Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.
Your piece today (councillors raise concerns about the role of planning committees) highlighted that fact that planning officers are now making most of the decisions on applications.
This is just one example of many of the way in which our elected councillors are being side-lined and it is so wrong. As officers are unelected they are barely accountable for the decisions they make and in fact they are unreachable and almost immune from the views of us, the residents and tax payers.
We vote for our representatives, we hold them to account at the ballot box, and it is they who should be making these decisions.
Tom Paul, Pannal
A more flexible approach to 20mph limit
I agree all schools should have a 20mph speed limit but only in the hours where danger may be present. In Scotland there are flashing road signs for the relevant periods during the day and school term times. For the rest of the day and school holidays it reverts to 30mph.
In addition children should be taught more road sense. In Ripon we have a situation where at the end of the school day staff have to stand outside the school gates and supervise 11+ pupils leaving school!
Sandra Theobald, Ripon
EV car spaces should be for EV cars only
I agree that 10 chargers is a bit much for Chapel Street at the moment but it’s wrong to suggest its OK for non-evs to park there if they are empty.
You could say the same for disabled parking bays but that’s obviously wrong. It would be better to have chargers at the long stay carpark off York Road.
Ralph Armsby, Knaresborough
Big thank you for 10k Race for Life
Please thank everyone on duty at the Harrogate Stray 9/7/2023.
Unfortunately I signed up for the 10k walking but my asthma got the better of me and wasn’t able to finish. The medics were called to me at the 7k mark to whom I thank.
To hold an event like this successfully and safe depends on volunteers
Many thanks to the Marshal who walked with me as I was the last of 10k walkers.
Margaret Beckingham, Harrogate
Read More:
- Council’s 20mph review ‘kicking can down the road’
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Council refuses plans for 80-bed care home in Ripon
Plans to build an 80-bed care home close to the centre of Ripon have been refused by North Yorkshire Council.
Muller Property Group proposed to demolish industrial buildings at T&R Williamson business park to make way for a new care facility.
Eight units at the site are currently occupied and let to various tenants and the development would have resulted in the loss of between 12-15 jobs.
However, the developer argued that 70 social care jobs would have been created through the scheme.
Access to the site, which is next to the city’s Aldi supermarket and near to the fire and police station, was proposed off Stonebridgegate.
According to plans attached to the application, the developer hoped to deliver a “high-quality” care home on the site with a design that better reflects the surroundings than what is currently there.
Besides the bedrooms, the plans also included several shared living rooms, a hair and nail salon for residents, a cafe and 31 car parking spaces.
The developer added in documents:
“The development will improve the appearance of the site and will provide a use which is much more in-keeping with the residential character of the area.”
But the NHS told the council GP practices in Ripon did not have the capacity to accommodate the additional residents that would arise from the care home. It asked for a contribution of £40,478 to go towards local health services.
Despite the creation of new social care jobs, the council said in its refusal notice that it objected to the proposed loss of employment space due to the demolition of the industrial buildings.
The refusal notice said:
“The proposed development would result in the loss of existing employment floorspace.
“No evidence has been submitted to demonstrate that the site has been actively marketed for employment use, that continued use of the site for employment is no longer viable, that the existing businesses remaining on the site could relocate to comparable suitable premises in the local area, or that alternative employment uses cannot be accommodated on the site.”
The council also said the size of the building would harm the Ripon Conservation Area, the facility would not provide “satisfactory living conditions” for residents and insufficient information had been provided
regarding the potential implications of gypsum-related ground stability issues.
The developer can appeal the decision.
Read more:
Councillors raise concerns about role of planning committees on North Yorkshire Council
Councillors have raised concerns about how planning committees have been operating on the new North Yorkshire Council, with some meetings being cancelled due to a lack of suitable applications.
North Yorkshire Council created six planning committees organised by parliamentary constituency areas where a group of cross-party councillors meet around once every six weeks to approve, refuse or defer large or controversial planning applications.
Previous planning committees held on the old district councils would regularly have an agenda of three or more applications for councillors to debate.
But the Skipton & Ripon planning committee last week had just one application for a garage conversion and other committees including Harrogate & Knaresborough and Selby & Ainsty have had meetings cancelled altogether as nothing was brought forward by officers.
Conservative councillor for Bentham & Ingleton, David Ireton, said he believes the current situation is unsustainable.
He said:
“If we’re getting so few applications we will in my view see amalgamation of planning committees.
“By the time you’ve travelled, you’ve spent an afternoon to discuss one application. We’re in danger of losing our identity as a constituency planning committee.”
Councillors who sit on planning committees are able to ‘call in’ particularly contentious applications in their areas, but only if there are sound planning reasons.
North Yorkshire Council planning officer Neville Watson said more applications are now being decided by officers but promised that councillors will still be able to bring forward applications to committee if they meet the threshold.
He said:
“You will end up with a reduced number of applications but they will be the more contentious or difficult applications and the planning committee is the proper forum for that.
“That’s the way things are moving.”
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This appeared to frustrate Green Party councillor for Aire Valley, Andy Brown, who said:
“I do want my say. I think I’m entitled to that because I’ve been elected.”
Conservative councillor for Wathvale & Bishop Monkton, Nick Brown, suggested that planning officers had been too powerful on Harrogate Borough Council and said he hoped councillors would be trusted to make key planning decisions on the new authority.
He said:
“I do think from past experience in Harrogate that councillors were not thought of in a helpful light. If a member knows there’s an application that should be contentious then their view should be held.”
The next Harrogate & Knaresborough planning committee is on July 25 and Skipton & Ripon will be on August 1.
Plans rejected for 20 homes and 12 glamping pods in NidderdalePlanners have rejected a bid to build 20 homes and 12 glamping pods at the former Nidd Valley Saw Mills.
Wakefield-based Milner Homes submitted plans to redevelop the former mill alongside the River Nidd at Dacre Banks.
The mill was sold to the developer in 2020 after its former owner retired.
Milner Homes, planned to convert the mill into five homes, and build a further 15 two to four-bedrooms homes, as well as a dozen glamping pods.
It said the proposal, submitted last year, would “create a distinctive residential development which is sympathetically designed to respect the surrounding built and natural environment” and “promote sustainable tourism”.
But North Yorkshire Council refused the application this week.
The housing and glamping pod scheme as outlined for the Nidd Valley Saw Mills site.
Trevor Watson, assistant director of planning, listed nine reasons for refusal.
He said “no exceptional circumstances” for the scheme, which is outside the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35 for development, had been demonstrated.
Other reasons included “a significant, adverse landscape and visual effect upon the landscape and scenic beauty of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”, “insufficient evidence that the continued use of the site for employment purposes is not feasible or viable” and flood concerns.
Mr Watson added:
“The proposed layout creates a scheme that is of poor quality, does not create a safe and accessible environment or reflect the principles of good, sustainable layout design.”
Hartwith cum Winsley Parish Council objected because the application was outside the local plan boundary and also because of highways and noise concerns.
Read more:
- Plan to convert former River Nidd mill into housing
- Nidderdale Showground to host Parkinson’s charity fundraiser
Harrogate bar to permanently keep covered outdoor area
District Bar in Harrogate is to keep its covered outdoor seating area constructed during covid.
The bar opened on Cold Bath Road in September 2019, just a few months before the town’s hospitality industry was turned on its head by covid.
Like many other bars and restaurants during the pandemic, District Bar was granted approval by the council to erect a semi-permanent metal structure on its patio to allow customers to sit outside.
Not only did the covered area allow customers to sit away from each other during covid restrictions, it also became a dry and warm space during the winter months and helped to block out noise from the bar onto the street.
Last week North Yorkshire Council approved a planning application to see the structure remain on the site for good.
The council has stipulated the area must close by 9pm when customers have to move inside.
How it previously looked
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Planning documents submitted by the owner of District Bar said:
Co-op submits plans for new store in Boroughbridge“Following a well received launch we were then, like the rest of the world, thrust into the unknown with covid and the challenges it brought.
“Like many other small local businesses, we struggled to exist and get through it. But we consider ourselves part of the local fabric and community, and to that end received tremendous support from local public.
“In 2020, since we couldn’t operate inside due to covid restrictions, we applied and received permission for a ‘semi-permanent’ structure to be erected on our patio connected to the bar.
“What we have found since its erection, is we disrupt our local community even less than we did before since noise is no longer an issue (prior we had people outside talking till 9pm) and as well as that an area where people still sceptical of covid and contagion can distance them selves from our main inside bar area.
“It has created a warm and cosy area for people to still keep safe distances.”
Plans have been submitted to open a Co-op in Boroughbridge.
The 359-square metre store would sell fresh, frozen and chilled products from 7am to 10pm seven days a week.
It would be built on the site of the former Searles Carpets showroom and Saab garage on Horsefair.
A design statement sent on behalf of the applicants to North Yorkshire Council, which will decide whether to approve the development, says:
“The site is located central to Boroughbridge and has stood vacant for several months and is in need to redevelopment.
“The proposal to create a modern format convenience food store is an opportunity enhance the local amenities together with job creation.
The document adds the “traditional looking” building would conform with the requirements of the Boroughbridge Conservation Area.
Another impression of the proposed store.
An accompanying planning statement says the store would have 13 car park spaces, including one disabled bay, and be accessed from Horsefair via a new access route.
It adds the store would be operated by Central Co-Operative, which “is independent from the Co-Operative Group, but are part of the wider co-operative movement”. Central Co-Operative currently trades from some 440 outlets in 19 counties.
The planning statement says the Spar shop on High Street is the only existing town centre supermarket / general store. It adds:
“Boroughbridge is therefore generally considered to be a vital and viable centre, although it clearly provides a relatively limited food retail offer
“It has been clearly demonstrated that the proposals will deliver a high quality form of development that respects the character and appearance of the local area.”
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Residents object to plans for new Knaresborough development
About 30 Knaresborough residents and the town council have objected to plans to build nine flats on the site of one of the town’s oldest houses and its garden.
Paul Franklin has submitted plans to demolish the property and build the homes on land off Stockwell Road.
Mr Franklin said the scheme would “provide local people a quality and sustainable place to live and enjoy Knaresborough”.
But some 30 objections have been made to the North Yorkshire Council, which will approve or reject the application. The decision will either be made by the council’s planning committee, which consists of elected councillors, or by an individual planning officer.
The objectors include Knaresborough Town Council, which said in its submission the development would be “overbearing and will overlook neighbouring properties particularly gardens affecting other residents privacy”, create parking problems and increase congestion.
It added trees were removed from the site during nesting season and the application was “not sufficiently different from the previous one” refused in 2007.
Its concluded:
“Knaresborough Town Council ask that the application is strongly rejected and that it should go to the North Yorkshire Council’s planning committee for consideration.”
A group of residents recently asked to meet the Stray Ferret at the site to voice their concerns.
Estelle Green, whose garden on St Margaret’s Road has traditionally overlooked trees, now faces the prospect of neighbours being able to see into her home. She said:
“Our community is devastated, we are all standing together.”
The green area where the flats would be built.
Ann Briscoe agreed, adding:
“We would lose our privacy and the scheme is completely out of keeping with the area.”
Tony Sandland said traffic problems and pollution were major concerns, along with fears that concreting over the garden would increase the risk of flooding.
The objections submitted on the council website include concerns about the scheme worsening “gridlock across the railway bridge” on Stockwell Road, the “inadequate” number of parking places in a residential area close to the town centre, a GP surgery and schools.
There is also concern about the loss of the current stone building, which one objector says is “steeped in history, farming, once a bakery and many years ago a sweetshop”.
Another objection says the size of the proposed three-storey development, overlooking two-storey properties, “is completely out of proportion and would lead not only to a loss of privacy but to a significant loss in natural light”.
There are fears the development will heighten parking difficulties on adjoining St Margaret’s Road.
‘Quality and sustainable places to live’
A design and access statement submitted as part of the planning process said the applicant has identified a need for housing in the specific area and “the proposals will have no detrimental effect to the surrounding properties”.
The Stray Ferret asked Mr Franklin to respond to concerns. He said:
“For over 12 months we have been in consultation with the council. Under the guidance of external consultees, we have carefully designed a scheme to provide local people a quality and sustainable place to live and enjoy Knaresborough.
“Comments have been received from local residents mainly covering historically-recurring issues which need to be raised with the relevant bodies – Yorkshire Water, highways authority etc.
“Knaresborough has a rich history, but the site is not a historical asset or listed building and is beyond economical repair despite significant investment during ownership.
“Our garden was cleared of nettles, perennial weeds and thistles and four disease-ridden / choked trees over the past two years. Felling of diseased trees was done outside of nesting season, and no Tree Protection Orders were in place.
“For further comment, please see the responses made to individual commentators that will be submitted to the council as part of the consultation.”
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RAF Menwith Hill submits fresh plans to expand
Plans have been submitted to construct new buildings and roads at US spy base RAF Menwith Hill.
Menwith Hill, which is on the outskirts of Harrogate, is one of the United States’ largest overseas surveillance bases.
Its 37 giant radomes, or ‘golf balls’, are a distinctive feature of the 500-acre site, where much of the secretive activity takes place underground.
A request for an environmental impact assessment screening opinion, which comes before a full planning application, has been submitted to North Yorkshire Council to put up new structures on the northern side of the base.
No new radomes are planned but the project would see the construction of an administration building and another building for technical equipment.
Planning documents say the works would also involve putting in generators, air-cooled chillers, transformers and power distribution modules.
Access roads, a refuelling bay, footpaths, a small car park and a secure perimeter fence surrounding the facilities would also be built.
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Several new radomes have been built at the site in recent years and in 2022 plans were approved to build a new visitor centre, vehicle canopy and changes to the road junction on Menwith Hill Road.
RAF Menwith Hill was built in the 1950s and leased to the US during the height of the Cold War but it has continued to be used to support American military operations abroad including during the war on terror.
The site is also used by UK intelligence agency GCHQ.
Leaked documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden identified Menwith Hill as providing the intelligence for a significant number of operations to “eliminate” targets in the Middle East.
Developers lodge fresh plan to convert Harrogate office block into flatsA developer has lodged fresh plans to convert Simpson House in Harrogate into flats.
Bramhope Property and Investments Limited has tabled the proposal to North Yorkshire Council to convert the the former office block off Clarence Drive into 12 flats.
Documents submitted to the council detail plans to create 12 two-bedroom apartments.
It would see the ground, first and second floors converted.
The move comes after two previous proposals to change the use of the office block to residential were refused in 2022.
Meanwhile, another application by Artium Group was withdrawn in July 2022 amid concern from Harrogate Borough Council officers over the impact on neighbouring trees.
However, in the latest proposal, developers have said the building is already surrounded by residential properties.
It said:
“The ground and first floors of the building have been vacant for several years and the second floor of the building has recently become vacant.
“The building is surrounded by existing residential properties which are previously converted office buildings surrounded by mature trees.”
North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.
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Harrogate district firm allowed to relocate building put up without planning permission
Councillors have approved the relocation of a pallet store at a business near Boroughbridge that was built without planning permission.
North Yorkshire Council‘s first Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee took place yesterday at the Civic Centre in Harrogate.
Councillors considered an application from Abacus, a manufacturer and distributor of bathroom products to companies including Villeroy and Boch and Wickes.
The firm employs 85 people and is based at Jubilee Court on the outskirts of Copgrove alongside 10 other businesses.
In 2019, Abacus won permission from Harrogate Borough Council to build an extension for a steel warehouse to support the growing business. However, the company ended up building a bigger structure than what was approved after it won two large commercial deals.
Due to the construction of the extension, a pallet store was relocated elsewhere on the site without planning permission.
Retrospective permission was sought for the extension and pallet store but was refused by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee in December.
Nigel Simms, the former Conservative councillor for Masham and Kirkby Malzeard, described the building as standing out like a “pimple on a pig’s backside” due to a lack of tree cover.
Read more:
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The council eventually retrospectively approved the larger extension last month but its decision did not take into account the pallet store.
Yesterday, Abacus proposed relocating the pallet store next to a warehouse and away from nearby fields. This satisfied councillors who voted unanimously in favour of the plans.
During the meeting, councillors also approved the building of more car parking spaces for Abacus.
The proposal included additional trees being planted that a council officer said in a report would “help screen and soften the most prominent views” of the business park following concerns from residents.
Alex Green, an agent speaking on behalf of Abacus, told councillors:
“The design will provide adequate screening. It’s obviously an improvement on the current arrangements.”