Homes scheme set for go-ahead despite objections

The site of the proposed development on Whinney Lane is marked in red

A 224-home development in Harrogate, including 90 affordable houses and a primary school, has been recommended for approval by council officers.

Plans by Banks Property to develop the site on Whinney Lane were originally submitted in 2020, but objections to the proposals had since been received from parish councils, other councillors and a residents' association.

However, a report to be considered by North Yorkshire Council's strategic planning committee said the development would be a “valuable contribution” to meeting Harrogate's housing needs.

The committee is due to meet next week to have the final say on the plans.

The site is the first of two applications for the area, which could eventually see more than 700 homes built on the former farmland.

Whinney Lane in Harrogate could eventually see more than 700 homes built

Objections to the proposed development, adjacent to Lady Lane and close to the Squinting Cat pub, have cited a lack of investment in infrastructure such as roads in the surrounding area.

Over the last few years, 130 homes have already been built on Whinney Lane and access to the site would be from a recently constructed roundabout.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Pannal councillor John Mann objected to the Whinney Lane proposals and said planning permission should not be granted due to the impact on the narrow roads in the area.

He said: “Many of the residents are concerned about the cumulative effect of the several large housing allocations on the ability of the west of Harrogate transport network to cope with the increase in vehicle usage, which will be a consequence of the 4,000 houses that will ultimately be built in the west of Harrogate.”

The site of the proposed development is located within the Crimple Valley Special Landscape Area, which was created to enhance the appearance of the urban edge of Pannal.

Planning documents submitted by the developer said the scheme would create an “integrated community with a sensitive relationship to the existing settlement edge of Harrogate and countryside setting.”

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.