North Yorkshire Council has rejected plans for nine new homes in Killinghall.

Newett Homes, which is based in Wetherby, submitted a planning application for a site north of Skipton Road, near to the junction with the B6161 Otley Road.

The proposal would have seen a mixture of three, four and five-bedroom houses.

However, council officials have refused the plan on the grounds that it fails to provide an appropriate mixture of housing and concerns over surface water flooding.

In a decision notice, Trevor Watson, assistant director of planning at the council, said:

“Parts of the site are identified as being at risk of surface water flooding. No sequential test has been submitted as part of the application. 

“Therefore, it has not been demonstrated that there are no reasonably available alternative sites appropriate for the proposed development that would be at lower risk of flooding.”

The council added that it had not been demonstrated that the site would be “all sources of flooding for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere”.

Meanwhile, in a letter to the council, Killinghall Parish Council said residents had concerns over access to the site from Skipton Road.

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North Yorkshire Council is set to extend its system of “choice-based” social housing into the Harrogate district.

The initiative, which allows tenants to bid for homes advertised through the authority by housing associations, aims to give those on the waiting list more choice over where they live.

The authority set up its choice-based scheme, called North Yorkshire Home Choice, in 2011.

However, it currently does not operate in the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire Council replaced Harrogate Borough Council on April 1 and as part of its move to a single social housing policy, the council is set to consult on extending the scheme into the district.

It would see the council offer choice-based social housing through its partners such as Broadacres Housing Association, Yorkshire Housing and Beyond Housing.

The Stray Ferret asked the council why it had decided to extend the North Yorkshire Home Choice scheme to Harrogate instead of sticking with the district’s current social housing policy.

A spokesperson said:

“At present the council operates two allocation schemes, North Yorkshire Home Choice which covers all localities except for Harrogate, and a standalone allocation scheme covering the former Harrogate Borough Council area.

“Local Government (Structural Changes) (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 provides a period of two years for the housing allocation schemes inherited from predecessor councils to be revised and harmonised across the new unitary authority.

“The new draft policy has been drawn together from the two existing allocations policies of the predecessor councils.

“North Yorkshire Council would operate one social housing allocations scheme across the county.

“Support will be provided to all applicants where the changes affect them, for example if they are required to re-register a housing application.”

The move would see 2,084 people who are currently on the Harrogate housing list re-registered as part of the move to a single policy.

The local authority said it plans to hold face-to-face events and additional communications in Harrogate to “support applicants through the process”.

The council also plans to hold a 12-week consultation on the initiative between August and November this year.

Cllr Simon Myers, executive councillor for culture, arts and housing, will be recommended to approve the consultation at meeting today.

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A developer has withdrawn plans to build nine houses on the site of one of Knaresborough’s oldest houses and garden.

Paul Franklin tabled the proposal to North Yorkshire Council to demolish the property and build the homes on land off Stockwell Road.

It was met by objections from around 30 residents and Knaresborough Town Council.

They argued that the scheme would cause worsening “gridlock across the railway bridge” on Stockwell Road, the “inadequate” number of parking places in a residential area close to the town centre, a GP surgery and schools.

Meanwhile, Knaresborough Town Council said in a letter to the council that the proposal would be “overbearing and will overlook neighbouring properties particularly gardens affecting other residents privacy”.

The area where the homes would have been built.

The town council urged the authority to consider the proposal at a planning committee.

However, the council’s planning portal shows that the application was withdrawn on August 1.

In response to concerns over the plans, Mr Franklin told the Stray Ferret previously:

“For over 12 months we have been in consultation with the council. Under the guidance of external consultees, we have carefully designed a scheme to provide local people a quality and sustainable place to live and enjoy Knaresborough.

“Comments have been received from local residents mainly covering historically-recurring issues which need to be raised with the relevant bodies – Yorkshire Water, highways authority etc.

“Knaresborough has a rich history, but the site is not a historical asset or listed building and is beyond economical repair despite significant investment during ownership.

“Our garden was cleared of nettles, perennial weeds and thistles and four disease-ridden/choked trees over the past two years. Felling of diseased trees was done outside of nesting season, and no Tree Protection Orders were in place.”

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Plans have been approved to convert the upper floors of a grade-II listed building in Harrogate into a flat.

Mercer House on Swan Road towers above the adjoining Mercer Art Gallery.

Under plans lodged by Colston Trustees Limited, the building would be changed from offices to residential and create a single flat. The ground floor retail unit is not included in the plan.

A previous proposal submitted in November 2022 would have seen two flats created.

However, in documents tabled to North Yorkshire Council, the developer said the revised plan would have “less impact upon the building than previously approved and be acceptable”.

Mercer House is historically and architecturally significant due to its gable-fronted, white and blue appearance.

North Yorkshire Council has approved the proposal.

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It will see the first, second and third floors turned into a single flat with living, dining and kitchen space and a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor.

The second floor would have three bedrooms, two en-suites and a bathroom while the third floor would be storage space.

In documents to the council, the developer said:

“The alterations required to the building are less than the previous approved scheme and retain more of the original openings and minimal alterations to original internal walls.

“The external alterations are limited to those at the rear of the building and are the same as those already approved, there are no changes to the front or sides of the building.”

North Yorkshire Council has refused plans for 23 homes in Bishop Monkton amid concerns it would increase the amount of raw sewage released on streets.

The Kebbell Homes development was considered yesterday afternoon at the Skipton and Ripon planning committee at Ripon Town Hall.

About 25 villagers, who appeared to be firmly on the side of refusal, also attended,

A council officer recommended councillors approve the scheme but the committee decided otherwise.

One councillor said having more properties in the village could exacerbate the “abomination” of raw sewage being released into the streets during heavy rainfall.

A decision on the application was deferred at the previous planning committee in June when councillors requested further details from Yorkshire Water on how the scheme would impact on foul water drainage in the village.

Yorkshire Water told the council that “most, if not all” of the “sewage escapes” in the village were caused by residents putting excessive toilet paper, fat, oil and grease down toilets and sinks which caused pipes to block.

However, the water company acknowledged that the sewage system in Bishop Monkton, which is between Boroughbridge and Ripon, was close to capacity.

Nick Brown, the Conservative councillor for Wathvale and Bishop Monkton, who was on the committee as a substitute, said the village had been blighted by sewage discharges in recent years with its Victorian sewage system unable to cope with more rain brought on by climate change. 

He called on Yorkshire Water to improve its infrastructure before any new homes are built.

Cllr Brown said:

“There’s no question that Bishop Monkton has had sewage on the streets and that’s totally abhorrent.

“I really think this is something that should not be happening in 2023. There are proper grounds for refusal in villages where sewage systems are at capacity.”

Yorkshire Water accused of ‘arrogance’

Yorkshire Water did not send a representative to attend the meeting, which angered Conservative and Independent Group councillor for Skipton East and South, Robert Heseltine. 

He said:

“I am exceptionally disappointed with the response from Yorkshire Water. They are a massive company and it’s not acceptable to democracy. It demonstrates a disturbing amount of arrogance on their part.”

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The two-storey homes would have had either 2,3,4 or 5-bedrooms. Planning documents attached to the application said the developer hoped the scheme would “integrate with the locality and positively contribute to the community”.

Steve Longstaff, a planning agent on behalf of the developer, said the application met all of the requirements set out in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, which is still being used to guide planning applications on the new unitary authority.

He said:

“There are no objections from Yorkshire Water or the lead flood authority. The scheme is designed with current best practice and as such any reasons for refusal on drainage are unsubstantiated and unreasonable.”

Hedgerow retained

Nathan Hull, the Conservative councillor for Washburn and Birstwith and chair of the committee, praised the scheme for including 40% affordable homes which he said could help keep the village alive.

However, he said he would abstain from voting due to the conflicting views and opinions on what the impact the homes might have.

Councillors also objected to the removal of a hedgerow, which some villagers claim dates back to 1816.

After a long discussion with officers over how to word the refusal in the event of the developer appealing, councillors voted to refuse the application by four votes to one with one abstention.

They cited policies in the Local Plan relating to developments not having an adverse impact on the sewage capacity and the removal of the hedge harming the Bishop Monkton Conservation Area.

Kebbell Homes can appeal and the Local Democracy Reporting Service has asked the company for a response to the decision.

A developer has appealed a council decision to refuse a plan to convert Simpson House in Harrogate into flats.

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

It would have seen the ground, first and second floors converted.

However, the authority rejected the plan in May this year on the grounds that the flats would not have enough natural light.

In a decision notice, the council said that existing trees and hedges at the site which would lead to “large amounts of shade” to the flats during the day.

Now the developer has taken the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with planning disputes.

In documents submitted to the inspector, the developer argued that the council’s reason for refusal was “not based on any detailed technical evidence”.

It said:

“The local planning authority considers that the proposal would fail to provide adequate daylight within all apartments.

“However, the appellant has provided a detailed assessment following national guidance.

“This demonstrates that appropriate levels of daylight can be provided and as such the proposal is acceptable.”

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A government planning inspector will make a decision on the appeal at a later date.

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 the former Harrogate Borough Council officers over the impact on neighbouring trees.

Council officers have recommended that 23 new homes in Bishop Monkton are approved despite concerns over the village’s water system.

Councillors voted to defer the application, which is proposed by Kebbell Development Ltd and would see the homes built on Knaresborough Road, after requesting further information from Yorkshire Water over when it would modernise the system.

At a meeting in June, councillors expressed concern that the water firm had given the green light, despite its engineers having condemned the village’s sewage system as inadequate.

Yorkshire Water said many of the issues were linked to blockages and infiltration of surface water into the network during heavy rainfall.

Now, council officers at North Yorkshire Council have recommended that the plan be approved at a Skpton and Ripon Constituency Planning meeting next week.

In a report due before the committee, council officials said Yorkshire Water had provided explanations for its lack of objection to the scheme.

It said:

“Yorkshire Water advised that there were two reasons they did not object. 

“The first related to the fact that this site is an allocated site for housing and it was not felt that, as a water company, they should be stopping development. Yorkshire Water prefer to work with developers to create sustainable drainage solutions for development.”

It added:

“The second and perhaps more pertinent reason, is that data held by Yorkshire Water suggests that most, if not all, of the sewage escapes are caused by blockages.

“These blockages are predominantly caused by individuals misusing the sewer network.”

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However, the report said the company acknowledged that the network was getting “close to capacity” and that it was “taking steps to improve the resilience of the network”.

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.

Councillors will discuss the proposal at a meeting on August 1.

Are you booked into our Stray Ferret Business Club’s breakfast event this Thursday at Banyan in Harrogate between 8-10am? 

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One of Harrogate’s oldest accountancy firms has expanded its apprenticeship programme.

A quarter of Lithgow Perkins’ twenty strong team now comprises of trainees at different stages of their accountancy career.

Partner Tom Rhodes, who began as an apprentice at Lithgow Perkins 11 years ago, said:

“Having a strong apprenticeship programme that gives young people the opportunity to develop their careers with us is vital not just for their future, but for ours too.”

Mr Rhodes added:

“As a small, independent firm, we can be flexible in creating opportunities for our trainees to work across a range of disciplines, supported by various specialists from our team.

“It’s not just a case of developing accountancy expertise; it’s also about building confidence in the ‘softer’ skills that are so important when dealing directly with clients.”

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Plans have been lodged to convert a former retail unit and part of a nightclub on Parliament Street into flats.

JC Robinson Ltd has tabled the plans to North Yorkshire Council which would see seven apartments created at the Grade-II listed building.

The proposal would see the former Sofa Workshop, which is next to the now closed Bijouled store, converted.

It would also see the upper floor of the former Moko nightclub and office space adapted to become flats.

In documents submitted to the council, the developer said the application would cause no harm to the listed building.

It added:

“Subject to further detailing of internal and external works including the design of new window and door openings to the exterior of the building, it is considered that the development can be undertaken without giving rise to harm to the significance of the listed building.”

The move comes as the retail units at the site have been empty for some time.

The Bijouled unit, which would be retained under the plan, closed its doors in February this year.

Meanwhile, the former Sofa Workshop shut in April last year after the company entered administration.

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A fresh plan has been tabled to create eight flats above shops on Cambridge Street in Harrogate.

York-based GHT Developments has submitted the proposal to North Yorkshire Council for the upper floors of 6-14 Cambridge Street.

The ground floor of the properties is currently occupied by the Card Factory, Phone Patch and an empty unit which was formerly the Phone Doctor. For many years the site was home to Carphone Warehouse.

The site

previously had approval for three one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

However, the developer has lodged fresh plans for eight flats because, it says in planning documents, the scheme had “evolved” after it had “been established that the roof is in need of replacement”.

It added that the increased build costs of the previous scheme had left it “unviable”.

In documents submitted to the council, GHT Developments said:

“The proposed development will reduce void spaces in the footprint and has improved the internal and external design.

“The need to replace the roof has also increased build costs, meaning the previous scheme of five apartments is no longer viable. 

“The proposed development will therefore ensure that development is viable and the site can be used effectively.”

As part of the new scheme, four sets of flats would be created on the first and second floors.

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

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The move comes as work is ongoing at the former River Island unit on Cambridge Street to convert the building into apartments.

The store closed on February 4 after the landlord announced plans to change use of the building.

Plans were approved in summer 2020 to refurbish the ground floor of the building and convert the first floor, as well as adding a roof extension, to create 14 apartments