Residents say new Granby Farm homes will ‘tower over’ them

Residents who live adjacent to the 95-home Granby Farm development have complained to Harrogate Borough Council about the height of some of the new properties being built, saying they will “tower over them”.

The council investigated the complaint and found Redrow Homes breached planning rules at the development by starting to build 15 houses before receiving the correct planning approval.

Outline planning permission for the development was granted in April 2021. It will be called Granby Meadows and will have a mixture of 95 one, two, three and four-bedroom properties.

In recent months, contractors have started preparing the land, laying roads, and building some of the houses.

The homes are being built on a field that is prone to flooding and the council said some of the homes are being built between 0.5m and 1.35m above existing ground level to help with drainage.  However, the increase in the ground elevation had not been approved at the planning stage.

Residents concerns

Granby Residents Association, which includes people living in properties adjacent to the development, complained to the council that the homes were being built too high and would “tower over” nearby homes.

Gary Walker, a member of the group, said:

“Residents along the site boundary with both Roseville Drive and Kingsley Drive expressed grave concerns once the work on the infrastructure commenced.

“You only have to visit the properties on Kingsley Drive to see how high the levels have been increased and how these new houses will tower over them.”

Work underway at the site.

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Mr Walker shared with the Stray Ferret email correspondence he had with the council’s planning enforcement officer Andrew Lancashire.

Mr Lancashire confirmed that work on 15 homes took place before the planning condition had been discharged.

He wrote:

“It would appear that the foundations for the units 80-94 have been laid and ground levels will be raised between 0.5m to 1.35m above the existing ground levels to the internal finished floor level (FFL) of the new dwellings.

“The engineering operation to increase the FFL were not approved at the planning stage and development has begun without these planning conditions first being discharged. This is a breach of planning.”

Action

Mr Lancashire said the council investigated the planning breach further to decide what action to take.

As the homes would be up to 1.35m taller, he measured what the distance was between them and Kingsley Drive.

He found all met the recommended distance except for two properties. 

Mr Lancashire said the difference was “relatively minor” and requested that trees be planted as mitigation.

He wrote that Redrow Homes have “recognised this shortfall and are in the process of submitting a revised and enhanced landscape buffer to deal with this situation”.

David Faraday, technical director for Redrow (Yorkshire), said:

“We are developing this site in accordance with the approved plans. Prior to the planning permission being granted we had supplied all relevant and requested information to the council regarding site levels.

“We are currently liaising with officers at the council regarding an issue identified with the site levels and we have committed to provide additional landscaping along the boundary. This will be maintained long-term, initially by our site team and on an ongoing basis by a management company for the site, once they have been appointed.

“Site drainage proposals remain consistent with the strategy agreed during the planning process and Yorkshire Water have confirmed their intention to adopt the scheme as proposed.”

Harrogate residents disappointed at 95-home Granby Farm approval

Residents’ groups that fought against the 95-home Granby Farm development have expressed disappointment at Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to grant planning permission.

Redrow Homes was given the green light yesterday to build the homes by the council’s planning committee despite complaints the development will result in the loss of the last remaining link between the Stray and the town’s surrounding countryside.

Gary Walker, from Granby Residents’ Group, wondered whether the fear of contesting a costly legal appeal had played on the minds of some councillors.

Last month, the government’s planning inspectorate overturned a planning committee decision to refuse 149 homes on nearby Kingsley Road. The council was ordered to pay the developer’s legal costs.

He said:

“It’s been a long fight and we are obviously very disappointed. Four councillors voted against the development and we were impressed with what Cllr Pat Marsh had to say.

“We already have a good supply of housing in Harrogate.”

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The plans include an access road that cuts through Pickering Gardens, which was created when the former Harrogate rugby union ground was redeveloped for housing.

Members of the Devonshire Gardens Residents’ Association argued that the road will destroy a green space that has been a lifeline to people during lockdown.

An access road to the new development will be created through Pickering Gardens.

The group’s chairman, Mark Tordoff, said:

“We feel as residents we all pulled together and put up a good fight.

“However, many of the planning committee members appeared totally disinterested at the impact the development will have on our park.”

The Local Plan

People who have contested the plans over the past year pointed to a council assessment report published in 2016, which said about half of the site should be maintained as a green corridor under any housebuilding plans.

This, however, was only a recommendation and didn’t become official policy when the Local Plan was adopted last year and included the Granby Farm site.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“Every planning application received is carefully considered on its own planning merits.

“Recommendations presented to the planning committee are based on whether they align with our adopted Local Plan, local and national planning policy, legislation, consultation and anything else that might be material to the case.

“They are not based on fear of incurring legal costs.”

John Handley, managing director of Redrow Yorkshire said:

“We’re pleased that the benefits of our proposed development have been recognised and are looking forward to fulfilling our promise to deliver a scheme that demonstrates strong placemaking and contributes to the surrounding community. “

Calls to refuse plans to build 95 homes at Granby Farm in Harrogate

A residents’ group has called on councillors to refuse plans to build 95 homes at Granby Farm in Harrogate and create a ‘green legacy’ instead.

Redrow Homes and Richborough Estates have submitted proposals for the development, which would be built on land designated for development in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan.

A council officer has recommended the plans be approved, subject to conditions, but the planning committee will make the final decision on Tuesday.

In a site assessment produced when creating the Local Plan, the council described the site as ‘an important part of the green infrastructure network’ of Harrogate and said any development should maintain 50% open fields — yet the plans propose only 25% be kept green.

The application has attracted over 150 objections from local residents, as well as from Harrogate Civic Society.

One objection, by Granby Residents Group, said developers should go back to the drawing board and retain a ‘green corridor’ so people can walk from the Stray to Nidd Gorge and to Longlands Common.

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Harrogate Civic Society said in its objection letter:

“An open corridor into the countryside is lost, giving pedestrians and cyclists only a narrow passageway through a housing estate to reach open country and the green belt.”

Gary Walker, whose house borders the field, said:

“The council has a unique opportunity to create a green corridor from the centre of Harrogate to Nidd Gorge. In order to ensure this is delivered the planning application must be rejected and modified.”

A design and access statement prepared on behalf of the developers said the site would include ‘significant green infrastructure’.

Redrow Yorkshire managing director John Handley said:

“Redrow is committed to strong placemaking and the creation of thriving communities. A key element of this involves designing in green spaces, enhancing or replacing existing wildlife habitats and better connecting people to them through thoughtful design of the public areas.

“In his report to councillors for the Harrogate site, the planning officer has confirmed that the amount of green space meets the requirements of the Local Plan.  We have also made revisions to landscaping, tree retention and supplementary planting which ensure that the finished site will offer a biodiversity net gain.

“Our plans include a large area of green space of just under a hectare which, in turn, connects to the existing open space created as part of our neighbouring Devonshire Gardens development. This creates a conjoined area of larger open space.  We are also incorporating a new footpath and cycle greenway, which will connect our development and other housing allocations in the area with both Harrogate town centre and The Stray.”