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
“Four hundred potential vehicles on Knaresborough Road. Where do they go? The roads are not suited to more traffic.”
Ian Greaves said:
“Knaresborough Road is a total standstill and Bogs Lane is a rat run. You [the developers] don’t have to put up with this.”
Highways consultant Geoff Bowman, from Bryan G Hall, defended the methodology used by Persimmon.
He said:
“There has been very extensive surveys of traffic in the area. There is a perception that we are nasty developers and it’s dead easy to get through planning, but the highways authority are rigorous.”
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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.
“Residents do not want more development. We do not want any more. The Local Plan has been forced on us. When are our politicians going to do something about the Local Plan that forces homes on people who do not want them?”
Another resident said:
“We don’t need this. Since Brexit we’ve lost a lot of the population. We don’t need this amount of homes.”
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:
“People lived here for decades and have had this beautiful view, how do you think they will feel [when it’s gone]?”
Carl Good said:
“Are you pleased that you will upset so many people in this area? Do you understand us?”
In response, Graham Whiteford, from Persimmon Homes, said the developer was “fairly proud of this scheme”.
He added:
“All concerns raised by the council in the refusal have been addressed. It’s unusual for Persimmon to have this amount of green space.”
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)
