Developer fails to submit plans for 214 homes in Boroughbridge before deadline

Planners have refused to grant permission for a development in Boroughbridge to go ahead because the applicant has failed to provide sufficient information.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes were criticised by Harrogate Borough Council for not submitting the required documents for the southern half of the Stump Cross development, despite repeated requests.

Planning officer Kate Broadbank told the planning committee yesterday:

“Without information relating to scale, design and appearance of houses, which would be affordable and where the open spaces and landscaping would be, it’s not possible to assess the relationship between the buildings, routes and open spaces to confirm whether this layout would be acceptable.”

The site, which is east of the A168 and is included in the local plan, already has outline planning permission for 450 homes granted in 2019.

A condition of that outline permission was that full details would be submitted for approval within three years, which would have been last April.

Ms Broadbank added:

“We have had no applications for the remaining reserved matters and the applicant is out of time for the submission of these, therefore the outline permission can no longer be taken forward.”

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Details of the first phase of development on the northern half of the site have already been submitted and were approved last February, with 256 homes included.

If the second phase were to be approved with the proposed 214 homes, it would bring the total to 470.

Speaking at yesterday’s committee meeting, Conservative Cllr Robert Windass said the council had worked with the developer on the first half of the site. He added:

“I’m totally and utterly surprised that they haven’t engaged with us as they did last time, because we came to a very amicable conclusion on that one, but this beggars belief.”

Ms Broadbank agreed, saying:

“They have had plenty of opportunity to engage with us and to discuss everything with us that we’ve asked for.

“We have had various meetings and they’ve kept saying, ‘it will be coming, it will be coming’, but it’s got to the point where enough is enough.”

Plans for 256 homes in Boroughbridge approved at second attempt

Final plans for a major housing development in Boroughbridge have been approved at a second attempt after being refused over concerns that the homes had been “crammed in” together.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes has had outline approval for the Stump Cross site since 2017 but was refused final permission for 260 homes last year when the proposals were described as looking “like a sink development from Lancashire”.

The comments were made by Conservative Cllr Nigel Simms who said the scheme was “not something that we should be having in North Yorkshire”.

He later apologised for his remarks after negative media coverage across the county’s border.

Speaking at a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee on Thursday, Cllr Simms, who represents Masham and Kirkby Malzeard, said he was now happy with the latest plans but questioned the number of homes for the site which is part of a larger 450-home development

He said: 

“I’m perfectly satisfied with what we have been asked for today – I have no problem with it whatsoever.

“But the overall outline consent is for 450 dwellings and when you add the two sites together it is now at 470.

“It’s not an argument for today, but I would like that sorted before the other plans come to this committee.”

Barratt and David Wilson Homes had lodged an appeal against the council after its previous plans were refused last year, but an agent for the developers said this would now be withdrawn.

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Liam Tate, planning manager at the company, also said several changes had been made to the latest plans including a slight reduction in the number of homes from 260 to 256 and less terraced properties in the centre of the site.

Speaking at Thursday’s meeting, he said: 

“This application follows a previous proposal presented to this committee in June last year.

“Since then we have held meetings with officers and also taken the opportunity to meet with members of this committee.

“These meetings were extremely helpful and gave us a better understanding of the concerns expressed last time round.

“A series of changes have been made across the site, most notably in the central section of the layout where large areas of terraced properties have been replaced with more traditional detached and semi-detached properties.

“The number of dwellings has been reduced… and further highway internal improvements have also been made.”

The plans include a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom properties, with access from Chapel Hill.

Approval was granted with a unanimous vote from councillors.

Developer appeals Boroughbridge 260 homes refusal

Developers have lodged an appeal over a council decision to refuse 260 homes in Boroughbridge.

Barrat and David Wilson Homes already has outline approval as part of the first phase of a larger 450-home development at Stump Cross.

However, councillors rejected the scheme back in June over concerns that it “crammed as many houses in as possible” into an area.

One councillor, Cllr Nigel Simms, a Conservative who represents Masham and Kirkby Malzeard, described it as “like a sink development from Lancashire, not something that we should be having in North Yorkshire”.

Cllr Simms later apologised for any offence caused by his comment.

Now, developers have submitted an appeal over the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.

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This proposal forms part of the first phase of housing at the Boroughbridge site.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes already have outline approval to build on the site and are seeking final permission. 

In documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the developers said:

“The development will respect Boroughbridge’s local character but also move the area towards a more sustainable future, through a significant increase in housing choice and mixed-use approach.”

A government planning inspector will make a decision on the appeal at a later date.