Planning blueprint for borough approved despite calls to scrap large settlement

A PLANNING blueprint spanning the next 15 years for a North Yorkshire district has finally been adopted despite calls from campaigners for one huge settlement to be scrapped at the last minute.

The Local Plan for the Harrogate district was given a final stamp of approval from councillors, six years after it was first drawn up. The decision confirms Harrogate Borough Council’s backing for a 3,000-home settlement in the Green Hammerton, Kirk Hammerton and Cattal area which residents have fought against for the last three years.

However, all building sites included in the masterplan will need full planning permission before they can go ahead. And although many councillors raised concerns over proposals for their individual wards, they agreed it was “better to have a plan, than no plan at all”.

The leader of the Conservativedominated

council, Coun Richard Cooper, said: “I am proud that this council, whatever our differences on some of the sites, views housing as a way of solving our areas problems.

“I realise that no one wants any more housing near them. I also realise the illogicality of that statement – if no more housing is put anywhere near anyone then no housing will be built.”

The decision comes after the blueprint was last month concluded to be “sound” by a government planning inspector, Richard Schofield, who recommended the district’s housing targets to be reduced by 16 per cent and 24 site allocations removed.

It sets the housing need at 637 houses per year – or a total of 13,377 houses over the period of the plan which runs until 2035.

With a “heavy heart and no hope”, Conservative member Ann Myatt backed the campaigners’ calls for the recently revised Green Hammerton, Kirk Hammerton and Cattal settlement to be removed from the blueprint.

But the council voted against her amendment over fears any further delays would leave the district open to a “free for all” of uncontrolled developments.