Residents of an isolated and historic village who have lived under a cloud of uncertainty for more than a decade say its character and tranquility will be shattered forever unless a council gets a grip on the new use of a 550-bed grade II listed mansion.
As children’s holiday firm PGL was set to welcome its first guests to Newby Wiske Hall tomorrow, residents in the neighbouring conservation village claimed PGL has persistently breached planning conditions which councillors pledged would protect their quality of life, while “running a coach and horses through rules to conserve the village”.
Hambleton District Council, which after a High Court battle approved PGL’s scheme to transform North Yorkshire Police’s headquarters into an adventure holidays centre in 2019, said it had received numerous complaints over alleged breaches of planning conditions at the hall.
A council spokesperson said: “Each of these will be investigated by the council. The conditions are being actively monitored to ensure that they are complied with by the developer and if not appropriate, proportionate enforcement action will be taken to ensure compliance.”
Several long-standing Newby Wiske residents said their complaints included the firm installing striking blue and yellow signs at the hall’s entrance in the Victorian conservation area that were double the size PGL had been given consent for.
Residents say an apparently unapproved fluorescent green LED entrance barrier was so bright it illuminated the front rooms of nearby homes, while most of heavy goods vehicles arriving the site were continuing to ignore rules to protect residents’ quality of life, such as the set traffic route and time of arrival at the site.
Residents claim despite being informed about a litany of subsequent breaches of the council’s enforcement notice it issued to PGL in August over traffic breaches, the council’s enforcement officers have limited their actions to reminding the firm of its obligations.
Villagers said they feared a lack of enforcement action if planning rules were breached once the centre was operational.
One resident said: “It is degenerating into a hopeless situation for people in the village.
“We’ve got nothing against PGL, they’ve come across a business opportunity and jumped on it. Our grievance is mainly with Hambleton for approving it. A lot of the people in the village are asking why the planning conditions are not being enforced.
“There’s been times when residents have wanted to take matters into their own hands. They’re that mad, but that’s what the council is forcing them to do because they are not doing anything.”
Another resident added: “When they arrived PGL said they wanted to work with the village.
“All of us didn’t want it to happen, but we thought if they’re going to work with the village… but there’s been no consideration at all to us as villagers or the fact this is a conservation area.
“Some houses can’t even change the colour of their front door due to conservation area rules. What PGL are doing makes a mockery of that and making the council a laughing stock. I’m disgusted with how this has been handled.”
A PGL spokesperson said it had spent the last year working hard to bring its “newest and most exciting centre” to life, and while the transformation had proved challenging, it valued “our place in the local community and have been working with residents to ensure we can find some workable solutions for all”.
She said: “This has included making some concessions within our operations to support our closest residents.
“We are conscious that some of our contractors may not have always followed the conditions around road usage and working times. For that we apologise and have reinforced these regulations with all those working at the centre. We are continuing to work with the council and take advice from them over planning.”
The spokesperson added the firm would look to arrange an open day for its neighbours shortly after opening to share the “full transformation” with them.
She said: “We are excited by the opportunity that the opening of the centre this month brings to both the local community and the wider region in terms of job generation and creating enriching experiences for young people.”
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