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23
Aug
Is Maltkiln the answer to Harrogate’s housing targets?
In January, Richard Flinton, the chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, told an audience of business leaders in Harrogate that the council had a problem — its housing targets were being hiked dramatically.
As part of the Labour government’s housebuilding agenda, ministers increased North Yorkshire’s housing need to 4,156 a year — it had previously been 1,361.
For Mr Flinton, the national drive was going too fast and claimed it could leave the authority susceptible to "speculative" schemes.
But, one project near Harrogate could help the authority — Maltkiln.
“Maltkiln is really important”
The drive from the Labour government to build more homes has caused problems for North Yorkshire.
Firstly, the council has no Local Plan — the blueprint which will set out where new houses and commercial developments can be built in the region over the next 15 to 20 years.
As a result, this has led to a second problem — the authority is left at the mercy of speculative developers who could point to the council's lack of land supply as a means of pushing through schemes.
However, during his presentation at Rudding Park hotel in January, Mr Flinton pointed to Maltkiln as a potential remedy for some of its housing needs — particularly in Harrogate.
(Left to right) Karl Battersby, Cllr Carl Les and Richard Flinton at the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting.
The Maltkiln development has been in the works since 2020 after the council planned a new settlement between Cattal and Green Hammerton of up to 4,000 homes following protracted legal action over determining a site.
It is expected to include affordable and eco-friendly houses, as well as two primary schools, a mixed-use local centre, a sports hub and green spaces.
For Mr Flinton, the plan is a lifeline for a council which is scrambling to reach a 205% increase in its housing target.
Speaking to business leaders in January, he said:
When we look at those house numbers that government is now expecting us to deliver, the potential of a scheme such as Maltkiln to deliver that are really important.
Of course, these house schemes get built out over years. It does not come along and deal with your house numbers in that particular year, but they make a contribution over the years.
So, they become important to what we are being directed to deliver now.
But, the road to Maltkiln making a dent in the council’s housing need is not straightforward.
Last week, a government planning inspector approved a development plan document for the scheme which paves the way for the project to go-ahead.
The development plan document, which sets out a 30-year vision for the settlement and a policy framework on how it will be developed, is separate to a formal planning application.
It includes site boundaries, local transport infrastructure and details of how homes will be built to combat the effects of climate change.
The settlement would be built by developers Caddick Group.
But the council is also faced with the fact that a landowner, Benjamin Dent, withdrew his land for the scheme in January 2023.
The plan for Maltkiln.
In December 2023, the council resolved to explore the possibility of using compulsory purchase orders for the land as a “last resort” to ensure that Maltkiln is developed as intended.
Meanwhile, in his decision on the development document, planning inspector Clive Coyne said he considered the land a “valid part” of the overall allocation for the scheme as it was possible that it could become available in the future.
However, it is far from spades in the ground and an approval from a government inspector does not allay concerns from residents and local politicians.
Cllr Arnold Warneken, a North Yorkshire councillor whose division the project falls within, said the council has to be “uncompromising" on policy when it comes to progressing with Maltkiln.
He said:
We absolutely need to make sure that planning stands its ground on policy. In 2028, we’ll have a new local plan which the council and community have put in place.
If a developer has no consideration for that plan, we must be uncompromising for the sake of climate, county, and community.
‘The targets are insane’
The council has an uphill battle to meet its housing targets.
It has already failed in convincing the government to implement a “transitional arrangement” while it draws up a Local Plan in order to protect it from speculative developers.
Council officials now need to devise a plan to meet those 4,000 new homes a year — of which Maltkiln will play a key part.
But relying on new settlements to help meet housing targets is also a risky strategy, according to one academic.
Dr Quintin Bradley, senior lecturer in planning and housing at Leeds Beckett University, told the Stray Ferret that the “build out rate” for a scheme such as Maltkiln would do little to help yearly targets.
He pointed to the standard rate for building, which suggests that developers construct fewer than 60 homes per site per year on large scale developments.
Dr Bradley said:
The problem with looking to new settlements to provide your housing targets is that they build out very slowly. Maltkiln has one developer.
There is a standard build-out rate adopted by all large house builders of constructing fewer than 60 homes per site per year. It may take over 60 years for this settlement to be built and meanwhile Harrogate is only getting an extra 50-60 homes a year towards its targets.”
Dr Bradley added that the government’s mandated housing targets were “insane in any case” and do not stand up to scrutiny.
He said a better but harder strategy to tackle building more homes would be to rely on smaller house builders (SMEs).
Dr Bradley said:
The targets are insane, in any case, and based on the doubtful case that an increase in supply will reduce prices.
This assumes the house builders want to reduce prices, and of course, they have no intention of increasing supply. A better but harder strategy is to rely on SME builders and allocate small sites for new homes, allowing gradual evolution of existing towns and villages.
The Maltkiln development is set to bring immense change to the Cattal area of the Harrogate district.
But, when it comes to its contribution to the council’s housing targets, it may not be a silver bullet.
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