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22
Mar
Town council lodges fresh objection against demolition of historic Harrogate almshouses
Harrogate Town Council has lodged a fresh objection against plans to demolish historic almshouses in Harrogate to make way for flats.
Harrogate Housing Association has proposed demolishing the property known as Applegarth Homes and replacing it with affordable flats for people aged over-55.
The charity, which has owned the almshouses since October 2017, said the current site on Knaresborough Road was “no longer fit for purpose”.
In its original proposals, the developer planned to demolish the almshouses and build 20 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom flats at the site.
However, following concerns from North Yorkshire Council planning officers, the developer reduced the number of flats to 20 — which would see 14 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom flats built and the number of car parking spaces increased from 10 to 20.
The developer said the scheme aimed to redevelop the site as the current building was "no longer fit for modern day living in terms of condition and space standards".
The amended site plan for Applegarth Homes.
However, at a Harrogate Town Council planning meeting on Wednesday (March 18), Cllr Mark Warr, Liberal Democrat councillor for Pannal ward, said the scheme was a “massive development”.
He said the proposal, which would replace the current almshouses, would not sit well in the area on Knaresborough Road.
Cllr Warr said:
The current building is set back and it seems to sit quite well. That [the new building] is going to sit like a massive lump.
Meanwhile, Cllr Graham Dixon, Liberal Democrat councillor for Harlow ward, described the development as “totally unsustainable”
He added that the current almshouses were “not particularly overbearing” compared with the proposed flats.
Cllr Dixon said:
It’s an overdevelopment which is totally unsustainable for the area, which is primarily semi-detached houses and bungalows.
Town councillors objected to the scheme on the grounds that the new scheme would represent overdevelopment and would be unsustainable for the area.
North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.
The almshouses, which consist of 10 flats, were built by Miss Jane Birdsall Walker in memory of her parents.
She maintained the property up until her death 1962 when the Applegarth Homes Almshouse charity was established by her will.
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