Developer appeals Boroughbridge 260 homes refusal

Developers have lodged an appeal over a council decision to refuse 260 homes in Boroughbridge.

Barrat and David Wilson Homes already has outline approval as part of the first phase of a larger 450-home development at Stump Cross.

However, councillors rejected the scheme back in June over concerns that it “crammed as many houses in as possible” into an area.

One councillor, Cllr Nigel Simms, a Conservative who represents Masham and Kirkby Malzeard, described it as “like a sink development from Lancashire, not something that we should be having in North Yorkshire”.

Cllr Simms later apologised for any offence caused by his comment.

Now, developers have submitted an appeal over the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.

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This proposal forms part of the first phase of housing at the Boroughbridge site.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes already have outline approval to build on the site and are seeking final permission. 

In documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the developers said:

“The development will respect Boroughbridge’s local character but also move the area towards a more sustainable future, through a significant increase in housing choice and mixed-use approach.”

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

‘Bold and brave’ changes to prevent second homes in Dales

“Bold and brave” changes to planning rules that aim to prevent Yorkshire Dales houses becoming second homes and holiday lets have been approved.

Members of Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority signalled their determination to get to grips with the high-profile housing crisis across much of the 2,179 square km area and gave the green light to several key changes to the body’s forthcoming Local Plan blueprint.

The decision follows years of debate over which of the park’s estimated 2,000 traditional stone barns should be conserved and how to create sufficient new housing for local people to remain living in the area, parts of which have seen property prices rise by some 20% this year.

Earlier this year it emerged some 3,100 of the national park’s 12,000 properties had become holiday lets and second homes, and the number was rising, as the pandemic had accelerated a trend for rural relocations among wealthy and retired people.

The meeting heard although some 150 potential sites for housing were currently being considered, continuing to permit barn conversions in settlements, building groups and roadside locations could make a significant difference to housing supply.

However, members said in future the conversions should only be allowed for holiday letting as part of farm diversification schemes.

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Officers told the meeting extending the area restricting occupancy of new homes to local people to the whole of the national park and making the criteria for occupancy more favourable to attracting new households would benefit the local economy.

Other key changes agreed include that local occupancy restrictions could form part of the housing mix on larger sites and that a principal residence restriction should be introduced on new housing, to stop properties becoming holiday lets or second homes.

Ring-fencing homes for local people

A meeting of the authority, held at Tennants in Leyburn, heard that despite concerns permitting traditional agricultural building conversions over the last six years had seen only a small proportion of new homes for locals, relaxing the planning rules had boosted the park’s heritage.

Neil Heseltine, the authority’s chairman, described some of the recommendations as being “bold and brave”, as the meeting heard further action was needed to help increase the housing stock ring-fenced for local people.

Recreation champion for the authority, Nick Cotton, said while almost 200 barns had been permitted for residential conversion since the policy was extended in 2015, only 42, or 20% of them had been completed over the six years.

He said: 

“We are giving plenty of permissions, they just aren’t being taken up.”

Nevertheless, Jim Munday, the authority’s member champion for development management, said the policy over barns needed to remain largely unchanged because it had proved to be successful in conserving derelict traditional buildings.

He said barn conversions had contributed 40 per cent of the homes to the authority’s housing targets over the past four years.

Mr Munday said: 

“Let’s not forget 94 per cent of planning applications for barns have been approved. It’s that six per cent that aren’t that hit the headlines. I don’t know why.”

Developer reduces Knox Lane scheme from 73 to 53 homes

A developer has reduced the size a proposed housing development on Knox Lane in Bilton from 73 to 53 homes.

Jomast‘s initial plans to build the homes in April last year generated objections from over 200 people.

Those opposing the scheme criticised the number of homes on the site and questioned how the narrow Knox Lane would cope with the increased volume of traffic.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place in the district, says 52 homes should be built on the site, which sits on arable land adjacent to Oak Beck.

Knox Lane in Harrogate.

Knox Lane

Critics of the initial scheme included Cllr Paul Haslam, who represents Bilton on Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, who said part of the land Jomast wanted to build on was prone to flooding.

Yorkshire Water also submitted an objection to the plans, which it said did not properly accommodate a sewerage system running across the site.

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Jomast said in planning documents that its resubmitted smaller plans included 34 semi-detached and three detached homes, 12 apartments and four terraced homes. A total of 30 homes would be classed as “affordable”.

To alleviate flooding concerns, Jomast would install hydro-brakes, which are machines that control water flow near rivers. It would also install underground storage tanks to hold water in the event of a major storm.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee will decide on the proposal at a later date.

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.

In Depth: Where is the infrastructure plan for 4,000 homes in west Harrogate?

With as many as 4,000 homes planned for the Western side of Harrogate, a document is being drawn up by Harrogate Borough Council to nail down the infrastructure requirements of the area and who will pay for it.

HBC is working with developers and North Yorkshire County Council on the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan (WHPP). It will aim to allow for a more joined-up approach to infrastructure, including addressing roads and traffic, rather than assessment on a site-by-site basis.

But residents and councillors have grown frustrated with broken promises about when it will be published.

HBC initially said it would be published in October 2020, which was delayed until March 2021, then September 2021. It now says a draft version will be published in February 2022.

Harlow Hill, Rossett, and Pannal Ash are already some of the most popular residential areas in Harrogate and the stretch of Otley Road from Cardale Park to Beckwithshaw is set to be transformed with new housing developments.

However, the 200-home police training centre scheme in Yew Tree Lane was passed this week before the WHPP has seen the light of day.

Rene Dziabas, chair of Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents Association, told the Stray Ferret he is concerned that the decision not to wait until the plan is published before approving the police training centre scheme will set a precedent.

With a new local authority set to be created for North Yorkshire next year, he’s also worried the plan could be kicked down the road further. He believes staffing issues in the council’s planning department has contributed to the delays.

He said:

“If it’s delayed any further there will be the temptation to let the new unitary authority deal with it. That’s a concern.”

HAPARA is hoping the plan will go some way to tackling congestion and traffic on the west side of Harrogate, which could worsen considerably due to car-dependent housing developments.

“We’d like to see greater frequency of buses, junction improvements, the widening of pavements, cycle paths.

“Subject to appropriate investment, we can then start making improvements, otherwise why are you doing the plan?

He gave some examples of areas that he feels needs improvement:

“Leadhall Lane Marks and Spencers junction is known to be a pinch point, some work needs to be done there to help flow of traffic.

“The Prince of Wales roundabout is another pinch point as is other end of Otley Road and the tiny roundabout in Beckwithshaw.”

Poor communications

HAPARA has been unhappy with the level of consultation offered to residents by HBC during the process.

Mr Dziabas said the council has “confused contact and communications” and people who will be affected by the massive expansion of new housing have not felt like active participants in how the area will change.

He said:

“Not once has the council come back to us and said, ‘This is what we’re thinking, how do you feel this would work?’

“We’ve had no opportunity, all we’ve had from council is process. Communication has been poor.”

Mr Dziabas added:

“Perhaps the council feel if they involve residents too much it will slow the process down, or we might put an idea forward that doesn’t align with what a developer is saying.

“In their mind it might be a lot of extra hard work dealing with the nitty gritty with residents, so they keep us at arm’s length.”

‘Very frustrating’

Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh sits on the 12 person planning committee that decides whether to approve or refuse large housing schemes.

She told the Stray Ferret it has been “very, very frustrating” that councillors are now being asked by officers to approve planning applications in the western side of Harrogate before the WHPP has been published.

She believes the majority of councillors wanted to defer the police training centre scheme until the plan is published, but were “bullied” into approving it by Homes England who threatened legal action.

She said the plan should have been drawn up years ago, before sites were allocated for development in the Local Plan, and that she shoulders some of the blame for that.

“It should have been in place prior to the Local Plan. I’ll hold my hand up for not realising that. Infrastucture is not being dealt with now.”

Cllr Marsh is concerned that even with the WHPP in place, it will be the houses that get built first and the necessary infrastructure such as schools or healthcare facilities could take years to follow.

“It will be the houses that get built first to make the money.”

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Council’s response

In a written statement sent to the Stray Ferret, Conservative councillor Tim Myatt, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for planning, said the WHPP will create a “clear vision” for infrastructure in west Harrogate.

He said “rather than rush” the council has been making sure the document is right for the town.

“By providing first-class community facilities, school provision, green infrastructure and sustainable travel opportunities, for example, we will be able to achieve the WHPPs goals and objectives.

“A significant amount of work – by qualified experts – has gone into what has been produced so far and we will continue to work hard until we’re comfortable we can achieve the best outcome in terms of quality of development and delivery of infrastructure.

“Rather than rush and produce a plan that fails to deliver this vision, we are taking a planned and strategic approach and anticipate concluding work on the WHPP in the New Year alongside an addendum to the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) thereafter.”

In response to HAPARA’s claim that residents had not been consulted, Cllr Myatt said several suggestions from residents have helped to shape the document.

He added:

“Although there is no statutory requirement to consult on the preparation of the WHPP, we value residents’ views.

“And a number of suggestions have helped shaped the WHPP, so I’d like to thank those residents for their valuable feedback.

“We will also engage with local stakeholders, of which HAPARA is one, in January to help achieve a WHPP that sets a benchmark for future communities across the Harrogate district.”

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.

Disused Bilton car park to be used for council homes

Revised plans for five council homes on a disused car park in Harrogate have been approved at a second attempt.

Harrogate Borough Council’s housing team was sent back to the drawing board to rethink its plans for the site at Dene Park, Bilton, in May.

But the scheme has now gained approval after a planning committee meeting yesterday.

Councillors said previous concerns over the layout and designs had been addressed, although there were still questions over the loss of the car park.

Councillor Sue Lumby, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Coppice Valley, said:

“I have received a letter from a number of residents who are very concerned about parking. If cars are forced to park on pavements, it is going to make access for buses and refuse vehicles difficult.”

Gillian Wood, the council’s housing growth manager, responded by saying the car park was “grossly under-occupied” and that 12 new parking spaces would be built for the use of all residents over nearby grass verges.

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She said:

“This will reduce parking on the street.

“We have been monitoring the car park for quite a long time now and we are finding there are generally three cars on there.

“People have a preference to park outside their property, so if we can provide 12 off-street spaces that is 12 cars off the street, which should help.”

1,800 households on council waiting list

There are around 1,800 households on the council’s housing waiting list and the housing team said the car park would help provide “much-needed” accommodation for these residents.

Councillor Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat leader, also said the plans should be welcomed for this reason.

She said:

“There are people parking at the site, but it is very small in numbers. To me, what is more important is the almost 2,000 people on our housing waiting list.

“I’m really pleased the council is moving forward with this.”

Councillors unanimously voted to approve the plans at Tuesday’s meeting.

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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Eco-development could be catalyst for green housing in Harrogate district

There are hopes nine ‘eco-homes’ that could be built near Knaresborough will be a catalyst for greener housebuilding in the Harrogate district.

Ben Holmes, from Birstwith, has submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council for the cutting-edge development, which would be built to strict environmental standards and include solar panels, air-source heat pumps and super-tight insulation.

There would even be a communal vegetable garden to reduce the need to drive to shops.

A different model

Mr Holmes’ proposed scheme for York Road in Flaxby would be a community self-build development, which is a different model of housebuilding from what is usually seen.

If he is granted planning permission, he will install infrastructure, such as paths, water, drainage and a communal area, on the site.

He will then sell each of the nine plots to people who want to build their own home. The buyers then hire an architect and builder and design a home to suit their family’s needs.

Mr Holmes’ said this allowed for a customisable approach rather than buying identikit cookie-cutter homes on a large estate.

He said:

“You see these houses and they’ve all got their gas boilers. It is wrong way to build houses. Your big developers get as many homes on as possible and there is a lack of variation and creativity. It is soulless.

“There is a different way of building houses.”

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Lower energy bills

Harrogate Borough Council has a register of about 200 people who want to build their own home. Mr Holmes said there is an appetite in the district who people who want to have more of a say in how their home is built.

Anyone buying a plot to build their home will have to abide by a framework of environmental rules.

This includes Passivhaus certification and the Home Quality Mark from BRE.

Developed in Germany in the 1990s, Passivhaus is seen as a game-changer for low-carbon housing. It’s an innovative design code that prioritises insulation so that a home doesn’t need any heating or cooling at all, resulting in minimal energy bills.

There is only a handful of Passivhaus homes in the district, including the Larners’ house on Bogs Lane in Harrogate.

Mr Holmes also said the houses may be factory-built, bypassing much of the polluting construction process that comes with traditional bricks and mortar homes.

He added:

“Hopefully this site will act as a catalyst for the area to build more Passivhaus. It’s a high bar to get to that standard.”