Parish councils have called for a halt to plans for a new settlement to the east of Knaresborough until after devolution takes place.

With the hand-over to the new unitary authority now just six weeks away, councillors in the area have asked the new North Yorkshire Council to prevent Harrogate Borough Council from spending any more time or money on its development plan document (DPD).

It follows news last month that one of the key landowners in the area earmarked for a new town near Cattal had pulled out of the plans, leaving question marks over their viability.

In a joint letter, representatives of Kirk Hammerton, Whixley, Green Hammerton, Moor Monkton, and Cattal, Hunsingore and Walshford parish councils asked Cllr Simon Myers, NYCC’s executive member for housing, to “step in”. They wrote:

“The DPD process and the Maltkiln planning proposal have lost all credibility and their time is up. HBC should stop work now and concentrate on making the handover to NYC as orderly as possible.

“The developer should be invited to withdraw its application and an indication given (formally or informally) that, if it insists on pressing for a determination, a refusal is inevitable, in the circumstances…

“Meanwhile, it’s high time NYC stepped in and called time on this, before any more mistakes are made (the consequences of which NYC will inherit).”

HBC’s planning policy manager Natasha Durham this week contacted parish councils in the area to invite them to a meeting next month.

She said work was being done to decide whether the DPD could be delivered on the remaining land.

Read more:

• Parish councils to get update on ‘paused’ plans for new town near Knaresborough
• Maltkiln developer still ‘confident’ in new town near Cattal

NYCC has said work by most of the district councils on local plans and DPDs had been paused until the new unitary authority came into effect, but it had agreed Harrogate should continue with its new settlement DPD because it was at an advanced stage.

However, Kirk Hammerton Parish Council chairman Paul Townsend responded to ask how work on the DPD could continue when the land it was based on could no longer be used.

He wrote:

“Since the circumstances underpinning the NYC executive’s decision to proceed with the DPD in December have fundamentally changed (it is hard to think of anything more fundamental to developing a new settlement than no longer having land on which to build it) how has the executive convinced itself that the DPD should continue?

“Does this mean the statement that work on the DPD has been paused is now out of date? It’s all very confusing for us and our residents.”

Parish councillors have also claimed HBC had previously said it had a “duty to determine” a planning application for the site from Caddick, proposing a new town of up to 4,000 homes to be known as Maltkiln.

The councillors said the plans were being pushed through with undue haste in order to have the whole matter dealt with before HBC is abolished on April 1.

However, the council has strongly denied it ever said it had a “duty to determine” the application.

A spokesperson said:

“In response to requests for information on when the DPD would be submitted, we indicated that we were working towards a target of end of 2022 for submission.

“But in view of the recent change of circumstance, the decision to submit the DPD has been paused, something that we have made the public aware of.

“We have also not changed our position regarding the determination of the Caddick/Maltkiln planning application, once again this is hearsay. Currently, there is no timeline for determination as there are still matters to be resolved.

“The principle of development in this location has been established in the adopted Harrogate District Local Plan. Planning applications are determined in accordance with the development plan and circumstances of the time.”

The developers behind a planned new town of up to 4,000 homes said they “remain confident” the project will go ahead, despite one of the landowners pulling out.

Caddick Group, which has submitted plans for a settlement called Maltkiln near Cattal, said it is continuing to work with other landowners and local authorities on the project.

It comes after Harrogate Borough Council announced yesterday it was “pausing” its work to submit a development plan document (DPD) to the Secretary of State for a new settlement in the area because one of the pieces of land was no longer available.

A spokesperson for Caddick Group said:

“As with most large and complex developments, the proposed new settlement at Maltkiln involves several landowners and we have been working with them for a number of years.

“It is regrettable that one of the landowners has now expressed their intention to withdraw their support for the development. However, we continue to have positive relationships with the other landowners and we remain confident that development can progress in accordance with the policy objectives of Harrogate Borough Council’s Development Plan Document for the new settlement.

“The Maltkiln site was established as the preferred option by Harrogate Borough Council based on its location, accessibility and relative freedom from constraints.

“In parallel with the council’s DPD process, we have undertaken thorough community and stakeholder consultation as part of defining our proposals to deliver much needed new housing and associated amenities for this part of North Yorkshire.

“We intend to continue a positive dialogue with all the landowners in the vicinity of our site and any updated proposals will be publicised after we have discussed with the borough and county councils how the amended site area may best be developed in accordance with the proposed DPD.”

Caddick put forward plans last year for two primary schools, a GP surgery and shops as part of its proposal. It also said the homes would be built to “very high environmental standards” with communal air and ground source heat pumps, solar power generation and electric vehicle charging points in every home.

Several “mobility hubs” are planned to offer fast charging for vehicles as well as repairs and storage for e-scooters and bicycles, and flexible working spaces available to hire.

Read more:

• New settlement plans ‘paused’ after land withdrawn near Cattal
• Concern over lack of secondary school at new Harrogate district town

Cllr Arnold Warneken, whose Ouseburn division includes the proposed site, said he was concerned that changes to the land available could impact the viability of the whole development.

The Green Party councillor said he was “not surprised” one of the landowners had pulled out, as any of them could be considering other uses for their land that might be “more viable”. He added:

“I’m not surprised but I’m concerned about the impact that might have on the rest of the development.

“My concern is that the viability would be an excuse for changing the specification to not being an exemplar for carbon neutrality and so on. At some point, we could end up with a developer wanting a standard housing estate.”

Cllr Warneken said he would work to bring together all the affected parish councils in the area again to discuss any changes to the proposals as a result of the piece of land being withdrawn.

Plans for a new settlement to the east of Knaresborough have been paused after a key piece of land was withdrawn from the proposal.

Harrogate Borough Council said its submission of the proposed new settlement development plan document (DPD) for the Green Hammerton and Cattal area to the Secretary of State has had to be postponed.

The decision has been made after the owner of a piece of land said it was no longer available.

A spokesperson for HBC said:

“We have been notified that an area of land previously available and included in the proposed new settlement boundary has been withdrawn and is no longer available for development.

“As a result, submission of the proposed new settlement DPD to the Secretary of State for independent examination has been paused while options are considered.”

The DPD for a new settlement has to be approved by the government before any development can take place.

This does not affect a planning application already submitted by developer Caddick Group for up to 4,000 homes, as well as two primary schools, a GP surgery and shops.

The development, known as Maltkiln, was lodged with Harrogate Borough Council but looks likely to be decided by the new North Yorkshire Council after it comes into effect from April 1.

However, it can only be given approval if the principle of a new development in the area is accepted by the Secretary of State, via submission of the new settlement DPD.

Read more:

• New Harrogate district town could have up to 4,000 homes
• Sports hub included in revised plans for new Harrogate district town

A councillor has called for a consultation on the new Harrogate district town the size of Thirsk to be extended or started again.

Arnold Warneken, who represents the Green Party on North Yorkshire County Council, issued the plea after it emerged the consultation documents had been changed midway through – without people being told.

The move has heightened concerns among residents in the area affected that the planning process is being rushed before Harrogate Borough Council is abolished on April 1. They say allowing more time would increase support for the process and show transparency.

The proposed new town, called Maltkiln, would be built in the Cattal and Green Hammerton area in the east of the district.

The council opened a six-week consultation on October 3 into its draft new settlement development plan document, which sets out a 30-year vision and policy framework on how Maltkiln is designed and developed.

It emerged this week that both the hardcopy and online versions of the document had been changed during the consultation process.

Cllr Warneken said although the changes were minor, the failure to inform people was significant, particularly “given the magnitude of this plan and its impact on the surrounding parishes”.

He said in a letter to the council:

“I accept mistakes do happen but how we deal with them is critical in demonstrating how seriously we take our accountability and transparency.

“I am surprised that I and the parishes were not advised by Harrogate Borough Council of these errors.

“I think we all agree that it’s important that the new settlement process is actually done correctly and not just seen to be done right, initially I was thinking an extension to the process might suffice but on reflection I would like to ask that the consultation be restarted with the corrected document.”

Read more:

• Developer proceeds with ‘unseemly’ Maltkiln event in mourning period
• Details emerge of new Harrogate district town the size of Thirsk

But the council said the consultation would end on November 14 as planned.

A spokesperson said:

“The online portal version of the Maltkiln development plan document included a minor change that was not included in either the online PDF or hard copy version.

“Both the online PDF version and hard copies of the consultation material have been amended to reflect this change.

“The amendment related to the inclusion of an extra paragraph in the climate change chapter, the result of which effects [sic] the numbering of paragraphs. As well as an additional sentence at the end of local centre chapter.

“At the time that we made the amendment, we had only received a limited number of responses and having reviewed these, none of them relate to the wording that has been revised.

“Should someone have saved the earlier version of the document in order to comment at a later date, these comments are also reviewed to ensure that they relate to the correct part of the document.”

You can have your say here.

A six-week consultation has begun on the Harrogate district’s proposed new town.

Maltkiln is expected to be built in the Hammerton and Cattal area and include between 3,000 and 4,000 homes, two primary schools, shops and a GP surgery.

With an estimated population of up to 10,000, it is likely to be bigger than Richmond and similar in size to Thirsk.

The development moved a step closer this week when Harrogate Borough Council opened a consultation on its draft new settlement development plan document, which sets out a 30-year vision and policy framework on how Maltkiln is designed and developed.

The consultation documents cover issues such as the impact of the development on flood risk, heritage sites and climate change.

A section outlining the council’s ‘vision’ for Maltkiln describes it as “a garden village with a distinctive identity” that is “developed around convenient rail access to Harrogate, Leeds and York” and “people are not dependent on a car”.

People have until November 14 to make comments on the proposal. You can do so online or at the council’s Civic Centre in Harrogate or at libraries in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge and Poppleton.

Read more:

• Council faces calls to hold in-person Maltkiln consultation events
• ‘Green gap’ will protect villages from 3,000-home Maltkiln scheme, says council