Village in uproar at homes project

The plans for the new development in Cloughton, near Scarborough, have rumbled on for more than two years and split opinion across the village's population of 600 mainly long-standing residents.

Last year the Duchy – which holds land, property and assets in the name of the Queen – sparked outrage when it published a glossy brochure detailing the plans to revive this "village in decline" and subtitled it "a story of community, consensus and change".

The Advertising Standards Authority later upheld seven complaints against the wording, prompting Paul Clarke, chief executive of the Duchy of Lancaster, to admit aspects of the brochure were a mistake.

Now following a tense public meeting last week attended by more than 100 residents, the Duchy – which has been present in Cloughton since 1267 – has announced it intends to submit the plans to Scarborough Borough Council for outline planning permission by December.

The chairman of the of Residents of Cloughton Association, Vic Rogers, 65, who represents around 150 members opposed to the plans, said: "It was a very well attended meeting and quite heated at times.

"This has been going on for a number of years and we have had a lot of meetings with the Duchy – 160 houses is just too much.

"These plans will take up every bit of green land that we have in the village that separates our cottages.

"It will change the shape and feeling of the village completely.

"The only thing they are giving us in this development that we do not have already is a shop – and this is a very high price to pay for that.

"It has been an extremely difficult time for all of us and has caused a lot of worry.

"The Duchy keeps saying the house prices on our cottages will go up when all this is finished but we are not sure."

The Duchy's proposals also include new community facilities with a village square, doctor's surgery, pre-school facilities, play area, public open spaces, shop, cafe, and post office all planned to be built.

Protesters claim the scale of the development will put a huge strain on Cloughton's infrastructure and will clog the A171 – the road the village is based along which already accommodates between 7,000 and 10,000 vehicles every day.

But supporters of the scheme, thought to be roughly 50 per cent of the village, claim it is vital to the future of Cloughton and have criticised its opponents for "nit-picking" and exaggerating concerns.

The chairman of Cloughton Parish Council, Paul Couch, says his members are in support of the proposals in principle, but will not commit until they have seen more detail.

He said: "I have lived here all my life and it is a very close-knit community with a lot of people that have been here more than 20 years.

"In my time this is the biggest thing that has happened to Cloughton."

If the plans are approved, it is expected to take 10 years to finish the scheme.

The Duchy's surveyor of lands who hosted the meeting, V said: "The Duchy has been present in Cloughton since the 13th century and owns a number of properties and a substantial amount of land in the village.

"It is therefore in our interest to ensure that Cloughton is a thriving and sustainable community for future generations.

"This is a bold and positive vision for the future and we very much hope that the local authority will get behind it and work with us to deliver a carefully planned, well designed and attractively built extension to the existing village.

"We realise that not everyone is as fully committed to the overall approach as we are, but we genuinely believe that we have a one-off opportunity to do something really exciting and special here."