sheeted before they leave the quarry and anyone who doesn't do that will be banned," he said.

"People should report any issues to us straight away. However, they should bear in mind lorries may come back to the quarry after the operating hours depending on where they have been on deliveries."

Mr Haines said the company was also prepared to carry out noise surveys with the support of the county council.

Councillor Anne Spencer said the noise from the quarry carried over into Langton Road, while county councillor Elizabeth Shields said she had received endless complaints, particularly from the racing stables which back on to the site.

Councillor David Lloyd-Williams said: "Drivers also need to be told not to use the bridge at Kirkham Abbey because of the damage that is being caused to the structure."

However, Councillor Di Keal said issues with HGVs should not be solely contributed to Clifford Watts as they were other operators in the area.