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03
Oct
Killinghall bears the brunt of ‘speculative’ development as another housing scheme announced
A fourth major housing development within the space of as many months has been announced for Killinghall.
Bellway has written to homes in the village saying it will hold a public consultation on October 15 about plans to build homes on a field on the opposite side of the A61 Ripon Road to Daleside Nurseries.
The leaflet does not say how many homes are planned. The Stray Ferret contacted the company today asking for a number, but no further details have been provided.
It is the latest in a series of planned developments in the rapidly expanding village two miles north of Harrogate.
In June, Miller Homes notified residents it intended to apply for planning permission for 75 homes on land on Picking Croft Lane, just off Otley Road.
Sheffield-based Hallam Land held a community consultation event in July over plans for 130 homes and a health centre off Otley Road.
This week Gladman Developments Ltd sent a letter to villagers alerting them of plans to build about 100 homes off Otley Road.
Those three developments alone would amount to 305 homes, if approved by North Yorkshire Council.
Speculative developments
Councillor Michael Harrison, a Conservative who represents Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate on North Yorkshire Council, said the government’s housing targets had opened the door to speculative developments in places like Killinghall.
In a letter to residents, Cllr Harrison said Labour had increased North Yorkshire’s annual housing target from 1,384 under the Tories to over 4,200.
He added:
I’m concerned that such a large increase in the council’s housing target is unrealistic without infrastructure improvements and new job opportunities.
Worryingly, because this new target has been imposed without any notice, the government has also declared the existing housing plan to be out of date, therefore making it harder to resist speculative development.
Cllr Harrison invited residents to complete a survey giving their views.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret, he said he suspected Killinghall was attractive to developers because of its proximity to Harrogate and lack of greenbelt land.
Despite his concerns about the government’s approach, he said developers would still have to overcome planning concerns, adding he “firmly believed” the Ripon Road and Otley Road development was already at capacity.
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