Developer appeals for council to await judge’s ruling on village plan

THE DEVELOPER behind plans for a new village to be built at a former Harrogate golf course have demanded that decisions are delayed until after a judicial review.

Harrogate Borough Council has set out its intentions for a huge housing settlement of 2,750 homes to be built at a preferred site of Green Hammerton ahead of Flaxby Golf Course in its Local Plan.

Now, as proposals for the former golf course are to go before planners in coming days with a recommendation for refusal, Flaxby Park Ltd calls for a pause as it readies to challenge the authority in the High Court.

Chris Musgrave, chief executive of developer Flaxby Park Ltd, said in a statement that the judicial review should come first and added that he had not been informed that a decision would be taken on Tuesday – something the council said was caused by a “technical error”.

A council spokesman said while the planning meeting could be pushed back a week to allow for the error, it would not allow any further delays.

“I urge the planning committee to follow the right course of action and defer a decision on the application until the judicial review has been concluded,” said Mr Musgrave.

Harrogate Council’s cabinet will meet next week to approve a public consultation on its preferred site in the Green Hammerton and Kirk Hammerton area.

The judicial review from October 27, will see a judge decide if the council’s decision to leave Flaxby Park out of its Local Plan was lawful. Mr Musgrave claimed the council’s decision was based on “flawed information of a scant, conflicting and contradictory nature”.