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.
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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.
£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:
Taylor Wimpey submits plans for 390 homes in Ripon“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.”
Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey has submitted plans for 390 homes in Ripon.
Government housing agency Homes England commissioned the company to build the scheme off West Lane as part of an £89.5 million contract.
The proposal, which already has outline permission, would see a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom homes built on the site.
Most of the houses will be for market sale, but 156 properties will be designated as affordable housing.
Sarah Armstrong, land director for Taylor Wimpey North Yorkshire, 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.”
Read more:
- Homes England ‘frustrated’ by delays to 200-home scheme at Police Training Centre
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Should planning permission be approved, Taylor Wimpey expects work to start in spring this year.
Homes England intervened to buy the site after Barrett Homes pulled out of the scheme in July 2020.
Marie Kiddell, head of planning and enabling north at Homes England said:
‘We intervened to buy West Lane in Ripon to unlock this stalled housing site.
“We’ve since appointed Taylor Wimpey, as our preferred developer, to take on the mantle of providing quality new homes, including 40% affordable provision – that’s 156 affordable homes in an area where they are most needed.
“Submitting the reserved matters application marks another step forward in bringing these vital new homes one step closer to reality.”
Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.
Homes England has submitted final plans for 390 homes near Ripon after previous developers pulled out of the scheme.
The site on West Lane, Littlethorpe, was bought by the government’s housing agency back in February.
The proposal already has outline permission after a government planning inspector approved the development following an appeal in 2018.
Now, Homes England has submitted design and layout plans for the site, which include public open space.
It also includes plans for 159 of the homes to be designated as affordable housing.
The site would see a mixture of one, two, three and four bedroom homes built.
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In documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the developer said:
“The proposals create a high-quality, memorable and distinctive residential development that is well connected to its wider context.
“The safe and accessible development will create a broad-based community in an environment that supports health and well-being.”
The borough council will make a decision on the development at a later date.
History of West Lane site
In 2018, Harrogate Borough Council granted permission to Barratt Homes on appeal for the development.
It was previously rejected in 2017 for being a “substantial intrusion into the open countryside” and its impact on nearby Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey.
The site layout for the West Lane development, as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.
However, last summer Barratt Homes pulled out of the scheme.
The developer told The Stray Ferret that the decision was not related to the lockdown but in a year-end trading update, the company announced its revenue had fallen by 30% due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It means Homes England now has a major presence in the Harrogate district.
The developer already has plans submitted with the council for 200 homes at a former police training centre on Yew Tree Lane, Harrogate, and is working on a 1,300 home scheme at Ripon barracks.
Homes England also bought the 450-home Bluecoat Park site off Otley Road in Harrogate at the same time as it purchased the West Lane site.
It said the two developments had stalled for various reasons, including the “associated enabling costs” and that their planning permissions were due to lapse imminently.