Councillors weren’t ‘bullied’ into approving plans for 200 Harrogate homes, says council

Harrogate Borough Council has “entirely refuted” claims from its own councillors that they were “bullied” into approving plans for up to 200 homes at a former police training base.

The proposals for the Yew Tree Lane site in Pannal Ash were approved during a three-hour meeting last Tuesday when the applicant Homes England was accused of making legal “threats” over any further delays on the application first submitted in June 2020.

Councillors had initially rejected a recommendation of approval during the meeting before claiming they had been “bullied” into the final decision.

This claim was supported by residents who said councillors “were unduly influenced” by the “threat” of a costly appeal from Homes England – the government’s housing agency.

The council has now issued a statement saying planning committee members must base their decisions on local and national planning policy. It added:

“Although the committee initially voted not to accept the officer’s recommendation, it is incumbent of them to provide acceptable planning reasons to support their decision.

“The decision was discussed at length and committee members were unable to identify sound reasons to justify such a vote, explaining their return to the original vote on the recommendation before them.

“Views that members were bullied, misled or voted due to fatigue are entirely refuted.”

Formal complaint

The council’s handling of the application has led to it receiving a formal complaint from Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association, and Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council.

David Oswin, deputy chair of the parish council, this week described the decision from councillors as “shambolic” and “embarrassing”.

He said:

“Coupled with threats of a legal challenge by the developer and misinformation from the officers, councillors were frankly bullied and bamboozled into reversing a decision that potentially sets a dangerous precedent for those with the deepest pockets to exploit.”

During last Tuesday’s meeting, it was also revealed that Homes England had written to the council claiming it acted “unlawfully” when councillors delayed a decision on the plans in summer.

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Homes England was asked to comment on this and the claims of “bullying,” but only provided a short statement explaining the council’s decision:

“Members of the Harrogate Borough Council planning committee approved our planning application at the former police training centre last week.

“The scheme will deliver 200 new homes – including 30% affordable homes.”

A decision on the plans was previously delayed to allow time for work on the West Harrogate Parameters Plan – a long-delayed document which sets out the infrastructure needs for the up to 4,000 new homes set to be built in the west of the district.

It was due to be completed last year, but will now not be published in draft form until at least February net year.

The plans from Homes England include the conversion of several former police buildings into 16 homes and the construction of 184 new properties at the former training centre which closed in 2011.

A reserved matters application is expected in spring 2022 and if approved, construction could start in autumn.

‘No justification’ to delay building 200 homes in Pannal Ash

Harrogate Borough Council officers have said a decision to delay a controversial proposal to build 200 homes on a former police training centre site in Pannal Ash was “not justified”.

The council’s planning committee deferred a decision in June on whether to approve the development on the Yew Tree Lane site, pending publication of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.

The parameters plan will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with wider plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate.

As reported by the Stray Ferret, the decision to defer was met with frustration by Homes England which told the council in an email it was “extremely disappointing”.

Now council officials have told councillors that the decision had “no policy basis” and urged them to approve the scheme next week.

In a report due before the council’s planning committee next week, they say the parameters plan will not “replace or alter any of the policy requirements set out within the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35”.

It adds that the Local Plan, which describes where development is permitted to take place in the district, is the “starting point” for determining any application submitted to the council.

The report says:

“As noted above there is no policy basis for deferring the determination of this application until the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan is concluded.

“There is no reason to delay the determination of this application pending completion of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.”

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The report goes on to say that the development would make “a valuable contribution to meeting the district’s housing need”.

It recommends councillors approve the proposal at the planning committee meeting on December 7.

Homes England, the government housing agency, has permission to build 161 homes on the site on Yew Tree Lane but wants to increase this by 23% to 200 homes by building on a sports pitch.

Indicative masterplan of the homes on the former police training centre, as included in the planning documents.

Indicative masterplan of the homes on the former police training centre, as included in the planning documents.

The proposal has proved controversial with Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, which said its faith in the planing system was being “severely tested” by the development.

A spokesperson for HAPARA said:

“HAPARA and the Western Arc Coordination Group will discuss our response very shortly, but the last time this went before committee we argued very strongly that any decision on this site before the parameters plan is agreed will jeopardise the objective of a joined-up approach to the developments and infrastructure on the west side of Harrogate and be contrary to the statements and assurances the community have been given by Harrogate Borough Council.

“Members agreed with this view.  The new officer’s report is based on a very narrow interpretation of the requirements of the Local Plan which was predicated on the earlier permission for 161 dwellings.  The current application is materially different in scale and content.”

Homes England has already appointed property company, Countryside Properties, to build the scheme as part of a £63 million contract.

The contract was awarded in March this year and runs until December 2026.

Controversial plans for 200 homes in Pannal Ash halted indefinitely

A decision on whether to allow controversial plans to build 200 homes in Pannal Ash has been deferred.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee yesterday voted against a recommendation to approve the development on the site of the former police training centre on Yew Tree Lane.

Homes England, the government housing agency, already has permission to build 161 homes on the site.

But it now wants to increase this by 23 per cent to 200 homes by building on a sports pitch.

Councillors voted by four votes to two against the recommendation to approve the scheme, with one abstention.

They then voted by four to three in favour of deferring a decision pending the creation of the council’s parameters plan, which will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with wider plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate.

The parameters plan was expected last year but has been delayed and councillors heard it could take years to be finalised.

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John Mann, chair of the planning committee, said he agreed with the principle of planning on the site but the uplift in houses and the loss of sports facilities meant the application was now “too dense”. He added:

“It is not a good idea to remove children’s playing fields especially as we hear reports that many young people have been badly affected by being cooped up during lockdown.

“Perhaps the last thing we need at the moment is the removal of outdoor space for them to play in.

A statement read on behalf of Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council said the parameters plans was essential before making a decision. It added:

“To date there is no information on any infrastructure to cater for the 4,000 houses to be built on western arc of Harrogate

“Our request is for deferment until everyone knows what the parameters plan reveals.”

Nick Viles, chairman of Pannal Sports Junior Football Club said it had “serious concerns about the loss of pitches for community use”, which he said went against the ethos of the club.

But Homes England’s planning consultant said the application was compliant with Local Plan policy and, through section 106 infrastructure payments, would invest in ‘much needed sports facilities’ elsewhere.

He added it was a “viable and deliverable scheme” which, if approved, would begin next year.

But the final vote means the future of the development is now uncertain.

Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association tweeted after the meeting:

“We now hope this will accelerate the development of the parameters plan to allow for considered consideration of suitable infrastructure needed.”

180-home plans submitted for former Police training centre

Fresh plans have been submitted for housing at the former Police training centre on Yew Tree Lane.

The site is now owned by the government’s housing agency, Homes England, who wants to build 164 new build homes on the land whilst converting North Lodge, Headmasters House, Kensington House and Library into an additional 16 homes.

In 2018, Harrogate Borough Council granted planning permission for 161 homes to be built on the site. However, since then, the land has been transferred from the Home Office to Homes England who now wants to add an extra 19 homes to the development, which is also above the 160 allocated for the site in HBC’s Local Plan.

The development would keep some playing fields which Homes England says could be used by local football teams and potentially adopted and managed by HBC.

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Homes England said the extra homes would “better suit the profile of local housing needs emerging from the recently adopted Local Plan evidence base.”

A consultation of residents found that 73% of respondents either strongly disagreed or disagreed that an increase of 19 homes with a broader mix of house sizes will help to meet local housing needs, with just 13% agreeing and 13% neutral.

Homes England is now inviting expressions of interest from developers.

For decades police recruits from all over the UK came to Harrogate to train, however the site was closed in 2011 due to cost-cutting. In 2006, HBC gave the green light for the site to be turned into housing but these plans never materialised.