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19
Sept
Call for halt in further housing developments in west of Harrogate
A Harrogate councillor has called for a halt to further housing development in the west of the town as council officials draw up a new Local Plan.
Cllr John Mann, who represents Oatlands and Pannal division on North Yorkshire Council, said the area has had “its fair share” of new schemes and its road infrastructure is “already under strain”.
Cllr Mann added that he had written to the council’s executive to raise his concerns and called for a moratorium on any new housing sites being allocated to the area.
The move comes as the council is drawing up a new Local Plan for the county, which will set out where new houses and commercial developments can be built in the region over the next 15 to 20 years.
It will replace the current Harrogate and District Local Plan, which was adopted by the former Harrogate Borough Council in 2020.
A call for sites to be earmarked for new homes closed in June and the council aims to adopt the new plan by 2028.
However, the Stray Ferret reported last month that the process has since been delayed due to the new Labour government’s proposed planning reforms, which include measures for mandatory housing targets.
Cllr Mann said he was concerned that the west of Harrogate may have to absorb some of the new homes which will come with such targets.
He said:
North Yorkshire Council has just started work on a new Local Plan, which will have to take into account the Government’s new proposed target for housing in the county, and I am very concerned that the west of Harrogate might have to accept the allocation of additional new housing sites In the new Local Plan.
Whilst I understand the need for more new houses to be built in the county, they have to be built in the right location and with the right infrastructure.
The move comes as the west of Harrogate has seen multiple housing schemes allocated to it in recent years.
Up to 4,000 homes are being built or awaiting planning permission in the area, including schemes on Otley Road, Whinney Lane and Yew Tree Lane.
Much of the housing was earmarked for the area in the Harrogate District Local Plan, which assessed a need for 16,077 new homes in the district up to 2035.
It means the west of Harrogate was projected to take nearly a quarter of the entire district's housing need.
As a result, residents have repeatedly raised concern about the impact not just on roads, but on medical facilities, schools, buses and other infrastructure.
Cllr Mann said the west of Harrogate could see thousands of new cars as a result of the additional housing which is being built, which would put pressure on "weak infrastructure".
He added the new Local Plan must not asked to absorb additional housing which would put pressure on infrastructure, such as roads.
Cllr Mann said:
Whinney Lane, Green Lane, Yew Tree Lane, Hill Foot Lane and Burn Bridge Road are already near to full capacity, especially at rush hour. These country lanes should not be asked to take further traffic from new housing allocations in a new Local Plan.
In response to the concerns raised by Cllr Mann, Trevor Watson, the council’s assistant director of planning, said:
During the preparation of the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire, we will carefully consider the quantity, location and infrastructure needs for all future development. At this stage, it is too early to comment on the likely distribution of allocations.
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