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02
Feb
Killinghall residents submit 400 letters of objection against 'unsustainable village expansion'
Residents in Killinghall have submitted nearly 400 letters of objection to multiple housing schemes earmarked for the village.
Killinghall Together, a local residents group, warned that the scale and proposed development risks overwhelming local infrastructure and permanently damaging the village’s character.
It comes as developers have lodged four planning applications for the area, which could see up to 450 new homes built.
Residents say development is being brought forward in an uncoordinated and piecemeal way, without a clear strategy for roads, schools, healthcare, green space, or community facilities.
James Houseman, of Killinghall Together, said:
We are deeply concerned about whether Killinghall can cope with this level of growth.
Our roads are already congested, our primary school is under pressure, the GP surgery has closed, and local amenities are extremely limited. Without a coordinated plan, this scale of development risks changing our village forever.
The letters of objection focus on areas such as inadequate amenities, green space, traffic, highways, noise and air quality.
Mr Houseman added that residents were calling for development which is proportionate, planned and sustainable.
He said:
Growth must be planned in a way that protects the character of Killinghall and the quality of life of the people who live here.
We want to work constructively with planners and decision-makers, but we need a coordinated approach that puts infrastructure, safety and the environment first.
‘Speculative development’
Gladman Developments, Bellway Homes, Miller Homes and Hallam Land have all earmarked the parish for new housing schemes.
Among the proposed developments are:
- 75 homes by Miller Homes on land at Picking Croft Lane, just off Otley Road
- 130 homes by Hallam Land off Otley Road
- 100 homes by Gladman Developments off Otley Road
- 120 homes by Bellway off Ripon Road
The planned schemes have raised concern that the village is bearing the brunt of “speculative” development.
Councillor Michael Harrison, a Conservative who represents Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate on North Yorkshire Council, said previously that the government’s housing targets had opened the door to speculative developments in places like Killinghall.
In a letter to residents in October last year, 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.
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