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17
Feb 2022
Starbeck residents pledge to fight 181-home Kingsley Drive plans 'tooth and nail'
A heated meeting in Starbeck last night saw local residents question Persimmon Homes about controversial plans to build 181 homes on Kingsley Drive.
The meeting was organised by Kingsley Ward Action Group, a residents' group formed four years ago to fight the wave of housing applications in the area.
Around 100 people packed into St Andrew's Church for the meeting, which was chaired by Liberal Democrat district and county council councillor for Starbeck, Philip Broadbank.
Three Persimmon employees attended, as did two highways consultants and a planning consultant, who spoke on behalf of the developer.
Planning consultant Paul Butler, from PB Planning, gave a brief presentation on behalf of Persimmon that outlined its latest plans for the site.
It's the third time the developer has brought forward plans at this location, which used to form part of Kingsley Farm.
When it was refused by the council in August, Kingsley Ward Conservative councillor Nigel Middlemass called the scheme "the biggest and worst thought out housing site in the area".
The new application is yet to be validated by the council but Mr Butler said it should be live on Harrogate Borough Council's planning portal in March, when the public will be able to submit their comments.
The number of homes has been reduced from 217 to 181.
Mr Butler said the amended scheme offered increased open space, widened footpaths and more trees.
Traffic concerns
There were several questions about how the new homes would impact the already-clogged Knaresborough Road, with the plans not offering any significant changes to the road layout.
Residents queried the developer's previous traffic surveys for the scheme, suggesting they did not give an accurate picture of how many cars use the area.
Resident Brian Souter said
Ian Greaves said:
Highways consultant Geoff Bowman, from Bryan G Hall, defended the methodology used by Persimmon.
He said:
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Local Plan
On several occasions, planning consultant Mr Butler reminded residents that the site is allocated for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan, a council document that outlines where new housing schemes can be built until 2034.
One woman was applauded when she said the Local Plan had been "forced" on the community.
Another resident said:
Tooth and nail
Whilst Mr Butler and Persimmon focused on the nuts and bolts of the application, such as the types of homes and access, the opportunity to quiz representatives from the developer elicited strong emotions from residents.
John Hansard, from Kingsley Ward Action Group, said residents "will fight tooth and nail" to stop it from happening.
He said:
Carl Good said:
In response, Graham Whiteford, from Persimmon Homes, said the developer was "fairly proud of this scheme".
He added:
Photo caption: (Left to right) Paul Butler (PB Planning), Graham Whiteford (Persimmon), Josh Popely (Persimmon), Cllr Philip Broadbank, Catherine Maguire (KWAG) and Chris Watt (Starbeck Residents' Association)
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