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27
Feb 2021
Anger in Green Hammerton at 80-home development
Despite the spectre of a 3000-home "new settlement" eventually being built around Green Hammerton, a smaller application for 80 homes has arguably attracted just as much anger in the village.
Leeds-based developer Loxley Homes was granted outline planning permission to build the homes in January 2019 and the council's planning committee is expected to consider a reserved matters application, that deals with the design and layout of the site, next month.
The homes would be built on Green Hills, an agricultural field that rises above the village and out towards York, where you can even see York Minster on a sunny day.
The original application received over 250 objections, more than the number of homes in Green Hammerton itself.
The plans also received an objection from Historic England who said the views towards York's skyline are some of Green Hammerton’s "most precious but fragile qualities."
Chris Chelton, founder of the Keep Green Hammerton Green campaign group said the homes will leave a "horrendous legacy" for villagers.
He said:
Read more:
Green Hammerton gets final approval for 3,000-home settlement
Flaxby vs Green Hammerton: the saga so far…
After Harrogate Borough Council chose the area around Green Hammerton for a major expansion of housing in the district, ahead of Flaxby, the village has become synonymous with development.
The new homes could eventually see the village grow from 675 people to over 10,000.
Mr Chelton said it rankles that the Loxley scheme was granted outline permission during the years when Harrogate had no Local Plan, which he said "condemned" Green Hammerton to its current fate.
During that time, councillors say they were “forced” to approve major developments to boost housing numbers.
In November last year, villagers in Green Hammerton were encouraged after a HBC planning committee refused a reserved matters application in another historic village — Spofforth.
Like the Loxley proposal, the developer had outline planning permission but councillors agreed that the proposals in Spofforth would turn the historic village into a “carbuncle of urban sprawl".
Loxley Homes was approached several times for comment but has not responded.
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