Thank you for your interest in this story
To continue reading this article, sign up today to unlock exclusive content and be part of our community discussions
- Exclusive discounts
- Enjoy commenting on local issues
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
14
Jan 2023
Harrogate councillors to take some housing decisions under new council
Decisions over some housing developments are set to be handed to Harrogate councillors ahead of North Yorkshire Council coming into force.
The new authority will replace Harrogate Borough Council in April, which left questions over how decisions over planning would be made.
Now, the county council has outlined plans for six area committees which will consider planning applications at a local level.
Under proposals for its new constitution, the Harrogate and Knaresborough committee would oversee housing decisions in the constituency area.
Meanwhile, Ripon and Skipton committee would oversee planning in the Ripon area.
However, councillors in those area will only consider applications under 500 homes. Anything above that threshold will be considered by the strategic planning committee in Northallerton.
Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said it was important that local councillors make decisions in their local areas.
He said:
Read more:
- New housing plan to be created for Harrogate district
- New Harrogate district housing plan should not be ‘tickbox exercise’, says councillor
The move comes as Cllr Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough area committee, said previously that not handing powers to such committees would “erode accountability".
In Harrogate, decisions are still expected on a bottling plant at Harrogate Spring Water and a 3,000 home town between Knaresborough and Cattall called Maltkiln.
Senior county councillors will consider the powers as part of a draft constitution for North Yorkshire Council at a meeting on January 17.
0