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08
Jul
Where is the 'only logical place' for new housing developments in Ripon?
With government intervention on the number of new homes to be constructed across the country, Ripon councillors have agreed that the only logical place for new housing in the city is alongside the bypass.
This view was unanimously supported by members at last night’s full city council meeting after Councillor Peter Horton, who chairs the council’s transport group, said:
With 1,300 homes due to be built on the military (barracks) site and building already well underway on the 390-homes West Lane scheme, we need to look to the future and seek development of parcels of land for housing along the bypass, to avoid additional traffic having to come through the city centre.
North Yorkshire Council is consulting on its new Local Plan, which covers issues including housing, climate change, flood risk, sustainable transport, and economic growth.
The unitary authority is seeking views on the priorities and issues the plan should address, as well as the future of places and spaces in the area.
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. City council leader Andrew Williams told last night’s meeting:
We effectively have development-led planning with North Yorkshire required to deliver almost 4,200 new houses a year, in spite of the fact that we don’t have the infrastructure to support it.
However, we have to be pragmatic and let North Yorkshire know that the only logical place remaining for significant new housing development in Ripon is along the bypass corridor.
In January, Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, raised concern that the national drive to build more homes was moving faster than the council's development of a Local Plan, which he claimed could leave the authority susceptible to "speculative" schemes.
As a result, he said the authority had lobbied government over a “transitional arrangement” while it draws up a 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.
However, in a statement to the Stray Ferret last month, the council said ministers had not changed their position over transitional arrangements for housing targets despite lobbying from the authority.
Nic Harne, corporate director for community development at the council, said:
We have written to the government making our concerns clear about the lack of transitional arrangements after the housing need figure was significantly increased from 1,361 to 4,156 homes per year in North Yorkshire.
However, unfortunately the government has not yet changed its position.
Good progress is being made on a new local plan for North Yorkshire to determine how the new housing need figure will be achieved and set out where land should be provided to accommodate new homes.
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