Residents have been “effectively kept out of the loop” on plans to build 4,000 homes in west Harrogate, a meeting heard this week.

About 10,000 people are expected to move into new homes being built on a patchwork of sites stretching from RHS Harlow Carr to Yew Tree Lane. 

Some have already been completed but construction has yet to begin on about 2,000 homes.

Frustration at how the process has been handled was expressed at Wednesday’s spring meeting of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association. 

Hapara secretary David Siddans said it had “always acknowledged the need for housing” but added “this must be supported by the right infrastructure” and he said residents’ concerns had not been addressed. He added:

“Four thousand homes on the west side of Harrogate were agreed four years ago and still we have no clear idea on the transport implications.

“We have found the whole process opaque, high handed and illogical.”

The ‘western arc’ of development areas in Harrogate. Image: HAPARA.

Mr Siddans said it was illogical in the sense that the planning process had been “turned on its head” because mitigation measures were being suggested before assessments and strategies had been carried out on key issues such as transport and healthcare.

He said:

“It’s rather like a doctor presenting a cure and some time later trying to find out what’s wrong with you.

“The whole process is led by developers who assess the impact they create and the remedies for them. Their focus, understandably, is on the bottom line. Therefore we look to the council to make their own assessments or at least to scrutinise.”

Mr Siddans added:

“I understand councils have limited resources but they should be doing this on behalf of the community.

“Yet we feel we have been effectively kept out of the loop because we are told it is ‘too complex’. All we get is a brief window to comment on the planning applications when they are published — that is the first time we get to see the impact.

“Maybe everything will be fine but the public deserves more openness.”

Hapara chair Rene Dziabas told the meeting, which was attended by North Yorkshire Council highways officials, 2,000 homes were due to built simultaneously on three sites. He added:

“It’s unbelievable. We have never seen anything like this before — to have work on 2,000 homes going on in one go is unreal.

Yew Tree Lane and Whinney Lane updates

The meeting also heard updates on other key issues in the area.

Mr Dziabas said phase three of the Otley Road cyclepath will go ahead, as reported by the Stray Ferret.

Regarding the former police training centre on Yew Tree Lane, where 200 homes are due to be built, Mr Dziabas said Hapara wanted to see a construction management plan adhered to.

He said the plan should include issues such as onsite parking to prevent lorries parking on Yew Tree Lane, conditions on noise and light pollution, proper onsite washing facilities for lorries “so they are not chucking up muck everywhere” and lorries avoiding local roads at school drop off times.

Final planning approval was granted in January, but Mr Dziabas said developer Vistry Group was still in the process of acquiring the old police training centre site.

Mr Dziabas said Hapara wanted to see the public right of way reinstated on Whinney Lane, but some lorries by developer Stonebridge were still using it.

Council officers at the meeting said Pannal Ash Road would be resurfaced and traffic calming measures would be installed, hopefully at the same time. 

Harrogate Borough Council has insisted its housing company is performing well despite it not paying any dividends this year.

Bracewell Homes launched two years ago with the aims of turning the council a profit and intervening in Harrogate’s pricey property market to deliver much-needed rental and shared ownership homes at affordable prices.

Its developments are Horsa Way, Dishforth and The Willows on Whinney Lane in Harrogate.

It was set up with the backing of a £10 million loan from taxpayers and the council had budgeted to receive £267,000 in dividends this financial year.

However, the council has now said it won’t receive any of this money in a revelation which sparked questions over whether Bracewell Homes is underperforming.

Speaking at a meeting on Monday, Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, questioned if the dividend shortfall was being addressed as she said the company should be a benefit to the council and not a “drain” on its finances.

‘Extremely profitable’

But Paul Foster, head of finance at the council, responded to say the company was still “extremely profitable” and that it had continued to sell properties, although at a smaller percentage of shares than expected.

He said: 

“The company isn’t able to pay a dividend this year and the reason for that is a proportion of the shared home properties it has sold have been at shares of 25% and 30%.

“It would need to have sold shares of up to 50% for them to have enough cash to provide a dividend.

“In December, four or five properties were sold at a lower share than the company was forecasting and as a result there is less cash in the company.

“The company is not underperforming in particular. It is just not selling the larger shares which make it more cash rich.”

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According to documents filed with Companies House, Bracewell Homes had £459,565 in the bank as of March 2021.

Mr Foster also told Monday’s meeting that the council does not only benefit from the company through dividends, but also through cash coming from other areas.

He said: 

“There are three elements that the council benefits from Bracewell Homes – there is a recharge of staff salaries, interest charges on the loan that the council made to the company, and a payment of a dividend if the company is able to.

“The first two continue and we are still making money out of the company in that regard.”

40 properties by 2024

Since it was set up Bracewell Homes has so far acquired 26 homes and sold 22, which means it is on target to meet its initial aim of delivering 40 properties by 2024.

But with house prices continuing to soar and around 1,700 households on the council’s housing waiting list, there have been calls for the company to set much higher ambitions.

Cllr Marsh previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the company should be aiming to deliver “hundreds” of homes to ensure low-income earners can afford to live in Harrogate where average house prices paid rose to £395,526 in 2021.

Cllr Marsh previously said: 

“Forty homes in three years will barely make a dent in the need for the 1,700 on the waiting list, some living in very difficult circumstances.

“We need Bracewell homes to set targets to achieve hundreds of houses per year otherwise this crisis will never come to an end.”

The landlord of the Squinting Cat pub in Harrogate has spoken out against the controversial road closure of Whinney Lane — which could now last until June 30.

The road was initially closed in July 2020 due to the construction of access points for two new housing developments as well as a new roundabout.

North Yorkshire County Council had told residents the road would be back open by February 28 this year. However, this was put back until April with the county council blaming snow for the delay.

NYCC now says the works will not be completed until June 30. A spokesperson did not give a reason for the delay.

Andy Harrison, landlord of the Squinting Cat which is on Whinney Lane, said he had not been informed of the road closure being extended until being told about it by the Stray Ferret.

He called the nearly 12-month long closure “just ridiculous” and said it will have an impact on the pub’s trade.

He said:

“You can’t budge them and they do what they want. I’ve given up.

“It will affect us massively but nobody cares.”

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After being asked when Whinney Lane will reopen, a North Yorkshire County Council spokesperson said:

“Whinney Lane is currently closed due to the construction of two site accesses and a new roundabout for developments of new housing estates by Stonebridge Homes (130 dwellings), Mulgrave Properties (40 dwellings).

“These works are due to be completed by June 27. In addition, Yorkshire Water is doing works at the other end of Whinney Lane and are due to be completed June 30.”

A spokesperson for Mulgrave Properties said its works within the highway was completed “some time ago.”

The Stray Ferret also contacted Stonebridge Homes for a response but we did not receive one by the time of publication.

Residents on Harlow Hill in Harrogate face another 12 weeks of roadworks as water supplies are connected to new housing developments on Whinney Lane.

Yorkshire Water began the work last week and, on Monday, wrote to residents telling them the rolling project will last into May.

Beginning from Otley Road, crews will install new pipes along roads through to Whinney Lane, expecting to complete the project around May 7.

Work on Whinney Lane itself is set to last for nine weeks from March 1. It follows news that the existing seven-month closure, being carried out as part of construction work for homes at Castle Hill Farm, will likely over-run beyond its predicted February 28 end because of recent bad weather.

David Siddans, of Harrogate and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association (HAPARA), said:

“A major concern is that extremely short notice of this work was given to residents with a letter received a day or so after work began in the Pannal Ash roundabout area.

“The residents of Whinney Lane in particular have had to suffer ongoing disruption and roadworks since the Mulgrave development of 40 houses began over a year ago.”

The Yorkshire Water work is set to be completed in phases. Harlow Crescent, Beckwith Avenue, Beckwith Walk, Beckwith Crescent and Beckwith Road will all be affected for between two and four weeks, in short stretches along each road.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:

“The work taking place from Otley Road to Whinney Lane is essential to support new housing developments in the area and also to increase resilience on our clean water network during periods of peak demand.

“We know that road closures can be inconvenient and our teams may occasionally need to work during evenings and weekends – but we’ll do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum and complete the work as quickly as possible.

“In order to carry out this work safely, we’ll need to close short sections of road whilst we’re working in the highway. These closures will move as our work progresses and access will be available for residents either side of our works – however, there’ll be no vehicular access through the working area.”

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With a second construction site by Stonebridge already in progress and around 700 more homes and business premises set to be built on a neighbouring site under the local plan, along with more homes already constructed along nearby Otley Road, Mr Siddans said HAPARA was “extremely concerned” about the inevitable further disruption.

“We are well aware of the huge infrastructure implications of this planned massive urban expansion which involves not only utilities services but also, critically, transport infrastructure.

“HAPARA is part of the Western Arc Coordination Group which is lobbying the county and district councils for a comprehensive set of measures to accompany housing developments.”

The seven-month closure of Whinney Lane in Pannal Ash is likely to be extended, with the county council blaming the recent spell of cold weather.

North Yorkshire County Council closed the road in July 2020 due to the construction of two site access points for the Castle Hill Farm housing development as well as a new roundabout.

Local residents had hoped the road would be back open by February 28 — but Mike Newall, who lives in Whinney Lane, said he has been told by site foreman that the road could now be closed until Easter “at the earliest” due to problems bringing in materials.

He added:

“We understand that the planned works are now running late by some months. At this rate, the road will be shut for over a year!”

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A spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council confirmed a delay is likely and said residents will soon be informed of exact timescales:

“Works were due to be completed and Whinney Lane re-opened on February 28 2021, but the works programme has been delayed by the severe weather over the last few weeks.

“The developer is progressing to bring the site up to formation level and digging out and installing gullies and assures us they are doing everything possible to carry out the work as quickly as possible.

“However, it is possible the closure will be extended due to the delays caused by the weather. Residents will be informed by letter and email if the closure is to be extended and what the timescale will be.”

An unpopular closure

The extended closure of Whinney Lane has been unpopular with residents and businesses in Pannal Ash. The landlord of local pub the Squinting Cat told the Stray Ferret last summer that it could even put the pub out of business due to it being more difficult for customers to drive there.

To improve access for walkers, a temporary footpath was created through a nearby field. However it faced criticism from residents who said the lights were “as bright as Leeds Bradford Airport runway”.

The developer building 130 homes at Castle Hill Farm in Pannal Ash has pledged to stick to agreements with the council following complaints from residents.

Several residents have contacted the Stray Ferret recently to raise various concerns about the Stonebridge Homes development on Whinney Lane.

These include builders starting work early in the morning, temporary floodlights being as bright “as an airport runway”, and the road closure potentially putting the Squinting Cat pub out of business.

Whinney Lane closed to traffic in July and is not scheduled to re-open until February 28.

At a full council meeting last month, Conservative councillor for the Harrogate Pannal ward, John Mann, raised the prospect of enforcement action against Stonebridge unless it agreed to certain conditions.

In an email to residents, Cllr Mann said Stonebridge’s site manager had told him the company had an “aspiration” to bring forward the reopening of Whinney Lane to February “but it depends on the weather and progress as its a complex work programme”.

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The entrance to the Castle Hill Farm development on Whinney Lane.

Cllr Mann’s email also says Stonebridge had agreed to reduce the intensity of the four floodlights, abide by the 8am start time, deploy road sweepers three times a week to clear mud and issue a newsletter to residents updating them of progress.

The Squinting Cat pub requested Stonebridge install the lights to make it safer for people walking to-and-from the pub at night.

A spokesperson from Stonebridge Homes said:

“We can confirm that we have agreements in place with Harrogate Borough Council that our team continue to adhere to.

“We are working to reopen Whinney Lane as soon as possible and apologise for any inconvenience this is causing to local residents.”

Local resident Bruce Allison praised Cllr Mann for contacting Stonebridge but said he remained “sceptical” about whether any commitments would be adhered to.

Harrogate Borough Council could take enforcement action against Stonebridge Homes’ 130-home Castle Hill Farm development on Whinney Lane in Pannal Ash, after complaints from residents.

At a full council meeting on Wednesday, Conservative councillor John Mann, who represents the Pannal ward, said several residents had contacted him with concerns about issues such as early morning working, mud on roads, parking on pavements and construction traffic.

Cllr Mann asked HBC’s cabinet member for planning, Cllr Rebecca Burnett, if any enforcement measures could be taken against Stonebridge Homes to reduce disruption.

Cllr Burnett said HBC’s compliance officer was speaking to the developer about the issues and added:

“If it’s persistent, the council’s team can take stronger enforcement action.

“Our compliance officer is raising these issues with the relevant people and trying to deal with them. There’s a lot going on at the site that’s upset residents.”

The Stray Ferret asked Stonebridge Homes to comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

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Whinney Lane is closed until February due to the construction of two site access points for the Castle Hill Farm housing development, as well as a new roundabout.

The lengthy closure has proved controversial: the manager of the Squinting Cat pub told the Stray Ferret it “could kill” his business.

Cllr Burnett said she sympathised with the residents’ concerns.

She added:

“We know it’s difficult for anyone living next to a building site and we hope as a council we are doing all we can to support the residents.”

Residents on Whinney Lane have said lights used to brighten a temporary footpath at night are so intense they are like “a Leeds Bradford airport runway”.

Whinney Lane in Pannal Ash is closed to traffic until February 28 while work on the 130-home Castle Hill Farm housing development is carried out.

A temporary footpath has been created through a field that bypasses most of Whinney Lane.

The Squinting Cat pub requested developer Stonebridge Homes installed lights on the footpath to make it safer for people walking to-and-from the pub at night.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said the lights have been in operation since Monday. He praised Stonebridge for installing them but said the brightness was “totally over the top”.

He said the lights were good for safety but added:

“It’s lit the footpath up but it’s also lit our bedroom up. I’ve had enough of it.”

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Another resident Mike Newall, who is a former pilot, said the lights reminded him of his flying days. He welcomed them being installed but described the brightness as “overkill”.

North Yorkshire County Council said it had not received any complaints from residents about the lights.

The Stray Ferret contacted Stonebridge about the brightness but had not received a response at the time of publication.