Harrogate Borough Council has given final approval to an 80-home housing development in Green Hammerton.
Leeds-based developer Loxley Homes was granted outline planning permission to build the homes in January 2019.
Today the council’s planning committee considered a reserved matters application that dealt with the design and layout of the site.
Five councillors voted to approve the plans, three voted to refuse and three abstained.
The development, which will include 32 affordable houses, faced fierce opposition within the village, with 229 objections and none supporting.
Chris Chelton, co-chair of the Keep Green Hammerton Green action group, spoke to councillors and cited an objection from Historic England.
The public body said the views towards York’s skyline were some of Green Hammerton’s ‘most precious but fragile qualities’.
Mr Chelton added:
“Out of all the developments in Green Hammerton, this is the one that’s aroused the most local outrage, and with good reason. It will have a massive impact on its surroundings.
“You could refuse and say you are no longer prepared to sanction a development on a site as sensitive as this. Send the developers back to the drawing board to work harder.”
Read more:
- Anger in Green Hammerton at 80-home development
- Green Hammerton gets final approval for 3,000-home settlement
Ann Myatt, Conservative councillor for Ouseburn, objected to the plans and also revealed that Conservative Selby & Ainsty MP Nigel Adams had intervened and written to committee members about the proposals.
Responding to comments that there are too many homes in the development, the agent Roger Rippon, speaking on behalf of Loxley Homes, said:
“I don’t believe this is over-development. All the government guidance says you should make the most use of a site. We’re not allowed to waste land by carrying out unreasonably low-density development.”
