A Leeds-based developer has applied for planning permission to build 83 homes on the western edge of Harrogate.

Commercial Estates Group, which is more commonly known as CEG, intends to develop a site to the east of Whinney Lane, next to the Squinting Cat pub.

The development would occupy the development block designated H70, which is one of several forming the so-called ‘Western Arc’. This is a patchwork of large development sites, scheduled to bring about 4,000 new homes to the town, forming a nearly unbroken band stretching from RHS Harlow Carr to Yew Tree Lane.

It includes:

• the Stonebridge Homes site, immediately to the north of the current site, where 130 homes have already been built
• the H51 block, where Banks Group received permission last August to build 224 homes and a school; around 500 further homes are planned for this site
• the H45 block, where North Yorkshire Council approved plans in December to build 480 homes

The strategy of building so much housing on the Western Arc has been much criticised by residents who contend that the necessary infrastructure, such as as roads, cycle paths, bus routes, sewerage and medical and dental facilities, should be in place before construction starts.

CEG has a vast portfolio of land and properties stretching from Glasgow to Kent, including Central House, the office complex at Beckwith Knowle, near the latest proposed housing development.

Documents uploaded to North Yorkshire Council’s planning portal suggest that the new homes east of Whinney Lane would be built by Quarters Life, a Kettlesing-based property development company whose website says it is "dedicated to creating contemporary, sustainable living spaces”.

The consultation period for the planning application runs till Sunday, May 4, and the council’s target date to make a decision on the application is Thursday, July 10.