Harrogate Borough Council proposal RL 1141(1) to build 37 dwellings on land adjacent to Brookfield.
The HBC newsletter 'Plan the Future With Us' has been delivered to most residents and extra copies are available in the Post Office. It includes on page 7 the proposal to build 37 homes adjacent to Brookfield as outlined in the leaflet circulated recently by Councillor Michael Harrison. The background to this is that it is a government requirement for each borough council to suggest possible sites to meet their annual targets for housing. Building on this land has been attempted twice before and defeated on each occasion as a result of strong public representation. The reasons that this proposal was rejected on two previous occasions remain valid today - i.e. (adapted from the appeal summary by the Secretary of State) it would harm the form of the village, making the area too urban, being a significant harmful intrusion into the existing countryside. The Parish Council has expressed its opposition to the scheme. All residents will have their own views on this proposal and it will be helpful if as many as possible can make to make a direct response to HBC. In making your response, you may wish to consider the following:- It would create an unacceptable degree of urbanisation adjacent to the Hampsthwaite Conservation Area.
- Hampsthwaite has in the recent past been subjected to a large-scale development and continues to accept small-scale developments, to the point where a further large-scale proposal such as this seriously undermines the identity of the village
- It is a serious loss of attractive countryside too close to the designated Area of Natural Beauty. In 2006, Hampsthwaite produced its Village Plan in which some 75% of respondents wanted either no further building development or have it restricted to low cost housing for local needs.
- A proposal to build affordable homes at Cruet Farm meets our local needs and is currently in progress.
- Entry to the proposed site is restricted to Brookfield creating an excessive volume of traffic at this poor visibility junction - this situation will be exacerbated once the Cruet Farm development is complete.
- Surface water drainage in from Hollins Lane and Brookfield is already overwhelmed at times of even moderate rain thus creating flooding.
- The suggested positioning of the public open space is inappropriate in that it is detached from existing open space thus missing the opportunity to create a 'green wedge' and does not contain the mature oak tree, which is a significant feature of the landscape.
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MS Word version of the response form |
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Explanation of HBC's preferred site RL1141(1): Land adjacent to Brookfield, Hampsthwaite |
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Some possible responses to HBC's reasoning |
Below is a map and a listing, for comparison, of information for all the sites considered in Hampsthwaite.
