Almost half of 4,000-home Maltkiln scheme removed

Almost half of the land allocated for the 4,000-home Matkiln scheme has been removed after a landowner pulled out, the Local Democracy Reporting Service can reveal.

Two sources familiar with the matter told the LDRS that fields that would have formed the development’s ‘village centre’ around Cattal train station have been removed.

They also estimate that up to 2,000 homes would have been built on the removed land.

Harrogate Borough Council said in January that one of the landowners had pulled out, without saying which parcels of land were affected. Wetherby-based developer Caddick Group called the decision by the landowner “regrettable” but said it was confident the scheme would continue.

Plans for Maltkiln have been in the works for several years and also include two primary schools. The homes would be built off the A59 towards York near the villages of Cattal, Green Hammerton, Kirk Hammerton and Whixley.

Cattal station is on the York to Harrogate railway line.

Map of Maltkiln, including the removed land.

Map of Maltkiln, including the removed land.

Last month a meeting was held involving all of the affected parish councils to discuss the proposals. It was also attended by a representative of Caddick Group plus officers from Harrogate Borough Council.

At the meeting, officers confirmed the location of the large section of land that has now been removed from the scheme.

This means the developer will likely have to rethink its village centre because it was due to be located on the land. The Maltkiln website states:

“A new village centre is proposed for Maltkiln, located next to Cattal station with a range of spaces suitable for retail, leisure, health and hospitality uses.

“These will evolve as the community grows and we will encourage local businesses to take up space in the village centre, as well as participating in farmers’ and seasonal markets held in the central village square.”

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Since the landowner pulled out, Harrogate Borough Council paused work on a development document that was due to be submitted to the government for approval.

The LDRS understands council officers are now looking at whether a scheme can be delivered in the same broad location while still meeting the aims and objectives of the new settlement, which forms part of the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

Kirk Hammerton parish councillor Alex Smith said the situation at Maltkiln was a “consequence of choosing the wrong location for a new town.”

Cllr Smith said:

“They’ve had to spend a long time chopping and changing preferred options, trying to fit a distinct new settlement into a very constrained area. It was time they didn’t have, given that a key land agreement – almost half the proposed area has expired.

“Local residents have endured years of uncertainty over this project even when Harrogate Borough Council claimed to be following due process. The last thing we need now is for them to start improvising at the eleventh hour.”

A Caddick Group spokesperson said:

“As promoters of the Maltkiln settlement, Caddick Group continues to have positive and constructive discussions with all parties. We are confident that we can deliver proposals, which not only meet the housing needs of the area, but also deliver the requirements set out in the adopted local plan and meet the policy objectives of the draft Development Plan Document.

“We are currently working closely with our consultant team to update our proposals, taking into account the revised boundaries. We remain committed to developing Maltkiln and look forward to being able to share our revised proposals in more detail.

“We continue to talk constructively with the current and successor local authority planning teams regarding how best to progress and deliver Maltkiln. Throughout this process, we have engaged with stakeholders and local communities, and as soon as we are in a position to publicise revised proposals, we will do so.”

Developers resubmit plan for new homes in Crimple Valley

Developers have resubmitted plans for new homes in the Crimple Valley.

The application by Square Feet Ltd and Antela Developments Ltd would see the homes built at Almsford Bank Stables on Leeds Road.

Harrogate Borough Council rejected proposals for 35 homes in the area back in November 2022.

However, the developer has now reduced the number of homes to 17.

It includes 10 self or custom build homes and seven affordable houses.

The council had previously refused the plan on the grounds that the site was not allocated for housing under the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

It added that the plan “would result in harm to the character and appearance of its surroundings”.

However, the developer said in its planning documents that it had submitted a “wide range of technical and assessment works” in support of the proposal.

It added:

“It is concluded that there are no technical reasons relating to these matters why planning permission should not be granted.”

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The development has long been opposed by local residents as part of the Save Crimple Valley group.

The group has argued that the site is “unsafe” for such a scheme and urged the council to reject the plan last year.

The previous scheme was met by more than 240 letters of objection.

A decision on the new plan will be made by the new North Yorkshire Council at a later date.

Minister: no plans to house migrants at ex-airfield near Harrogate district — for now

The government has no current plans to house migrants at a former RAF base on the edge of the Harrogate district, Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has said.

The government scrapped plans last year to house 1,500 asylum seekers at Linton-on-Ouse after a fierce backlash from local people and politicians.

The former airfield is nine miles from Boroughbridge, 13 miles from Knaresborough, and even closer to Harrogate district villages such as Great Ouseburn, Little Ouseburn and Nun Monkton.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick told the Commons yesterday the government was now considering housing migrants at at Catterick Garrison in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s constituency.

Ex-military bases in Essex, Lincolnshire and East Sussex are also being assessed for suitability as part of plans to cut down on hotel use.

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel, who was behind the Linton proposal, said the proposed Essex site “is no different in rurality and village size from a former site, Linton-on-Ouse”, adding:

“Why is it deemed appropriate for asylum seeker accommodation for single men to be placed in a rural village in Essex, where there is no infrastructure and no amenities, when it was not appropriate for somewhere like Linton-on-Ouse?”

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In response, Mr Jenrick said:

“We do not have a current plan to proceed with the Linton-on-Ouse proposition, but the sites I have announced today are just the first set that we would like to take forward, because we want to remove people from hotels as quickly as possible and move to this more rudimentary form of accommodation, which will reduce pull factors to the UK and defend the interests of the taxpayer.

Labour shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper described the announcement as “an admission of failure” on asylum policy.

Harrogate’s planning committee approves sole council house in final act

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee last act yesterday was to approve a new council house in Huby.

The committee of councillors has met about once a month to decide on some of the largest and most controversial developments in the district.

But in its final meeting it was asked to approve a two-bedroom council home on the Kingsway estate in Huby.

When the council was formed in 1974 it owned 7,000 council houses across the Harrogate district but this has fallen to 3,800 since the Conservative government introduced the Right to Buy scheme in the 1980s.

There are currently 2,199 households registered on the waiting list for council homes.

The two-storey home in Huby will include solar panels and an air source heat pump to provide future residents with renewable energy.

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Harrogate Borough Council housing officer Emily Shephard told councillors the authority still owns 80% of council homes on the Huby estate, which is next to Weeton train station.

Objector Susan Durrant told councillors the site would increase traffic in Huby and the empty grassland should be used by the community instead. 

She said:

“The highway is very difficult in that area for parking. You can only park on one side of the road. It’s hazardous. All the vehicles coming and going would create mayhem.

“The land could be used as common land for a play area for children. Why at this point in the day has it been decided to build upon there?”

The plans were approved by eight votes to four.

North Yorkshire Council will create new planning committees based on parliamentary constituency areas.

This means that from April 1, the Harrogate Borough Council area will be split into new committees for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Selby and Ainsty and Ripon and Skipton.

Plan approved to convert former Harrogate RAF club into flats

A plan to convert a former Royal Air Force club in Harrogate into flats has been approved.

The club on East Parade occupied the building between 1966 and 2022 and served to support ex-RAF servicemen and servicewomen throughout the Harrogate district.

Its members were part of the RAF Association, a registered charity that provides welfare support to the family of RAF members nationally.

Now, Harrogate Borough Council has approved a proposal by Mr Aaron Dean to convert the club into four flats following its closure last year.

The club closed after over 50 years in June 2022 due to a dwindling membership locally.

A statement from the club chairman last summer said the club was no longer viable and when sold, the proceeds would be given to the RAF Association.

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A closing party was held at the club where people made donations to obtain some of its remaining military memorabilia.

Despite closing the club, the Harrogate district branch of RAFA is continuing with its charitable endeavours and remaining members will still attend annual events such as the Battle of Britain commemorative parade at Stonefall Cemetery and Remembrance Sunday parades.

Harrogate district villagers demonstrate against 73-home scheme

Villagers in Staveley demonstrated last weekend against a planned scheme for 73 homes near a nature reserve.

Thomas Alexander Homes, which is based in Leeds, has tabled the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council for land off Minskip Road near to Staveley Nature Reserve.

The plan would see a mixture of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses built in the village, which is between Knaresborough and Boroughbridge. The developer has also earmarked 40% of the homes as affordable.

However, residents armed with placards took to the village green on Saturday to protest against the plan which they say would be “utter madness”.

Graham Bowland, from Staveley Residents Action Group, said residents had also written to the council to object to the scheme.

He said:

“As of today there are 130 resident objection letters with Harrogate Borough Council – either processed or being processed.

“We bombarded them with actual letters given the lack of opportunity to use the planning portal over the past couple of weeks.”

The portal, which allows people to comment on planning applications, was down for over a week until last week.

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Residents previously raised objections at a village hall meeting this month.

The developer said in its plans the site represented a “logical extension” to the village.

It said:

“The proposal forms a logical extension to Staveley, the local authority concurred with this assessment by allocating the site for residential development to the scale of approximately 72 dwellings.”

Final Harrogate planning meeting to decide on proposed new council home

The last ever meeting of Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee will see it asked to give permission for a new home on its own land in Huby.

A report to the committee proposes the plans for a two-bedroom house are approved, subject to conditions including providing electric vehicle charging points at the property.

The council’s proposal would see the house added to the council’s affordable rental homes, which will be transferred to North Yorkshire Council from April 1.

Describing the proposal for land between 20 and 22 Kingsway in the village, a report for the committee by planning officer Arthama Lakhanpall says:

“Since the site is not currently used for any purpose, and is maintained as underused grassed land, the proposed plans are supported by the housing team who wish to see more social housing in the area to meet identified need. This site will help address that need.

“The housing team has confirmed that there are currently 2,199 households registered on the council’s waiting list for affordable rented accommodation across the district. There are currently 169 households registered for two-bed social rented housing within this sub-area.”

Since the plans were submitted, objections have been received from three neighbours. They raised concerns over the new property overlooking the existing homes, as well as the impact on what they said was an already busy road, often used for parking by people travelling by train from the nearby Weeton station.

Residents also said there was a lack of facilities in the village, forcing residents to drive elsewhere. They said the new house would have an impact on sunlight to other houses, as well as drainage and water supplies, which residents said were already problematic.

However, neither Yorkshire Water nor North Yorkshire County Council had any objections to the scheme, and Weeton Parish Council did not oppose the plans.

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The report to the planning committee said the proposed house did not have any side windows and that those at the front and rear of the property would not add to the way in which nearby houses already overlook each other.

The plans include a driveway large enough for two vehicles. The report added:

“The site is currently vacant from built development. It is accepted that the proposed dwelling would have some impact on the openness and spatial quality.

“The proposal however would be well confined within the site and read in relation to the scale, bulk and massing of the neighbouring dwellings within the street. It includes hardstanding and soft landscaping that would help preserve a state of openness.

“For that reason, the scale and massing of the proposed dwelling would not be visually dominant in this landscape. The impact on the openness of the green belt therefore would be limited.”

The planning meeting will be held at Harrogate Borough Council’s civic centre on St Luke’s Mount, Harrogate, on Tuesday, March 28 from 2pm. It will also be broadcast live via the council’s YouTube page.

Residents to protest against 73-home plan in Harrogate district village

Residents in Staveley are set to hold a demonstration over a 73-home plan near a nature reserve.

Thomas Alexander Homes, which is based in Leeds, has tabled the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council for land off Minskip Road near to Staveley Nature Reserve.

The plan would see a mixture of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses built in the village, which is between Knaresborough and Boroughbridge. The developer has also earmarked 40% of the homes as affordable.

The site is allocated for housing in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-2035, which details where development can take place.

However, residents in the village say the move would be “utter madness”.

Graham Bowland, from the Staveley Residents Action Group, said a demonstration will be held on the village green at 11am on Saturday (March 25).

He said:

“It’s utter madness to bolt on 35% increase in houses to a village with no shops, no infrastructure, no bus service of use to those working a normal five day week in the major towns.”

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The move comes as residents raised their objection to the plan at a village hall meeting earlier this month.

The developer said in its plans that the site represented a “logical extension” to the village.

It said:

“The proposal forms a logical extension to Staveley, the local authority concurred with this assessment by allocating the site for residential development to the scale of approximately 72 dwellings.”

200-home Pannal Ash scheme ‘fails to address infrastructure’, say residents

A plan for 200 homes at Harrogate’s former police training centre “fails to address” increased pressure on infrastructure in the area, say residents.

The plans from Homes England and Countryside Properties include the conversion of several former training centre buildings into 16 homes and building 184 new properties.

Homes England, which is the government’s housing agency, already had permission to build 161 homes on the site but wanted to increase this by 23% to 200 homes by building on three planned football pitches and one cricket field.

Harrogate Borough Council granted outline permission for the scheme to go ahead in December 2021.

But Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association has criticised the plan.

In a letter to the council, the group raised concern over the “over-intensification” of affordable housing, the impact on carbon emissions and disruption caused by construction traffic.

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Hapara added the proposal did not address how the increased pressure on infrastructure will be addressed.

It said:

“Disappointingly, this application, like many others, fails to specifically address the increased pressure that will be placed on infrastructure. Where do children go to be educated when schools in the vicinity are already at capacity? 

“Where will people receive primary medical care when there are no doctors’ surgeries in the area?

“Will people really catch a bus into town rather than take their cars when the nearest stop is 1km away?”

Homes England appointed Countryside Properties in a £63 million contract to build the homes and a reserved matters application has now been submitted for the scheme. 

This includes details such as landscaping, how the homes will look, and the site layout.

The developers said in a planning statement that the scheme will be of “high quality”.

It said:

“Careful consideration has been given to the detailed design of the proposal to ensure that it creates a high-quality and distinctive development that establishes a strong sense of place and provides an attractive and comfortable place to live.”

Plan approved to convert former Harrogate Italian restaurant into flat

A plan to convert the former Lugii’s restaurant in Harrogate into a flat has been approved.

The Italian restaurant, which was situated in a residential area on Valley Drive, closed in October 2021.

Applicant Nidge O’Brien tabled plans to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the building into a two-bedroom apartment.

Now, the council has approved the plans.

In a report, the authority said the move would “respect the character and appearance of the existing building and surrounding conservation area”.

Luigi’s closed its doors on October 17, 2021. In a post on its Facebook page, management at the restaurant said:

“We have thus reached the end of the journey, and we take this opportunity to thank all the customers who have supported us with their affection during these two years.

“Luigi’s Restaurant will open its doors for you on Sunday 17th October for the last time.

“Heartfelt thanks to all of you, it was a pleasure to pamper you and give you the goodness of our simple and genuine dishes.We will meet again, around the county.”

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