Residents demand progress on west Harrogate infrastructure plan

Residents’ groups in the west of Harrogate have expressed “total dissatisfaction” with infrastructure improvements in the area.

Seven parish councils and residents’ associations shared their frustrations with the lack of progress as thousands of new homes are built.

They said they had been promised a draft document almost a year ago but were yet to see it, or any other progress.

Rene Dziabas, chairman of Harrogate and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association, spoke on behalf of the groups at North Yorkshire Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee last week.

He said:

“At the time, we expressed the view that much of this work came over as incoherent and lacking any real structure. We were assured that a complete infrastructure strategy and associated delivery schedule would be made available in October of last year.

“Council representatives assured us that these documents would include clear objectives, clear deliverables, timings, supporting data and financial costings. This was a council commitment, not one initiated by us as stakeholders.

“Yet here we are in mid-2023 and the latest position is that consultants are still looking at the viability of what previous consultants have proposed.So far we have seen no hard detail whatsoever in relation to the infrastructure strategy and delivery schedule and no offer of meaningful engagement with the community.

“Recent correspondence would seem to indicate further delays therefore our overall concern is that this work when it eventually emerges will deliver an ineffective and inadequate package.”

Mr Dziabas said there were 4,000 new homes being built around the west of Harrogate, “the equivalent of a small town”.

Residents were concerned about the impact not just on roads, but on medical facilities, schools, buses and other infrastructure.

He said the local plan, which sets out where development can happen, was being put together more than a decade ago, yet there had been no changes to infrastructure to cope with the building that had already taken place.

He added:

“The reality is that we are now some years on and we see nothing that convinces us that there’s any sort of plan in place that will help to mitigate strains on the infrastructure to the west of Harrogate.”

Read more:

In response, NYC’s planning and transport departments issued a joint statement, which was read out by meeting clerk Mark Codman.

It said the local plan and related documents set a “clear framework” for development, while section 106 agreements with developers were used to leverage investment for infrastructure improvements.

A review and costings exercised had been commissioned by the previous councils, it said, and would provide “clarification and certainty”. It added:

“The complex nature of the work means it is not yet complete. Officers are prioritising this work, however the nature of strategic projects does sometimes involve unforeseen delays.”

Cllr Chris Aldred, who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley for the Liberal Democrats, said he was in agreement with the residents.

He recalled hearing a similar call for progress at a meeting a year before, and said he was frustrated to be in the same position now. He added:

“Really, we do need to get our act together on these matters, because people are living in a state of flux where nothing is happening and it’s not fair to the residents.

“I strongly want the executive to get on top of this. I know we’ve had the distraction of local government reorganisation and eight councils into one, but that has now been achieved and we really need to move on with these matters.

“i don’t want to be sitting here in a year’s time and having similar presentations from parish councils.”

Plan to convert former Ripon dentist into flat

A plan has been lodged to convert a former dentist in Ripon into a flat.

The proposal, which has been lodged by Wilkinsons Properties Ltd, would see the former W&B Dental practice converted.

The dentists was formerly based at 12 High Skellgate in the city.

The practice has since moved to Phoenix Business Centre.

Under the plans, the first floor property would be converted into a one-bedroom flat and be accessed from High Skellgate.

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

Read more:

 

Councillors call for building moratorium in Bishop Monkton over flood fears

Councillors have called for a moratorium on building houses in Bishop Monkton until Yorkshire Water reveals if and when it intends to modernise its waste water system.

North Yorkshire councillors expressed disbelief that as a statutory consultee to a proposed housing estate in the village, near Ripon, the water firm had given the green light, despite its engineers having condemned the village’s sewage system as inadequate for current needs.

Members of the Skipon and Ripon planning committee heard even when rain was “moderate” human waste could be seen on the village’s streets due to a lack of sewage capacity and the water firm had given an undertaking to state when, in its forthcoming 25-year plan for the area, the issue would be rectified.

Cllr Nick Brown, a Conservative who represents Wathvale and Bishop Monkton, told the meeting how he and six of his parishes, including Bishop Monkton, had pressed Yorkshire Water over when it would act to end floods of sewage on the streets.

Cllr Nick Brown

He said during moderate rainfall Bishop Monkton’s combined sewer became overwhelmed and was discharged into the beck at the bottom of the village.

The meeting heard councillors question when Yorkshire Water last objected to a development and that it had a commercial interest in seeing its customer base increase, while having no duty to make corresponding improvements in sewage systems.

Officers warned councillors if they refused the proposal to build up to 23 homes off Knaresborough Road due to the village’s ongoing sewage issues it would be harder to defend an appeal against the decision because Yorkshire Water had not objected to it.

Skipton councillor Robert Heseltine said: 

“Until they put their house in order there shouldn’t be any more building.”

Ripon councillor Andrew Williams added: 

“Which business is voluntarily going to turn down 23 extra customers, knowing there is no regulatory control on Yorkshire Water? There is no obligation on Yorkshire Water to improve what is already a profoundly dissatisfactory situation.”

Read more:

The meeting also heard there were concerns raised over the removal of a hedge, which some villagers claim dates back to 1816, the impact of the development on a grade II listed church and conservation area and in particular about road safety.

Councillors unanimously voted to defer a decision over the development to get details from Yorkshire Water over when it planned to upgrade the village’s sewage system, as well as to talk with highways officers and the developer over safety and environmental concerns.

After the meeting, North Yorkshire Council leader, Cllr Carl Les, said he hoped Yorkshire Water would answer councillors’ questions over its plans, adding: 

“Clearly there are concerns about capacity in the system as well as over discharges into rivers.”

In response to the concerns, a Yorkshire Water spokesperson said the application was on land allocated by the council for development, and it was “not a statutory consultee on applications of this nature and unable to refuse connection to our network”.

The statement added:

 “Under the application, the developer will be separating surface water and foul waste, limiting the amount of additional wastewater entering the network.

“We are aware of some issues with the network in the area, but many of these are linked to blockages and infiltration of surface water into the network during heavy rainfall. We have investigated the sewers in the area and are looking at options to add increased storage to alleviate issues during heavy rainfall.”

Government rejects Sharow pub housing plan

A government planning inspector has rejected a plan to convert the Half Moon Inn at Sharow into a house.

The pub on Sharow Lane opened in 1822 but closed in 2016.

Mark Fitton, owner of the pub, lodged a plan to convert the former pub into a house in March last year.

However, Harrogate Borough Council refused the proposal on the grounds that “insufficient evidence” had been submitted to demonstrate that no community use existed for the property.

Mr Fitton took the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, the body that deals with planning disputes.

However, Susan Hunt, a government planning inspector, turned down the plan on the grounds that there was a “reasonable prospect” of the facility continuing on a viable basis.

Ms Hunt said in a decision notice that while a plan by residents group, Half Moon Pup Group’s, to save the facility was in its infancy, it represented a “reasonable prospect” of making the pub viable.

She said:

“Overall whilst the HMPG’s business plan is in its infancy, from what I have seen and heard regarding their intentions I am satisfied that there is a reasonable prospect of the continuation of the existing public house use.”

Read more:

Mr Fitton had challenged the council’s decision on the grounds that there was evidence to demonstrate that “no community use exists for this property”.

The decision comes as Harrogate Borough Council upheld a decision to allocate the Half Moon Inn as an asset of community value in February this year.

The council awarded the pub asset of community value status in November 2022 following a campaign by local residents and the parish council to keep the venue open.

23-homes plan in Bishop Monkton recommended for approval

Council officials have recommended that a plan to build 23 homes in Bishop Monkton is approved next week, despite 127 letters of objection.

The proposal, which has been tabled by Kebbell Development Ltd, would see the houses built on land off Knaresborough Road in the village.

The site is opposite the grade-II listed Church of Saint John the Baptist.

Councillors on Skipton and Ripon constituency planning committee will consider the application at a meeting on Tuesday.

Officers at North Yorkshire Council have recommended councillors approve the plan, which would see a mixture of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes built at the site.

In documents submitted to the council, the developer said the scheme would create a “sustainable development with a unique character that responds to the surrounding context”.

However, the proposal has been met by 127 letters of objection from local residents. It received one letter of support.

Bishop Monkton Action Group raised concern that the scheme would affect surface water drainage, increase flood risk and impact upon the sewerage system.

Meanwhile, in a letter to the council, Bishop Monkton Parish Council said:

“The existing drainage network in St. John’s Road is at full capacity and cannot take further input.

“The sewage works down Boroughbridge Road appears also to be overloaded as records show it discharges raw sewage into the River Ure on a regular basis presumably because of the extent of the combined sewers in the village.”

Read more:

But case officer Kate Broadbank’s report concludes:

“Whilst there will be some level of harm to the conservation area and setting of the listed church, this has been assessed as being less than substantial harm with this being outweighed by the public benefits of the provision of housing, including affordable housing, and the provision of a level path, which connects the village to the playground.”

She recommended approval subject to 29 conditions being met and a section 106 agreement, which developers pay to compensate for infrastructure associated with their schemes.

The agreement says the developer would have to pay £40,000 towards the village hall, the cemetery, the boules club and the playground.

It would also have to pay £12,635 either to the council or a management company as financial security for ongoing maintenance of on-site public open space and £35,000 to the village hall.

Controversial Knox Lane 53-homes plan deferred for third time

A controversial plan to build 53 homes on Knox Lane in Harrogate has been deferred for a third time.

Councillors on Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency planning committee made the decision over land contamination concerns.

The committee requested that a further report into land contamination be produced, as was previously requested by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee.

The proposal, which has been proposed by North-east property developer Jomast, was initially recommended for approval subject to conditions by council officers.

Among the conditions is that Jomast would be required to pay £64,000 for healthcare, £140,000 for education and £60,000 for open spaces in the form of a section 106 agreement to compensate for the impact of development on local infrastructure.

However, councillors decided to defer the pan for a third time.

The meeting, which was held at Harrogate Civic Centre yesterday, was due to be streamed onto the authority’s YouTube channel — but was not broadcast.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Council said a “problem with the connection” in the council chamber meant it was not possible to livestream the proceedings.

The application has proved controversial with residents in the Bilton area.

Campaign group Keep Knox Natural has previously called on the council to remove the parcel of land from the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

Meanwhile, Cllr Robert Windass, a member of the council’s planning committee, previously vowed not to vote for the scheme until he felt the “land is safe”.

Read more:

 

Council rejects Harrogate office block conversion over natural light concern

A plan to convert Simpson House in Harrogate into flats has been refused over natural light concerns.

Bramhope Property and Investments Limited tabled the proposal to North Yorkshire Council to convert the the former office block off Clarence Drive into 12 flats.

Documents submitted to the council outlined plans to create 12 two-bedroom apartments.

It would see the ground, first and second floors converted.

But, council officials have rejected the plan over concerns that those who would live in the flats would not have enough natural light.

In a decision notice, the authority said:

“The existing building abuts mature trees and hedges to the south on an embankment within the conservation area.

“The cumulative effect of the trees, hedges and site topography would provide large amounts of shade to the east, south and west elevation windows of six proposed dwellings during most parts of the day.

“These windows serve habitable rooms including living/dining rooms and bedrooms.

“The trees cannot be managed under this prior notification application, and there are no mitigating factors that would compensate for this significant loss of natural light.”

The move comes after two previous proposals to change the use of the office block to residential were refused in 2022.

Meanwhile, another application by Artium Group was withdrawn in July 2022 amid concern from Harrogate Borough Council officers over the impact on neighbouring trees.

In the latest proposal, developers said the building is already surrounded by residential properties.

It said:

“The ground and first floors of the building have been vacant for several years and the second floor of the building has recently become vacant.

“The building is surrounded by existing residential properties which are previously converted office buildings surrounded by mature trees.”

Read more:

 

Developer withdraws 88 home plan in Bishop Monkton

Developers have withdrawn plans for 88 new homes in Bishop Monkton.

Avant Homes tabled the plan for land off Moor Road in the village.

It would have seen a mixture of 53 market and 35 affordable homes built at the site.

However, the application proved controversial, with residents at Bishop Monkton Action Group objecting to the plan.

In a letter sent to North Yorkshire Council, the group raised concern over drainage at the site and described it as “hopelessly unfit for purpose”.

More than 250 people wrote to the authority to object to the plan.

Read more:

A spokesperson for Bishop Monkton Action Group said the decision to withdraw the plan was “a victory for the village”.

In a planning statement to the council last year, Carter Jonas, which submitted the plan on behalf of Alfa Homes, described the site as a “highly sustainable location”.

It added:

“As discussed, the proposal is in a sustainable and accessible location within reasonable walking distance of bus services and local services in Bishop Monkton.”

Plan for 15 flats on former Pateley Bridge garage site rejected

A plan to build 15 flats on a former Pateley Bridge garage site has been refused.

Chartwell Barns Ltd has tabled the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council to build a three-storey block on the site of Daleside Garage on Bridgehouse Gate in April 2022.

The proposal included an electric vehicle charging point along with 27 car parking spaces.

A total of three one-bedroom, eight two-bedroom and four three-bedroom flats were included in the scheme.

However, North Yorkshire Council, which replaced the borough council on April 1 this year, has refused the plan.

In a decision notice, it said the scheme would result in the loss of employment space and that the developer had failed to prove that the site had been marketed for employment use.

It said:

“No evidence has been submitted to demonstrate that the site has been actively marketed for employment use or that continued use of the site for employment is no longer viable, or that smaller scale or alternative employment requirements cannot be accommodated on the site.

“Therefore, on the basis of the information submitted, it is considered that the proposed development would have an adverse impact on the quality and quantity of employment land supply.”

Read more:

The council added that the development would be “unduly dominant and incongruous” within its surroundings and failed to provide an “acceptable level of privacy” to future occupants.

The decision comes as the former business on the site, Daleside Garage, has since moved in the town.

The firm has moved to brand new premises at Corn Close Farm on Low Wath Road.

Karley Haley, who owns Daleside Garage with her husband Glenn, told the Stray Ferret that the move helped to retain the MOT testing station, as well as servicing and repairs, in the town.

Council set to loan £500,000 to Harrogate housing company

North Yorkshire Council looks set to loan £500,000 to a Harrogate housing company to cover “high expenditure costs”.

Bracewell Homes was set up by Harrogate Borough Council in 2019 but is now fully-owned by North Yorkshire Council following this year’s local government shake-up.

It was created to generate a profit for the council and to intervene in Harrogate’s pricey property market by delivering much-needed rental and shared ownership homes at affordable prices.

It is currently marketing two-bed properties at Hughlings Close, Green Hammerton, and two and three-bedroom homes at The Willows on Whinney Lane in Harrogate.

However, the company requires a “drawdown” in order to cover high expenditure going into this financial year.

Council officials said it would cover costs before “high income amounts” are received.

A report due before North Yorkshire Council’s executive on Tuesday will recommend approving the loan.

It says:

“A drawdown of £500,000 is now required urgently in order to pay final invoices on sites that Bracewell are already in contract for.

“The loan will cover the high expenditure costs forecast for the beginning of the year before the high income amounts start to be received.”

Read more:

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council which sites the loan is designed to pay invoices for and when it expects the sum to be repaid, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The move comes as questions have been raised over the performance of Bracewell Homes.

Last year, the company paid no dividends despite the now-defunct borough council budgeting to receive £267,000.

At the time, Paul Foster, who was head of finance at the council, said the company was still “extremely profitable” and that it had continued to sell properties, although at a smaller percentage of shares than expected.

He said: 

“The company isn’t able to pay a dividend this year and the reason for that is a proportion of the shared home properties it has sold have been at shares of 25% and 30%.

“It would need to have sold shares of up to 50% for them to have enough cash to provide a dividend.

“In December, four or five properties were sold at a lower share than the company was forecasting and as a result there is less cash in the company.

“The company is not underperforming in particular. It is just not selling the larger shares which make it more cash rich.”