Harrogate Borough Council is drawing up a plan for what infrastructure, such as schools, roads and doctor’s surgeries, are needed in the west of Harrogate where as many as 4,000 new homes could be built by 2035.

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.

Some of the biggest allocated developments in the Local Plan yet to be built include 776 homes on Windmill Farm, 750 homes near Lady Lane, and 550 homes on Bluecoat Wood.

Developments in the Local Plan are highlighted. Credit: HAPARA

During the Local Plan process, residents raised concerns about the impact of the housing on schools, roads, sustainable transport and green spaces.

This led the government’s planning inspector to request HBC create a so-called ‘West Harrogate Parameters Plan” to assess transport and infrastructure needs.

A coalition of resident groups, including Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents Association (HAPARA) and Pannal & Burn Bridge Parish Council, produced a document of its own last year which lays out what it thinks needs to be done regarding infrastructure in the area.

What is the Parameters Plan?

It’s being coordinated by HBC working with North Yorkshire County Council, other infrastructure providers, and the site promoters to identify the infrastructure requirements for the area and how they will be delivered.

This includes new schools, local shops, sports facilities, green space and parks, roads and sustainable transport options. It will also identify how it will be delivered and who will pay for it.

HBC says the plan will allow a more joined-up approach to infrastructure rather than assessment on a site-by-site basis.

What is the current status of the plan?

Work started on the Parameters Plan last year. It has involved engagement with ward members, local parish councils and other local community groups, as well as promoters of other nearby sites.

This has included sharing and inviting comments on an early draft of the plan, as well as holding joint workshops and individual meetings. Further meetings are scheduled.

An independent design review has also been undertaken which the council hopes means that quality design is “at the heart” of the plan. Following this, the site promoters have jointly commissioned design expertise to carry out more detailed work, which is currently underway.

Read more:

• Controversial plans for 200 homes in Pannal Ash halted indefinitely
• Criticism over 560 homes plan for Otley Road in Harrogate

When will it be published?

HBC said there is no hard deadline for the creation of the Parameters Plan as its priority is “getting the content right.”

Further work is being carried out to incorporate the recommendations from the design review as well as ongoing work with infrastructure providers to finalise necessary requirements.

Residents’ groups had expected the plan to ready before the end of 2020. The council said it now expects the plan to finalised by the autumn. It will then be rubber-stamped by HBC’s cabinet member for planning Cllr Tim Myatt.

Once the Parameters Plan is agreed, how will it work in practice and how will it be implemented?

The plan will provide a framework that will guide the development of site masterplans which are submitted to the council when developers apply for planning permission.

It will also be a material consideration in the determination of relevant future planning applications, meaning councillors can use it to help them make a decision on a particular development.

The council will use legal agreements called section 106’s to secure funding for the infrastructure needed and to mitigate any impacts from the development.

A home in Harrogate has got creative to deliver a unique warning about climate change.

Whoever lives in the house has hung eco-bunting across a hedge for all to see on Oatlands Drive, opposite St Aidan’s Church of England High School.

It includes messages such as “if the climate were a bank it would already have been saved” and “you know it’s bad when introverts are doing this”.

Caroline Linford who runs the Sustainably Harrogate blog and website, noticed the bunting.

Ms Linford praised it and said “activism comes in all shapes and forms”.

She added:

Our story yesterday about the Harrogate district being left to grow wild to improve biodiversity and attract bees, birds and insects provoked a huge amount of interest.

Harrogate Borough Council has left large swathes of green spaces untouched by mowers and strimmers.

Even the neat and orderly Stray has a different look to previous years.

It’s a thorny subject for the district, which prides itself on its well tended, floral appearance.

Almost 100 people commented on our Facebook page, and the vast majority gave the new approach the thumbs-up.

One person praised the wildflower “anarchy” on display.

“I love it! Wild flowers are never untidy – just a bit anarchic!!”

‘The wilder the better’

Another reader called Harrogate Borough Council “brave” for taking the new approach.

“The wilder the better for wildflowers, insects and other wildlife. Well done Harrogate Borough Council for taking such a brave approach and not bowing to the ‘tidy brigade’. Currently it’s only a tiny percentage of our green space but it’s a start!”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s ‘rewilding’: untidy or biodiversity boon?
• Wildflower planting starts on the Stray tomorrow

Someone on our Twitter page said other parts of Harrogate were also looking better:

“It’s great – not just on The Stray but also in other places like along Wetherby Road near Woodlands. Looks great with the buttercups in flower.”

However, there were some dissenting voices. Several people accused the council of not cutting the grass to save money.

Another accused it of “hypocrisy” due to the scale of housebuilding in the district.

The Stray Ferret reported last year that green spaces the size of over 700 football pitches will be lost to housing.

“The crocuses and planted up flower beds also attract many bees and many insects but oh wait, the council are selling the horticulture nurseries on Harlow for yet more housing. 

“Total double standards but they they’ll cut maintenance costs and make money from developers.”

How wild is your neighbourhood? Send us pics and give us your views. Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

The average price of a house in the Borough of Harrogate has increased by more than £28,000 in the course of the past year, according to the Land Registry.

This is a 5% rise, which is lower than the national average. The Office of National Statistics reported that house prices in the UK had risen by an average of 10.2% over the year to March 2021.

Demand has also shifted more towards spacious properties, with estate agents reporting an unprecedented shortage of detached family homes.

The trend can be attributed towards housebuyers’ changing priorities over lockdown and more people starting families.

However, certain factors affect the statistics and mean that they may not paint an accurate picture of the whole year.

The stamp duty land tax holiday on properties worth up to £500,000 is set to end on June 30, which will most likely reduce housing demand in later in the year.

Estate agents said that, anecdotally, there has been a post-vaccination rush for some people who now feel more comfortable attending house viewings and going through the moving process.

Read more

• Final plans for 12 homes in Knaresborough submitted

• Plan to convert Harrogate B&B into a house

Charles Myring of Myrings Estate Agents summed up how the pandemic has changed the housing market in the borough:

“Stock levels in Harrogate were so depressed during the lockdowns, especially on certain properties (bigger family houses with good outdoor space/south-facing gardens/garages etc), which meant there wasn’t always enough quality stock available to buy and to encourage more people into the market.

“As a consequence prices started to edge up every month.”

The Harrogate borough encompasses the city of Ripon and a number of small towns including Boroughbridge and Knaresborough.

David Waddington of Linley and Simpson projected the average price rise to be even higher, at somewhere between 1% and 2% each month.

He agreed that the rise in demand for housing in the borough was also mostly related to covid:

“Harrogate became particularly desirable over lockdown as people realised they no longer had to go into the office and live in suburban areas.

“More people are looking to live in semi-rural areas, because of a subliminal need for space as a result of isolation.”

However he urged first-time buyers and those with mortgages not to give up hope, as the latest iteration of the Help to Buy scheme is still helping people with smaller deposits to take the first step on to the housing ladder.

Developers behind a plan for 12 new homes in Knaresborough have submitted final design proposals for the development.

The proposal was given outline approval for the site off Bar Lane back in 2018.

At the time, the developer said in its planning documents that proposal had been “carefully considered to provide an appropriate level of mix of housing”.

It added:

“Overall the proposed scheme provides a high quality development in a sustainable location with good links to local facilities.

“The proposed scheme has a clear identity and is sympathetic in density, scale and style to the surrounding context.”

Read more:

• Plans to turn Bishop Monkton pub into five houses
• Green Hammerton gets final approval for 3,000-home settlement
• Plans submitted to build 28 homes in Bishop Monkton

Now, Rouse Homes Ltd, based in Leeds, has submitted a reserved matters application for the design and landscape of the development.

It would see bungalows and two, three and four bedroom homes built on the site.

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

Plans have been lodged to convert a Harrogate bed and breakfast into a house.

The proposal would see Brookfield House, Alexandra Road, changed into a four bedroom house.

The plan has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, which will make a decision on the application at a later date.

Read more:

• Plan to convert Windsor House into 94 flats refused

• Four flats could be built above James Street shop in Harrogate

It’s the second conversion of its type after the approval of a similar application at Alexa House, Ripon Road.

Sandra Doherty, who sold the hotel for an undisclosed sum in March, had applied to Harrogate Borough Council for permission to convert it in February.

The council gave consent for the development a month later.

Ms Doherty, who owned the site for 15 years, had a previous proposal to convert the hotel into seven apartments refused.

Developers have submitted plans to build 28 homes in the village of Bishop Monkton, near Ripon.

Kebbell Development, which is based in Buckinghamshire, has lodged the proposal for land at Knaresborough Road in the village.

The plans submitted to Harrogate Borough Council would see two, three, four and five-bedroom homes built on the site.

In its plans, the developer said 40% of the homes proposed for the site would be allocated to affordable housing.

Read more:

• Plans to turn Bishop Monkton pub into five houses
• Green Hammerton gets final approval for 3,000-home settlement

It added that the homes would be in keeping with the local area and that the development will “positively contribute” to the community.

The site on Knaresborough Road in Bishop Monkton which has been proposed for housing.

A decision on the proposal will be made by the council at a later date.

The development comes after Alfa Homes, a sister company of Wetherby-based developer Berkeley DeVeer, lodged plans for 98 homes in the village.

The 98 homes have been proposed for the western edge of the village on Knaresborough Road and Moor Road.

A residents group has said its faith in the planning system is being “severely tested” over the rush to approve a controversial 200-home development at the former Police Training Centre in Pannal Ash.

An HBC report recommends councillors approve the application on Yew Tree Lane by Homes England at next week’s planning committee.

It was due to be considered last month but was withdrawn from the agenda at short notice.

The withdrawal came after Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents Association said it had received both written and verbal assurances by Harrogate Borough Council officers the application would not be decided until a document known as the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan is agreed.

The parameters plan will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate. It was expected last year but has been delayed.

A HAPARA spokesman said:

“Although the council accept that the parameters plan is a ‘material consideration’ in this application, no definitive plan exists at this time so it is illogical, let alone bad faith, to bring this matter to a decision at this time.

“We cannot understand the rush to judgement on this application, considering the time normally taken for decisions on major developments. Our confidence in the council’s consultation process and indeed the Local Plan process itself, is being severely tested.

“We are writing to all members of the planning committee to urge them to defer the item to a later committee.”

Several residents who objected to the plans were not told about last month’s planning meeting and nobody from the group was invited to speak against the plans.

The council admitted it had made an error and withdrew the item on the agenda.

Read more:

• 200 homes in Pannal Ash set to be approved

• Football club’s fury at plans to axe Harrogate sports pitch for housing

The Police Training Centre site is earmarked for 161 homes in the council’s Local Plan, which outlines planning in the Harrogate district until 2035. It is called H36. The current application is for 200 homes.

A council spokesman said:

“Although there is no policy requirement for site H36 to prepare the WHPP or wait for its completion, the site is located within the geographical area of the WHPP. As such, work undertaken to date – including discussions with infrastructure providers – is a material consideration in the assessment of this new application on H36.

“Accordingly, the applicants have included provision of a segregated cycleway to link up with other west Harrogate sites and will be making transport improvements/contributions that take into consideration the impact of all of the sites within the west Harrogate area.

“Site H36 is a brownfield site with an extant permission (14/02970/FULMAJ) for 161 new homes and forms part of the council’s housing land supply position. Homes England acquired the site because it had stalled and they are seeking to unlock it as part of their housing delivery role.

“The current application has been with the council since June 2020 and full public consultation has been undertaken, with responses considered as part of the planning application process.

“Our position on the determination of the current application for site H36, in the context of the WHPP, has been explained directly to HAPARA and is set out within the report to members of the planning committee”.

Fresh plans look set to be submitted to convert the former Dunlopillo office block in Pannal into housing.

Hornbeam Park Developments Ltd bought the derelict building at the end of March and said it hopes to submit new planning permission proposals later this year. These will include residential apartments as well as industrial units to the rear of the building.

The block was built in 1961 but has been deteriorating for several years. Dunlopillo closed in 2008 but residents had long complained about the unpleasant smell emanating from the factory.

Much of the site has already been demolished and replaced with housing as well as the Vida Grange care home.

A spokesperson for Hornbeam Park said in a statement:

“Our intention is to continue with the proposed conversion of the former office building to residential (apartments) with industrial units proposed to the remainder.

“We expect to be in a position to submit a planning application in respect of the land adjacent Vida Grange this summer.”

Read more:

• Decision on 200 homes in Pannal Ash delayed after protests
• Harrogate park and ride could be built in Pannal

From 1938 to 1949 the site was occupied by the Bintex factory, which manufactured radar equipment for use during the Second World War.

It was bought by rubber manufacturer Dunlop, which changed its name to Dunlopillo and made the site its headquarters.

It is estimated around 440 people worked there in its 1970s and 80s heyday producing pillows, mattresses, beds and latex cushioning for cars.

The Dunlopillo building does not have a good legacy in Pannal. Photo: Anne Smith

Pannal historian Anne Smith, who has written several books on the village, said she welcomed plans to redevelop the office block.

She said:

“It’s an eyesore, but we’d rather it was demolished.

“Dunlopillo’s legacy in Pannal is not a good one. People will be glad to see the back of it. The smells from the factory were terrible.”

560 homes have been proposed for fields near Harlow Hill in Harrogate- 25% more than the number of homes agreed in the council’s Local Plan.

The government’s housing agency, Homes England, which owns the 26-hectare site called Bluecoat Wood, has submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report to Harrogate Borough Council for a development off Otley Road.

The homes, as well as a community hub and sports facilities, would be built directly opposite Cardale Business Park and Harrogate Police Station.

HBC’s Local Plan, which was finally adopted in March 2020 following a tortuous process, says 450 homes can be built on the fields.

A spokesperson for Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents’ Group (HAPARA) said it was “extremely disappointing” that Homes England wants to increase the number of homes for the site and called on HBC to “prevent large-scale overdevelopment”.

Homes England is also the developer hoping to build 200 homes at the former Police Training Centre on Yew Tree Lane. That site is in the Local Plan for 161 homes and faced similar criticism for “unjustifiable planning creep”.

A HAPARA spokesperson said:

“The news that Homes England is seeking to increase the numbers of houses on the Bluecoat Wood site from 450, as the Local Plan indicates, to 560 is extremely disappointing but not unexpected.

“This 24.4% increase follows a similar increase applied for on the Police Training Centre site and would result in a 19% increase overall in new housing in the area, compared to the Local Plan provision.

“HAPARA along with others welcomed the Local Plan as giving certainty to the location and scale of housing in this area. However, it is becoming clear that developers are treating the Local Plan as a licence to build as many houses as possible, substantially above the identified need, and the Borough Council seem unable to prevent large-scale overdevelopment.

“So we ask the question: what is the point of the Local Plan?”

Homes England and HBC respond

A spokesperson for Homes England said:

“The submission of an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Opinion Request represents an early stage of the planning process and future development proposals will be subject to further consultation with the local community and Harrogate Borough Council before a planning application is submitted.  The Bluecoat site is identified as a commitment in the Local Plan and will make an important contribution towards Harrogate Borough Council’s housing and infrastructure delivery.”

A council spokesperson said:

“The Local Plan sets out a minimum target for new homes, along with allocations and planning policies to guide a sustainable pattern of growth and quality place-shaping. This minimum figure is based on a number of important housing-need factors and has been agreed at the public examination of the Local Plan. 

“The appropriate dwelling numbers for each site are determined upon more detailed site masterplanning, taking into consideration important policy matters set out in the Local Plan such as appropriate density and mix of development as well as the provision of infrastructure, open space and facilities. All of these factors need to be considered when assessing the suitability of any proposal at the planning applications stage. Additionally, site H45 falls within the West Harrogate area for which an additional layer of masterplanning is taking place (the West Harrogate Parameters Plan). Homes England have committed to working with the council and the promoters of adjacent sites H51 and H49, to ensure coordinated delivery of infrastructure and quality place making across the area.

“The submission of an environmental impact assessment scoping opinion request represents an early stage in the planning application process and it is too early for us to comment on the appropriateness of the yield for the site until the planning application has been fully worked up, evidenced, consulted upon and can be assessed against the Local Plan as a whole.”

Read more:

• Decision on 200 homes in Pannal Ash delayed after protests
• Housing Investigation: land the size of 700 football pitches lost to new housing

What happens next?

HBC’s Local Plan identifies more than 4,000 homes that could be built on the Western side of Harrogate. Several developments have already been built or are currently underway, including 600 homes by Persimmon Homes at Pennypot Lane.

Homes England said it is in discussions with Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council, and other developers in the West of Harrogate about the upcoming Parameters Plan.

This document will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with the huge increase in housebuilding. It was expected last year but has been delayed.

The developer has also asked Harrogate Borough Council to now provide a formal opinion on the scope of an Environmental Impact Assessment which it plans to submit at a future date. This will explore how the development will impact on the environment.

The site’s history

In February 2016, HBC granted planning permission to a partnership of developers called HTH Harrogate LLP to build 450 homes at Bluecoat Wood.

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.