House developers ‘jumping the gun’ over consultation

DEVELOPERS have been accused of jumping the gun by asking the public for views on a major housing development in a Yorkshire market town before a long-term planning blueprint has been finalised.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Jul 2012, 07:00 BST

Senior members of Harrogate Borough Council have been disappointed by the move to begin the public consultation before the authority has finalised a blueprint for thousands of new homes over the next 12 years.

The Harrogate-based firm, Commercial Estates Projects Limited, defended its move to hold the consultations for the Manse Farm site in Knaresborough, claiming it has already been in talks with the council for several years. It is understood the developers intend to submit an outline planning application this year.

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The council’s draft Local Plan has stated Knaresborough should have 700 new homes built by 2024, although exact locations have yet to be identified.

The council’s cabinet member for planning, Coun Alan Skidmore, said: “The council’s officers have urged the developer to hold off public consultation until it had at least the chance to decide on what the local plan should look like. I am truly concerned at the confusion this will cause and any major planning application before the decision in October is clearly premature. However, if the application is submitted then the council is required to determine the application well before either a Local or Neighbourhood Plan can be adopted.”

A draft strategy is due to be published in October and is then due to go before a public inquiry. The document is not expected to be adopted until 2014.

But Commercial Estates Projects’s development project manager, Steve McBurney, maintained the council had identified the Manse Farm site as a preferred option for development as early as 2007.

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He added: “There is a compelling and pressing need to deliver new housing now so it is crucial that we progress our plans without further delay, just as many other developers and landowners are in the borough. We are committed to localism and community engagement, and the decision to consult local people at the earliest possible opportunity is in line with local and national planning guidance, which we fully support.”

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Related topics:YorkshireHarrogate Borough CouncilLocal PlanHarrogateKnaresborough