Council to decide on Harrogate district development not developers
12
October 2009
Harrogate Borough Council's refusal of an application to build 222 homes on open greenfields at Penny Pot Lane on the edge of Harrogate has been upheld by the Secretary of State for Local Government and Communities, John Denham.
Hallam Land Management Ltd and Woodland Schools (Northern Division) appealed against the council's refusal of planning permission for this large-scale development which resulted in a five-day planning inquiry in June this year.
Mr Denham agreed with all the conclusions of the Government's Planning Inspector, Julia Gregory, and in supporting her decision to dismiss the developer's appeal, said:
"The scheme would unduly prejudice strategic decisions about the location of development within the district which ought properly to be made as part of the development plan process "
Councillor Don Mackenzie, Harrogate Council's Cabinet Member for Planning and Transport welcomed the news.
He said:
"This decision is a powerful endorsement of the council's recent work on the Local Development Framework and in particular of the district's Core Strategy.
Our Core Strategy, prepared with the support of the community over the last four years, provided the Secretary of State with very good reasons why this sort of unplanned development in open countryside is simply not acceptable."
The Secretary of State found that the district has demonstrated that there is sufficient housing being built on previously developed land, and that there was no need to release large scale housing on greenfield land.
"Our planning strategy has proved to be a robust defence against a developer trying to
'jump the gun' on the emerging Local Development Framework, added Cllr Mackenzie.
"This has been the first major test of our Core Strategy and the conclusions will be very helpful to the council and our planning officers in fending off other inappropriate proposals.
"We now look forward to working closely with residents and businesses, with service and infrastructure providers and with developers to ensure that any growth to the towns and villages of our district is properly planned, that it has the general support of the community, and that it is accompanied by infrastructure improvements".
ENDS
Further information:
Councillor Don Mackenzie, Cabinet Member for Planning and Transport is available for comment on n 01423 872211 or 07957 304109.
Further technical information is available from Mr Tim Richards, Head of Planning Services on 01423 556538.