A housing developer has apologised after debris from its site near Harrogate entered a nearby waterway.

Polystyrene and plastic from the 72-home Yorkshire Housing site at Spofforth was floating in the River Crimple in the village over the weekend.

Yorkshire Housing was granted permission to build the homes at Massey Fold in October 2021 after a long-running campaign by some villagers against the development.

Litter strewn across the river and the nearby area. Pic: @spofforthmark

The organisation, which owns and manages about 20,000 homes, said in a statement:

“On Friday, some insulation blew open in the high winds and broke up. The contractor notified the Environment Agency straight away to let them know what had happened.

“Because of the stormy weather over the weekend it wasn’t safe to retrieve and clear-up the debris until this morning. We’re working quickly to do this.

“Windy weather isn’t an excuse and this shouldn’t have happened. We’ve discussed this with the contractor who will ensure any loose materials are secure to prevent this happening again.”

Signs on site say the development, known as Bridgewell, will consist of two, three and four-bedroom homes built in partnership with construction company the Jack Lunn Group and the non-departmental housing agency Homes England.

Villager Mark Lee raised concerns about the incident on social media.

Devastating pollution in Spofforth today, waste and debris from the new development by @JackLunnGroup @HomesEngland @yhousing @EdwardArch the river Crimple is actually blocked by your mismanagement and carelessness! @ClimateDesk @thestrayferret @Harrogate_News @UnderwaterMedia pic.twitter.com/IiszgX96hV

— mark lee (@spofforthmark) February 19, 2023

Conservationist Keith Wilkinson, who is chairman of Nidd Gorge Advisory Partnership and honorary secretary of Bilton Conservation Group, said the incident reinforced the need to look holistically at problems associated with Harrogate’s three rivers — the Nidd, Crimple and Oak Beck.

Mr Wilkinson said contamination from the Nidd tributaries inevitably impacted on the Nidd itself and therefore it would be better to adopt a more strategic view to managing water quality.

Read more:

• New Harrogate homes could trigger more pollution, warns conservationist
• Harrogate’s Rachel Daly scores twice as England beat Italy

A plan to build 72 homes in Spofforth has been given final backing by councillors.

Yorkshire Housing Ltd plans to build the housing development on land at Massey Fold in the village.

A government planning inspector approved the homes in October 2021 following an appeal by the developer against Harrogate Borough Council’s refusal.

The developer already had outline permission to build on the site, but councillors turned down an application for appearance and landscaping in November 2020.

A reserved matters application, which includes access to the site, was backed by the authority’s planning committee today.

Cllr Robert Windass, who sits on the committee, said councillors had no choice but to approve the plan.

He said:

“We rejected this at committee and we felt strongly that it would not go ahead.

“The Planning Inspectorate has had a different decision. They [the developer] have now got planning permission. Our hands are tied.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Pat Marsh said:

“In some respects our hands are tied.

“This went to appeal and it was given permission. This is sort of a final legal tie up.

“I am sorry to think that this is going to go ahead. It is something that this committee strongly opposed every time it came here. That is why it went to appeal.”

Inspector backs Spofforth homes

Siobhan Watson, a government planning inspector, gave the go-ahead for the proposal in October after she said she found the design and proposed housing “to be acceptable”.

She also awarded costs against the council after finding that the authority “behaved unreasonably” and that its reasons for refusal were “vague and illogical”.

The decision followed concerns from local residents over the design and that the housing would not be in keeping with the village.

At the time, more than 300 local people and organisations, including Natural England and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, raised concerns about the scheme.

Shirley Fawcett, chairman of Spofforth with Stockeld Parish Council, wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson appealing for help in challenging the development.

Spofforth villagers are “over the moon” that an application to build 72 homes in the historic village was refused yesterday — but there is uncertainty over what happens next. The proposed development has been the subject of fierce opposition.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee rejected the proposal yesterday at a meeting that dealt with the appearance and landscaping of the scheme even though a council report recommended approval.

Houses will be built on the site in some form as outline permission for the development was granted to Vistry Partnerships and Yorkshire Housing in March 2019.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret today, Spofforth parish councillor Chris Heslop said the decision was the “best possible outcome” for the village.

He urged the developers to work with residents on a scheme that better addressed housing density, appearance and flooding.

“All we hope as Spofforth Parish Council is we now get some involvement in the application that comes forward. That site has outline planning so they won’t just walk away from it.

“It was refused so we were absolutely over the moon about it. That was the best possible outcome. For once it looks like sense has prevailed.”

If the applicants appeal it raises the spectre of a costly legal battle for Harrogate Borough Council, but Cllr Heslop believes there would be grounds to fight it.

At yesterday’s planning committee, Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh referred to the government’s National Planning Policy Framework, which says, “permission should be refused for development of poor design that fails to take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an area and the way it functions”.

Read more:

• Spofforth: a broken planning system that’s failed a village

• Controversial 72-home Spofforth development refused

If Vistry Partnerships and Yorkshire Housing do go develop a new plan for the site, people in Spofforth hope they will be able to have more of a say.

Cllr Heslop added:

“This plan was put on us and the wants needs and requirements of the village weren’t thought of at all. I would hope with this, [the developers] would have learned they need to work with the village not railroad over it. We won’t give in to another poor application.”

Andy Gamble, director of development at Yorkshire Housing, told the Stray Ferret it was considering its options.

“We are disappointed with the decision to refuse our application and await further details from the council, after which we will consider our options.

“Yorkshire Housing is passionate about creating new communities and delivering quality affordable homes that will help address the housing crisis and provide homes in Yorkshire.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said:

“Decisions made at planning committee are determined by councillors based on officers’ reports and information held on the application file. Officers do make a recommendation but it is entirely up to the committee how they vote on applications.

“In regards to an appeal, we would not comment on something that hasn’t even happened.”