Residents have raised concerns over the piecemeal expansion of North Yorkshire’s county town amid uncertainty over education, open space and recreation, cultural and community facilities, public transport and social housing provision in the area.
Hambleton District Council’s planning committee will on Thursday consider a proposal by the Church Commissioners for England to build up to 145 homes on 4.8 hectares of farmland to the east side Stokesley Road, 1.3km to the north-east of Northallerton town centre.
The application site forms part of a larger site recently cemented in the Hambleton Local Plan covering 31.4 hectares, which is expected to see about 485 homes built, alongside land for a primary school, open space, green infrastructure and an internal link road linking Stokesley Road and Bullamoor Road.
The site formed part of the expansive North Northallerton estate, which has been in development since 2010.
The authority has previously approved plans to build 900 homes, a school, new link road, rail bridge and commercial and leisure facilities in the area, however recent proposals for the commercial developments have seen residents express fears that over whether some of the public buildings and space elements of the masterplan would ever materialise.
In planning documents submitted to the council, agents for the developers said the latest proposal aims to “embed positive principles of sustainable urban design, relate well and make a positive contribution to the local environment and create a better, more sustainable place where people will want to live”.
The developers state the predominance of two and three-bedroom properties on the proposed estate reflects the council’s aim to increase the number homes for smaller families and couples in the district.
The developer’s statement adds the level of affordable housing provision would be subject to negotiation, an approach which planning officers have said is acceptable, but 30 per cent affordable housing provision is likely to be required.
However, numerous residents have highlighted concerns over how infrastructure such as the roads and drainage in the area will cope with piecemeal developments in an area that they said already suffers from flooding, road safety and traffic.
One letter of objection to the council states; “The strategy for the
area requires it to be considered as a whole in terms of planning considerations such as access, drainage, design etc. The current
application pays no regard to the need to consider the wider site.
“There is nothing in the application documents to indicate that there will be any contribution to the costs of developing the North Northallerton area. This is infrastructure which enables the proposed development, and without contributing it is seeking a “free ride” on the back of the works and facilities already carried out and which will be provided in future.”
A planning officer’s report to the meeting states while the drainage of the site has “proven problematic and the proposed disposal of surface water to the existing surface water sewer is not ideal”, public agencies had agreed subject to conditions being placed on the development, the proposals
were acceptable.
It adds: “Matters pertaining to residential amenity and highway safety in
terms of the layout will be considered in more detail at the time of the reserved matters submission. However, there is no reason to expect that these matters could not be fully compliant with policy.”
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