Former renowned racehorse training facility in Yorkshire earmarked for development once again

The Hurgill Stables plot, off Westfields in Richmond, has been submitted as part of North Yorkshire Council’s call for sites exercise in preparation for the next local plan, which will govern where development can take place in the county over the next 15 to 20 years.

Plans for new homes on the site, a former renowned racehorse training facility, were rejected by councillors in 2023.

Community opposition to the development had seen more than a thousand signatures on a petition.

A packed room erupted into cheers and applause as delighted residents shook hands and embraced each other when the application was thrown out.

Applicant Zetland Estates appealed against the decision, which would have seen 32 homes built on the fields, but this was also rejected.

Earlier this year, councillors also voted against plans for 27 houses at Bolton Crofts in Richmond, amid concerns about access and the impact on the landscape as the scheme could be seen from Richmond’s historic castle.

The application prompted objections from more than 300 people, with two petitions containing 328 signatures also filed with North Yorkshire Council.

Three parcels of land either side of Green Howards Road, near the site of the previously rejected housing scheme, have also been submitted to the authority for consideration for the local plan.

Richmond division councillor, Stuart Parsons, said there was concern locally that the sites had been proposed for inclusion in the plan.

But he added: “The call for sites simply invites landowners to indicate areas of their land for consideration as potential sites.

“It is not surprising that these two sites appear; however, given recent refusals and their planning history, they are unlikely to appear in the final plan.

“There has been some natural concern that they have appeared on the list, and the community just needs to keep a watching brief.

“If there are attempts to take them forward, then we need to react and respond accordingly.”

Other sites in the area submitted for consideration in the local plan include two large plots in nearby Skeeby.

Plans are currently being drawn up for 31 houses on parts of the submitted land.

The scheme would see a mix of barn conversions, new build properties, including affordable housing and the restoration of an existing farmhouse

Hundreds of sites where tens of thousands of new homes could be built over the next two decades have been put forward by landowners in North Yorkshire in total.

North Yorkshire Council has published maps showing the location of all the sites submitted so far for possible inclusion in its local plan.

A consultation exercise is expected to take place on the submitted sites later this year.

The authority has been given an annual housebuilding target of 4,077 houses from the Government, more than triple the previous figure.

Planners currently use local plans developed by the former district and borough councils before the launch of the unitary authority in 2023.