Almost 50 Pannal Ash residents met last night at the Squinting Cat pub to “mobilise” against hundreds of new houses proposed for Whinney Lane.
It was organised by Whinney Lane resident Mike Newall who wanted the event to be a “wake-up call” for locals who he said will face years of disruption.
The developer Stonebridge is currently building 130 homes at Castle Hill Farm on Whinney Lane and last month plans were submitted by Banks Group for 270 homes and a new primary school on the fields opposite the Stonebridge development.
Pannal Ash residents meeting at the Squinting Cat pub last night.
Mr Newall spoke to give locals information about each development and advice for submitting objections to Harrogate Borough Council.
Whinney Lane is now closed for seven months due to the construction of two site access points for the Castle Hill Farm housing development as well as a new roundabout.
The lengthy closure has proved controversial and the manager of the Squinting Cat pub told the Stray Ferret that it “could kill” the business.
Mr Newall told the Stray Ferret that developers are “riding roughshod” over the area.
He said:
“All of a sudden people are realising that if we’re not careful it will be urban expansion. It will be a complete belt around Harrogate that is expanding into urban sprawl.
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While the latest set of plans from Banks Group is at a site allocated for development in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, Mr Newall is hopeful that because it is on Special Landscape Area (SLA) land, development could be delayed.
Since HBC adopted its long-awaited Local Plan in March, the planning committee has begun to refuse developments on sites that sit within the plan.
Last week, councillors refused 149 new homes on Kingsley Road near Harrogate High School because they said it would make already clogged roads in the area even worse.
Mr Newall added:
270 homes and primary school proposed for Whinney Lane“People are suddenly waking up to the fact that they have a big housing development behind them and they will be staring straight into someone’s bathroom. That’s what’s stirred up this current group.”
Plans have been submitted for 270 homes and a new primary school on Whinney Lane.
Durham-based developer Banks Group is behind the proposals for the site, which is designated for development within Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan.
Whinney Lane in Pannal Ash is one of Harrogate’s main pressure points for new housing and the site is located directly opposite the Castle Hill Farm development where work has already begun on 130 homes.
With 2,500 new homes in various stages of development on the south side of Harrogate, HBC would like to see new schools built in the area to ease pressure on local primary schools in Pannal, Rossett Acre and Beckwithshaw.
The primary school would be built at the top of Whinney Lane opposite Castle Hill Drive and documents say it would employ 40 full-time staff. No details about the number of pupils are available.
Banks Group is proposing a mix of 1 bedroom (29%), 2 bedroom (38%), 3 bedroom (28%) and 4 bedroom (4%) homes. 40% will be affordable.
The developer suggests the development could generate HBC about £3m over six years as a result of the government’s New Homes Bonus scheme in addition to £500,000 per year in council tax payments.
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Notices were placed on Whinney Lane about the plans on July 16. However, Whinney Lane closed this week for seven months for highways improvements related to the new housing.
Residents say people will now not see the notices or be able to raise any objections before the deadline of August 16.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret, resident Ian Watson questioned why the green planning notification signs were put up on a road that is now closed.
He said:
“Very few people will know about the green signs. And, with a partial lockdown still with the pandemic very few people are out. The footpath will be closed. The road is not used by cars.”
In response, a spokesperson for Banks Group said it had posted nine notices at locations on Whinney Lane, Castle Hill Drive and Lady Lane.
The spokesperson added:
“They have been placed in nine different locations around the area, which will hopefully provide local people with plenty of opportunity to see what’s being proposed.”
The plans will go before HBC’s planning committee later this year.