Former stables and cricket pavilion to be demolished in Harrogate 480-home plan

Several derelict buildings including a cricket pavilion are set to be demolished in fields off Otley Road in Harrogate to make way for the 480-home Bluecoat Wood development.

The government’s housing agency Homes England is behind the housing scheme, which would cover 28 hectares of largely green fields. The homes would wrap around horticultural charity Horticap.

A mix of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses are proposed for the site. Homes England says 40% of the houses will be allocated as “affordable”.

An outline planning application was submitted last year but is yet to receive final approval.

However the developer asked North Yorkshire Council if it could demolish several buildings on the site and the authority confirmed this month that it can.

It means that five timber buildings associated with a former stables will be demolished as well as a small shed and a stone barn on the site.

A cricket pavilion formerly used by Pannal Ash Cricket Club will also be demolished.

However, under plans submitted by Homes England, the development is set to include a new cricket pitch on the site and the club will return to using it.

Documents state:

“The wider proposals for the Bluecoat Park site include a new cricket pavilion and cricket field, which will provide a new home for Pannal Ash Cricket Club and will allow them to return to the site.

“Alongside the proposed residential development and cricket facilities, a football hub is also proposed. These sporting facilities will provide much higher quality sporting facilities in this area, which will help encourage an active and healthy lifestyle.”

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The section of Otley Road approaching Harlow Hill is set to be transformed by up to 1,500 homes over the next decade.

The Bluecoat Wood site has been mooted  for housing for many years and Homes England took it on after a previous plan fell through.

The former Harrogate Borough Council Local Plan, which is still binding, says that the Windmill Farm site on the other side of Otley Road can also be developed.

Plans for 770 homes and a new primary school were submitted last year by Anwyl Land and national housebuilder Redrow Homes. The site also includes space for self-build homes.

But there have been long-standing fears from residents that the services that people rely on will be put under further strain by the new developments.

The Western Arc Coordination Group is hopeful a council-led document called the West Harrogate Infrastructure Delivery Strategy (WHIDS) will go some way to ensuring investment takes place into roads, schools and healthcare before much of the homes are constructed.

But it’s faced a series of delays which has frustrated residents in the group.

Horticap unveils plans for new homes with a difference in Harrogate woods

A new housing development with a difference is set to be created in the grounds of Harrogate charity Horticap.

Seven houses, a shop, a church and a bandstand will be installed for the fairies of Bluecoat Wood, home to the horticultural charity.

It represents a collaboration between Horticap and nearby group Harlow Hill Men’s Shed, which was set up to support people’s mental health through practical tasks.

Despite the 700 homes planned to be built on fields surrounding the site, Horticap’s operations manager Phil Airey said the new houses in the wood were much-needed:

“We are pleased that the local fairies have decided to live on our land. The local children have often wondered where they live.

“So, with the help of Harlow Hill Men’s Shed, we will have a new village fit for any local fairy.”

Members of the men’s shed have spent time crafting the miniature buildings and will install them next week. Spokesman John Hart said:

“We are working on adding a pub, fire station and more houses in due course. The development will be ready for viewing from August 31 at Horticap and it will be fairy nice to meet you all.”

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‘Where’s the infrastructure?’: New councillor queries 480-home Bluecoat Wood plan

Questions remain about how an extra 480 homes near Harlow Hill will impact roads, schools and doctor’s surgeries, according to the new councillor for the area.

Homes England last week submitted plans for the development at Bluecoat Wood opposite Cardale Park.

The site covers 28 hectares of largely green fields and the homes would wrap around horticultural charity Horticap.

The proposals include new cricket and football pitches.

A mix of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses are proposed for the site. Homes England says 40% of the houses will be allocated as “affordable”.

“Fed up with housebuilding”

Michael Schofield is the Liberal Democrat councillor for Harlow & St George’s on North Yorkshire County Council, after being elected this month.

The councillor, who is also the landlord of the Shepherd’s Dog pub, claims there is “no provision” in the plans for services that residents will use.

Cllr Schofield said:

“Don’t get me wrong, the idea of playing fields and a cricket pitch is great, but you do have to think about extra traffic and infrastructure.

“There’s no provision for services. I’d like to see more planning for residents.

“Yes the homes look attractive, but there’s no clear plan for infrastructure. I don’t want them to do anything until they have one.”

Cllr Schofield said there is strong feeling locally about the scale and speed of housebuilding.

“I see residents out walking their dogs and it’s the main issue people are telling me, they are fed up of seeing building site after building site.”

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Last month, a separate application was submitted by Anwyl Land and national housebuilder Redrow Homes for 780 homes on fields opposite Bluecoat Wood on Otley Road.

At Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association‘s (Hapara) AGM in April, the group’s secretary David Siddans said residents are bracing themselves for “15 years of disruption” due to the sheer number of homes that will be built in phases around Otley Road.

Hapara has been highly critical of the delayed West Harrogate Parameters Plan (WHPP), a document drawn up by Harrogate Borough Council that is supposed to address the infrastructure associated with the different housing developments.

A final version of the plan has yet to be signed off by the council.

The plan will also be supplemented with an ‘infrastructure delivery document’ to nail down the infrastructure requirements in greater detail, but it’s yet to see the light of day.

‘Pause a decision’

Mr Siddans called on Harrogate Borough Council to pause any decision on Bluecoat Wood until the infrastructure delivery document is published.

He said:

“Hapara accepts that the principle of development on this site has been established through the Local Plan process, but considers it essential that the proposals are considered in the wider context of the whole western arc expansion, particularly regarding infrastructure provision, sustainability, landscape protection and adherence to net zero carbon targets.

“Low building density, high-quality design and appropriate housing mix with tree-lined streets are also matters that we will be looking at in our response. That is why no decisions should be made on this application or any of the adjacent sites until the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan is finalised, including the detail of the infrastructure delivery plan.”

Mr Siddans’s words were echoed by Cllr Howard West, chair of Beckwithshaw and Haverah Parish Council.

He said:

“The parish council’s standpoint is that the application should not even be logged, let alone considered, until the infrastructure delivery plan part of the WHPP has been finalised and approved.”

Homes England

A planning statement by Homes England says the development has been guided by the WHPP.

It says the sports pitch will be used by local schools, improving facilities for the area’s children.

On transport, it says the development will eventually link up with the Otley Road Cycle Path and an existing bus service to Cardale Park.

“The site has a good level of accessibility with Harrogate town centre, via a comprehensive network of footways and cycleways and is within a short cycling distance of Harrogate town centre.

“There are existing bus services which are accessible from the site and offer a relatively frequent level of services and Harrogate Rail Station, Hornbeam Rail Station and Pannal Rail Station which can be accessed as part of a multi-modal journey to [and] from the site.”

Homes England submits 480-home Otley Road plan

Homes England has submitted formal plans for 480 homes at Bluecoat Wood opposite Cardale Park.

The government housing agency bought the site on Otley Road last year after a previous scheme stalled.

The plans follow a public consultation which was held in December 2021.

Documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council show that the site is set to be called Bluecoat Park.

The site covers 28 hectares of largely green fields and the homes would wrap around Horticap.

The proposals include plans for a new cricket pitch, which would also act as a village green. The pitch would be used by Pannal Ash Cricket Club.

The site layout for the homes at Bluecoat Wood.

The site layout for the homes at Bluecoat Wood.

A “football hub” would also be created, which would include changing rooms, a full-size pitch, a youth pitch and two mini pitches, along with car parking.

A new community woodland would also be planted.

As part of the plans, a mixture of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses are proposed for the site. Homes England says in its plans that 40% of the houses will be allocated as affordable.

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The housing agency said in its planning documents:

“The proposed development at Bluecoat Park provides a most important opportunity to deliver a new sustainable and thriving community which will form part of the proposed new urban extension to west Harrogate.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

To view the full details, click here and search using reference 22/01558/EIAMAJ.

Site history

Housing has been mooted at Bluecoat Wood for many years.

In February 2016, the borough council granted planning permission to a partnership of developers called HTH Harrogate LLP to build 450 homes.

It followed an earlier refusal of permission on the grounds of road safety and traffic flow problems.

However, Homes England bought the site in February 2021 after the developer pulled out.

That summer, Homes England submitted an environmental impact assessment for 530 homes on the site. The number has now been reduced to 480.

Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash residents bracing themselves for ’15 years of disruption’

Residents in Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash have been told to expect 15 more years of disruption due to a wave of new housing developments in the area.

Concerns about traffic and disruption linked to around 4,000 new homes dominated Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents’ Association’s (Hapara) annual general meeting this week.

Much of the discussion was centered around the 770-home Windmill Farm development after plans were submitted by Anwyl Land and national housebuilder Redrow Homes this month.

The homes and a new primary school would be built on green fields on the opposite side of the road from the charity-run nursery Horticap and behind RHS Harlow Carr.

David Siddans, Hapara’s secretary, told the room that a traffic report submitted by the developers had “seriously underestimated” the number of cars that are likely to leave the site during rush hour.

The report suggested that 450 vehicles will leave in the morning.

Mr Siddans warned the current road network around Otley Road will struggle to cope with Windmill Farm traffic as well as cars from large housing schemes at Bluecoat Wood, Whinney Lane and Pennypot Lane.

He said:

“They have seriously underestimated the total impact on the highways network. Pennypot Lane and all the other sites will feed traffic towards this direction. The totality of it will be huge.”

Sustainable transport

The Windmill Farm site includes a cycle path towards Harrogate and three bus stops. However, Mr Siddans said the plans don’t do enough to encourage residents to leave their cars at home.

“How many people can you persuade not to use a car? That isn’t explained. We know they are providing a bus route, they’ll provide some bus stops, but what about the bus? Who’s providing that?

“How many will cycle or use public transport? We simply don’t know the impact.”

At the meeting, Otley Road resident Chris Dicken also did a critical presentation on the Otley Road Cycle Path, which he called “a waste of money”.

David Rowe from Zero Carbon Harrogate gave a talk on the benefits of low traffic neighbourhoods, which is when a road is closed to through traffic to boost walking and cycling, as as the one currently on Beech Grove.

Windmill Farm proposals

Mr Rowe and the group’s chair, Jemima Parker, fielded questions from residents about the environmental impact of Windmill Farm.

The homes will be built with gas boilers, despite the government banning them from new builds from 2025.

Ms Parker queried the layout of the Windmill Farm and suggested it had been designed with the car in mind.

“The shop and the school are not next to each other, so when you go to pick your children up from school you can’t pop into the shop. It’s illogical and needs a different way of thinking.”

Parameters plan

Rene Dziabas

Rene Dziabas, chair of Hapara, expressed the group’s dismay at the delayed West of Harrogate Parameters Plan, a document the group had hoped would go some way to solving transport issues.

Mr Dziabas said the plan had been developed without much input from residents who have knowledge of the area.

He said:

“The only way we’ll make progreess is if the council genuinely starts interacting with the community, not gaming us and ticking boxes, but actually listening to us.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said previously:

“A number of suggestions have already helped shaped the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan and I’d like to thank those local resident groups and parish councils for their valuable feedback.”

Consultation launched for 480 homes on Harrogate’s Otley Road

Homes England has begun a public consultation on plans to build 480 homes at Bluecoat Wood, opposite Cardale Park and Harrogate police station.

The government housing agency bought the site this year after previous plans to develop it stalled. It plans to call the development Bluecoat Park.

The site covers 28 hectares of largely green fields and homes would wrap around Horticap.

The scheme would include a new pitch for Pannal Ash Cricket Club, a sports hub and a children’s play area. Homes England said 40% of the homes would be “affordable”.

A new community woodland would also be planted.

The consultation, which will end on January 10, will inform the submission of a full planning application to Harrogate Borough Council. A website has been created for people to submit their thoughts on the scheme.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, the council’s plan for development in the district until 2035, says 450 homes can be built on the site.

Traffic concerns

Separate plans for 780 homes and a new primary school have been proposed by Taylor Wimpey and Redrow at nearby Bluecoat Wood on Otley Road.

Local residents group Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association has raised concerns about congestion on Otley Road as well as extra traffic through nearby villages such as Beckwithshaw, North Rigton and Burn Bridge.

Homes England said its Bluecoat Park development would help inform the West Harrogate Parameters Plan, a document that will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with wider plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate.

The plan was expected last year but has been delayed until February 2022.

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The site’s history

Housing has been mooted at Bluecoat Wood for many years.

In February 2016, HBC granted planning permission to a partnership of developers called HTH Harrogate LLP to build 450 homes.

It followed an earlier refusal of permission on the grounds of road safety and traffic flow problems.

However, Homes England bought the site in February after the developer pulled out.

In the summer, Homes England submitted an environmental impact assessment for 530 homes on the site. The number has now been reduced.

Traffic fears over plans for 560 homes on Harrogate’s Otley Road

A proposed 560-home development on Harrogate’s Otley Road has sparked fears over traffic.

Homes England, which is the government’s housing agency, wants to build the homes at Bluecoat Wood Nurseries, which is where the charity Horticap is based.

Homes England has submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report to Harrogate Borough Council for the 26-hectare site, which is required ahead of a formal planning application.

The report proposes building 560 homes on the site — 25 per cent more than is allocated in Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines development in the district until 2035.

Council officials consulted a range of bodies on the environmental impact of the development and what would be needed to be addressed, such as traffic and infrastructure.

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Henry Pankhurst, of Harrogate Civic Society, which was among those consulted, said it objected to the plan on the grounds of traffic, encroachment onto greenfield land and adverse affect on the landscape.

Mr Pankhurst told the council in a letter:

“It seems logical that a much more intensive use of the land must have adverse consequences. The increase in dwellings, 110 units, from 450 to 560, is very significant – almost a quarter more.

“Traffic will increase, any buffer zones at the boundaries may well be reduced and amenity space both private and public may be compromised. Intensification in these and other ways will harm the special landscape area and harm the setting of the green belt.”

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Group of the Ramblers Association said the site had no recorded public right of ways or bridleways.

It said:

“With a site of this considerable size we would like to see a number of footpaths created through the site, and incorporated within natural green spaces.

“These should be of generous width, with a suitable surface, and routed logically. The routes should fulfil anticipated need.”

Homes England projects in Harrogate district

The proposed development is one of three sites in the district that Homes England has purchased for housing.

One of the other sites is the former Police Training Centre on Yew Tree Lane, which is earmarked for 200 homes. That site is in the Local Plan for 161 homes and faced similar criticism for “unjustifiable planning creep”.

The government agency has also submitted final plans for 390 homes at a site in Littlethorpe.

Homes England said previously that the environmental impact assessment for the Bluecoat site was an “early stage of the planning process” and that further consultation will be required for a formal planning application.