A total of 150 Ripon residents have signed a petition in the 24 hours since it started calling on Harrogate Borough Council to refuse the 1,300-home Ripon Barracks development due to its negative impact on traffic in the city.
The proposed development will be called Clotherholme and encompasses Claro Barracks, Deverell Barracks and Laver Banks. It’s being developed by the government’s housing agency, Homes England, and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.
Homes England commissioned consultancy firm AECOM to undertake a study which said main access points for the development should be on Clotherholme Road and Kirkby Road.
However, Ripon City Council called this study “flawed” — and said a new road should be added on Galphay Road to alleviate potential congestion.
Barbara Brodigan, who launched the petition on behalf of the Ripon Residents Action Group, called on HBC to reject the application in its current form.
She also questioned why North Yorkshire County Council has this week begun a £7.7m roadworks scheme on the A1 (M) in Knaresborough to support future new housing whereas there are no major new roadworks planned to support Ripon Barracks. She described Ripon as the “poor relation” of the Harrogate district.
She told the Stray Ferret:
“Homes England have the arrogance to say these road improvements are not needed when there are 1,400 houses being built.”
“We’re not against more houses here, it would certainly add to the value of Ripon. We need houses for young people and for families but our major bugbear is it’s not been planned the right way. We need the infrastructure to support it if it’s going to be of value to the city.”
Read more
Homes England has submitted plans to HBC for Ripon Barracks. The proposals due to be published on HBC’s website imminently.
A Homes England spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:
“The impact of traffic from major developments with planning consent within Ripon has been taken into account as part of the transport assessment.
“The proposed Galphay Road link is not needed, and a new road in this location is not supported by the HBC adopted Local Plan or the NYCC Local Transport Plan.”
