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22
Sept
Work begins on 60-home development at village near Ripon
Work is underway at a long-awaited 60-home housing scheme in a village near Ripon.
The process has been drawn out because ownership of the development site, with planning permission in place, changed hands.
Leeds-based Thomas Alexander Homes purchased the 6.8 acre site at Back Lane in Sharow from Harrogate housebuilder V&A Homes and has now begun groundworks.
In November 2022, a planning application for the development was submitted to the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council as a joint proposal by V&A and non-profit developer Broadacres Housing Association Limited.
The application was approved by North Yorkshire Council planners in April 2023, but in November of that year the Stray Ferret reported that V&A was seeking to amend the Section 106 agreement, which obliges developers to pay sums to councils to compensate for the impact of development.
But V&A claimed the agreement made the scheme 'undeliverable', according to financial viability reports produced by consultants.
An aerial view and architect's impression of the Back Lane site.
Affordable homes
The agreement, drawn up by Harrogate Borough Council, had set out planning obligations including a requirement for 40 percent of the homes to be classed as affordable housing.
In addition, approval of planning permission was contingent upon financial contributions ranging from supporting education provision and traffic calming measures, to funding improvements for Sharow Village Hall.
The Back Lane site is bordered by New Road and Disforth Road in Sharow.
On September 25 last year, V&A homes was advised by North Yorkshire Council that a modification of Section 106 agreement had been approved.
This came after a deed of variation between the council and the housebuilder was signed, confirming that the number of affordable dwellings within the development had been reduced to eight.
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