Plans have been submitted to demolish the former Dunlopillo office block in Pannal and build new apartments.
However, the proposal, which would see the new building being two storeys higher than the old one, has proved unpopular with local residents.
Otley-based developer Quattro Property Group has submitted the plans, which would see the 1961 office block demolished and replaced with 48 one-and two-bedroom apartments.
It would be split into two blocks, one with four storeys and another with six.
There would also be one car parking space per apartment plus additional spaces for visitors at the back of the building.
Planning consultants Johnson Mowat has submitted planning documents to Harrogate Borough Council on behalf of the developer that says the scheme would be an improvement on the current empty office block, which has been deteriorating for several years. It says:
“This site has been a blot on the landscape for far too long and we are looking forward to delivering a high quality building.”
A computer generated image of the plans.
Residents’ fury
Long-term Pannal resident Anne Smith, who has also written several books about the village, told the Stray Ferret residents had “erupted in fury” at the proposals and were mobilising to submit objections.
She said:
“It will look awful. It looks bad enough as it is. It will swamp Pannal. Forty-eight flats will mean up to 96 people.”
“Everybody I’ve spoken to in Pannal will put objections in.
“The building is a monstrosity and we in Pannal had hoped it was going to be demolished and replaced with smaller houses.”
The Stray Ferret asked Johnson Mowat to comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Read more:
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Housing plans set for ‘eyesore’ Dunlopillo office block in Pannal
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Plan for eight commercial units on former Dunlopillo site in Pannal
History of the site
From 1938 to 1949, the site was occupied by the Bintex factory, which manufactured radar equipment for use during the Second World War.
It was bought by rubber manufacturer Dunlop, which changed its name to Dunlopillo and made the site its headquarters.
It is estimated around 440 people worked there in its 1970s and 80s heyday producing pillows, mattresses, beds and latex cushioning for cars.
Much of the site has already been demolished and replaced with housing as well as the Vida Grange care home.
