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05
Aug 2021
Persimmon Homes 'assessing options' after 217 homes in Harrogate refused
Persimmon Homes has said it is considering its options after being refused a controversial 217-home development in Harrogate.
The developer had lodged plans for the new homes on land off Kingsley Drive.
However, councillors rejected the plan on Tuesday after Harrogate Borough Council officials said the development was “not considered acceptable”.
The land is earmarked for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines planned development in the district until 2035.
The Stray Ferret asked the developer what it intended to do with the proposal following the rejection.
A spokesperson for Persimmon Homes Yorkshire said the business was currently assessing all options but that it was too early to confirm anything yet.
Residents on Kingsley Drive said that they will keep an eye on the proposal after another developer, Richborough Estates, successfully appealed a decision to refuse 149-homes on nearby Kingsley Road in March.
Requests for delay
At the meeting on Tuesday, Paul Butler, agent for the developer, requested that councillors defer the application so that the council and Persimmon could work on the design and layout of the scheme.
Mr Butler said:
However, council officers said the scheme had gone through “a number of versions” and it was still not acceptable.
Read more:
- First Lidl supermarket in Harrogate given go-ahead
- Council rejects controversial plan for 217 homes on Kingsley Drive
- Kingsley Drive residents to ‘remain vigilant’ despite 217-home rejection
Concern was also raised that the development would result in more homes on the site than allocated in the Local Plan, if it had been approved.
Nigel Middlemass, the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Kingsley, told the committee that the development had not been thought through.
Councillors voted to unanimously refuse the application.
Residents remain vigilant
The Kingsley ward area will eventually see more than 600 homes built, including developments at Granby Farm and 149 homes on Kingsley Road.
The number of developments has raised concern among residents that the area is overdeveloped and that the road infrastructure cannot cope with construction traffic.
However, following the refusal of Persimmon’s plan, locals said it was a “good result” for the Kingsley ward.
But, John Hansard, who lives in the area, told the Stray Ferret that residents would “remain vigilant” in case the proposal returns.
He said:
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