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07
Dec 2022
Retrospective plans refused after Harrogate district firm builds larger warehouse than agreed
Councillors have refused a retrospective planning application after a bathroom manufacturer in the Harrogate district built a warehouse larger than originally agreed.
Abacus Ltd was formed in 1989 and is a manufacturer and distributor of bathroom products to companies including Villeroy & Boch and Wickes.
It employs 85 people and is based at Jubilee Court on the outskirts of Copgrove, near Boroughbridge, alongside 10 other businesses.
In 2019, Abacus won permission from Harrogate Borough Council to build an extension that would see a steel warehouse erected to support the growing business.
However, the company ended up building a bigger structure than what was approved after securing two large commercial deals.
Abacus' extension in Copgrove
The council’s planning committee met yesterday to consider a retrospective application for the larger extension as well as for a pallet store that had to be relocated elsewhere on the premises.
The application was recommended for approval by officers.
Speaking to councillors, Ian Patterson from Abacus conceded the company should have submitted new plans before starting construction but said the early months of the covid pandemic made this difficult. He said:
High Court quashing
The application to retrospectively build the larger extension was originally approved by the council in October 2021 before being overturned in the High Court in February 2022 after Copgrove resident Justin Appleyard requested a judicial review of the decision.
The High Court overturned the decision because it found the council did not take into account the relocation of the pallet store in its approval.
A different retrospective permission had previously been sought for the pallet store, however, it was refused in January 2021 by the council because it said it was not adequately screened by trees.
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Abacus’ plans received 51 objections with no submissions of support.
Nick Stringer, from Staveley & Copgrove Parish Council, told councillors that the company had on more than one occasion sought planning permission retrospectively after building work had already been done. He added:
“The site is in open countryside close to a beautiful medieval church and overlooks Staveley Nature Reserve which has an abundance of floral and fauna. I suggest the impact on the countryside is severe and unacceptable.”
‘Pimple on a pig’s backside’
Councillors were unconvinced by the application, in part, due to the relocation of the pallet store and its visual impact. Conservative member for Masham and Kirkby Malzeard, Nigel Simms, described it as standing out like a “pimple on a pig’s backside.” He added:
The committee voted to refuse the application by 9 votes to 3. Abacus Ltd can appeal the decision.
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