Taylor Wimpey submits plans for 390 homes in Ripon

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey has submitted plans for 390 homes in Ripon.

Government housing agency Homes England commissioned the company to build the scheme off West Lane as part of an £89.5 million contract.

The proposal, which already has outline permission, would see a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom homes built on the site.

Most of the houses will be for market sale, but 156 properties will be designated as affordable housing.

Sarah Armstrong, land director for Taylor Wimpey North Yorkshire, said: 

“We’re delighted to have been selected as preferred developer to deliver this site in partnership with Homes England.

“We’ve taken a landscape-led design approach to develop a residential masterplan that will enhance the character and identity of the site.

“The development will include locally-equipped play facilities and attractive biodiverse landscape features, and we are providing significant areas of open space to allow new residents and visitors to enjoy a high-quality living environment with an attractive outlook.”

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Should planning permission be approved, Taylor Wimpey expects work to start in spring this year.

Homes England intervened to buy the site after Barrett Homes pulled out of the scheme in July 2020.

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

‘We intervened to buy West Lane in Ripon to unlock this stalled housing site. 

“We’ve since appointed Taylor Wimpey, as our preferred developer, to take on the mantle of providing quality new homes, including 40% affordable provision – that’s 156 affordable homes in an area where they are most needed.

“Submitting the reserved matters application marks another step forward in bringing these vital new homes one step closer to reality.”

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

Flaxby modular housing developer posts £41m loss

Flaxby-based modular housing developer Ilke Homes has posted a loss of £41m in its latest annual report.

The company, which has 500 employees, builds homes at its factory on Flaxby Moor Industrial Estate near Knaresborough that are then delivered across the UK.

In the year to 31 March 2021, the company sold 199 homes, up by a third from the previous year.

The report says the company was “significantly impacted” by covid. It adds a restructuring and redundancy programme in summer 2020 led to the departure of 122 employees.

But it adds that the long-term future of the company is healthy and it aims to become a top 10 house builder within the next five years.

It adds:

“In spite of these significant interruptions to business operations and to the wider economic environment, the company continued to make meaningful process, with additional designs and approvals, factory automation and production process improvement leading to capacity growth, sales pipeline development and strengthening the senior management team.”

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Since the company was founded in 2018 it has yet to turn a profit, and has reported combined losses of over £100m.

Homes England, the government’s housing agency, has invested £60m into the company since 2019.

The Stray Ferret asked Ilke Homes for comment but did not receive one by the time of publication.

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.

Residents submit formal complaint over 200 Pannal Ash homes

Residents in Pannal Ash have lodged a formal complaint to Harrogate Borough Council following its decision to approve a controversial plan for 200 homes on a former police training centre site.

The authority’s planning committee granted permission for the development last Tuesday after debating the application for almost three hours.

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

Following the decision, Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association described the meeting as “shambolic” and “embarrassing”.

Now the group has lodged a formal complaint to the council over the conduct of the meeting.

In a statement, HAPARA said:

“The complaint refers to a chaotic and confusing session in which the committee first rejected the officer’s recommendation and, some three hours later, reversed their decision to approve the application.

“This followed a claim by the applicant that the committee had previously acted unlawfully, perceived threats from the applicant of costly appeals, constant reference to costs by officers, interruption by officers of members’ debates and inaccurate and misleading advice from the chair.

“Although much of the debate centred on the role of the emerging West of Harrogate Parameters Plan, no officer from that team was present to clarify the purpose and timetable for the plan and some misleading statements made at the meeting went uncorrected.”

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HAPARA added that it believed the committee was “unduly influenced by the threat of the costs” and had called on the council chief executive, Wallace Sampson, to comment on the “validity of the decision reached”.

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment.

Last week, David Stephenson, senior planning manager at Homes England, warned councillors that while launching a costly appeal against the council was an “absolute last resort” for the body it was a route it was willing to take.

During the meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh accused Homes England of “bullying” councillors into approving the plans.

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.

Homes England accused of ‘bullying’ tactics over 200 homes at Pannal Ash

The government’s housing agency has been accused of using “bullying” tactics over controversial plans for up to 200 homes at a former police training base in Harrogate.

Homes England was granted approval for the Pannal Ash site at a meeting on Tuesday when it emerged the body had written to senior officials at Harrogate Borough Council claiming the authority acted “unlawfully” when it delayed a decision on the plans in June.

The delay was taken after questions were raised over the West Harrogate Parameters Plan – a long-delayed document on infrastructure needs for the up to 4,000 new homes set to be built in the west of the district.

Members of the council’s planning committee had hoped for a further delay on Tuesday to allow time for the parameters plan to be completed, however, they claimed they were “bullied” into approving the homes due a “threat” of legal action.

David Stephenson, senior planning manager at Homes England, said while launching a costly appeal against the council was an “absolute last resort” for the body, it was a route it was willing to take.

He told yesterday’s meeting:

“We are trying to work with officers and have been doing so for a number of months to avoid an appeal – something Homes England does not want to do.

“But if this is deferred then unfortunately we will have very little options going forward.”

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The former police site on Yew Tree Lane (pictured below) was used as a base to train more than 1,200 officers a year before it closed in 2011.

The latest plans from Homes England include the conversion of several former police buildings into 16 homes and the construction of 184 new properties, while proposals for a sports pitch have been scrapped.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said a decision on whether the scheme should go ahead should not be taken until work on the parameters plan is completed as expected in February.

‘Grossly damaging accusation’

“We are talking two months here to make sure what is done on this site is right.

“I’m very saddened Homes England thinks it is right to bully us into this decision, because that is what is on the cards today – ‘approve it or we will appeal’.”

Councillor Jim Clark, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Harlow, also accused the body of having a “bullying attitude” and said its claim that the council acted “unlawfully” was a “grossly damaging accusation”.

The west side of Harrogate currently finds itself with around a quarter of the entire housing allocations in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

This equates to around 3,500 to 4,000 new houses and residents are worried how the area’s schools, roads and health services are going to cope with this population increase.

Rene Dziabas, chairman of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, said he believed a precedent had been set for further housing in the area as the police site was allocated for 163 homes in the Local Plan, but has now gained approval for up to 200.
He said:

“We are strongly opposed to this near 25% uplift in housing numbers.

“We are also worried about the precedent this sets, the impacts that will arise and we ask – what is the point of the Local Plan?”

Controversial 200-home Pannal Ash scheme approved

Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee has voted to approve Homes England‘s plan to build 200 homes on the site of the former police training centre in Harrogate.

Councillors debated the application for almost three hours today with discussion focused on traffic congestion and the loss of a football pitch on the site.

Seven voted in favour, three against and John Mann, whose Harrogate Pannal ward would be affected by the scheme, abstained.

Homes England, which is the government housing agency, had permission to build 161 homes on the Yew Tree Lane site but wanted to increase this by 23% to 200 homes by building on the pitch.

The planning committee voted in June against a recommendation to approve the application.

Instead it deferred the scheme pending publication of the West of Harrogate 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.

Councillors were told a draft version of the parameters plan would not be published until February 2022.

However, this time they decided to approve the housing scheme, with a representative of Homes England suggesting it would consider legal action if the application was deferred again.

More to follow on this story

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‘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.

Taylor Wimpey gets £89.5m contract to build 390 Ripon homes

A housebuilding company has been awarded an £89.5 million contract to build 390 homes in Ripon.

Homes England, the government’s housing agency, has commissioned Taylor Wimpey to build the scheme off West Lane in the city.

The contract is due to start in November and finish in October 2027.

Homes England bought the site in February, along with two other developments in Harrogate.

The proposal for Ripon already has outline permission after a government planning inspector approved the development following an appeal in 2018.

It includes plans for 156 of the homes to be designated as affordable housing along with a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom homes.

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Homes England submitted final plans for design and layout of the site in June. Harrogate Borough Council has yet to make a decision on the application.

A spokesperson for Homes England said:

“We intervened to buy West Lane in Ripon to unlock this stalled housing site.

“We’re really pleased that Taylor Wimpey have been selected as our preferred developer, to take on the mantle of providing quality new homes, including 40% affordable provision – that’s 156 affordable homes in an area where they are most needed.”

A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said:

“We are delighted to have been selected as preferred developer to deliver in partnership with Homes England a high-quality scheme of 390 homes on the West Lane site in Ripon.

“We have taken a landscape-led design approach to develop a residential masterplan that will enhance the character and identity of the site. We are providing significant areas of open space to allow new residents and visitors to enjoy a high-quality living environment with an attractive outlook. The development will include locally-equipped play facilities and attractive biodiverse landscape features.

“The development will create jobs and employment opportunities in the local community during the construction phase. We expect to start work on site in spring 2022.”

History of West Lane site

In 2018, Harrogate Borough Council granted permission to Barratt Homes on appeal for the development.

It was previously rejected in 2017 for being a “substantial intrusion into the open countryside” and because of its impact on nearby Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey.

The site layout for the West Lane development, as submitted to

The site layout for the West Lane development, as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

However, Barratt Homes pulled out of the scheme in July last year.

The developer told The Stray Ferret the decision was not related to the lockdown but in a year-end trading update, the company announced revenue had fallen by 30% due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It means Homes England now has a major presence in the Harrogate district.

The developer already has plans submitted with the council for 200 homes at a former police training centre on Yew Tree Lane, Harrogate, and is working on a 1,300 home scheme at Ripon barracks.

Homes England also bought the 450-home Bluecoat Park site off Otley Road in Harrogate at the same time as it purchased the West Lane site.

It said the two developments had stalled for various reasons, including the “associated enabling costs” and that their planning permissions were due to lapse imminently.

Homes England ‘frustrated’ by delays to 200-home scheme at Police Training Centre

Homes England has expressed frustration at Harrogate councillors for stalling its bid to build 200 homes at the former Police Training Centre.

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.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee voted in June against a recommendation to approve the application.

Instead it deferred the scheme pending publication of the West of Harrogate 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 plan was expected last year but has been delayed.

In an email dated June 18 to Harrogate Borough Council, which the Stray Ferret obtained through a freedom of information request, Homes England described the planning committee’s decision as “extremely disappointing”.

It said it was made due to councillors’ “misconceptions” about the role of Homes England.

The email claims these misconceptions were because council officers did not properly brief the councillors who voted on the scheme about what the housing agency does.

It also warned it was considering taking legal action against the council over the decision.

Councillors influenced by ‘misconceptions’

In the email to the council, Homes England stressed its importance in buying stalled sites that have been “subject to market failure” and helping the council meet government housing targets.

The email said Homes England had approached the council about briefing councillors themselves on the role of the housing agency but said this offer was rejected. It says this led to “misconceptions” that influenced councillors’ decision-making.

“Concerns in respect of the Agency’s role in ‘accelerating housing delivery’ are particularly frustrating and in our view could have been satisfactorily addressed at an early stage of the process via stakeholder consultation or a briefing to members from Homes England.

“This approach was suggested to HBC at various stages, but we were advised against direct engagement with members and our understanding was that officers would manage this process on our behalf. It is therefore frustrating that HBC have not addressed these fundamental questions in their role of briefing members on the application.”

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Homes England also disputed that the Police Training Centre site should form part of the parameters plan.

“Homes England does not consider any policy basis exists to delay determination of the application until the completion of the WHPP. The WHPP does not form part of the development plan, and has not been consulted upon and is not sufficiently advanced to form a material consideration to any application at this time.

“The Police Training Centre is an allocated site with an extant consent and we were surprised to be in a position whereby the application has been deferred pending the approval of the WHPP, which is likely to take a number of months to complete.

“We’d be grateful if HBC can provide a response setting out their proposed strategy for successful navigating this application through planning committee as soon as possible. In the meantime, we are seeking legal advice regarding our planning strategy, including the merits of an Appeal against Non-Determination.”

What happens next?

The site from above is highlighted in red.

The email to HBC says Homes England has appointed Countryside Properties Ltd to build the homes pending a successful planning application.

A Homes England spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“Homes England continues to engage with Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and local resident groups regarding its outline planning application at the Police Training Centre, which is part of the borough council’s adopted Local Plan.”

A Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents’ Association (HAPARA) spokesperson said the council’s planning committee made the correct decision in deferring the application, pending the publication of the parameters plan.

“Harrogate Borough Council has confirmed during engagement sessions that the geographical extent of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan does include this site.

“Homes England is taking a deliberately narrow view of the planning framework when it is clear that the public interest is best served by the wider implications for the western arc area being considered, through the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“The delivery of new homes and communities is a key corporate priority for us, and we work very closely with Homes England, and other partners, to deliver our housing delivery action plan.

“Councillors receive regular training sessions on all aspects of our housing delivery and strategic sites work to ensure we can all support this plan.”