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03
Sept
Government rejects plans for shop in Harrogate's Montpellier district
A government planning inspector has rejected plans for a new shop and apartment in the centre of Harrogate.
Headingley-based developer ATC Properties Limited tabled the plan to North Yorkshire Council for the site on Montpellier Street in June last year.
It would see two 19th century cottages rebuilt to create a retail unit at ground floor and one two-bedroom apartment on the first floor and second floor.
The unit would be based to the rear of 15 to 18 Montpellier Parade, which the developer also owns.
However, council officials rejected the proposal in October 2025 on the grounds that the move would have an adverse impact on the conservation area and would have an “enclosing feeling for its future residents”.
The developer took the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with planning disputes, where it argued there was “no strong reason” for refusing the plan.
‘Unacceptable harm’
However, N Teasdale, a government planning inspector, rejected the appeal in a decision notice published on Tuesday (September 1).
The inspector said that the plan would “unacceptably harm” the character and appearance of the surrounding area.
Mr Teasdale added that the scheme would also have an impact on the living conditions of occupiers in the area.
The inspector said:
The proposed development would unacceptably harm the character and appearance of the surrounding area.
It would fail to preserve the character or appearance of the conservation area and would also fail to preserve the setting of the non- designated heritage asset, No 15-18. In addition to this, the proposed development would also harm the living conditions of existing occupiers of No 15-18 with regard to privacy and outlook. I attribute substantial weight to such matters.
The inspector added that benefits of the proposed scheme would be “substantially outweighed by the adverse effects identified”.
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