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09
Mar 2022
Residents say new Granby Farm homes will 'tower over' them
Residents who live adjacent to the 95-home Granby Farm development have complained to Harrogate Borough Council about the height of some of the new properties being built, saying they will "tower over them".
The council investigated the complaint and found Redrow Homes breached planning rules at the development by starting to build 15 houses before receiving the correct planning approval.
Outline planning permission for the development was granted in April 2021. It will be called Granby Meadows and will have a mixture of 95 one, two, three and four-bedroom properties.
In recent months, contractors have started preparing the land, laying roads, and building some of the houses.
The homes are being built on a field that is prone to flooding and the council said some of the homes are being built between 0.5m and 1.35m above existing ground level to help with drainage. However, the increase in the ground elevation had not been approved at the planning stage.
Residents concerns
Granby Residents Association, which includes people living in properties adjacent to the development, complained to the council that the homes were being built too high and would "tower over" nearby homes.
Gary Walker, a member of the group, said:
Work underway at the site.
Read more:
- Granby residents demand action on ‘banging and crashing’ from noisy pile driver
- Harrogate residents disappointed at 95-home Granby Farm approval
Mr Walker shared with the Stray Ferret email correspondence he had with the council's planning enforcement officer Andrew Lancashire.
Mr Lancashire confirmed that work on 15 homes took place before the planning condition had been discharged.
He wrote:
Action
Mr Lancashire said the council investigated the planning breach further to decide what action to take.
As the homes would be up to 1.35m taller, he measured what the distance was between them and Kingsley Drive.
He found all met the recommended distance except for two properties.
Mr Lancashire said the difference was “relatively minor” and requested that trees be planted as mitigation.
He wrote that Redrow Homes have "recognised this shortfall and are in the process of submitting a revised and enhanced landscape buffer to deal with this situation".
David Faraday, technical director for Redrow (Yorkshire), said:
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