Row over 'warehouse' homes development in idyllic village

The views of the centuries-old thatched cottages of Thornton Dale, near Pickering, are famous the world over on postcards and chocolate box lids.

When consent was granted to build eight homes at Castle Close on a hill in one of the most eye-catching parts of the village, the house-building was supposed to follow a rustic design.

But North York Moors National Park planners say that when the scaffolding came down the properties were not quite what they had in mind.

Parish council chairman Geoff Acomb claimed visitors to the town, famous for its ice cream and creamed teas, had been confronted by "a warehouse type development".

He said: "We are not saying we should not have any new housing in the village – and we know we can't make them all thatched cottages.

"But it should be in keeping with the village and this is not. It is on the side of the village that visitors see most of and it is out of character with the village and everything else around."

He described the appearance of the properties as "alien" and "over-powering" because changes to the foundations had raised the height of both properties and the adjoining garages.

"They have gone away from the original plans and destroyed the original concept and people have been complaining bitterly about it for a long time," he added.

The developers had sought retrospective consent for the changes which the park authority refused. The builders appealed against the decision but the appeal has also now been turned down.

National park members have now agreed to serve an enforcement notice – giving Scarborough based business couple Malcolm and Frances Backhouse six months to put the houses back how they were supposed to look.

Chief planning officer Val Dilcock said this would involve a significant amount of rebuilding to the upper floors to deal with issues relating to roof heights and details of windows and garages.

She added: "What was approved was a scheme that was supposed to look like a group of farm houses, plus outbuildings, Because of the scale it had lost that organic feel and become much bigger.

"We had very strong objections from local people and our members feel this development is totally unacceptable on this prominent site on a hillside. We would not be taking action unless we felt strongly about it."

She added that the developers were given advice during the construction. But many of the changes "only became apparent when they took the scaffolding down".

North Yorkshire County Coun Ron Haigh said: "I don't think they're an eyesore. But there were 37 alterations. It was quite staggering.

"Clearly they have been the architects of their own demise. If you look at the list of the items the enforcement officers came up with it was quite amazing."

But Coun Acomb said questions were being asked about why the planners did not spot things were going wrong much earlier.

"It must have been obvious – because it was quite obvious to a layman – that things were not as originally agreed," he added.

Planning consent for the four detached dwellings and two pairs of semi-detached dwellings, all of them four bedroomed, was granted in June 2006.

During construction it became apparent that there were some departures from the approved plans and the builder and agent were advised to stop work and to submit an amended application, a report to the national park says.

"The application was not submitted until work on the properties was almost finished by which time the removal of scaffolding had revealed the extent of the departures from the approved plans which were significant," the report added.

The planning inspector's decision also highlighted other concerns – in particular the changes to Lilac Cottage, including an extra dormer on the front and omission of the front door.

Mr Backhouse said he did not want to comment at this stage.

Demand rises for rental properties

Demand for rented homes is outstripping the supply of properties available to let following a rise in reluctant tenants, research claims.

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (Arla) said the number of homes available to let was falling, while demand for rented accommodation was rising as people struggled to find properties to buy or mortgages they qualified for.

Around 41 per cent of letting agents said there were more potential tenants than properties during the final quarter of 2009, up from 24 per cent during the three months to the end of September.