The housebuilders behind a 36-home development in Goldsborough have been sent back to the drawing board for the second time this year after claims residents’ concerns have been “ignored”.
Stonebridge Homes has outline permission for the Station Road scheme but has now twice failed to get a final go-ahead after Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee voted for another deferral on Tuesday.
This comes after a meeting in March ended in the same result.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Andrew Paraskos, the Conservative councillor for Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale, said residents have accepted the development will eventually go-ahead but concerns over the density and design of the homes remained.
Photograph: Stonebridge Homes
These revised plans included two two-storey homes being reduced to bungalows, as well as more tree planting.
Cllr Paraskos said:
“Everybody realises that this site will be developed but no discussion has been made between the developers, the village and ourselves. We were asked for a meeting but due to holidays and other commitments we were unable to attend.
“The materials are still the same, the layout is the same, everything else is exactly as it was before.
“The revised application was also sent in before any meetings were tried to be arranged which really defeats the object.”
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Jacqueline Dowker, chair of Goldsborough and Flaxby Parish Council, also spoke in objection to the plans and described the changes as “minimal and superficial”.
No final decision for three years
In response, Mark Johnson, an agent for Stonebridge Homes, said the developers have “always been available” for discussions with residents and that not having a final decision after first submitting the plans in 2018 was now becoming an “issue”.
Mr Johnson was also questioned by councillor Victoria Oldham if he thought residents’ concerns should be “ignored” and he said:
“No I don’t – what you have to understand though is that when the architects approach every scheme they are looking at the character of the area.
“When the site was allocated for a particular number of dwellings, those issues were already considered.
“On that basis, the scheme has been found acceptable by the council’s design officer twice.”
The plans – which include a mix of one to five-bedroom properties – received 37 objections from residents.
It was agreed at Tuesday’s meeting that residents and councillors would meet with the developers before revised plans are brought back before the committee later this summer.
