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04
Aug 2021
Kingsley Drive residents to 'remain vigilant' despite 217-home rejection
Residents on Harrogate’s Kingsley Drive say they will “remain vigilant” despite a controversial 217 home plan in the area being rejected.
Councillors on Harrogate Borough Council's planning committee unanimously voted to refuse the proposal from Persimmon Homes yesterday after council officers said it was unacceptable.
The council received 388 objections to the scheme and no responses in favour.
The Kingsley ward area will eventually see more than 600 homes built, including developments at Granby Farm and 149 homes on Kingsley Road.
However, despite the refusal, residents have said they intend to keep an eye on the proposal in case it is appealed.
John Hansard, who lives in the area, told the Stray Ferret that the refusal was a “good result” but added that locals were well aware that the plan could come back.
Mr Hansard pointed to the Planning Inspectorate's decision to approve 149 homes on Kingsley Road back in March, despite the borough council refusing the plan, as an example.
He said:
Read more:
- First Lidl supermarket in Harrogate given go-ahead
- New Sainsbury’s in Harrogate town centre gets green light
- Council rejects controversial plan for 217 homes on Kingsley Drive
Meanwhile, Catherine Maguire, another resident on Kingsley Drive, said the result left her with mixed emotions.
She said the news was “positive” for the area, but added that there was further to go in opposing the scheme.
Ms Maguire said:
Chris Watt, who spoke on behalf of Kingsley Ward Action Group at the meeting, said he was delighted that councillors sided with residents.
He told the Stray Ferret:
Officer and councillor concerns
Ahead of refusing the proposal, council officers said the application was “not considered acceptable”.
Although the site is allocated for housing under the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines development in the district until 2035, officers had concerns about overdevelopment and inadequate information on surface water drainage and noise.
Authority officials also said in a report that the number of homes on the site was above the 173 allocated in the local plan.
The application, when combined with the nearby Stonebridge Homes development, would have seen a total of 313 houses built if it had been approved.
Meanwhile, Cllr Nigel Middlemass, ward member for Kinglsey, told the council’s planning committee that the development had not been thought through.
He said:
Paul Butler, agent for Persimmon Homes, requested that the committee defer the application so that the council and developer could work on the design and layout of the scheme.
However, the council’s planning committee voted unanimously to reject the scheme.
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