Villagers objecting to estate plan say there is '˜no long-term thinking' by council planners

Loxley Homes has applied for permission to build at one of seven sites in Burton Leonard that had been earmarked for development in the borough’s Local Development Plan, which was scrapped in 2014.

But some of those objecting to the scheme say they are not able to fully weigh up the benefits of the proposal without knowing if other sites in the village could be developed too.

They also say the scheme, which was first proposed last year, does not have appropriate or safe access and is damaging to wildlife - something developers dispute. Objections have also been raised about the village’s capacity to cope with the new community, with pressure on the primary school and roads among concerns.

Developers are seeking full permission for 40 houses in the first phase, and outline permission for a further 37 homes. In total, 40 per cent of the new properties, which are a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses, will be affordable - something the developer said is in much demand.

Harrogate councillors voted to withdraw its local plan in 2014, after a Government inspector ruled its housing targets were inadequate. A new draft plan is due to be consulted on this October, with adoption due for 2018.

Burton Leonard resident Dan Unwin, who lives close to the site at Scarah Lane, said: “Nobody is saying they don’t want any development in the village, we just want a logical process where we can be consulted on all potential plots for development. Of the original seven sites identified, this appears to be one of the least suitable in the village. There seems to be no long-term thinking when planners are considering developments on a case-by-case basis.”

More than 100 objections to Loxley’s scheme have been logged with Harrogate Council, including from the Parish Council and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, which said the development would impact the nearby Burton Leonard Lime Quarries Site of Special Scientific Interest, which is accessible from the development site.

Warren Hill, group chairman of Prospect Property Group, which owns Loxley Homes, said the revised plans address the major concerns and he was confident that the plans would be approved later in the summer. He said many of the objections stemmed from residents who did not want affordable housing in the village.

He added: “Since the request for planning permission went in we have had 40 people show interest in a home already - there is real demand for quality housing in the area.”

Objector Janeen Finlay, who lives near the site, said villagers were keen to have affordable housing in the area to “readdress the social balance” of the village, “but they have to be in the right place.”

“Burton Leonard has a strong community and we simply want any development to be sympathetic to the village,” she said. “This scheme seems to be simply about profit.”

Harrogate Council’s cabinet member for planning, Coun Rebecca Burnett said the council had a duty to consider any application, and that it could not be delayed pending the completion of the district’s local plan.