Subscribe to trusted local news
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
- Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
25
Jul
Council rejects housing plan for former Dacre Banks mill
A plan to convert a former mill in Dacre Banks into housing has been rejected.
Wakefield-based Milner Homes lodged plans to convert the now-redundant Nidd Valley Saw Mills into 12 dwellings and five employment units to North Yorkshire Council in December last year.
The move came after the council refused initial plans to convert the mill into housing and glamping pods in 2022.
Under the latest plans, the main mill building, plus one of the annexes and a furnace, would be retained, while the remaining annexe buildings and a sub-station would be demolished.
The developer bought the site in 2020 after it became vacant in 2017, and plans to turn the mill building into five two-bedroom apartments.
Proposed conversion of the saw mill building.
Planning documents show the remaining seven dwellings, which would be built at the site, would be a range of two, three and four-bedroom homes.
But, in its plans, the developer said the proposal would not include affordable housing. It said:
The scheme does not include any affordable housing, as the conversion of the mill would not be financially viable with the inclusion of affordable units.
Notwithstanding the above we will demonstrate that the Nidd Valley Sawmill has not [been] abandoned, and that [the] proposed development therefore benefits from vacant building credit.
As the Nidd Valley Sawmill has an extensive floor area, we will show that entire affordable housing requirement is offset by the amount of vacant floorspace on the site brought back into use.
However, the council has refused the plans on the grounds that the site lies outside the development limits of Summerbridge and that it has “not been demonstrated” that other development areas with lower risk of flooding are available.
In his decision notice, Martin Grainger, head of development, also said the scheme “does not provide sufficient affordable housing” and had insufficient information to “demonstrate acceptable drainage for the site”.
Mr Grainger said the scheme did not have a completed section 106 agreement for public open space. He said:
The application is not accompanied by a completed S106 Agreement to secure on-site and off-site public open space provision, management and maintenance, village halls contribution and affordable housing.
0