New details of Ripon’s 1,300-home Clotherholme scheme released

Work on the 1,300-home Clotherholme scheme in Ripon is expected to begin next year and last until 2037, according to a newly published update.

Land at Claro Barracks, Deverell Barracks and Laver Banks will be bulldozed to make way for the homes, a primary school and a neighbourhood centre with shops, a café and a community space.

Four city-centre junctions will be improved and Clotherholme Road, Kirkby Road, College Road and Trinity Lane will be redesigned to prioritise pedestrian safety and encourage cycling.

Homes England, the public body that funds new affordable housing, and the Defence infrastructure Organisation, which is part of the Ministry of Defence, provided the update in a planning report published on North Yorkshire Council’s website.

Councillors granted planning permission subject to conditions in February last year, shortly before Harrogate Borough Council was abolished. Six councillors voted in favour and six voted against, which meant the committee chair’s casting vote in favour proved decisive.

The new planning report says the barracks scheme will create an “exemplar new sustainable community” on brownfield land on the edge of Ripon. Here are some of the key details.

The red section indicates where will be affected.

30% affordable homes and new school

Clotherholme will include 1,300 homes, 30% of which will be classed as affordable. The report said:

“That’s 370 new affordable homes for local people, split between affordable rent and shared ownership

“We’ll also build a new primary school next to a new local neighbourhood centre with shops, a café, employment and training facilities and community space. We’ll provide new improved open space at Laver Banks which will be accessible to the whole community.”

A total of 5% of the site will be dedicated to custom build homes providing up to 60 extra care / assisted living homes.

Developers are obliged to pay to mitigate for the impact of their development on local infrastructure through legally binding contracts negotiated with councils known as section 106 agreements.

The new planning report says the proposals for financial contributions include:

The report adds:

“We’ll provide traffic-free routes to school across the whole development, which connect into existing walking and cycling routes, and we’ll make sure the school has playing fields too.

“The school will be built and opened early in the development timeline, meaning that families moving to Clotherholme will have school places for their children, and other local schools won’t be put under pressure.”

Major transport schemes in Ripon

The report says there will be “24 separate improvements to the road network agreed with North Yorkshire Council to make sure that Ripon keeps moving”.

They include improvements to four city-centre junctions “before the first home is occupied at Clotherholme”.

The four junction improvements are:

The report adds:

“We will install state-of-the-art signal control as part of these upgrades which allow real-time monitoring of traffic build-up and management of the signals to reduce congestion and maximise traffic flow.

“Our proposals also include the provision of a one-way scheme at Kirkby Road (westbound), College Road (eastbound) and Trinity Lane (southbound). Blossomgate, east of Marshall Way, will also become one-way.”

The report says there will be £793,000 towards delivering a phased bus service for Clotherholme over a four-year period, adding:

“We will redesign Clotherholme Road, Kirkby Road, College Road and Trinity Lane to prioritise pedestrian safety and encourage cycling, and we will introduce traffic-calming measures to reduce vehicle speeds. Our package of transport and active travel proposals have already been agreed in principle with North Yorkshire Council.”

12-year timeline

The report says the Ministry of Defence “has confirmed that they are in the process of agreeing a transfer of the land at Ripon barracks to Homes England”, adding:

“Following transfer, the land will be redeveloped by Homes England and partners in phases commencing with Deverell Barracks and moving to Claro and Laver Banks once the army has fully vacated to ensure the growth of a sustainable community.

Indicative phasing plan Indicative phasing Phase 1 2025 – 2029 Phase 2 2028 – 2033 Phase 3 2027 Phase 3 2027 Phase 4 2027 – 2028 Phase 5 2027 and 2029 Phase 6 2028 – 2033 Phase 7 2030 – 2032 Phase 8 2031 – 2037 Phase 9 2029 – 2033 The phasing plan on page 15 shows the order in which we’re intending to develop parcels of land at Ripon Barracks.

A developer partner will be appointed in 2025 and between 50 and 100 homes per year will be built meaning that the full redevelopment will take around 13 to 14 years to complete.

“There will be a series of key milestones throughout redevelopment including the opening up of Laver Banks for public use in 2027, phased provision of the local centre between 2028 and 2033 as well as the new primary school which is due to open in 2028.”

Green space

The report says nearly 50% of Clotherholme will be public green space, which is the equivalent to about 55 football pitches. Of this 39.6 hectares, nearly 7.5 hectares will be playing fields.

The report says Homes England and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation are writing a biodiversity net gain delivery plan “which sets out our approach to habitat preservation and creation of on-site and off-site biodiversity to achieve a target of 10% net gain”.

It adds:

“We will be providing playing fields at the new primary school which could be available for community use too. We’ll separately provide 11 sports pitches as part of Laver Banks improved open space (including a senior and junior football pitch and club house), and are looking to collaborate with local clubs to make sure we’re providing what is needed.

“We will also be paying towards the upkeep of these facilities — all part of the site-wide stewardship strategy we’re producing. We will also provide financial contributions towards the off-site provision of rugby, cricket, hockey and 3G sports pitches, for the benefit of sport in Ripon.”

Read more:

Plans approved for 1,300 homes at Ripon Barracks

Councillors have approved plans to build 1,300 homes at Ripon’s army barracks, subject to conditions.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee met this afternoon to consider an application from government housing agency Homes England, which has been developing the plans for several years alongside the Ministry of Defence.

Councillors were split over the scheme’s impact on roads in the city as well as whether historical military buildings on the site, which were used during both world wars, would be protected.

Votes were tied at six for and six against supporting the officer’s recommendation to defer the plans to officers to approve, subject to conditions.

This meant the committee’s chair, the Conservative councillor for Harrogate St Georges, Rebecca Burnett, cast the deciding vote to see the plans passed.

Clotherholme

The military is set to vacate the site in 2026 but phased work will now begin.

The housing scheme is called Clotherholme and also includes a new primary school, sports pitches, retail, food and drink units, and a 60-bed care home.

The site is home to the Royal Engineers and consists of Deverell Barracks to the east, Claro Barracks to the west and Laver Banks to the south.

Homes England says 3,000 people will live there to increase the population of Ripon by a fifth, although this does not take into account the loss of military personnel who have lived in the community for decades.

It’s expected that all the homes would be built by 2035 and 30% will be classed as affordable.

No new road

Campaigners have long raised fears about the impact on local roads and there have been calls to include a relief road via Galphay Road, but this was rejected.

Access to the site would be from Clotherholme Road and Kirkby Road.

Homes England undertook traffic studies that predicted queues and delays at existing junctions if the homes were built, so changes to the Low Skellgate, Coltsgate Hill and Clock Tower junctions have been proposed as part of 28 alterations to the existing road network.

A new roundabout would also be created at the junction of Kirkby Road and Chatham Road.

‘Hell to drive through’

Liberal Democrat county councillor Barbara Brodigan spoke on behalf of Ripon Spa Residents’ Action Group against the plans.

Cllr Brodigan said she was not against the site being developed but objected to the number of homes proposed. She said a relief road should be built to accommodate any increase in traffic. She said:

“The city was founded 600 years ago and the layout of its streets and centre has hardly changed. It’s pretty to look at, but hell to drive through.

“The layout of the city’s streets was not designed for cars but for horses and carts and people on foot.”

A computer generated image of how Chatham Road and Napier Street in Ripon would look under the plans.

A computer generated image of how Chatham Road and Napier Street in Ripon would look under the plans

Ripon Independent councillor for Ure Bank, Sid Hawke, said there was a question mark over the traffic surveys undertaken by the developer. He said:

“Have you been up Clotherholme Road at peak times?  It’s absolute mayhem, you’re talking about putting 1,300 houses up there. Thats 2,000 cars on that road.”

David Rowlinson, speaking on behalf of the applicant, said highways and transport had been a “key issue” that Homes England and the MoD had worked through whilst developing the scheme. He said:

“We’re not new to this site, we’ve been working on it for five years. We’ve looked at this very thoroughly and worked with North Yorkshire County Council’s highways department to get their on-the-ground views.

“We feel we’ve robustly assessed the impacts and come up with the best solution possible for Ripon.

“North Yorkshire County Council has confirmed there is no defensible reason to refuse the application on highways and transport grounds.”

Military history

The barracks were originally built as a convalescent camp for troops during the First World War.

Thousands were housed there, including the wartime poet Wilfred Owen, who wrote some of his famous works there.

Jane Furse, on behalf of the Ripon Military Heritage Trust, asked councillors to defer the plans until a strategy had been produced that protected from demolition two training bridges and a hut, which has been called one of the best-surviving Second World War-era prefab structures.

However, the bridges and the hut are not protected under planning laws.

Read more:

Ms Furse gave a history of the military’s involvement at the site spanning two world wars and the Cold War.

She added:

“We request robust, enforceable conditions are imposed to protect our internationally significant heritage.”

Historic England raised “strong concerns” over the demolition of the hut but it has been decided that it can’t be retained because of asbestos, which HBC officer Andy Hough called “extremely regrettable”.

Homes England said it is committed to working with Ripon Military Heritage Group on studies to resolve what happens to the buildings.

Mr Rowlinson said:

“We give a commitment that until issues are resolved and a strategy is developed, structures will not be destroyed.

“We’re happy to do that, we need to work through the process with the group.”

‘Evidence-based decision’

The Conservative councillor for Ripon Spa and cabinet member for housing, Mike Chambers, who is also a former serviceman, said he supported “the majority” of the scheme but there are “clear issues” with the traffic assessment, so he would not be supporting the proposal.

Cllr Chambers claimed the changes to the Low Skellgate junction, banning right turns, “will only seek to exacerbate the situation”.

Conservative council leader Richard Cooper, who was on the planning committee today as a substitute, said rejecting the plans on transport grounds would risk a costly appeal.

In 2022, HBC had to pay £25,000 in costs after the authority was taken to appeal over its rejection of the Leon drive thru on Wetherby Road. Cllr Cooper said:

“You go and sit before an appeal and say to them ‘I drove down that road once and it was busy’, they’ll laugh at you.

“They did it with the Leon application, they laughed at us because there was no evidence to back up a refusal on traffic grounds and we lost the cost of the appeal because of that.”

Cllr Cooper added:

“If we aren’t a planning committee that bases our deliberations upon evidence, then we arent fit to be a planning committee at all. All our decisions should be evidence-based.”

The applicant has agreed to pay £4,694,875 to North Yorkshire County Council to go towards local primary and secondary schools.

It will also pay £907,267 to the NHS to support healthcare facilities.

Ukraine war could delay Ripon Barracks housing plans, says councillor

If the war in Ukraine escalates the Ministry of Defence (MoD) could delay vacating the Ripon Barracks site for housing to be built, according to the leader of Ripon City Council.

For several years, government housing agency Homes England and the MoD have been developing plans to build 1,300 homes at Ripon Barracks, which has been used by the military since World War 1.

The scheme is called Clotherholme and also includes a new primary school, sports pitches, retail, food and drink units and a 60-bed care home.

The site consists of Deverell Barracks to the east, Claro Barracks to the west and Laver Banks to the south.

Deverell Barracks has already been vacated however Claro Barracks is still operational and in use by the Royal Engineers.

Previously, the MoD has said it would close the site in 2019 and 2023.

A computer generated image of how Chatham Road and Napier Street in Ripon would look under the plans.

A computer generated image of how Chatham Road and Napier Street in Ripon would look under the plans.

Earlier this month, Conservative MP Julian Smith published a letter he received from defence minister Alex Chalk that said Claro Barracks will remain in use until late 2026.

Although the letter said that phased work would begin at Deverell Barracks once planning permission has been granted.

‘A changing world’

At a meeting of Ripon City Council this week, council leader Andrew Williams, who is also an independent councillor on North Yorkshire County Council, said the 2026 date is “optimistic” due to a changing geopolitical situation.

Cllr Williams said:

“In a changing world since these proposals were first put on table, the world is clearly a more unstable place than when this process started several years ago. 

“There is a real risk of proper armed conflict escalating in Europe in a way that several years ago could have seen to be a farcical and ludicrous proposition.

“I suspect the MoD will need to retain part of its estate than it envisaged doing several years ago. As a consequence there may still be a need for a barracks in Ripon well beyond 2026.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said:

“We remain committed to the disposal of Claro Barracks.

“With the adjacent Deverell Barracks now vacated, it is ready for the planned and phased redevelopment of the combined barracks site at Ripon.”

Read more:

Councillors will meet next Thursday afternoon in Harrogate to make a decision on whether the Ripon Barracks scheme goes ahead.

The plans have been recommended for approval by HBC case officer Andy Hough in a report.

The meeting will begin at 2pm on February 23 at the council’s Civic Centre. It will also be streamed live on its YouTube channel.

1,300-home Ripon housing scheme set to be approved

A scheme to build 1,300 homes on historic army barracks in Ripon looks set to be approved next week.

Harrogate Borough Council officers have recommended its planning committee gives the scheme the go-ahead when it meets on Thursday.

If councillors vote to accept the recommendation, it will see Ripon’s population increase by almost 20%, with an estimated 3,000 people expected to occupy the new homes.

Building work is likely to continue until 2035 and 30% of homes would be deemed ‘affordable’.

The 85 hectare-scheme would also include a new primary school and sports pitches as well as shops, restaurants and offices that could support up to 678 jobs.

However, there are concern about the impact on health services, the road network and the loss of key sites of military history.

The report to councillors concludes:

“The proposed development will deliver a range of significant public benefits that demonstrate compliance with adopted policies and the aspirations of the Ripon Neighbourhood Plan.”

Payments for health and schools

Applicants the Secretary of State for Defence and Homes England, a non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England, which are behind the proposal, have agreed to pay a minimum of £907,267 for health care facilities as part of a section 106 agreement developers pay to fund infrastructure costs associated with their schemes.

The agreement would also see the developers pay £2.7 million for primary school education and £1.9 million for secondary school education.

A two-form primary school with a playing field would be built on the site.

A computer generated image of the proposed Ripon Barracks site

A computer generated image of the proposed Ripon barracks site.

Development would take place on the sites of Claro Barracks, Laver Banks and Deverell Barracks, which played key roles in the First and Second World Wars.

The report acknowledges “strong concerns” over the demolition of Deverell Barracks, which according to the non-departmental public body Historic England contains buildings that make it ‘one of the best surviving WWII temporary standardised prefabricated sites’.

The report says the developers would ‘explore retention of these structures’ but adds there are ‘significant issues with their re-use’ due to the presence of asbestos and concludes there is no ‘certainty of retention’.

Claro Barracks Ripon

Part of the current site

The significance of two military bridges on Laver Banks became apparent recently following research by Ripon Military Heritage Group and the report says the applicants have “confirmed a commitment to keep on working together” with the group.

The report says the highways authority, North Yorkshire County Council, “considers there is no defensible reason to refuse the application on highway or transportation grounds” in the wake of proposed highways changes.

Read more:

 

 

 

Decision on 1,300-home Ripon barracks scheme could be made this month

A decision on whether to build a major 1,300-home scheme on an army barracks in Ripon could be made within weeks.

The scheme, which has been submitted by government housing agency Homes England, would see houses built on Claro Barracks off Clotherholme Road.

The proposal was submitted to Harrogate Borough Council in September 2020, but has yet to be decided.

Council officials have now said the scheme could come to the authority’s planning committee this month after negotiations over NHS contributions were nearing an end.

Trevor Watson, the council’s director of economy and culture, told an overview and scrutiny commission meeting on Monday that developer contributions for health was the “last big issue” to overcome.

He said:

“We are confident that we are now approaching the final negotiations in relation to what was the last big issue that has caused a few problems.

“That is the level of contributions towards health provision. We are nearing an agreement on that, I think.

“That will allow us to bring forward the application for determination by Harrogate Borough Council at a special planning committee, we hope on February 23 and we also hope with a recommendation of approval.”

Claro Barracks Ripon

Claro Barracks

Mr Watson added the scheme was a “once in a generation opportunity” to develop a brownfield site included in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished at the end of next month and succeeded by the new North Yorkshire Council.

The negotiations over developer contributions come after NHS managers in North Yorkshire objected to the scheme because of concerns about the amount of funding that would be provided for local healthcare.

In a letter to the council, Andrew Dangerfield, head of primary care transformation at NHS Humber & North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said the method used by Homes England to assess healthcare need as a result of the new homes was “at odds” with the NHS.

He added the developer had offered “zero” section 106 contributions to help mitigate demand as a result of increased population due to the scheme.

Read more:

Mr Dangerfield said:

“The integrated care board is concerned about Homes England’s overall approach to health, they have sought to provide zero section 106 contributions towards the provision of healthcare infrastructure on a development of significant scale (circa 3,000 people), using a methodology which is at odds with the NHS commissioners and local healthcare partners.

“The integrated care board, who has direct expert knowledge of the local surgeries in the area and is responsible for the commissioning of healthcare services have consistently outlined that the existing practices do not have capacity to absorb the population created by the 1,300 homes coming forward as part of this application, and therefore have requested mitigation in the form of a section 106 contribution.”

Mr Dangerfield added that should no contributions towards healthcare be made, then the development “cannot be considered sustainable”.

In October 2020, NHS North Yorkshire CCG – which preceded the integrated care board – said in a letter to the borough council that it was seeking £553,128 from Homes England in contributions to health.

The planned homes in Ripon will include a significant number of two and three-bedroom mid-range houses and will include apartments in the centre.

It also includes a community centre, employment space, shops, parkland, a new primary school and sports facilities.

Plans for 1,300 homes could leave Ripon in ‘perpetual gridlock’

Homes England will not be allowed to ‘ride roughshod’ over the wishes of people in Ripon and must renew consultation with the city council.

That was the unanimous view this week of elected members, who have described the proposed traffic plan for the 1,300-home Clotherholme development on the barracks site as ‘unacceptable’.

Speaking at Monday’s city council meeting, Conservatives Stuart Martin and Mike Chambers, who are also district and county councillors, joined Conservative parish councillors and the ruling Independents in voicing concerns.

Cllr Martin said:

“At the outline planning stage, this is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we have to get things right on the traffic front.

“If we don’t, the city will suffer the consequences for years to come.”

City centre roads ‘at capacity’

Cllr Chambers added:

“The city centre roads are at capacity and we must make it known to Harrogate Borough Council that this plan does not work and will not work, if Homes England doesn’t come forward with new traffic mitigation measures.”

Homes England, which is the government housing agency also owns the West Lane site in Ripon where 390 homes will be built by Taylor Wimpey after outline planning permission was granted last month.

City council leader Andrew Williams said:

“Between the two sites they have almost 1,700 houses and I recommend that we say we are willing to accept 800 homes at Clotherholme and hold back on making a decision on the other 500 until this council is satisfied that Homes England has properly and thoroughly addressed the traffic issue.

“We will not allow people who don’t live in Ripon to make decisions from afar that ride roughshod over the wishes of local residents, who don’t want a city that is in perpetual gridlock.”

Photo of the Somerset Row, Low Skellgate junction

The busy junction of Somerset Row with High and Low Skellgate, where vehicles would not be able to turn right under the Homes England traffic plan.

“One of the unacceptable proposals in the plan is to prevent traffic at the junction of Somerset Row with Low Skellgate from turning right, meaning a detour for thousands of motorists a week.”

Cllr Williams’ proposed staged approach to handling planning for the Clotherholme scheme, was supported by all councillors, who also called for Harrogate planners and Homes England to come to the city council to hear the views of members.

Read more: 

Cllr Pauline McHardy said;

“We haven’t met with them for over a year and it’s about time for them to get around the table with us, so we can let them know about the concerns people from all parts of the city are expressing about the traffic impact that the barracks site will have.”

Support for Ripon Military Heritage Trust

Prior to their discussion about the Clotherholme scheme, Christopher Hughes, chairman of Ripon Civic Society and Alan Skidmore, a trustee of the the Ripon Military Heritage Trust, addressed the council.

They provided an update on proposals to seek protection for historically-significant structures at the barracks site, which are currently threatened with demolition to make way for the new homes development.

It was agreed that in its correspondence with Harrogate planners, the city council will confirm that the trust’s proposals have the unanimous support of the council.

,

 

Traffic plan sparks concerns over 1,300-home Ripon Barracks scheme

Ripon City Council has called for a new consultation on plans to build 1,300 homes at Ripon Barracks after a transport assessment was belatedly published.

Harrogate Borough Council’s 30-day consultation on the Homes England scheme is due to close on February 17.

But Ripon City Council agreed this week to urgently contact Harrogate Borough Council, asking it to ‘reset the clock’ to give local residents more time to make their views known.

City council leader Andrew Williams, received unanimous support from fellow councillors after he said:

“Important information, most notably the transport assessment executive summary, was added to the Harrogate Borough Council planning portal after the consultation period began — and anybody who commented on the outline planning application prior to February 3 would not have seen the crucial transport document.”

In April, the city council called for the Clotherholme development to be scaled back to 800 homes because of concerns about the impact of more traffic on Ripon’s road network.

At Monday’s full city council meeting, Cllr Williams said:

“This is the biggest single development in Ripon’s history and while we welcome, in principle, new homes for the city, it is clear that we don’t have the roads infrastructure to support this many, which will come on top of the 390 homes at West Lane and other schemes.

“The addition of a further 1,300 homes will have a negative impact across Ripon.

“We’re asking to reset the clock, so that people have the opportunity to read the documents on the planning portal.”

David Walpole, a consultant commissioned by the city council to report on the traffic implications of Clotherholme scheme, has been asked by councillors to ‘object in the strongest possible terms’.

Read more:

The transport assessment in support of the Homes England development says:

“The proposed mitigation measures for the Ripon Barracks site include a wide range of improvements not just in the vicinity of the development itself, but also throughout the western side of the city and into the city centre itself.

“These measures include; the implementation of pedestrian and cyclist improvements by implementing mitigation measures such as traffic calming on Clotherholme Road and Kirkby Road; the introduction of a one way system involving Kirkby Road, College Road and Trinity Lane to accommodate on road cycling while maintaining car parking along College Road; the provision of a gateway junction including segregated cycling facilities at the primary Kirkby Road access to the site; junction mitigation measures to alleviate traffic congestion at key city centre junctions and provide enhanced pedestrian crossing facilities; measures to prevent rat running; and proposed contributions to public transport bus services.

“As a consequence of the mitigation measures identified to support the proposed development (it) will meet the requirements of the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) ensuring there will be no unacceptable impact on highway safety or severe cumulative impacts and that sustainable modes of transport will be pro-actively prioritised both to and from the development and across the west of Ripon city centre.”

Call to reduce Ripon barracks development by 500 homes

Ripon City Council is calling for a 500-homes reduction in the size of the barracks development.

The 1,300-dwelling Clotherholme scheme proposed by Homes England, has raised concerns about the impact of more vehicles on Ripon’s roads.

City council leader Andrew Williams, told the Stray Ferret:

“We support comprehensive redevelopment of the former barracks site and welcome the much-needed new and affordable homes it will bring.

“However, we believe that to avoid traffic gridlock in Ripon, numbers need to be scaled back to 800.”

Photo of residents of Kirkby Road, Ripon

Residents living on Kirkby Road are among those concerned about the traffic that the Clotherholme development will generate.

The call for reduced numbers was supported at a recent special meeting of the city council.

Councillors also approved spending on a further report from Ripon-based traffic, highways and transport engineering consultant David Walpole.

When the Ripon Neighbourhood Plan was being drawn up, it was envisaged that the barracks site would provide space for 800 new homes.

The site, encompassing Claro Barracks, Deverell Barracks and Laver Banks, initially included 11 hectares earmarked for employment uses.

After the allocation of land for employment uses was reduced, Homes England sought outline planning approval for a 1,300-home scheme.

A transport assessment prepared in support of the development, was described as ‘flawed’ by Ripon City Council.

It claimed it fails to address core issues local residents have raised.

City councillor Mike Chambers, who is also Harrogate Borough Council‘s cabinet member for homes and safer communities and a North Yorkshire county councillor, said:

“There are clearly traffic issues that need to be looked at.

“We want to work with Homes England and planners to achieve the best possible result for the people of Ripon.”

Read more:

Kirkby Road will be the principal route linking the Clotherholme development with the city centre.

Residents living there, including members of the Ripon Residents Action Group, have consistently lobbied for road improvements ahead of the construction of new housing.

 

Plans submitted for 1,300 homes at Ripon Barracks

Homes England has pushed forward with its plan for a 1,300 home development at Ripon Barracks.

Harrogate Borough Council has now validated a planning application for the site. It is a move the developers see as a “major step forward” towards construction.

The Clotherholme development will encompass Claro Barracks, Deverell Barracks and Laver Banks. Homes England is working with Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) on the project.

The planned homes will include a significant number of two- and three-bedroom mid-range houses and will include apartments in the centre.

It also includes a community centre, employment space, shops, parkland, a new primary school and sports facilities.

Read more:

Residents in Ripon are particularly interested in the proposed infrastructure which would come with a development of this size. Ripon City Council has already said the transport assessment was “flawed” because it was undertaken during a period when there was less traffic – something Homes England disputed.

Homes England expects Harrrogate Borough Council to make a decision on the planning permission in early 2021. Comments can be made on the Harrogate Borough Council planning website until October 7, using reference 20/02973/EIAMAJ.

Marie Kiddell, head of planning and enabling at Homes England, said:

“The validation of this planning application is a major step towards creating Clotherholme and helping meet local housing needs; 30% of the homes will be affordable alongside those for sale on the open market.”

Catherine Davies, head of estates at DIO, said:

“This proposed development supports the MOD’s ongoing commitment to invest in a more fit for purpose Defence estate. We look forward to seeing it progress further in the coming weeks and months.”