The owners of Flaxby Park Golf Club have withdrawn an appeal over a decision to refuse plans for 350 eco lodges and a hotel on the site.
In March, Harrogate Borough Council rejected the proposal on the grounds that it would cause an “unacceptable” impact on the environment. The site is close to junction 47 on the A1(M).
Last month, Flaxby Park Ltd took the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate – which deals with planning disputes.
In documents submitted to the inspectorate, planning consultants Lichfields, which lodged the appeal on behalf of the developer, said the reasons for refusal were “unfounded”.
It said:
“The appellant will show that the council’s reasons for refusal are unfounded and that there are no technical issues arising from the proposed development, which cannot be addressed by appropriately worded conditions or Section 106 planning obligations.
“The appellant will therefore submit that planning permission should be granted for the development proposed by the appeal without delay.”
However, Flaxby Park Ltd has now withdrawn the appeal. A public inquiry into the case scheduled for January 31, 2023, has been cancelled.
An aerial computer generated image of the proposal. The A1(M) is to the east and the A59 is to the south.
The Stray Ferret approached both Flaxby Park Ltd and its agent Lichfields to ask why the company made the decision and if it still intends to propose a new scheme for the site.
But we did not receive a response by the time of publication.
The move raises questions over the future of the former Flaxby Golf Course site, which has been closed since 2014.
History of the site
In 2008 The Skelwith Group bought the site from farming family the Armstrongs for £7m. It published plans for a 300-bedroom five-star hotel on the site that it touted as the future “jewel in Yorkshire’s tourism crown”.
But the plans never materialised and in 2016 the company went out of business.
Flaxby Park Ltd, a company made up of businesswoman Ann Gloag and regeneration specialists Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner, bought the 260-acre golf course site from administrators in 2016.
Read more:
- Flaxby parish council calls for government to reject eco-homes
- Business park near Flaxby that could support 2,000 jobs approved
Its original proposal for the site was to build 2,750 homes and a rail link at Goldsborough. But these plans ended after the council chose the Cattal and Green Hammerton area as the site for a new settlement in the district instead.
In October 2020, the developer challenged the council’s decision in the High Court but was unable to overturn it.
