A property company has been awarded a £63 million contract to build 200 homes on the site of the former police training centre in Harrogate.
Homes England, the government’s housing agency which bought the site in February, has handed the contract to Countryside Properties.
The controversial plans to build homes on the site off Yew Tree Lane have been delayed after Harrogate councillors deferred the proposals until concerns about traffic and infrastructure in the west of Harrogate were addressed.
Countryside Properties, which has offices in Leeds, will be paid £63,814,699 to construct the scheme if it is given the go-ahead. The contract was awarded in March this year and runs until December 2026.
Chris Penn, managing director of partnerships in Yorkshire at Countryside Properties, said:
“Since establishing our presence in Yorkshire in 2019, we have delivered a number of developments across the region that fulfil our ambition to create beautiful homes that collectively form new and sustainable communities.
“This is a vision we share with Homes England and we are delighted to have exchanged contracts for the redevelopment of the site at Yew Tree Lane in Harrogate.
“We look forward to progressing the scheme with Homes England to accommodate the local need for high quality and efficient new homes.”
200 homes plans delayed
Homes England already has permission for 161 homes on the site, but has seen efforts to increase the number halted by councillors.
The latest proposal, which would have seen the number of homes on the site increased by 23 per cent to 200, was deferred by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee in June.
Councillors said they wanted to see the publication of the council’s parameters plan, which will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with wider plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate, before making a decision.
Read more:
- Pannal Ash residents’ faith in planning process ‘severely tested’ by rush to approve 200 homes
- Controversial plans for 200 homes in Pannal Ash halted indefinitely
The parameters plan was expected last year but has been delayed and councillors heard it could take years to be finalised.
The development has proved controversial with residents in the area, particularly as it could see the loss of sports pitches.
Nick Viles, chairman of Pannal Sports Junior Football Club told the meeting in June he had “serious concerns about the loss of pitches for community use”, which he said went against the ethos of the club.
But Homes England’s planning consultant said the application was compliant with the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-2035, which sets out the district’s planning strategy until 2035, and that section 106 infrastructure payments by the developer would fund ‘much needed sports facilities’ elsewhere.
The consultant added it was a “viable and deliverable scheme” which, if approved, would begin next year.
The council is expected to make a decision on the plan at a later date.
