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13
Nov
Bishop Monkton housing developer agrees £480,000 community contributions
A developer has agreed to pay £480,000 community contributions for a 58-home scheme in Bishop Monkton.
Members of North Yorkshire Council's Skipton and Ripon area planning committee gave the green light for the development on land off Moor Road at a meeting on December 2, 2025.
The development was approved despite concerns over ongoing issues with the sewage system in the village.
Now, Alfa Homes Ltd, which is behind the scheme, has agreed a section 106 agreement with North Yorkshire Council for the site.
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.
An action group photo showing sewage on the streets of Bishop Monkton.
According to the agreement, which was published this week, the developer will pay a total of £480,183 in contributions.
This includes £199,395 to Bishop Monkton Primary School and £176,295 in off-site open space provision, including the village hall, sports ground and cemetery.
The developer has also agreed £67,296 to GP practices in the Ripon area, including North House Surgery, Dr Ingram & Partners and Ripon Spa Surgery.
Meanwhile, £29,675 will go towards management of on-site open space and £2,522 for a biodiversity net gain monitoring fee.
The developer will also pay £5,000 to fund double yellow lines at the site and has committed to 23 homes on the development being allocated to affordable housing.
Sewage concerns
It comes as councillors said they took the decision to approve the scheme reluctantly after hearing about ongoing issues with the sewage system.
Councillor Dean Culshaw, chair of Bishop Monkton Parish Council, told the meeting in December last year that the village regularly flooded during heavy rainfall, with sewage escaping into the street.
He said:
The surface and foul water infrastructure was designed and constructed in the 1900s when the village had 200 houses. Bishop Monkton currently has over 300 houses.
Yorkshire Water said openly that Bishop Monkton is currently close to capacity. Since that statement, 30 more houses have been built or approved to be built.
However, it was confirmed at the meeting that Yorkshire Water had not raised concerns that the latest development would exceed the capacity of the sewage system.
The committee was told that this meant councillors could not insert a condition that capacity must be improved before work started on the housing.
Councillor Andy Brown said the committee had no choice but to approve the scheme, which is within the village’s development limit and on land allocated for housing.
He added:
This committee no longer has the power to represent the people who elected us.
We’re driven by rules set way above us and if this site meets those rules, we’ve got no choice other than to pass it.
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