planning Archives - Page 11 of 24

Kingsley anger reaches ‘boiling point’ as another 162 homes set for approval

The beeping sound of lorries and diggers reversing fills the air. Mud covers the street. Planning application notices hang like baubles from lamp posts.

Welcome to Kingsley Road, a once quiet rural area on the edge of Harrogate that has become a permanent building site.

Some 600 homes are at various stages of construction in the nearby area. Work started years ago and shows no sign of ending.

On Tuesday, Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee is expected to approve a sixth development – Persimmon’s application for 162 homes in a field on Kingsley Drive. Some locals plan to demonstrate at the council offices in the hope of persuading the Conservative-controlled planning committee to reject the scheme.

Gary Tremble, pictured where more development is due to take place.

Gary Tremble, who lives on Kingsley Road, is at the forefront of local resistance. He is a member of Kingsley Ward Action Group, which was set up in 2019 because “we soon realised we needed to work together”.

By his own admission, Mr Tremble is a “pain in the arse campaigner” who bombards councillors of all political colours with emails complaining about uncovered lorries, the state of the roads, road safety and anything else that concerns people who live in the area. He says some Greens and Liberal Democrats “have been helpful” but the bulldozers keep coming. He says:

“There’s a lot of anger on this street and it will get worse if people keep ignoring us.

“I have to take time off otherwise I get angry all the time. But then you walk out the door and see another truck going past at 40mph.”

The proposed road closure leading to Bogs Lane

The homes are being built in a residential area off the already-congested Knaresborough Road. North Yorkshire County Council has now applied to block the through-route on to Bogs Lane, which some welcome on the grounds it will reduce local traffic. Others say it will just drive more vehicles on to Knaresborough Road.

All you can see in the Kingsley area is houses.

Mr Tremble says:

“The main issue is there is no infrastructure. You can’t build several hundred homes with no community centre, dentist or shop.”

He says if the Persimmon development is approved and more green land between Starbeck and Bilton is concreted over, many people will have had enough and look to move.

Other local people feel equally strongly. Darren Long says:

“It literally feels like we’re given more bad news on a daily basis. It’s now seven years since construction started on the first Barratt’s development and it shows no signs of stopping. It’s so sad that this has been allowed to happen.

“We were so excited to move here in 2017. It’s miserable living here now. Living with the constant construction traffic, proposed road closures, one way systems and the horrific traffic.”

Kingsley Park

Peter Nolan, who has lived in the Kingsley area for 49 years, says Harrogate Borough Council “should be ashamed of the state they have let this once quiet area get into”. He adds:

“I’ve never ever in all my years had to queue half way along Kingsley Road in a morning but now I quite often spend 20 minutes trying to get out onto Knaresborough Road.”

Resident Dee Downton added:

“I am more concerned about the effect of the normal day-to-day basics that impact the everyday person getting to their destinations or commute to work, the impact on air quality because it’s just one constant traffic jam, the impact when ambulances can’t get through, the danger to pedestrians crossing because a gap in the traffic is seen and a vehicle acts quickly but fails to see someone crossing the road.”

Developers have targeted Kingsley because the land is allocated for development on the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place,

They say the schemes bring much-needed housing to Harrogate.

Kingsley Road

But those living in the area are less enthusiastic. Anonymous posters appeared on the street recently urging locals to legally double park on the pavement to prevent developers’ lorries from passing.

Mr Tremble says such anger is understandable because feelings are reaching “boiling point”.

Andrew Hart, a postmaster in nearby Starbeck, sympathises and says the action group is “doing their best to right a massive wrong”, adding:

“I am appalled with the never ending chaos created by the developments and road closures along Kingsley. The whole infrastructure was never designed for this number of houses.

“We have ended up with serious health and safety issues, lack of local resources and a gridlocked Knaresborough Road and Starbeck.”

Tuesday’s planning committee can be watched live on Harrogate Borough Council’s YouTube page here.

Tesco supermarket in Harrogate set to be approved next week

Harrogate looks set to get a Tesco supermarket after a long-running saga dating back more than a decade.

The store will be built on the site of the former gasworks, off Skipton Road, and include a petrol station and 209 car parking spaces. It is expected to create about 100 jobs.

Harrogate Borough Council ‘s planning committee has been recommended to approve the plans next week, despite “significant concerns” about the impact on the nearby Co-op in Jennyfields and neighbouring shops.

In her report recommending approval, case officer Kate Broadbank says there is “real potential for the proposed Tesco store to have a significant adverse impact upon the Co-op store and the wider performance of the Jennyfield local centre”.

The report adds the cumulative impact of a new Tesco on the Co-op could be as high as -22.4% and the Co-op “acts as a key anchor to the local centre, including its wider post office offer”.

The local centre in Jennyfields

Tesco will therefore be asked to sign an agreement to use “reasonable endeavours” to open a Tesco Express at Jennyfields local centre if the Co-op closes within five years of Tesco opening and will operate this for at least five years.

Ms Broadbank’s report adds:

“A post office and pharmacy would also be required. An additional clause has also been added that requires an independent expert to determine matters should dispute arise between Tesco and the council, as to whether the replacement store can be provided.”

New footpath and cycle lane

The report says no environmental impact assessment will be necessary for the brownfield site project even though trees will be felled on the north side of Skipton Road to accommodate the creation of a new roundabout at the site entrance, where the A61 Ripon Road and A59 Skipton Road meet at New Park.

The site of the former gasworks

North Yorkshire County Council plans to widen Oak Beck Bridge in a scheme that could see six months of roadworks in the area.

The report adds:

“A continuous footpath will be provided along the northern edge of the roundabout with additional uncontrolled pedestrian refuge island crossings on the site access and the eastern arm of Skipton Road.

“A new segregated cycle lane will be provided along the south of Skipton Road from the access to the bridleway further along Skipton Road. These works will be secured by condition and a Section 106 agreement.”

The 209 parking spaces will include four click and collect spaces, six electric vehicle charging spaces, 12 blue badge spaces and nine parent and child spaces. Two motorcycle spaces and 24 cycle spaces are also provided.

£50,000 for bus services

North Yorkshire County Council has requested a contribution from Tesco for improvements to bus stops on Skipton Road and Ripon Road. Ms Broadbank’s report adds:

“North Yorkshire County Council wish to provide a new bus service in the Killinghall area as part of the bus service contribution from the housing development on Penny Pot Lane and these additional improvements would add value to the new service and help encourage sustainable travel by bus to reach the new store.

“A contribution of £50,000 (£10,000 per bus stop) is requested to help fund this service and will help provide new extended shelters with information boards, seating and where necessary raised kerbs to each carriageway.”

The report also says discussions have taken place between the applicant and Northern Gas Networks about “potential interaction” between the proposed petrol station and an existing Northern Gas Networks high pressure gas transmission pipeline located beneath the site.

It says the risk of interaction is “acceptably low”.

The site is highlighted on a planning document.

Majority opposed to scheme

The council received 82 representations about the scheme. Just 24 were supportive and 57 objected, mainly on the grounds of amenity, traffic, environmental and drainage impacts.

Ms Broadbank has recommended the project be approved subject to conditions being met. The Conservative-controlled planning committee will decide whether to accept her recommendation when it meets on Tuesday next week. The meeting will be broadcast live on the council’s YouTube page.

It will be the penultimate meeting of the planning committee before Harrogate Borough Council is abolished at the end of next month.

Ms Broadbank’s report concludes:

“In summary, the development is acceptable in principle and meets the requirements of the sequential and retail impact tests with appropriate mitigation.

“The scheme uses previously developed land and is in a sustainable location within the development limits of Harrogate.

“The design and landscaping of the buildings are appropriate for this site and impacts with regards to the residential amenity, environmental impact and highways are acceptable.

“The development will create jobs and provide social, environmental and economic benefits to the local area.

“The scheme is in accordance with the development plan policies as a whole and represents sustainable development as required by the National Planning Policy Framework.”

Tesco first secured planning permission on the site in 2012 but revived its plans in December 2021.

‘Significant’ fall in Harrogate district planning applications leads to £320,000 shortfall

Harrogate Borough Council has seen a ‘significant’ fall in the number of planning applications submitted this year — resulting in a shortfall of £320,000 for the authority.

Councillors met this week to discuss a quarter three financial report that provides a summary of how different departments are performing in line with the overall budget for 2022/23.

The council is the district’s planning authority and therefore has the final say over developments ranging from a kitchen extension to major housing schemes with hundreds of homes.

When a planning application is submitted the council asks for a fee. For an outline planning application where the site is bigger than 2.5 hectares, the fee is £11,432 plus an additional £138 for every 0.1 hectare.

For a single house extension, the fee is £206.

The council, which will be abolished at the end of next month, also offers a pre-application service where anyone can get advice on the likelihood of a proposal receiving planning permission.

Fees range from £90 for advice on an extension to £3,000 for developments with more than 50 homes.

But after a spike in applications during the covid pandemic, the council says there has been a slowdown in the number of both large-scale and smaller applications.

It is anticipating a shortfall of £270,000 in planning application income and £50,000 in pre-planning application income.

The cost of building materials has also sky-rocketed in the last two years and the report says the council expects the number of smaller applications submitted to remain lower than expected as the national cost-of living crisis impacts on household spending.

The trend in the Harrogate district is in line with the national picture, where planning application submissions have dropped by an average of 15% over the last year.

Long-awaited refurbishment of Ripon council flats approved

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee has given planning permission to refurbish 12 “eyesore” council flats in Ripon that date from the 1960s.

The project will include rendering of the brickwork, new stainless steel walkways and balconies, a communal garden and six car parking spaces at Allhallowgate.

The council approved spending £600,000 to improve the properties in December and the decision was ratified by the planning committee this week.

Plans to refurbish the homes date back seven years but have been delayed due to sinkhole concerns in the area.

In 2015, planning permission was granted to demolish a block of flats at 4-14a Allhallowgate and replace them with nine townhouses. The plan also included a major refurbishment of an existing block of flats.

The flats were demolished but the rest of the scheme was halted in 2019 after an engineering firm found ground instability “could be foreseen” on or near the site. They warned that measures to reduce the risk of the townhouses collapsing were not cost-effective.

Ripon sits above a layer of gypsum, which is a water-soluble rock that leads to the formation of large underground caves that can collapse.

The council pledged to continue with the refurbishment of the existing flats that weren’t demolished. However, its plans were paused again during covid as they were used as temporary accommodation for homeless people.

In May, the council was quoted £1.1m for the project by a contractor — almost double its budget of £650,000. It has since removed plans to build an extension to the building to reduce costs.

‘Somewhat of an eyesore’

Conservative cabinet member for housing and safer communities, Mike Chambers, who is also councillor for Ripon Spa, said he was happy the project was finally moving forward.

Cllr Chambers told a meeting in December after the funding was approved:

“This is a project that for a number of years has hit the buffers for various reasons. It is now appropriate we start moving it forward again. It is somewhat of an eyesore so I’m delighted we’re moving forward.

“It will improve the streetscene and a number of residents are concerned about the state of the block following the demolition. It’s high time we moved on.”

Harrogate councillors approve sixth Kingsley housing scheme

Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee has approved a sixth housing development in the Kingsley area after a heated debate today.

The committee was split 6-6 on whether to accept 30 new homes at Kingsley Farm. It meant Rebecca Burnett, the chair of the committee, had the casting vote in favour.

It means more than 600 properties will be built in the Kingsley ward, where residents have already expressed exasperation at the scale of development and lack of supporting infrastructure.

Most of today’s debate centred on access to the site even though council case officer Kate Broadbank said the meeting should focus on the general principle of development. Access, she said, would be debated at the later reserved matters application for ironing out the details.

Ms Broadbank said there would be access roads to the development from Kingsley Road and Hawthorn Place. Creating the access road on Kingsley Road would, she said, require the removal of a stone wall and a ‘small number of trees’, which she said would be replaced.

Cllr Chris Aldred speaking today

Cllr Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat who represents the area on North Yorkshire County Council, said the new access road on Kingsley Road would go through an orchard and mean there would be five junctions in the space of 150 yards.

He called for the decision to be deferred, adding:

“There’s no planning necessity for this site now. We have enough houses in Harrogate already. We can work on this slowly but surely.”

A local resident, Matt Hodgson, told the committee “access remains crucial at this stage when discussing the suitability of the site”.

‘We have listened’

Speaking on behalf of the applicant Quarters Kingsley Ltd, David Williams said it was a small local developer working alongside the landowner, who has owned the site for 100 years.

Mr Williams said it was a former chicken farm that had become an “overgrown wasteland” that had “no purpose”

David Williams speaking at the meeting

He said the applicants had already agreed to reduce the number of home from 49 to 30, adding:

“We have listened. We are doing everything we can to make a positive contribution to the area.”

Doctors and dentists

Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Harrogate Hookstone asked if there would be any increased provision for doctors and dentists in the area.

Ms Broadbank said ‘there will be a contribution’ through the section 106 agreement which developers sign to pay for infrastructure associated with their schemes but where it was allocated would be a matter for the NHS.

All six councillors in favour of the scheme were Conservatives. Three Liberal Democrats, two Conservatives and one Independent opposed the recommendation to approve the principle of development on the land.

After the scheme was approved, Cllr Burnett berated Cllr Marsh for saying ‘shameful’.

“Can we have less bickering from the committee? I don’t think we need to hear ‘shameful’ shouted out when we have taken a democratic vote from all members of the committee.

“When things don’t go your way I don’t feel it’s acceptable for you to do that.”

Killinghall Cricket Club applies to build new two-storey pavilion

Killinghall Cricket Club has submitted plans to demolish its pavilion and construct a two-storey replacement on the same site.

Planning documents sent to Harrogate Borough Council describe the current 1970s structure as “deteriorating and neglected” and would cost more to refurbish than it is worth.

It is poorly insulated with ageing communal showers and the changing rooms lack privacy, the documents say. They add:

“Umpires and female cricketers currently have nowhere designated to get changed, so have to use communal areas, the toilets or come already changed. The facilities for the scorers on matchdays are currently a wooden hut situated next to the clubhouse, which is neither attractive nor very comfortable to sit in.”

Killinghall CC has been on the rise in recent years, Last year the team were crowned first division champions in the Nidderdale and District Cricket League.

The club has opened up its facilities to the public during summer.

Since the demolition of the Three Horseshoes pub and long-term closure of The Greyhounds Inn, the club has also used its pavilion and bar to provide a social centre for the village at weekends.

It hopes a new pavilion would help it fulfil this and encourage the creation of a junior team. The documents say:

“The proposal will provide exceptional changing and hosting facilities for visiting teams, which would be of the best in the current Killinghall teams’ leagues.

“There is a hope to introduce junior cricket back to the cricket club, that used to be a vibrant and engaging part of the local community. The introduction of these new facilities will help facilitate the introduction of this and hopefully attract them to the club.”

“This development is very much needed to the club and the village community. We feel that the scale of the pavilion is appropriate for the size of the site and has been carefully considered. The chosen materials and design compliment and contribute positively to the overall character of the pavilion, cricket ground and the surrounding village.”

Plan to convert former Harrogate Post Office into holiday flats rejected

A plan to convert the former Harrogate Post Office into holiday flats has been refused.

The Post Office on Cambridge Road controversially relocated to WH Smith in 2019 amid claims by Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones the service was being “downgraded”. The building has stood empty since.

Proposals lodged to Harrogate Borough Council by Leeds-based property developer Priestley Group would have seen the building converted into 23 self-serviced holiday flats.

It would also have seen a commercial unit created on the ground floor.

However, the council has rejected the plan on the grounds the scheme would result in “poor standards” of residential amenity.

How the building used to look.

In a decision notice, the authority said:

“The proposal would result in poor standards of residential amenity for the future occupiers of the serviced holiday apartments.

“The proposed development would have a harmful effect on the living conditions of its future occupiers, with particular regards to privacy, ventilation, enclosing feeling and overlooking.”

It added that there was a lack of information on waste disposal and whether or not the proposal for the retail unit would “result in a significant adverse impact on the vitality or viability of the retail offering”.

The developer said in a statement to the council that the proposal would secure an “active re-use” of the building.

Two previous proposals to convert the former post office into flats were withdrawn.

In November 2020, Harrogate-based developer One Acre Group submitted plans for 25 apartments and offices on the site but withdrew the application last year.

Its plans had been welcomed by conservation group Harrogate Civic Society although it was concerned about a proposal to build an additional floor.

Meanwhile, in July the Stray Ferret reported that proposals to convert the building into 11 flats had also been withdrawn.

National Trust plans major £3.6m building project at Fountains Abbey

The National Trust today revealed designs for a new £3.6 million building and landscape project at the Studley Royal end of Fountains Abbey, near Ripon.

The project, called Studley Revealed, aims to create a more accessible café, admission point and toilets and restore historical sightlines to the 18th century Georgian water garden created by John Aislabie.

However, the new building would be situated inside the water garden and only be accessible to people who pay to enter.

The current tea room on the deer park side, which is free to enter, will close. A kiosk providing drinks and snacks will be built in the deer park car park, accessible to everyone.

The restaurant and parking at the main visitor centre will remain free for all to access.

How the new entrance and outside seating to the building from the canal bridge might look.

The trust says the plans, which went out to consultation in 2019 before being paused due to covid, will make Studley Royal less “muddled”.

It will submit a formal planning application to Harrogate Borough Council in the new year.

The organisation said in a statement today:

“This area is currently muddled with 20th century buildings and additions which make up an admission point, toilets, and the boundary of the pay-for entry area.

“For years this has created a large number of conservation and operational issues which are not appropriate in a World Heritage Site.

“The updated improvements will consolidate these facilities into one building and improve the way visitors move through this area.”

The trust added the landscape plans would “open up lost views and create walks that echo the original 18th century design”.

How the view of the building from the deer park might look.

New facilities including historical information, accessible toilets and a ‘space to change’ have also been included.

The trust has consulted Historic England, Harrogate Borough Council, World Heritage Site partners and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on its plans.

It has appointed London heritage architects Feilden Fowles and Edinburgh landscape architects Rankinfraser to carry out the work.

How the new cafe seating area might look.

Justin Scully, general manager of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, said:

“The Studley Revealed project is an exciting part of the ongoing conservation of the Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal World Heritage Site.

“It has long been our ambition to improve the appearance of this area of the site and how visitors experience it.

“Crucially, it means we can create a place for our visitors to learn more about the fascinating history of Studley Royal.”

The designs and information about the project will be displayed at the Studley entrance from tomorrow until December 22 (excluding December 16) and can also be viewed here.

The trust aims to open the new facilities to visitors in late 2024.

Nearly half of Harrogate council meetings cancelled in November

A lack of Harrogate Borough Council business has led to nearly half of meetings being cancelled this past month.

The authority will be abolished in four months time and replaced by North Yorkshire Council.

The cancellation of so many meetings raises questions over how effective the council will be in its final days.

It had been due to hold 13 meetings in November — not including informal meetings — which included senior cabinet member meetings and a planning committee.

However, five of those meetings were cancelled. Last week the council did not hold a single meeting.

Just three public meetings were streamed live onto the council’s YouTube in November.

This included a cabinet meeting, where senior councillors made a key decision over the progress of three strategic housing sites.

The Stray Ferret asked the borough council why so many meetings had been cancelled and why so few meetings had been streamed for the public to watch.

A council spokesperson said:

“Provisional dates for meetings are added to the calendar at the start of the municipal year.

“Should these not be required, as there are no items to bring to said meeting, then they are cancelled.”

The authority is due to hold 12 meetings in December—- one of which has already been cancelled.

Developers plan 60 homes in Sharow

A housing association has lodged plans to build 60 new homes in Sharow.

Non-profit developer Broadacres Housing Association Limited, which is based in Northallerton, has submitted a joint proposal with V&A Homes (Yorkshire) this week to Harrogate Borough Council for land off Dishforth Road.

Sixty houses would be built in the area, 24 of which would be affordable homes and the rest open market.

The plans come after permission was granted for a housing scheme on the site in 2020, but has since lapsed.

The revised proposal sees a mix of one, two, three and four bed semi-detached houses as well as several three, four and five bed detached dwellings.

All the houses would have parking provisions and a pocket park will be on site.

In documents submitted to the council, Broadacres said:

“Land to the south of Dishforth Road, Sharow offers a unique opportunity to provide housing and community uses in a logical and sustainable location that would bring benefits to the village and those who live there today and in the future.”

It added:

“The site represents an appropriate and sustainable location for new homes within the village. Proposals will meet with the vision of achieving a development of high quality and inclusive design of buildings, spaces and landscaping.

“Integrating well within its existing context, reinforcing local character and providing new connections to the village and surrounding countryside.”

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

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New footpath and cycle lane

£50,000 for bus services

Majority opposed to scheme

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‘Somewhat of an eyesore’

‘We have listened’

Doctors and dentists

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