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03
Nov
Developers agree £1.6m funding package for 133 new homes in Harrogate
A developer has agreed to pay more than £1.6 million in community contributions after a 133-home scheme in Harrogate was approved.
The scheme, proposed by developer Miller Homes and Leeds housing association Home Group, will see the homes built on land at Cow Dyke Farm.
North Yorkshire Council granted outline planning permission to build up to 135 homes at the site on Skipton Road in July 2024.
Councillors on the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency planning committee gave final approval for the subsequent reserved matters application, which deals with access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale, for the site in August.
According to a decision notice for the development, which was published on the council’s planning portal on October 30, the developers have agreed £1,642,516 in section 106 contributions.
Section 106 legal agreements between councils and developers outline what funds should be paid to compensate for the impact of new housing. They can include contributions towards GP practices, highways and education, as well as open spaces.
Where the homes will be built.
This agreement includes £184,663 in off-site open space enhancements, such as for the Jennyfields recreation area, and £170,324 for on-site open space provision.
Developers have also agreed to pay £154,836 to fund works at Moss Healthcare, a biodiversity net gain monitoring fee of £5,165 and a section 106 monitoring fee of £590.
The largest sum in the agreement is £1,126,936 to local educational facilities. This is broken down as follows:
- Killinghall Church of England Primary School - £543,049.75
- Harrogate Grammer School/Rossett School/Harrogate High School - £388,388.91
- SEND provision - £86,887.96
- Early years provision - £108,609.95
The agreement also includes the provision of 40% affordable housing on the site, including 36 affordable rented properties and 17 shared ownership homes.
The scheme includes one- to five-bedroom homes which will be built on two fields, one of which contains buildings associated with the former Cow Dyke Farm.
The Cow Dyke farmhouse and its courtyard is a nondesignated heritage asset, which will be retained as part of the scheme.
The two-storey homes would consist of terraced, semi-detached and detached properties, all with gardens, private parking and electric vehicle charging points.
At the meeting in August, Cllr Sam Gibbs, Conservative member of the committee, said he welcomed the layout of the scheme and the number of affordable homes.
He said:
I think the development is actually a good one. I think the landscaping and layout of the site is good. I like the 40% affordable [housing], I think that is vitally important.
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