Traffic fears over plans for 560 homes on Harrogate’s Otley RoadA proposed 560-home development on Harrogate’s Otley Road has sparked fears over traffic.
Homes England, which is the government’s housing agency, wants to build the homes at Bluecoat Wood Nurseries, which is where the charity Horticap is based.
Homes England has submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report to Harrogate Borough Council for the 26-hectare site, which is required ahead of a formal planning application.
The report proposes building 560 homes on the site — 25 per cent more than is allocated in Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines development in the district until 2035.
Council officials consulted a range of bodies on the environmental impact of the development and what would be needed to be addressed, such as traffic and infrastructure.
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Henry Pankhurst, of Harrogate Civic Society, which was among those consulted, said it objected to the plan on the grounds of traffic, encroachment onto greenfield land and adverse affect on the landscape.
Mr Pankhurst told the council in a letter:
“It seems logical that a much more intensive use of the land must have adverse consequences. The increase in dwellings, 110 units, from 450 to 560, is very significant – almost a quarter more.
“Traffic will increase, any buffer zones at the boundaries may well be reduced and amenity space both private and public may be compromised. Intensification in these and other ways will harm the special landscape area and harm the setting of the green belt.”
Meanwhile, the Harrogate Group of the Ramblers Association said the site had no recorded public right of ways or bridleways.
It said:
“With a site of this considerable size we would like to see a number of footpaths created through the site, and incorporated within natural green spaces.
“These should be of generous width, with a suitable surface, and routed logically. The routes should fulfil anticipated need.”
Homes England projects in Harrogate district
The proposed development is one of three sites in the district that Homes England has purchased for housing.
One of the other sites is the former Police Training Centre on Yew Tree Lane, which is earmarked for 200 homes. That site is in the Local Plan for 161 homes and faced similar criticism for “unjustifiable planning creep”.
The government agency has also submitted final plans for 390 homes at a site in Littlethorpe.
Homes England said previously that the environmental impact assessment for the Bluecoat site was an “early stage of the planning process” and that further consultation will be required for a formal planning application.
Company awarded £277,000 ground investigations contract for Ripon barracks siteA Darlington-based company has been awarded a £277,000 contract to undertake ground investigations on land earmarked for a potential 1,300-home development in Ripon.
Homes England has commissioned Dunelm Geotechnical and Environmental, a ground investigations firm, to carry out the work at the former Ripon barracks site.
The government housing agency has tabled a plan to build 1,300 homes on the site.
Ripon has a history of ground instability and sinkholes caused by the soluble of nature gypsum, the rock that lies under much of the area.
The brief for the contract, which is worth £277,108.77, says the work is to:
“Complete an intrusive ground investigation as Principal Contractor under the CDM Regulations 2015 at a site in Ripon, including factual report on ground investigation.”
The proposal for the barracks site has caused controversy in the city with councillors opposing the development and residents signing a petition objecting to the plan.
Harrogate Borough Council is currently considering the proposal and will make a decision at a later date.
History of Ripon barracks plan
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.
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Harrogate Borough Council validated a planning application for the site back in September 2020 in a move which developers saw as a “major step forward”.
However, in May this year, Highways England called for further assessment of the transport and traffic impact of the proposed development.
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.
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.
Last week, the Stray Ferret reported that Countryside Properties had been awarded a £63 million contract to construct the scheme.
The housing agency also has plans lodged for 390 homes on land off West Lane, Littlethorpe.
Housebuilder awarded £63m contract to build 200 homes in Pannal AshA property company has been awarded a £63 million contract to build 200 homes on the site of the former police training centre in Harrogate.
Homes England, the government’s housing agency which bought the site in February, has handed the contract to Countryside Properties.
The controversial plans to build homes on the site off Yew Tree Lane have been delayed after Harrogate councillors deferred the proposals until concerns about traffic and infrastructure in the west of Harrogate were addressed.
Countryside Properties, which has offices in Leeds, will be paid £63,814,699 to construct the scheme if it is given the go-ahead. The contract was awarded in March this year and runs until December 2026.
Chris Penn, managing director of partnerships in Yorkshire at Countryside Properties, said:
“Since establishing our presence in Yorkshire in 2019, we have delivered a number of developments across the region that fulfil our ambition to create beautiful homes that collectively form new and sustainable communities.
“This is a vision we share with Homes England and we are delighted to have exchanged contracts for the redevelopment of the site at Yew Tree Lane in Harrogate.
“We look forward to progressing the scheme with Homes England to accommodate the local need for high quality and efficient new homes.”
200 homes plans delayed
Homes England already has permission for 161 homes on the site, but has seen efforts to increase the number halted by councillors.
The latest proposal, which would have seen the number of homes on the site increased by 23 per cent to 200, was deferred by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee in June.
Councillors said they wanted to see the publication 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, before making a decision.
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The parameters plan was expected last year but has been delayed and councillors heard it could take years to be finalised.
The development has proved controversial with residents in the area, particularly as it could see the loss of sports pitches.
Nick Viles, chairman of Pannal Sports Junior Football Club told the meeting in June he 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 the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-2035, which sets out the district’s planning strategy until 2035, and that section 106 infrastructure payments by the developer would fund ‘much needed sports facilities’ elsewhere.
The consultant added it was a “viable and deliverable scheme” which, if approved, would begin next year.
The council is expected to make a decision on the plan at a later date.
Homes England submits final plans for 390 homes near RiponHomes England has submitted final plans for 390 homes near Ripon after previous developers pulled out of the scheme.
The site on West Lane, Littlethorpe, was bought by the government’s housing agency back in February.
The proposal already has outline permission after a government planning inspector approved the development following an appeal in 2018.
Now, Homes England has submitted design and layout plans for the site, which include public open space.
It also includes plans for 159 of the homes to be designated as affordable housing.
The site would see a mixture of one, two, three and four bedroom homes built.
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In documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the developer said:
“The proposals create a high-quality, memorable and distinctive residential development that is well connected to its wider context.
“The safe and accessible development will create a broad-based community in an environment that supports health and well-being.”
The borough council will make a decision on the development at a later date.
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 its impact on nearby Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey.
The site layout for the West Lane development, as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.
However, last summer Barratt Homes pulled out of the scheme.
The developer told The Stray Ferret that the decision was not related to the lockdown but in a year-end trading update, the company announced its 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.
Controversial plans for 200 homes in Pannal Ash halted indefinitelyA 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.”
Residents bid to halt decision on 200 homes in Pannal AshA residents’ group has called on Harrogate Borough Council to postpone a decision on a controversial 200-home development just hours before a decision is due.
The council’s planning committee is scheduled to consider tomorrow the redevelopment at the former police training centre in Pannal Ash.
A report to councillors recommends deferring and approving the plans subject to conditions and a section 106 agreement, which covers the infrastructure costs of developments.
However, Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents Association claims several people who objected to the plans were not told about tomorrow’s planning meeting and that nobody from the group has been invited to speak against the plans.
A spokesperson for HAPARA told the Stray Ferret there has been a “severe breakdown” in the planning process and called on the council to postpone a decision to give them more time to prepare.
They said:
“It is clear there has been a severe breakdown in the planning process with seemingly a number of those raising concerns not being invited to speak or being made aware that this application was even on the agenda. This is clear breach of the council’s standing orders.
“We note that the council’s own ecology report was submitted at the last minute that also raised questions on the net loss of ecology regarding this application. This needs further scrutiny.
“We’ve requested urgent confirmation from the council as to what may have gone wrong here and seeking assurance such an omission will not be repeated.
“In this case we feel that the council has no option but to postpone and defer this application to a future meeting so we can review documents as per the normal process and prepare properly for the planning committee.”
Harrogate Borough Council previously approved plans to build 161 homes on the Yew Tree Lane site in 2018.
But a new proposal, submitted in November by Homes England, aims to increase the number of homes to 200 despite concerns about “unjustifiable planning creep” and the removal of a football pitch in order to build more homes.
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Parameters Plan
The former police training centre is on Yew Tree Lane.
Following a recommendation from the government’s planning inspector, the council is currently developing a parameters plan for the western side of Harrogate, where 4,000 more homes are mooted including at the police training centre.
The plan will look at transport and infrastructure needs for the area. It was expected last year but has been delayed.
The spokesperson for HAPARA said they received assurances from the council that no new developments would be considered in the area until the plan had been agreed.
They added:
“The parameters plan is still some way away so disappointing that this commitment has not been met without any consolation or discussion.”
The council did not respond to the Stray Ferret’s questions on the matter.
But its report to councillors ahead of tomorrow’s meeting says:
“The potential impact of the development (together with other developments around Harrogate) on local infrastructure and the surrounding road network has been fully considered and appropriate mitigation is proposed.
“The proposals are considered compliant with the overarching policies of the development plan and national requirements. The proposed development will make a valuable contribution to meeting the district’s housing need.”
200 homes in Pannal Ash set to be approvedA controversial 200-home development at the former police training centre in Pannal Ash looks set to be approved.
Harrogate Borough Council previously approved plans to build 161 homes on the Yew Tree Lane site in 2018.
But a new proposal, submitted in November, aims to increase the number of homes to 200 despite concerns about “unjustifiable planning creep”.
Homes England, a non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing, submitted the latest plans.
The council’s planning committee will next week decide whether to accept the latest plans.
Housing plan is “planning creep”
The application has proved controversial because of the increase in the number of homes from 161 to 200 and the loss of playing fields.
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Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association has described the plan as “yet another example of unjustifiable planning creep”.
The site boundary of the development on Yew Tree Lane.
A letter to the council from the Harrogate Civic Society said:
“The principle of development of this brownfield site for housing is acceptable. However, there are reasons why this application is not acceptable, either at 180 dwellings or even more so at 200 dwellings.
“There is no current need for a huge increase above housing provision figures in the Local Plan as allocations and commitments plus other housing proposals coming forward are more than sufficient.”
A report due before councillors next week recommends approving the development.
The report says the council recognises concern over the 24% uplift in houses proposed. However, it said this does not mean suitable housing “should be resisted” on brownfield sites.
It says:
“The council can currently demonstrate more than five years housing land supply, but this does not mean that additional housing can, or should be resisted on suitable non-green belt sites.”
Concerns have also been raised about the loss of three football pitches and a cricket pitch as part of the latest plan to build more homes.
However, Homes England has offered the council £595,000 in mitigation for the loss of the pitches in Pannal after discussions with Sport England.
The sum will be paid as a section 106 agreement, which developers pay to councils to mitigate the impact of their developments on the local community and infrastructure.
According to planning documents, Sport England and the Football Foundation said they consider it “unlikely” that the pitch would be actively used. Instead they advised Homes England to consider using the pitch for more housing.
Government to build 800 homes in Harrogate and RiponThe government’s housing agency, Homes England, announced today it will build over 800 homes in Harrogate and Ripon after the previous developers pulled out.
Homes England said it has bought the 450-home Bluecoat Park site off Otley Road in Harrogate and the 390-home West Lane site in Ripon.
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 now has a major presence in the district: it is already working on a 1,300 scheme at Ripon Barracks and 200 homes at the former Police Training Centre site on Yew Tree Lane, Harrogate.
Bluecoat Park, Harrogate – 450 homes
In February 2016, Harrogate Borough Council granted planning permission to HTH Harrogate LLP to build the homes.
It followed an earlier refusal of permission on the grounds of road safety and traffic flow problems.
The site is off Otley Road, opposite Cardale Business Park and Harrogate Police Station.
The proposals included retail units, a new primary school and a village green.
However, the developer since put the site up for sale to potential developers.
With planning permission due to lapse, Homes England said the homes would not be built unless it stepped in. It plans to submit a new planning application later this year.
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West Lane, Ripon – 390 homes
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 its impact on nearby Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey.
However, last summer Barratt Homes pulled out of the scheme.
The developer told The Stray Ferret that the decision was not related to the lockdown but in a year-end trading update, the company announced its revenue had fallen by 30% due to the coronavirus pandemic.
‘Fantastic news for Harrogate’
Both schemes are set to include 40% affordable housing, which Harrogate Borough Council asks developers to include in most developments.
Housing Minister Christopher Pincher said the acquisitions were “fantastic news” for the district.
“This is fantastic news for Harrogate and a realisation of this government’s mission to deliver quality, affordable homes, that are fit for future generations.”
Trevor Watson, director of economy and culture, Harrogate Borough Council, said:
“We welcome Homes England’s involvement in seeking to bring forward and unlock these stalled sites.
“They are important in helping to deliver our strategic objective to provide new homes that meet the needs of the district.”
Football club’s fury at plans to axe Harrogate sports pitch for housingCounty councillor and Pannal Ash Junior Football Club president Cliff Trotter has described as “absolutely scandalous” plans to remove a football pitch from a housing development in Harrogate.
Government agency Homes England owns the former Police Training Centre on Yew Tree Lane.
It wants to scrap plans for a community football pitch and increase the number of homes on the site from 180 to 200.
The site currently has three football pitches and a disused cricket ground.
It was originally planned that one football pitch would be kept and used by local sports teams, and potentially adopted and managed by Harrogate Borough Council.
But according to planning documents, Sport England and the Football Foundation have said they consider it “unlikely” that the pitch would be actively used, instead advising Homes England to consider using the pitch for more housing.
‘Beggars belief’
Cllr Trotter formed Pannal Ash junior football club in 1978. It now has around 600 boys and girls involved with teams for ages 6 to16.
He told the Stray Ferret it “beggars belief” that the pitch will be removed, as the club is “desperately short” of quality surfaces to play on.
The club has a home at Almsford Playing Fields in Oatlands but the club’s large number of players means it also has to arrange matches elsewhere, such as on the Stray, which can get waterlogged during wet weather.
One club team has to travel as far as Green Hammerton, near York, to play home matches.
Cllr Trotter said:
“We’re desperate for more pitches with all the kids we have.”
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Instead of retaining a pitch, Homes England has agreed to pay £595,000 to improve facilities at Pannal Sports Community Park, which opened last year on Leeds Road.
‘Limited opportunities’
However, Mike Orton, a coach for Pannal Ash Junior FC, said that ground is for a different club called Pannal Sports Junior FC, and there are limited opportunities for other clubs to play there.
He told the Stray Ferret that Pannal Ash Junior FC would have made good use of the pitch at the former police training centre and questioned why it is set to be turned into housing. He said:
“Everybody needs a good facility. If Pannal Sports has a great facility then everybody will want to play for them. The opportunity should be spread around all clubs.”
The Stray Ferret contacted Pannal Sports JFC for a response but had not received one by the time of publication.
A Homes England spokesperson said:
“As part of our plans for the development of the former Police Training Centre in Harrogate, Homes England is agreeing to provide funding for sporting facilities, which will form part of a section 106 agreement.
“We will continue to engage with statutory consultees and the local authority on these plans to identify where this funding can be used to meet the local need.”
‘Unjustifiable planning creep’ at 200-home Pannal Ash developmentA residents group has spoken out against “unjustifiable planning creep” at a proposed 200-home development on the site of the former police training centre in Pannal Ash.
Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association’s comments came after the number of homes earmarked for the site on Yew Tree Lane increased from 161 to 200.
In 2018, Harrogate Borough Council granted planning permission for 161 homes.
Ownership of the land was then transferred from the Home Office to Homes England, which is the government’s housing agency.
In June this year, Homes England submitted plans to add an extra 19 homes to the development.
Another planning application for the site was submitted by Homes England to Harrogate Borough Council earlier this month, increasing the number of homes to 200.
‘Exceeds need’
In a newsletter to residents, HAPARA said the new figure “far exceeds” the amount initially agreed.
“This is yet another example of unjustified planning creep in relation to sites across the west of Harrogate and this over-provision is not in accordance with the Local Plan as it far exceeds the identified housing need.”
The group also said the development would lead to congestion along Yew Tree Lane and surrounding streets, which it says is a “significant area of concern”.
It added:
“There is no commitment in the application to support public transport or cycling connectivity. Consequently movement to and from the site will be car reliant.”
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Homes England has said it wanted to remove a community football pitch in order to increase the total number of homes on the site to 200.
This was after Sport England and the Football Foundation advised it they thought the pitch was “unlikely” to be actively used.
To support Homes England’s application, a document from planning consultants Lichfields says the development would offer opportunities for sustainable travel.
It says:
“The site benefits from good quality, lit walkways, footways and cycle routes around the application site, providing safe and convenient routes to public transport and local facilities.”
For decades, police recruits from all over the UK came to the site in Harrogate to train. It closed in 2011 due to cost-cutting.
The public has until December 7 to submit comments about the application on the council website.