Campaigners vow to battle on over Newby Wiske Hall redevelopment plans

Villagers fighting plans to transform a former police headquarters into a children’s holiday centre have vowed to battle on after the Court of Appeal dealt a fatal blow to a key part of their campaign.

Residents of Newby Wiske, near Northallerton, said they were disappointed at being refused permission to appeal against the High Court’s decision not to allow a judicial review of Hambleton District Council’s move to grant planning permission to PGL to create a centre for youngsters with 550 guest beds.

The order by Lord Justice Lewison stated that an appeal would have no real prospect of success and cannot be further reviewed or appealed.

The council said it was “extremely pleased” by the Court of Appeal decision and claimed it would be “good for the district and the local economy”.

The application to convert grade II listed hall was heard by the council’s planning committee last summer, more than a year after the authority quashed its decision to grant permission for the scheme following a previous legal challenge.

Uncertainty has surrounded the site for some eight years since North Yorkshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner Julia Mulligan announced her intention to move 450 staff and officers from the crumbling premises as it cost £820,000 a year to maintain.

While Mrs Mulligan said PGL would be “a very good neighbour” residents of the village and surrounding area have claimed noise from the children and traffic at the centre would wreck their quality of life.

After the judge’s ruling, David Stockport, of Newby Wiske Action Group, said residents would continue their efforts to prevent PGL establishing itself at the hall by campaigning to create a public footpath around the hall’s grounds.

Mr Stockport said documents showing that 117 people had been regular users of the footpath in the grounds of Newby Wiske Hall, and some since the 1950s, had been submitted to North Yorkshire County Council for consideration.

He said: “The Court of Appeal decision is certainly not the end of it. We still have the footpath and should PGL arrive her I am sure the village will give them the greeting that they deserve and we will do everything in our power to be as obstructive as possible to them.”