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22
Jul
Residents prepare to make last stand in Knox Lane housing saga
A group of Harrogate residents will make a last ditch stand tomorrow to prevent 53 homes being built in their neighbourhood.
Teesside developer Jomast has repeatedly been thwarted in its attempts to secure planning permission for the site off Knox Lane.
After North Yorkshire Council’s planning committee rejected the bid again in September last year, Jomast appealed to the government’s Planning Inspectorate and said it would seek costs.
The council, mindful of the potentially high cost to taxpayers, said it would not contest the appeal.
But residents in Knox Conservation Group have risen to the challenge and are set to take on Jomast’s lawyers at the Civic Centre in Harrogate.
The hearing is expected to last for two or three days and the verdict may not be known until autumn.
Mark Sturgess, who has been appointed to hear the case, will open proceedings at 10am. Jomast will then outline its case before discussion takes place on key issues such as the impact on ecology, highways and the local transport system.
The decision not to livestream the hearing has been criticised by Councillor Paul Haslam, an independent whose Bilton and Nidd Gorge division on the council covers the proposed development.
In an urgent message to the council today, Cllr Haslam expressed doubts about whether the room allocated for the hearing would be big enough to cope with the number of residents expected to attend.
He said:
I am concerned about the limited amount of space available for attending members of the public. The four planning committee meetings at which the relevant planning application was heard previously attracted large numbers. It filled the council chamber which has at least double the capacity of the selected venue, even with livestreaming.
Paul Haslam
Cllr Haslam, who plans to attend tomorrow, also called for information, maps and photographs referred to during the hearing to be posted on walls for people to examine as just showing them on a computer screen would not be “easily visible to all attendees”.
He added:
Additionally, the ability to record the meeting would create a true and accurate record of proceedings. I hope you will agree, not only must democracy be carried out but must be seen to be carried out, and be transparent.
Trevor Watson, the council’s assistant director for planning, responded:
The room for tomorrow’s public inquiry has the space for all participants plus a further 40 attendees to view proceedings. Unfortunately, the room hosting the event does not have the capacity for live streaming.
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