Councillors call for building moratorium in Bishop Monkton over flood fears

Councillors have called for a moratorium on building houses in Bishop Monkton until Yorkshire Water reveals if and when it intends to modernise its waste water system.

North Yorkshire councillors expressed disbelief that as a statutory consultee to a proposed housing estate in the village, near Ripon, the water firm had given the green light, despite its engineers having condemned the village’s sewage system as inadequate for current needs.

Members of the Skipon and Ripon planning committee heard even when rain was “moderate” human waste could be seen on the village’s streets due to a lack of sewage capacity and the water firm had given an undertaking to state when, in its forthcoming 25-year plan for the area, the issue would be rectified.

Cllr Nick Brown, a Conservative who represents Wathvale and Bishop Monkton, told the meeting how he and six of his parishes, including Bishop Monkton, had pressed Yorkshire Water over when it would act to end floods of sewage on the streets.

Cllr Nick Brown

He said during moderate rainfall Bishop Monkton’s combined sewer became overwhelmed and was discharged into the beck at the bottom of the village.

The meeting heard councillors question when Yorkshire Water last objected to a development and that it had a commercial interest in seeing its customer base increase, while having no duty to make corresponding improvements in sewage systems.

Officers warned councillors if they refused the proposal to build up to 23 homes off Knaresborough Road due to the village’s ongoing sewage issues it would be harder to defend an appeal against the decision because Yorkshire Water had not objected to it.

Skipton councillor Robert Heseltine said: 

“Until they put their house in order there shouldn’t be any more building.”

Ripon councillor Andrew Williams added: 

“Which business is voluntarily going to turn down 23 extra customers, knowing there is no regulatory control on Yorkshire Water? There is no obligation on Yorkshire Water to improve what is already a profoundly dissatisfactory situation.”

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The meeting also heard there were concerns raised over the removal of a hedge, which some villagers claim dates back to 1816, the impact of the development on a grade II listed church and conservation area and in particular about road safety.

Councillors unanimously voted to defer a decision over the development to get details from Yorkshire Water over when it planned to upgrade the village’s sewage system, as well as to talk with highways officers and the developer over safety and environmental concerns.

After the meeting, North Yorkshire Council leader, Cllr Carl Les, said he hoped Yorkshire Water would answer councillors’ questions over its plans, adding: 

“Clearly there are concerns about capacity in the system as well as over discharges into rivers.”

In response to the concerns, a Yorkshire Water spokesperson said the application was on land allocated by the council for development, and it was “not a statutory consultee on applications of this nature and unable to refuse connection to our network”.

The statement added:

 “Under the application, the developer will be separating surface water and foul waste, limiting the amount of additional wastewater entering the network.

“We are aware of some issues with the network in the area, but many of these are linked to blockages and infiltration of surface water into the network during heavy rainfall. We have investigated the sewers in the area and are looking at options to add increased storage to alleviate issues during heavy rainfall.”

23-homes plan in Bishop Monkton recommended for approval

Council officials have recommended that a plan to build 23 homes in Bishop Monkton is approved next week, despite 127 letters of objection.

The proposal, which has been tabled by Kebbell Development Ltd, would see the houses built on land off Knaresborough Road in the village.

The site is opposite the grade-II listed Church of Saint John the Baptist.

Councillors on Skipton and Ripon constituency planning committee will consider the application at a meeting on Tuesday.

Officers at North Yorkshire Council have recommended councillors approve the plan, which would see a mixture of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes built at the site.

In documents submitted to the council, the developer said the scheme would create a “sustainable development with a unique character that responds to the surrounding context”.

However, the proposal has been met by 127 letters of objection from local residents. It received one letter of support.

Bishop Monkton Action Group raised concern that the scheme would affect surface water drainage, increase flood risk and impact upon the sewerage system.

Meanwhile, in a letter to the council, Bishop Monkton Parish Council said:

“The existing drainage network in St. John’s Road is at full capacity and cannot take further input.

“The sewage works down Boroughbridge Road appears also to be overloaded as records show it discharges raw sewage into the River Ure on a regular basis presumably because of the extent of the combined sewers in the village.”

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But case officer Kate Broadbank’s report concludes:

“Whilst there will be some level of harm to the conservation area and setting of the listed church, this has been assessed as being less than substantial harm with this being outweighed by the public benefits of the provision of housing, including affordable housing, and the provision of a level path, which connects the village to the playground.”

She recommended approval subject to 29 conditions being met and a section 106 agreement, which developers pay to compensate for infrastructure associated with their schemes.

The agreement says the developer would have to pay £40,000 towards the village hall, the cemetery, the boules club and the playground.

It would also have to pay £12,635 either to the council or a management company as financial security for ongoing maintenance of on-site public open space and £35,000 to the village hall.

Developer withdraws 88 home plan in Bishop Monkton

Developers have withdrawn plans for 88 new homes in Bishop Monkton.

Avant Homes tabled the plan for land off Moor Road in the village.

It would have seen a mixture of 53 market and 35 affordable homes built at the site.

However, the application proved controversial, with residents at Bishop Monkton Action Group objecting to the plan.

In a letter sent to North Yorkshire Council, the group raised concern over drainage at the site and described it as “hopelessly unfit for purpose”.

More than 250 people wrote to the authority to object to the plan.

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A spokesperson for Bishop Monkton Action Group said the decision to withdraw the plan was “a victory for the village”.

In a planning statement to the council last year, Carter Jonas, which submitted the plan on behalf of Alfa Homes, described the site as a “highly sustainable location”.

It added:

“As discussed, the proposal is in a sustainable and accessible location within reasonable walking distance of bus services and local services in Bishop Monkton.”

Bishop Monkton WW2 veteran gets military surprise on 100th birthday

An army veteran from Bishop Monkton, near Ripon, has received a military-themed surprise on his 100th birthday to thank him for his service during the Second World War.

Family and friends of Ernest Tindall laid on afternoon tea at the local village pub, the Masons Arms, to mark his 100th birthday.

Unknown to Ernest, they had also organised for a group of veterans to join the celebrations and to help him relive his military exploits.

Ernest’s wartime story

Ernest was just 18 when he joined the Army in 1941.

In May 1944 he was involved in the Battle of Monte Cassino, a crucial encounter as the Allies pushed north into Italy towards the end of the Second World War. In December of that year, he was injured in a grenade attack and taken prisoner.

He spent the remainder of the war in a prisoner of war camp in Austria. Ernest served with the 5th Northamptonshire Regiment, now part of the Royal Anglian Regiment.

Ernest was one of 10 children, eight of whom served in and survived the Second World War. Ernie is the last of his siblings still alive.

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At this birthday tea, several ex-servicemen living in the village got together to add a military flavour to the celebrations.

A military historian from the nearby Army Foundation College in Harrogate gave a short talk about the campaigns Ernest was involved in.

The veterans also organised military memorabilia be brought to the celebration, including a new Royal Anglian beret for Ernest.

Hull company awarded £620,000 Bishop Monkton school contract

A Hull company has been awarded a £620,032 contract to redevelop a Bishop Monkton school.

North Yorkshire Council has commissioned JP Developers Ltd to replace a temporary unit at Bishop Monkton Church of England Primary School with a permanent classroom.

It will see the creation of a brand new 134 square metre building, which the council says will provide a more accessible and inclusive environment for pupils.

The temporary structure would be demolished.

The village school, which is based on St John’s Way, currently has 105 pupils.

The council tabled the plans in December 2021. In planning documents, it said:

“The new classroom unit will provide modern teaching environment and a much-needed space for the needs of the existing pupils providing them with a more suitable means of access and teaching environment.”

According to a council decision notice, the work is due to start in July this year.

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Village pub to be converted to homes as permission is finally granted

Planning permission to convert a Bishop Monkton pub to residential use has finally been granted on appeal – just days after one of the applicants died. 

Landlords Trevor and Carol Pawson had spent three years trying to get permission to create five new homes from the Lamb & Flag Inn, but Mr Pawson died on March 25. The couple’s appeal was approved on April 5, the day before his funeral. 

Mrs Pawson told The Stray Ferret she intended to press ahead with development work, but did not yet know when it might start. She said:  

“We won, so I’ll carry on, but for the time being I’m just taking one day at a time.”

Mr and Ms Pawson bought the Lamb & Flag Inn 30 years ago and ran it as a village pub until declining trade and ill-health forced them to close it permanently at the start of the covid pandemic in 2020. 

In the autumn of that year, they applied for planning permission to create five new dwellings – two from the conversion of the pub, one from the conversion of some holiday lets in an outbuilding, and two to be built in the pub car-park.  

They withdrew that application a few months later, but reapplied in April 2021, only to be turned down. Harrogate Borough Council planning officers refused the application on the grounds that “insufficient marketing” had been done to demonstrate that the pub could not be used for community use. 

The Pawsons appealed, providing evidence of marketing, leading planning officer Paul Cooper to conclude that there was “no compelling evidence that operation of the facility would be financially viable”. 

In his decision, Mr Cooper added: 

“The proposed dwellings would have a neutral effect on the conservation area and not […] be harmful by their design or impact on the landscape or settlement as a whole.” 

The Lamb & Flag dates back at least to the 1830s and was at one time one of seven pubs in the Bishop Monkton parish. Only one now remains – the Masons Arms, which still opens five days a week. 

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History group to show archive footage of Ripon and Harrogate

Rare archive footage of the Ripon and Harrogate areas will be shown on a big screen this month.

The event is being jointly staged by Yorkshire Film Archive and Bishop Monkton Local History Group.

A professional film archivist will introduce a series of locally produced films as well as footage from other parts of Yorkshire.

Some were professionally shot, others were amateur home movies but all give an insight into how people lived around here in years gone by.

Work, holidays, leisure, sports, home life, transport and war are among the subjects featured in the films.

Some content was included in four recent sell-out events at the Odeon in Harrogate organised by Yorkshire Film Archive in conjunction with Harrogate’s Civic Society and FIlm Society.

The event will be held at Bishop Monkton Village Hall on April 27 at 7pm.

Clips from some of the films that will be shown can be viewed here.

Tickets are free to Bishop Monkton Local History Group members and £10 to non-members.

They are available from Annabel Alton on 01765 676538 or via email annabel@annabelalton.com

There will be a cash bar selling wine and soft drinks before the event and during the interval.

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Developers appeal Lamb and Flag housing plan refusal

Developers have appealed a council decision to refuse plans to build five houses at the Lamb and Flag pub in Bishop Monkton.

The proposal was tabled by Carol and Trevor Pawson for the 200-year-old pub, which also had a bed and breakfast.

Harrogate Borough Council rejected plans for the pub back in May.

Now, the developers have taken the refusal to the government’s Planning Inpsectorate, which deals with planning disputes.

As part of the plan, two houses would be created by converting the pub itself and another would be created at the barn next door.

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A further two homes would be built at the car park at the back of the pub.

However, council officials have refused the application on the grounds that “insufficient marketing” has been done to demonstrate that the pub could not be used for community use.

Officers added in a decision notice that two of the houses on the car park are outside the development limits.

In documents submitted to the government, the developers argued that the site was not viable for any community use.

It said:

“An independent report has confirmed there is no scope for the Appeal property to be viably run as a public house. 

“The issues highlighted in that report would equally, and perhaps more so, apply to any alternative community use. 

“The only realistic potential purchasers for an alternative community use project would be the parish council and Harrogate Borough Council. The property has been marketed since 2017 and at no time has either body expressed any interest in it.”

A government planning inspector will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

Morning ‘traffic chaos’ on A61 between Ripon and Harrogate

Motorists have endured a morning of misery between Ripon and Harrogate this morning due to lengthy delays on the A61.

Roadworks at Bishop Monkton combined with a broken down bus in Killinghall caused a double delay for people using the main route.

Linda Birnie called the Stray Ferret to say it took her an hour and 10 minutes to get from her home in Ripon to Ripley. She said:

“The traffic this morning was absolutely appalling. I would have gone through Knaresborough if I’d known.”

Ms Birnie set off at 8am and shortly afterwards hit a two-mile queue caused by lights near the garden centre at Bishop Monkton.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s live roadworks map, there are two-way signals there until Friday due to work being carried out by Yorkshire Water.

It always says there are separate roadworks at Wormald Green until Wednesday this week.

Ms Birnie said after getting through that queue, there was a brief period of respite before she encountered another large tailback before the Ripley roundabout due to a broken down bus in Killinghall.

She had travelled to Harrogate because she is a member of the Harrogate Borough Council-owned leisure company Brimhams Active and her yoga class had been moved because of ongoing work caused by ground stability issues at Ripon’s new leisure centre.

Other motorists got in touch to inform us of lengthy delays on the same route this morning.

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Harrogate district parish councils ‘enraged’ by plans to set up unelected community networks

A Harrogate district councillor has said parish councils are “absolutely enraged” by plans to create Community Networks.

North Yorkshire County Council wants to create up to 30 networks to champion residents and businesses across the county.

It is hoped they will “fill the void” left by the abolition of district and borough councils, including Harrogate, in April next year. But some councillors have concerns about setting up unelected networks.

Nick Brown, a Conservative councillor representing Bishop Monkton, said democratically-elected parish councils in his area were “absolutely enraged at the potential for conflict” with the networks. He said:

“I do feel there’s going to be terrible trouble ahead, I’m sorry to say, with these parishes. They are very protective of their particular areas.”

Cllr Brown was speaking at a county council meeting this week which heard the networks would serve about a quarter of the population of a district or borough council and be largely based around towns.

Councillors were told it was hoped the networks would lead to greater collaboration and help communities become “the engine rooms of local action”.

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The meeting heard while the networks would be independent of the council, the council’s most senior managers would each be assigned networks to ensure strategic connections between the economic and social needs of local communities are made back into the council and with partners.

Officers stressed the networks were not about creating a new governance structure for the areas and they were not intended to undermine the legitimacy of the role of elected representatives on parish and town councils.

Too focused on towns

But several councillors branded them “undemocratic” and raised concerns over them becoming focused on towns rather than their rural hinterlands.

Craven District Council leader Cllr Richard Foster said:

“I don’t like the idea of non-democratic organisations being part of the formal structure of a democratic organisation.”

The meeting heard the networks had previously been set up across the county under different names by district and borough councils and some had proved effective in dealing with local matters.

However, Richmond councillor Stuart Parsons said giving the networks some funding was essential as they would otherwise end up as talking shops. He said:

“You have got to have something to encourage people to actively participate and not just wander away.”

Catterick councillor Kevin Foster added:

“There is a chance already for communities to get involved. All they need to do is turn up to their parish councils.”