A controversial plan to build 53 homes on Knox Lane in Harrogate has been deferred for a third time.

Councillors on Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency planning committee made the decision over land contamination concerns.

The committee requested that a further report into land contamination be produced, as was previously requested by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee.

The proposal, which has been proposed by North-east property developer Jomast, was initially recommended for approval subject to conditions by council officers.

Among the conditions is that Jomast would be required to pay £64,000 for healthcare, £140,000 for education and £60,000 for open spaces in the form of a section 106 agreement to compensate for the impact of development on local infrastructure.

However, councillors decided to defer the pan for a third time.

The meeting, which was held at Harrogate Civic Centre yesterday, was due to be streamed onto the authority’s YouTube channel — but was not broadcast.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Council said a “problem with the connection” in the council chamber meant it was not possible to livestream the proceedings.

The application has proved controversial with residents in the Bilton area.

Campaign group Keep Knox Natural has previously called on the council to remove the parcel of land from the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

Meanwhile, Cllr Robert Windass, a member of the council’s planning committee, previously vowed not to vote for the scheme until he felt the “land is safe”.

Read more:

• Controversial 53-home Harrogate scheme recommended for approval
• Contamination concerns delay decision on 53-home Knox Lane site
• Stray Views: Knox Lane housing scheme ‘lacks detail’

North Yorkshire Council has revealed plans to open a school for autistic children on the site of the former Woodfield Community Primary School.

The school in Bilton closed at the end of last year and has been empty since.

A council report prepared for a meeting next week recommends consulting on plans to re-open the school in September next year.

The school would cater for up to 80 students with autism aged 11 to 19. A total of £3.5 million would be spent on upgrading the site.

The report says there is “no short to medium-term need to re-establish additional mainstream places in Woodfield” but the number of young people with identified SEND and an EHCP has increased by over 110% in North Yorkshire since 2016.  It adds:

“The site at Woodfield offers the opportunity to create this provision and give this group of children access to suitable peer groups and academic challenge in order to reach their aspirations.

“This would provide children and families with a more local offer of provision than is currently unavailable without significant travel.

“The planning assumption is that the new provision would ultimately operate with a capacity of around 80 pupils and would serve an age range of 11 to 19.”

The report adds there will be “no changes” to the community library and children’s centre on the same site.

Councillors will vote next week on whether to accept the recommendation and begin consulting on the plans.

Read more:

• Still no decision on future of Woodfield school site
• Councillor outlines plans for new train station in Harrogate

A Harrogate councillor has outlined plans to open a train station at Claro Road.

Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on North Yorkshire Council, said the station would service up to 700 commuters daily and remove thousands of car journeys on Skipton Road each week.

Besides the environmental benefits, Cllr Haslam said it would also bring economic and social benefits to the relatively deprived Bilton and Woodfield area.

The train line at Bilton

He said the station, which would be situated somewhere near the iron bridge that links Claro and Bilton, should be accompanied by cycle storage and a small supermarket.

With the new North Yorkshire Council unlikely to be able to fund such a major scheme, Cllr Haslam suggested it could apply to the UK government for funding from a public transport decarbonisation programme or an economic development grant.

Cllr Paul Haslam

He likened it to the Harrogate Station Gateway, which is being funded with £10.6 million from a Department for Transport active travel scheme.

Cllr Haslam acknowledged the scheme was more of a “vision rather than a mapped out idea” but added:

“This simple intervention could bring massive benefits to the area both economic and wellbeing, improve local public transport, as well as do a great deal towards modal shift from car to train and reduce the volume of traffic especially on Skipton road and the A61 to Leeds.

“To me it’s a no-brainer. A lot of people who live in the Claro, Bilton and Woodfield area work in Leeds. Wouldn’t it make their lives better if they could get there by train?”

Read more:

• Harrogate councillor appointed county’s climate champion
• Harrogate Station Gateway: new report reveals financial risks

He added the station would link to the Nidderdale greenway, which would encourage cycling and walking, boost the nearby business park and benefit two nearby schools — Harrogate High School and St Robert’s Catholic Primary School.

Cllr Haslam added:

“I have already approached a provider of supermarkets about putting a small supermarket alongside and they are keen – there are no shops on Claro Road so anyone living there has to travel onto Skipton Road to access a food shop.”

Cllr Haslam was appointed as North Yorkshire climate champion last week.

Council officers have recommended a controversial plan to build 53 homes off Knox Lane in Harrogate is approved next week.

North-east property developer Jomast‘s planning application for the Bilton area was deferred for a second time in February this year.

At the time, councillors requested new reports and information about ground contamination and overhead power lines.

However, a report published today in advance of the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency planning committee meeting on May 31 has recommended the plans are approved subject to conditions.

Among the conditions is that Jomast would be required to pay £64,000 for healthcare, £140,000 for education and £60,000 for open spaces in the form of a section 106 agreement to compensate for the impact of development on local infrastructure.

The homes would be built off Knox Lane.

The application in the quiet Knox area has proved controversial with residents.

Read more:

• Controversial Knox Lane housing plans recommended for approval
• Contamination concerns delay decision on 53-home Knox Lane site
• Stray Views: Knox Lane housing scheme ‘lacks detail’

Campaign group Keep Knox Natural has previously called on the council to remove the parcel of land from the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

Cllr Robert Windass, a member of the council’s planning committee, previously called for an independent survey into contamination into the site.

Cllr Windass raised concern that a previous survey into the site was paid for by the developer and requested that an independent report was drawn up.

He told a committee in February:

“I will not vote for this scheme until I know that that land is safe.”

Councillors will vote on Wednesday next week whether to accept case officer Andy Hough’s recommendation to proceed with the scheme.

Police have recovered the body of a local woman from the River Nidd, near Bilton viaduct.

Concerns were raised about the woman, who is aged in her 40s, this morning.

An urgent missing person investigation was launched which included searches in and around the River Nidd at the location.

The woman’s body was recovered by the Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Marine and Underwater Search Unit at around 1.20pm. She has not been named.

The bridge was closed while the body was recovered. A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be submitted to the coroner in due course.

“The woman’s family are being supported by the police.”

Read more:

• Hundreds set for tomorrow’ Nidderdale Walk
• Garden centre near Harrogate to reopen after eight years

North Yorkshire Council has proposed constructing a cycle priority crossing in Harrogate.

The £30,000 scheme where Bilton Lane dissects Nidderdale Greenway would give cyclists and pedestrians crossing the road priority over vehicles.

The road would be raised to make the crossing more visible to motorists.

The council has sent letters to Bilton residents to get their views. The letter says there has been an increase in the number of cyclists and pedestrians using the Nidderdale Greenway cycle network. It adds:

“As part of the council’s efforts to improve accessibility and promoting active travel, we are proposing to construct a cycle priority crossing on Bilton Lane at the crossing of Nidderdale Greenway.

“The crossing is designed with a raised table making it more visible to drivers and helping to slow them down. Priority will be given to cyclists and pedestrians to cross safely without having to compete with drivers on the road.

“People with mobility issues such as those using wheelchairs or mobility scooters can cross more easily with the crossing being at the same level as the footway. Apart from improved safety, other benefits include increased accessibility, better health outcomes and environmental benefits.”

The crossing would be 7 metres long, 6.6 metres wide and 75 millimetres high.

Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on the council, said he supported the idea in principle.

But he added the Bilton Lane speed limit needed to be reduced from 30mph to 20mph and parking arrangements improved so the crossing was more visible to motorists.

Cllr Haslam also called on farmers, who often drive vehicles on Bilton Lane, to be consulted and for the car park next to the greenway and Bilton Lane to be resurfaced.

Read more:

• Publican says cycle path crackdown in Harrogate is ‘unreasonable’
• ‘Grim’ future predicted for Harrogate cycling after funding snub

A developer has reaffirmed that a site mooted for 53 homes in Harrogate has been thoroughly tested for ground contamination — but this has been disputed by a local toxicology expert.

North-east developer Jomast‘s plans to build at Knox Lane in Bilton have been met with opposition from local residents who have raised concerns about the proposals with contamination proving to be particularly contentious.

The application has been before Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee twice in the last six months.

It was deferred on both occasions as councillors were not not satisfied the land had been thoroughly investigated for toxic materials.

This is because some of the site was previously part of a railway that pulled hoppers and tankers for the gas works in Bilton.

Asbestos was used for installation on steam trains and there are also concerns that tar from coal could still be toxic, posing a threat to future residents.

Knox Lane

However, the developer’s agent, Stephen Courcier, told councillors at a meeting in February that testing for contamination took place across the whole site, including the proximity of the former railway tracks, and showed no “significant levels” of contamination.

But councillors weren’t convinced and ordered the developer to undergo more testing before a decision was made.

After the meeting, Mr Courcier sent an email to the council that has been published on the local authority’s planning portal. It says there would be “no benefit” to further sampling.

He wrote:

“The railway line and its immediate locality were subject to seven exploratory excavations. Therefore, the consultants have advised that the former railway line has been comprehensively assessed.

“Nevertheless, the consultants have produced the attached note that clearly highlights the extent of the testing carried out in proximity to the former railway line and their findings.”

Mr Courcier confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Friday the developer’s position on the contamination report had not changed since the email was sent on March 31.

Railway lines

However, a local toxicology expert who lives in the area said he was not satisfied with where the samples were taken from on the former tracks.

Dr Damian Bowen said:

“The land contamination report advises that the proposed development site, including the former railway has been comprehensively tested. Samples taken for contamination analysis however do not target the area of the former railway lines.

“Instead, testing was conducted either side of the embankment, across the open field. Furthermore, analysis was not conducted for all samples taken. The developer has provided no justification as to the inadequacies of the testing strategy. You certainly can’t find anything if you’re looking in the wrong places.“

The email from Mr Courcier to the council also asked if a quick decision could be made on the plans.

He suggested North Yorkshire Council’s first Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee this month was a potential option.

However, this request was made too late in the day to be considered for the meeting on April 25, according to the council.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director of planning, Trevor Watson, said:

“We can confirm that a submission was made on behalf of the applicant on March 31.

“This was received too late to be considered at April’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee meeting.

“Once the submission has been assessed by officers, a report will be prepared and presented to the planning committee at a later date.“

Free chicks are once again appearing in Bilton over Holy Week to bring some Easter magic to children.

Members of Bilton Grange United Reformed Church knit the chicks and leave them on the hedge outside the building each morning.

They will be appearing every day this week until Easter Sunday.

Children are welcome to take them for free.

The volunteers have run similar initiatives during other Christian festivals. For instance, they put out angels at Christmas and doves at Whitsun to spread joy.

The chicks are laid on the hedge at the junction of Skipton Road and Woodfield Road every morning until Easter Sunday.

Read more:

• Boroughbridge walking festival to be held this Easter
• Ripon’s non-stop knitters create Easter displays for the city centre
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Members of Bilton Grange United Reformed Church pictured giving away the chicks last year.

Two men have been arrested after reports of cars being broken into in Harrogate.

The men, both from Bradford and aged in their 50s, were arrested in the early hours of this morning.

North Yorkshire Police acted after a resident in Bilton saw a man trying car door handles on their doorbell camera.

As a result, officers arrested two men on suspicion of vehicle interference and going equipped for theft.

Both are currently being questioned in custody.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a 34-year-old man was arrested and charged with theft from a vehicle following an incident on Yew Tree Lane on March 26.

He was due to appear before York Magistrates Court today.

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• Harrogate woman jailed for 10 weeks
• Harrogate crime hotspot gets £6,000 railings to prevent loitering