Parish councils to get update on ‘paused’ plans for new town near Knaresborough

A meeting will be held next month to discuss whether a new town could still be built to the east of Knaresborough after a key landowner pulled out.

Harrogate Borough Council has invited representatives of parish councils along the A59 to meet on Wednesday, March 15 to give an update and answer questions.

It follows the surprise announcement in January that a piece of land near Cattal had been withdrawn from the development plan document for a new settlement in the area.

At the time, the council said it had “paused” its plans to submit the development plan document to the Secretary of State for approval. In an email to parish councils today, planning policy manager Natasha Durham said:

“As we are moving to become North Yorkshire Council on April 1 this year, the decision on next steps with the development plan document will be taken by the new authority in the context of wider plan-making.

“A report on the future plan-making in North Yorkshire has already been to the council’s executive, and is now scheduled to go to full council in May. This report looks at wider arrangements for local plans across the new council area and makes recommendations on which plans should continue.

“The report includes a recommendation that the development plan document should continue, in order to deliver the requirements… in the Harrogate Local Plan and ensure that development is guided by a clear vision and requirements.”

The future of the area remains uncertain following the withdrawal of part of the land that would have been in the development plan document. The same piece of land also formed part of the Maltkiln development of up to 4,000 homes put forward by Caddick, which has said it still intends to proceed with its plans.

In her email, Ms Durham told the parish councils that the meeting in May of all members of the new North Yorkshire Council will see an update given on the availability of land and an “analysis of various options going forward”.

She added:

“We are currently doing work to ascertain whether the vision and objectives proposed in the development plan document can be met on the remaining available land.

“We are proposing to hold a meeting [of local organisations] on Wednesday, March 15 to discuss the options under consideration and answer questions as best we can.

“Whilst work is ongoing and we are unlikely to be able to provide clarity at this stage, we are mindful of the considerable effort communities have put into the DPD process and so feel it is important to offer the opportunity to meet and discuss.”

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