Residents urged to report empty homes to help solve Harrogate’s housing crisis

Harrogate district residents are being urged to report empty homes as new figures show some progress has been made on the problem which is contributing to the housing crisis.

Harrogate Borough Council has faced calls to take greater action to bring empty homes back into use at a time when around 1,800 households remain stuck on the social housing waiting list due to a “desperate” lack of affordable properties.

Figures now show some progress has been made, with the number of homes empty for more than two years falling from 228 in 2019 to 205 this week.

There is still much ground to be made, but the council said the figures show it is taking positive action.

Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities, is now asking more property owners to bring their empty homes back into use as he also urged residents to report any cases to the council as part of a national week of action.

He said:

“We want to work with property owners who, for whatever reason, have an empty property that could be better used to provide a home for local people.

“There are options available, including the empty homes loan or rent bond scheme to carry out repairs or improvement works and bring them back into use.

“I’d urge anyone who is interested to get in touch.”

Read more:

Other figures show the number of Harrogate district homes empty for more than six months has also fallen from 838 in 2019 to 758 this week.

‘We can’t afford to waste properties’

This comes at a time when campaign group Action on Empty Homes says the nation has seen a “massive rise” in cases as it also calls for councils to be given greater powers “to act where owners and landlords won’t or can’t”.

The campaign group said:

“We believe that we cannot afford to waste such properties.

“In England 100,000 families are trapped in often poor quality, insecure temporary accommodation, which does not meet the standards that are required of the permanent, secure, social housing these families are entitled to.”

There are numerous reasons why properties can lie empty. In some instances, landlords cannot afford to renovate their property to sell or rent out.

Properties may also have been inherited and the new owners don’t know what to do with them.

Loan scheme

Harrogate Borough Council last year launched a loan scheme to help property owners carry out repairs. The loan is for anyone who does not have the money to carry out repairs to a property which has been empty for more than six months.

In what is described as a “last resort”, the council also has powers to carry compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) where efforts to bring empty homes back into use have failed and legal action is taken against landlords.

Just two CPOs were carried out in 2020/21 and the local Liberal Democrats previously said a stricter approach should be taken.

But councillor Chambers said the Conservative-run council would rather work with property owners rather than take legal action against them.

He said:

“When we have exhausted all options, we will look to make a compulsory purchase order to bring empty homes back into use.

“But we would much prefer working with property owners and highlight the options available to them.”

Councillor Chambers also said there are often empty properties which the council is unaware of, and he urged residents to report cases to the council’s empty homes officer.

Council approves long-awaited West Harrogate Parameters Plan

Harrogate Borough Council has approved a long-awaited plan that aims to solve how the west of Harrogate’s roads, schools and health services will cope with 2,000 extra homes.

The West Harrogate Parameters Plan will be used to identify what infrastructure is required and to help assess the planning merits of future developments in the area.

Council officials devised the document following discussions with the county council, developers and site promoters, along with community groups, parish councils and stakeholders.

Cllr Tim Myatt, cabinet member for planning, said the plan would ensure “we have the necessary infrastructure to support these future communities on the west side of Harrogate”.

He said it included two new primary schools, four playing pitches and two new local centres for shops and health services, as well as land designated for employment, new cycle lanes, footpaths and bus routes.

Cllr Myatt added:

“A number of suggestions have helped shaped the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan and I’d like to thank stakeholders – and especially local community groups and residents’ associations – for their valuable feedback.

“This engagement has played an integral part in ensuring we have been able to produce a plan that clearly identifies what infrastructure is required, whether that’s community facilities, school provision, green infrastructure or sustainable travel opportunities, for example.

“It also sets a benchmark for future developments across the Harrogate district and ensures that we not only delivery much needed homes but also create communities that residents can be proud of to call home.”

Beckwithshaw is set to see an increase in through traffic due to new housing on Otley Road.

Beckwithshaw is set to see an increase in through traffic due to new housing on Otley Road.

The council added that the document was designed to help “support the sustainable and coordinated” development of future homes in the west of Harrogate.

Council to draw up infrastructure strategy

Now the plans has been approved, the council will begin preparing a West Harrogate Infrastructure Delivery Strategy (WHIDS) that will provide more detail about infrastructure requirements for West Harrogate and the associated cost.

It will include a review of existing capacity and timings for the phasing of key infrastructure, including education provision, health and wellbeing services, water and drainage, sport and playing fields provision, highways and open space.

Read more:

The plan is due to be completed in May and will also be used to inform section 106 agreements paid by developers to fund infrastructure associated with their schemes.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive councillor for access at North Yorkshire County Council, said the authority would continue to support the borough council on infrastructure.

He said:

“North Yorkshire will continue to work closely with the borough council as a key partner responsible for services like education, highways and transport.

“We will support investment in the local highways infrastructure, as is already taking place on Otley Road, but will place the greatest priority on the provision of excellent public transport and facilities for walking and cycling.”

Residents remain unhappy

However, David Siddans, secretary of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service previously:

“We, along with other organisations in the area, say that the council should not be approving the parameters plan until full details of the infrastructure package is agreed.

“We understand that is not expected before May this year.

“We have no confidence that this will happen and it is likely that developers will again be given the green light with the wider infrastructure needs remaining unaddressed.”

Harrogate council exceeds house-building targets by almost 1,700 homes

Harrogate Borough Council has exceeded its house-building target by almost 1,700 homes over the last three years, according to new government figures.

Statistics released in the government’s Housing Delivery Test reveal the district needed 987 new homes to meet demand between 2018 and 2021 – but 2,682 were delivered.

That is 1,641 homes – or 266% – above the target and has sparked fresh questions over whether this level of new housing is being matched with improvements in Harrogate’s struggling infrastructure, schools and health services.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson argued the government figures are only a minimum target and that its own ambitions in its Harrogate district Local Plan take greater account of the desperate need for more affordable housing.

They also described the current level of house-building as a “positive step” to tackle this problem.

The spokesperson said: 

“Our adopted Local Plan, underpinned by local evidence of housing need, seeks to tackle a number of long standing local issues.

“In particular, families and young people are facing increasing difficulty in buying their own home due to a lack of houses and high house prices.

“Local businesses also tell us that they struggle to recruit locally due to the high cost of housing.

“The level of new housing included in the Local Plan will help to address these issues and support our economic ambitions.”

It was six years in the making but the Local Plan was finally adopted in 2020 when Harrogate set its own target of delivering 637 new homes each year until 2035.

And while there was some controversy over which sites were allocated for development, local politicians of all stripes agreed it was better to have a plan, than no plan at all.

Housing ‘free for all’

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the council’s opposition Liberal Democrat group, described the six years prior to the Local Plan’s adoption as a “free for all” of uncontrolled house-building.

She also said while the Local Plan has handed Harrogate greater control over its housing future, it had yet to be matched with meaningful improvements for communities which will feel the long-term effects of dramatic population growth.

Cllr Marsh

“The Lib Dems are very concerned about our infrastructure; it is not fit for purpose.

“The council now has a Community Infrastructure Levy, but before that the council could only ask for monies from developers if their development had a negative impact on existing nearby residents.

“Schools have been able to get monies through the legal Section 106 agreement to help with any extensions required because of the development but until very, very recently secondary schools were not considered or included at all.

“Medical services have never been included which is again ridiculous with all these extra demands on our doctors and dental services, police and our hospital.

“The government wants houses, but does not give councils the real powers to achieve what is required for the local infrastructure needs for all these large developments.”

Read more:

Parameters plan approved

Defending its record, the council also pointed towards the West Harrogate Parameters Plan – which sets out the needs for an extra 4,000 homes – as a measure to ensure the area has the “necessary infrastructure to support future communities”.

The plan has been recommended for approval at a meeting today and while it has been praised by the council, those living in the area have complained it does not go far enough and is being approved too soon to balance the impacts of what will be Harrogate’s biggest urban expansion in decades.

David Siddans, secretary of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, said: 

“Since 2018 we have been arguing that Harrogate Borough Council are planning for far more houses than the district actually needs, amounting to many thousands.

“Now they are giving developers permission for hundreds more on top of that, nearly all of them on greenfield sites.

“Every new house over and above the numbers needed adds to carbon emissions and also increases the pressure on infrastructure.

“From what we have seen with the emerging West Harrogate Parameters Plan, the authority is suggesting that a bus every 30 minutes and a shared footway/cycleway will address the travel needs of the additional 6,000 or so population, with minimal other changes to the network.

“We have also expressed our concern at the additional demands that will be placed on education, and the lack of a coherent strategy for secondary schooling.”

Mr Siddans added: 

“We, along with other organisations in the area, say that the council should not be approving the parameters plan until full details of the infrastructure package is agreed.

“We understand that is not expected before May this year.

“We have no confidence that this will happen and it is likely that developers will again be given the green light with the wider infrastructure needs remaining unaddressed.”

Residents say 53 homes at Knox Lane will ‘decimate’ idyllic scene

On Knox Lane in the summer and you’ll probably see families walking or on bicycles heading down towards Spruisty Bridge that runs over Oak Beck.

It’s a green corner of Bilton that residents cherish but a group in Knox believes a controversial housing application would destroy the idyllic scene.

North East property developer Jomast wants to build 53 homes on a field on Knox Lane, in an application that has been reduced from 73 homes from when it was first submitted in 2020.

Since the 1980s, different developers have eyed the field for development without success, thanks in part to campaigns by dogged residents.

This time, as the site is allocated in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, which maps out where new housing developments can take place in Harrogate, it could be their biggest fight yet.

A map of where the homes would be built

Abundance of wildlife

Tom Cox has lived in the area for 50 years. A keen nature watcher, he says he’s seen an abundance of wildlife in the field, including protected species. He’s concerned their habitat will be destroyed.

He said:

“I’ve seen deer, foxes, otters and 60 types of birds. It’s extremely good habitat”.

Sue Wrightson added:

“It will be decimated”.

Jomast commissioned an ecological impact assessment by environmental consultants Naturally Wild.

To the residents’ dismay, its report said the site had “moderate ecological value” and any development would “not have a significant impact on protected species or habitat.”

At the time of writing, the application has had 308 objections with none in support. They cite a range of perceived problems with the site, from the electricity pylons that run over the field to potential flooding issues.

But many of the objections make emotional appeals to the council calling on them to reject the plans due to what they believe is its harmful impact on wildlife.

The walk at the bottom of Knox Lane is popular with families.

With the residents smarting about the Naturally Wild report, they paid ecological consultants Smeedem Foreman to write another one, which painted a different picture.

It said the Naturally Wild report was undertaken between January and April, which it called “sub-optimal” months for surveying wildlife.

It added:

“The report lacks sufficient detail with respect to the mapping of habitats present and with no detailed species lists available, the botanical value of these areas has the potential to be underestimated.”

Read more:

Gridlock

As with almost every application for new housing in Harrogate, concerns have been raised about traffic.

With the busy Skipton Road nearby, and Knox Lane itself a narrow thoroughfare, Bob Wrightson said the roads surrounding the development will soon be “gridlock”.

Mr Wrightson said:

“52 houses, a lot of people have cars, its not been addressed. There might be another 100 cars using these roads and it will be gridlock.”

Jomast’s traffic assessment disputes this and says the homes will not lead to additional congestion.

Alison Hayward said the application is car-dependent and does nothing to encourage people to use sustainable travel.

“There are no EV charging points, no cycle paths, no cycle storage. The development is stuck in the 1980s, it looks back rather than looking forward.”

The community

Perhaps most of all, the residents are unhappy that there has been no attempt by Jomast to form a dialogue with them. They say their voice has been left out of the planning process entirely.

Ms Hayward said:

“It’s bothered a lot of people. They’ve not made an effort and we’ve beem ignored. We emailed the developer for a meeting but we’ve had no response.

Anda Mesaros added:

“It’s disrespectful to the community.”

The developer’s response

Jomast and planning consultants Spawforths issued the following joint statement to the Stray Ferret:

“Jomast recognises the concerns of the local residents in respect to the potential impacts of the proposed housing development.  However they would like to stress that the Application Site is allocated for housing within Harrogate’s Local Plan.  Therefore, it has already been deemed as suitable for residential development by Harrogate Council.  The planning application is providing a significant amount of affordable housing, above what is required by planning policy, which will help address the significant shortfall of this type of housing within the town.

“The planning application is supported by a number of specialist technical reports, including a Transport Assessment, which demonstrates the Proposed Development would not lead to any additional congestion of the local roads.  Jomast has also commissioned a series of ecological reports, which show that the Proposed Development would deliver a net benefit to biodiversity and the environment through the creation of new wildlife habitats and significant tree and hedgerow planting.

“Two public exhibitions have been carried out in respect to the development of the Site.   In addition, Harrogate Council consulted local residents on the allocation of the site for housing during the preparation of their Local Plan.”

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee is set to consider the plans next month

Plan to convert Harrogate town centre building into 11 flats and shops

Plans have been lodged to create 11 new apartments on Parliament Terrace in Harrogate town centre.

ATC Properties Ltd has submitted the plans to Harrogate Borough Council to convert Parliament House into one-bedroom apartments and two ground floor commercial units.

The building is currently occupied by a gym and Harrogate Wines, which is in the two-storey unit next to it.

The developer plans to convert the first floor retail space and first and second floor gym to form 11 one-bedroom apartments.

It would also see the existing shop units on Montpellier Walk reconfigured to provide enlarged trading space and new frontages.

Read More:

As part of the plan, the flats would come with double bedroom ensuite and open plan kitchen, dining and living room.

The apartments would be aimed at young professionals, post-graduates and key workers, according to the proposal.

The developer said in its plans:

“The proposed apartments have been designed specifically for young professionals and key workers seeking to access the property market and will therefore provide affordable, inclusive and accessible accommodation.”

It added that the reconfiguration of the ground floor commercial units and new accommodation would help “refurbish a prominent building of poor architectural quality”.

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

390 homes approved in Ripon despite concerns over impact on Fountains Abbey

Plans for 390 homes in Ripon have been granted final approval despite repeated concerns over the impact on nearby Fountains Abbey.

Harrogate Borough Council initially rejected the proposals for land off West Lane in 2017 over the impact on the countryside and Fountains Abbey which is home to the largest monastic ruins in the country.

But the decision was later overturned at appeal by the Planning Inspectorate which said the impacts would be “extremely limited”.

The council’s planning committee has now granted final approval at a meeting today, although some councillors said their concerns also including highways and parking remained.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, described the plans as being “forced upon” the area following the appeal.

She said:

“The impact on these particular areas which include a World Heritage Site that we must protect are going to be there whether we like it or not.

“I feel strongly that these reasons for refusal still stand.”

Councillor Richard Cooper, Conservative leader of the council, said raising objections over areas that have been dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate was “fighting battles that have already been lost”.

Read More:

The proposals were initially brought forward by Britain’s largest housebuilder Barratt Homes before the developers pulled out of the scheme.

The government’s housing agency Homes England and developers Taylor Wimpey then struck an £89.5m deal to acquire the site in February 2021 and get the plans back on track.

The approved plans include 156 affordable homes, 42 bungalows, cycling and walking links, a new bus route and children’s play areas.

There will also be 40 modular homes provided by Flaxby-based company llke Homes.

All homes with parking will also have electric vehicle charging points.

Four objections against the plans were lodged with the council, including one from Littlethorpe Parish Council which flagged concerns over how the area’s roads, schools and health services will cope with another population increase.

The plans include a £455,000 contribution from the developers towards local bus services, £91,000 towards upgrades for nearby traffic signals and £50,000 towards cycling improvements.

Plan to convert former Bishop Thornton school into house

Plans have been lodged to convert the former Bishop Thornton Church of England Primary School into a house.

Leeds Diocesan Board of Finance has lodged the application to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the former school site off Colber Lane.

The school closed in 2019 after it outgrew the site and moved to the former Burnt Yates Church of England Primary School building.

It has since been renamed Admiral Long Church of England Primary School.

According to plans submitted to the council, the Bishop Thornton building would be converted into a three bedroom house with two parking spaces.

Read more:

The developer said in its documents that the proposal would represent a “satisfactory replacement” for the former school building.

It said:

“Making use of empty buildings and placing great weight on using suitable sites within existing settlements is supported by national planning policy.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Plans approved for 38 flats at ‘Pannal skyscraper’

Plans have been approved for a second time to build an apartment block at the former Dunlopillo factory in Pannal.

Developer Echo Green Developments was granted planning permission in September last year to demolish the main office block and build 48 apartments.

In December the developer then submitted new plans that would supersede the previously approved plans.

It included 38 apartments, fewer than the original proposal, but would still be two storeys taller than the demolished building.

The initial decision to approve the plans, which was made under permitted development rights, was met with anger from some residents.

Pannal historian Anne Smith said the village would be lumbered with a “skyscraper-type building”.

Read more:

Permitted development rights were brought in under the Conservative government and can be used by developers to fast track the redevelopment of disused offices.

Nevertheless, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough Andrew Jones intervened to say the scheme should have been decided by a vote from the council’s planning committee.

A review by the council concluded the plans were “appropriately considered”.

Mr Jones called on residents to submit objections to the second application. In the end, it received 26 objections.

 

Developer appeals Knaresborough 170-homes refusal

A developer has appealed a council decision to reject plans for 170 homes in Knaresborough after seeing the proposal twice refused.

Landowner Geoffrey Holland’s application would have seen homes built on Water Lane in the town.

However, Harrogate Borough Council rejected the latest proposal after planning officers said the scheme had a number of “fundamental” issues.

Proposals for 218 homes near Meadowside Academy were first rejected by the borough council’s planning committee in October 2019.

Mr Holland then scaled back house numbers for the scheme to 170 in his second push for approval, but saw this turned down in August last year.

Now, the developer has taken the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.

‘No demonstrable adverse impacts’

In a statement of case, Cunnane Town Planning, which has lodged the appeal on behalf of Mr Holland, said there were “no significant or demonstrable adverse impacts that would arise as a consequence of the development”.

However, Kate Broadbank, the council’s planning officer, told the meeting in August 2021 that the scheme had a number of issues to resolve.

She said:

“One of the site allocation requirements is the provision of a circular recreation route – and this has been provided around the edge of the site.

“However, it is considered to be unsatisfactory, as it is a narrow path between the site boundary and side elevations of dwellings, meaning it is not very well overlooked and would not provide a safe, attractive route.

“The same situation occurred around the open space and children’s play area where houses backed onto this.

“The applicant has tried to overcome this by turning some houses around to face onto the path and play area, however, this has led to an issue with rear gardens now backing onto the streets.

“On the whole, the scheme is considered to lack character or a sense of place.”

Read more:

The site is allocated for more than 148 homes in the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-2035, which outlines development in the district until 2035. This means development will happen once councillors are satisfied with detailed plans.

The latest proposals included a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments, as well as two, three and four-bedroom houses.

A total of 81 of these properties would have been classed as affordable.

More than 80 residents had lodged objections against the plans, which did not receive a single letter of support.

Plan for 390 homes in Ripon set for final approval

Plans for 390 homes at a former race track in Ripon are set for final approval after a long saga of refusals, appeals and a developer pulling out of the scheme.

The proposals for land off West Lane have been recommended for approval by Harrogate Borough Council, which initially rejected the scheme in 2017 over the impact on the countryside and nearby Fountains Abbey World Heritage Site.

This decision was later overturned by the government’s planning inspectorate which said the impacts would be “extremely limited”.

Two years later, the plans hit another hurdle when developers Barratt Homes pulled out before the government’s housing agency Homes England and developers Taylor Wimpey struck a £89.5 million deal to get the scheme back on track.

Marie Kiddell, head of planning and enabling north at Homes England, recently said the body wanted to intervene in the “stalled” site because it would play a “vital” part in meeting the growing need for housing.

A reserved matters application has now been recommended for approval at a council meeting next Tuesday when a final decision will be made.

Read more:

The plans include 155 affordable homes, 42 bungalows, cycling and walking links, a new bus route and children’s play areas.

Four objections have been lodged with the council, including one from Littlethorpe Parish Council, which flagged concerns over how the area’s roads, schools and health services will cope with another population increase.

Ripon City Council did not make any comments on the latest plans.

Recommending the plans for approval, a Harrogate Borough Council officer said in a report: 

“The reserved matters submission including the remaining access details, appearance, layout, scale, and landscaping has been assessed.

“Having assessed the proposal against relevant development plan policies, the application can be supported.”

A computer generated image of the 390-home West Lane site in Ripon.

A computer generated image of the 390-home West Lane site in Ripon.

£455,000 for buses, traffic signals and cycling

If approved, the plans will also include a £455,000 contribution from the developers towards local bus services, £91,000 towards upgrades for nearby traffic signals and £50,000 towards cycling improvements.

Taylor Wimpey recently said it hoped to start construction of the homes this spring if approval is granted.

The company’s regional land director Sarah Armstrong said: 

“We’re delighted to have been selected as preferred developer to deliver this site in partnership with Homes England.

“We’ve taken a landscape-led design approach to develop a residential masterplan that will enhance the character and identity of the site.

“The development will include locally-equipped play facilities and attractive biodiverse landscape features, and we are providing significant areas of open space to allow new residents and visitors to enjoy a high-quality living environment with an attractive outlook.”