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24
Feb
Decision finally paves way for regeneration of historic Starbeck building
Plans to regenerate the Harpers building on Starbeck High Street have finally been approved — nine years after fire ripped through the site.
The burnt-out shell has blighted the heart of Starbeck for nearly a decade, despite community efforts to paint the building and install planters nearby.
Initial plans to demolish the structure and erect a new building were rejected
But North Yorkshire Council has now approved fresh plans to restore the existing building after six years of wrangling.
The ground floor will continue to be used for commercial use and nine flats will be created on the first floor and in the roof space.
How the redeveloped site will look. Image: E3 Architecture.
Council case officer Rachel Tyas said in a public decision report that drone surveys indicated the building could be retained, “albeit with significant repair and reconstruction works”.
Ms Tyas acknowledged concerns about the lack of onsite parking but said there were “frequent public transport connections” nearby.
She also said the plans would cause “a degree of overlooking into the windows of No.1 Forest Avenue” but “this harm Is weighed against bringing back into productive use the currently redundant floor space above the retail unit”,
She said:
In this case, the public benefits include bringing a long-vacant, fire-damaged prominent and locally valued building back into active and sustainable use, the enhancement of the streets visual quality and conservation of existing historic fabric, the creation of nine dwellings providing a contribution towards the local planning authority’s housing land supply and public benefits deriving from the construction works and spend from future occupiers.
On top of the Harpers building in Starbeck. Picture: Hexa Projects.
‘A major impact on the High Street’
Site clearance work in January, as reported by the Stray Ferret.
Owner Graham Bates told the Stray Ferret this was now almost complete and construction work will begin shortly.
Developer Bates Family Investments Limited has appointed Hexa Projects Ltd as the main contractor. The designer is Jonathan Erkulis, of E3 Architecture.
Mr Bates said he expected the scheme to be completed in the final quarter of this year.
This project has been many years in the planning and originally, we had hoped to create a larger number of apartments in a new build but to get planning consent was like climbing a mountain so we reverted to converting the existing building to nine apartments. These will all come to the market for sale in due course and will be finished to a high standard of interior design.
We are confident the completion of the building will have a major impact on the High Street and will be welcomed by local traders and residents alike. We have faced numerous challenges in bringing this building back to life and we are genuinely grateful for the local support - it has always been our intention to redevelop the building into something of high quality that we can be proud of and which add to the local community.
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