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20
Jan
More homes planned in Bishop Monkton
Plans to build up to nine homes in a village near Ripon have been submitted.
The outline application, lodged by Patrick Cullighan, seeks approval to erect up to nine dwellings on land at Church Farm in Bishop Monkton.
The proposed Knaresborough Road site is adjacent to a plot of land which was granted planning permission for 23 homes in 2024. The scheme was initially refused but later approved following an appeal.
According to planning documents, the proposed homes would reflect the style of Bishop Monkton and will provide an “appropriate scale and density that reflects the village context and surrounding pattern of residential development”.
Details of the homes – size, housing mix and tenure – will be confirmed at a later stage, as the applicant believes “flexibility” will allow him to "respond to identified local housing needs".
“The scheme will make appropriate provision for affordable housing in accordance with policy requirement”, plans add.
The proposal says:
The development makes an efficient use of a well-contained site adjoining existing development and an allocated housing site, supporting the provision of new homes in a sustainable rural settlement.
The scale of up to 9 dwellings represents an appropriate and proportionate form of village growth, which will help to maintain the vitality of Bishop Monkton and support local services.
Safe and suitable access can be achieved using an existing approved access strategy, with no severe residual highway impacts anticipated.
A section of the proposed site.
There are tree preservation orders in place along the site’s access and a protected ash tree within the site. However, the applicant says an arboriculture assessment will take place at the reserved matters stage and will be designed to “retain and protect important trees and hedgerows wherever possible”.
Replacement planting will also take place where necessary.
Plans also say the efficient use of land, integration with existing settlement form and provision of sustainable drainage solutions all support sustainable development priciples, but details relating to energy efficiency, surface water management and materials and layout will all be addressed at the reserve matters stage.
A planning document says:
The development will deliver biodiversity net gain, retain important trees where possible, safeguard heritage significance, and provide safe and suitable access using an approved strategy.
When assessed as a whole, the proposal delivers clear social and economic benefits through the provision of new housing in a sustainable service village, supporting local services and meeting identified housing needs. These benefits significantly outweigh the limited harm associated with a minor departure from the development limit.
North Yorkshire Council will adjudicate on the plans at a later date.
Planning history
The application comes after plans to build 58 new homes on land off Moor Road in Bishop Monkton were approved last month.
It followed concerns over existing problems of sewage being pumped into the local river and in the streets.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, councillors said they approved the plans reluctantly after hearing about ongoing issues with the sewage system.
Cllr Dean Culshaw, chair of Bishop Monkton parish council, told the meeting the village flooded regularly during periods of heavy rainfall, with sewage often escaping into the street.
Cllr Culshaw said at the time:
The surface and foul water infrastructure was designed and constructed in the 1900s when the village had 200 houses. Bishop Monkton currently has over 300 houses.
Yorkshire Water said openly that Bishop Monkton is currently close to capacity. Since that statement, 30 more houses have been built or approved to be built.
An image of how the 58 homes would look.
Cllr David Ireton said he felt “sorry” for Bishop Monkton residents and told the meeting he would “regrettably” approve the application.
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