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30
Jan 2023
Angry Minskip villagers fight developer over possible Roman site
Angry villagers in Minskip, near Boroughbridge, are joining forces to fight against an industrial development which they say could endanger a Roman mosaic.
They also say the development at Hazeldene Fold, an otherwise residential cul-de-sac, is out of character with the village and does not comply with the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.
Local resident Lynne Scott said:
The developer, Harrogate-based Forward Investment Properties, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council for retrospective planning permission to demolish some Nissen huts on the site, and build four light industrial units, a car-park and a turning circle for goods vehicles.
But campaigners believe the existing buildings may well conceal Roman remains. According to local resident Tony Hunt, a Roman mosaic floor is reported to have been discovered when the huts were built in 1970 but covered over with a layer of sand and plastic to preserve it. The location cross-references on Ordnance Survey maps with a square-shaped earthwork, and a Roman coin hoard was found nearby in the 19th century.
Mr Hunt said:
Forward Investment Properties has agreed to an “appropriate scheme of archaeological investigation and recording” as part of a planning condition to be applied if planning permission is granted, but residents say the groundworks could have done damage already, even before any such investigation has taken place.
2017 application rejected
Campaigners point to a 2017 application to build five houses on the site, which was rejected. Planning officers said then that the development would tower over neighbouring properties, create noise and disturbance, lack an adoptable highway, and be “out of keeping with the acknowledged linear form of the village”. They say the current proposals should be rejected for the same reasons.
Forward Investment Properties says its application should be approved because there is a shortage in the Harrogate district of employment sites of the type being proposed, and points out that the site has long been used for commercial purposes.
Read more:
- Missing section of main Roman road found at Green Hammerton
- Calls for archeological survey into Knaresborough's Roman past
- Thieves steal 10 motorbikes in Minskip
Access to the site is via Hazeldene Fold, a private residential road managed by Hazeldene Fold Management Company Ltd. On formation, the company was made up of one representative from each of the eight homes on the road, plus one from the original developer of the houses. Each of these nine members has a single vote on communal matters, including those involving planning permission.
Residents believe the developer’s vote should pass automatically to the new owner of the site, but the new owner, Forward Investment Properties, has not so far contacted the company or its individual members.
Ms Scott said:
Forward Investment Properties is registered with Companies House as a limited liability partnership and its three members are believed to be brothers. One of them, Daniel Ward, was approached by the Stray Ferret, but declined to comment.
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