Housebuilder wins appeal for scheme near Harrogate

A housebuilder is celebrating after winning an appeal for a housing scheme in a village between Harrogate and Ripon.

Loxley Homes, part of Leeds-based Prospect Property Group, is now set to build 31 houses in Burton Leonard.

The Government’s Planning Inspectorate ruled that the Burton Leonard scheme, which will include 12 affordable homes, should be given the go ahead.

Overturning the 2016 decision by Harrogate Borough Council to refuse planning consent for the new housing development, the inspectorate cited an urgent need to provide affordable homes for local people in accessible locations, and the recent shift in planning regulations, as factors behind its ruling.

Designed by Harrogate and Leeds firm Aspect Architecture, the homes, which will be built near Scarah Lane in the village, will have between one and five bedrooms. Improvements will also be made to the roads surrounding the site.

Architect James Elliott, who designed the scheme, said: “We have put a huge amount of effort into getting the detail of the scheme right, ensuring that the appearance and character of the houses will enhance the village and help to retain its unique character.

Loxley’s project director Jonathan Raistrick said: “As is increasingly the case with rural villages, there is a chronic shortage of housing, particularly affordable homes, in Burton Leonard. These new houses will help to address that problem in a way that will blend in with the rest of the village.”

Work is due to start on the development later this year, with homes available for sale by summer 2019.

The developer also recently secured planning consent to build 80 homes in Green Hammerton near York.