Major new housing scheme rejected

East Riding Council’s planning committee yesterday voted to reject an application by Linden Homes to develop a site in open countryside on land north of Woodhall Way, Molescroft, which it said would contribute to the need for more housing in the area.

A report suggests 3,188 new homes will be needed in Beverley by 2028.

However, the plans were dismissed on several grounds, including its layout, impact on road safety, the level of affordable housing in the scheme, and concerns that it would be out of character with the area.

Molescroft Parish Council and more than 190 residents had objected to the scheme, with some claiming it would threaten Beverley’s identity as a small market town.

Others complained that light pollution from the development would “further erode the natural environment”, lead to a 500 per cent increase in traffic along Woodhall Way, and place an additional burden on local schools and health services.

Residents also voiced concerns that approval for the project would have a “domino effect” for similar developments on the northern perimeter of Beverley. Another developer, David Wilson Homes, plans to build 162 homes on land next to an ambulance station, to the north-west of the site.

A total of 141 properties would have been built in a range of sizes, from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses. A total of 32 of them, or nearly 23 per cent, would have been classed as “affordable” housing.

Councillors dismissed officers’ recommendation that the scheme be approved, with a report saying it was not thought that “any adverse impacts... would outweigh the benefits of a housing development in a sustainable location.”