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12
Nov 2020
New group to protect western Harrogate from urban expansion
With unprecedented levels of housing planned for the western fringes of Harrogate, a new campaign group has called for developments to have a greater focus on sustainability and infrastructure.
The Western Arc Coordination Group brings together organisations including Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, Duchy Residents' Association, Hampsthwaite Action Group, Zero Carbon Harrogate, Harrogate District Cycle Action and Pannal & Burn Bridge Parish Council.
As many as 4,000 houses could be built in the area by 2035. Harrogate Borough Council's Local Plan includes 800 homes at Windmill Farm on Otley Road and 200 homes at the former police training centre on Yew Tree Lane.
Several other sites have either been recently completed or are under construction, such as Persimmon's 600-home King Edwin Park development on Pennypot Lane and Stonebridge Homes 130-home scheme on Whinney Lane.
With construction set to continue in the area for at least the next 15 years, the group has produced a document warning of "serious disruption" to people living in what is one of Harrogate's most popular areas.
Read the document in full here.
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'Severe' congestion
The new group predicts the majority of developments in the western arc of Harrogate will be car-dependent, which will require a "major upgrade" of roads.
It says since North Yorkshire County Council scrapped plans for a controversial "relief road" last year, there has been little progress in tackling congestion.
It warns "accepted congestion problems" have been left unaddressed and says nearby villages such as North Rigton, Burn Bridge and Pannal will bear the brunt of increased traffic in and out of Harrogate. The document says:
Tackling climate change
A key focus of the group will be putting pressure on developers and the council to ensure homes are future-proofed to mitigate the effects of climate change.
However, it says current housing developments in Harrogate fall short of the mark when it comes to the environment. It says planners, developers and house builders have a "huge responsibility" to do their bit and recognise that the decisions they take will have ramifications for climate change.
It calls on house builders to ditch their dependence on old fashioned building techniques and move towards renewable energy and off-site construction methods, which it argues will slash carbon emissions during the production process and after residents move in.
The document says:
What do local councils say?
A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council told the Stray Ferret that the Local Plan provided a "clear and robust" framework for developments, including the requirement for a "parameters plan" that will organise infrastructure.
He added:
Members of WACG spoke at North Yorkshire County Council's area constituency committee this morning.
NYCC's executive member for highways, Cllr Don Mackenzie, said the authority hopes to work together with the group going forward.
He said:
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