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11
Feb
Congestion and overdevelopment among Scotton residents’ concerns over 80-home proposal
Scotton residents have raised a number of concerns over a proposed 80-home scheme on the outer edge of the village.
Housebuilder Bellway Homes has mooted plans to build approximately 80 homes – 40% of which would be classed as affordable – on land just off the B6165 Ripley Road, to the east of Scotton.
The indicative layout for the 20-acre site includes land allocated for a small food store and car park, and a large area of green space set around an existing mature tree.
A formal application has not yet been submitted, but the company held a public consultation on the plans at Scotton Village Hall yesterday (February 10), when a Bellway representative told the Stray Ferret the company hopes to put plans forward within the next six months.
But the proposal appeared to prove less than popular with some Scotton residents, who told the Stray Ferret about their concerns over potentially increased congestion, a lack of public transport and fears of overdevelopment in the village.
Debbie and Tim Spink, who live along Ripley Road, said the road is “like a motorway as it is – lots of crashes”, and struggle to turn onto the road with the existing flow of traffic.
Mr Spink also felt Scotton "would no longer feel like a village" with the potential influx of new housing, and raised concerns over the capacity at nearby Scotton Lingerfield Community Primary School.
“Basically, we’ve just had our belly full of houses being built in every nook and cranny”, Mr Spink added.
Bellway's potential village shop also didn’t seem to appease the Spinks, nor other Scotton residents. Several people told the Stray Ferret former village shops closed due to being underused - and they believe Bellway’s shop could meet a similar fate.
How the scheme might look once completed. Image: Bellway Strategic Land.
‘I think it’s the wrong development in the wrong place’
Another Scotton resident, who did not wish to be named, said he feels “it is the wrong development in the wrong place”.
The proposed development wouldn’t drive the man out of the village, but he feels it would be better suited to an area with good public transport links, such as Killinghall or Knaresborough.
Congestion is also a “massive concern”, the man told the Stray Ferret, adding:
Some mornings you drive up to the Ripley roundabout and you’re queuing for about half a mile before the roundabout.
It’s already a rat run through the village.
Another resident, who has lived in Scotton with his wife for the last three years, said he does not “like the look" of the development.
“There’s been so much expansion to the village, it’s almost not a village now”, the man said.
He believes the location is unsuitable for a development of that size and worries about the increase in traffic on Ripley Road.
Bellway's plans were outlined at the Scotton consultation.
'There is a need for housing'
We put the residents’ concerns to Alex Bowling, strategic land manager at Bellway Homes, at the consultation event.
Mr Bowling said “there is a need for housing”, adding:
In terms of affordability, we will be providing affordable homes so people can stay here and also attract a new type of person.
He said concerns over local facilities and education would likely be addressed in a section 106 agreement – financial contributions made by developers to local authorities to mitigate the impact of development – but added Bellway Homes has “no control” over how the money is allocated by North Yorkshire Council.
When the Stray Ferret asked Mr Bowling what people can expect from the development should it be approved, he told us:
Housing is the main benefit. Housing is an absolute necessity and it’s been massively underdelivered in Harrogate and North Yorkshire... as far as I’m concerned, it’s a massive necessity.
I was speaking to a woman earlier who is looking to downsize from a five-bedroom house in Scotton but remain in Scotton – there isn’t that choice at the moment. It’s rare that houses come up for sale… the average age for a first-time buyer is 34 and this development would allow any young adults who live in the village to remain in the village.
Bellway anticipates work on the development could start next year or in 2028, dependent on planning approval, and be completed by 2030.
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