Fears over privacy as developer to start on 103 homes

Skipton Properties Ltd was granted outline planning permission, on appeal, in last year following a public inquiry into a scheme at Elsey Croft, a greenfield site to the north of Moorview Way and east of Wensleydale Avenue, Skipton.

An application has now been submitted to Craven Council to allow permission relating to the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of the development.

Residents and parish councillors are raising objections to these details of the scheme.

Skipton Town Council has expressed concerns about the public rights of way proposed within the site.

The parish council says those rights of way are “inappropriate for the majority of likely users due to the size, routes, and inclines, and (we) are concerned as to whom will maintain these, along with open spaces.”

Parish councillors are worried about the proposed number of houses which will be served by unadopted roads and have “questioned the sustainability of the development”.

A total of 25 residents have also objected to the application, although some of comments are not valid because they have referred to issues been dealt with at the outline application stage.

The comments which are relevant include:

The proximity of new houses to existing properties in Moorview Way and privacy issues.

The location of affordable homes on the proposed development in “clusters”, rather than being spread around the site,

Whether the mix of housing types meets local needs.

Whether the site should be developed using natural stone rather than artificial materials.

A report from Craven planning officers, to be discussed tomorrow, says that old issues cannot be re-examined.

“Representations from the Town Council and local residents disagreeing with the findings of the (planning) inspector and the outcome of the recent inquiry cannot be given any weight in the consideration of this application.”

The report says the design of the estate and the density of houses are satisfactory.

It adds: “The relationship to the existing houses on Moorview Way achieve recognised separation distances and the spacing will not have an unreasonable impact on the level of amenities that neighbouring residents could expect to enjoy.”

The report concludes that the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of the houses “will safeguard the character and appearance of the area and will not lead to any material harm to the living conditions of neighbouring occupiers.”