Company behind new sustainable village scheme to legally challenge Harrogate Council’s local plan

The development company planning to transform a disused golf course into a new sustainable village community is legally challenging Harrogate District Council’s decision to proceed with its Draft Local Plan.

Flaxby Park Ltd has instructed solicitors as a result of legal flaws surrounding the decision to recommend an uncertain, undefined and uncosted new ‘broad location’ for development at Green Hammerton.

Matt Johnson, development director of Flaxby Park Ltd, said: “The Council’s District Development Committee is promoting a scheme that has no proven sustainability, deliverability or viability credentials.

“There is a huge amount of public opposition to the recommendation, and clear evidence that this location has not been properly or objectively considered, therefore the whole Local Plan process is at risk of legal challenge.”

As a result, solicitors have written to the principal planning policy manager, head of legal services and the chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council outlining numerous legal flaws.

The company claims that these flaws include an undeclared and inappropriate bias towards the new broad location, which will result in significant gain to the County Council that have not been officially declared or disclosed.

Matt added: “There is a serious level of concern regarding the whole process of the Draft Local Plan and this was clearly evident at the recent District Development Committee, where officers failed to even present the new settlement plan, despite displaying and acknowledging every other hamlet, village, and town allocation in the borough.

“This is extremely concerning given the new settlement is the largest development ever to happen to Harrogate.”

Flaxby Park’s planning application for 2,750 new homes, a retirement village, two primary schools, a GP surgery, sports facilities and a new village centre was submitted for approval last month.

The company will be dedicating almost 50% of the 430-acre site to public green-space, woodland, parks and green corridors.

The scheme will also improve access at the entrance of the site onto the A59, which already benefits from the new purpose-built £4m roundabout.

In addition, the former Goldsborough Railway Station would be reopened, offering direct links to Leeds and York whilst also supporting both the residential development and the key adjacent employment location, Flaxby Green Park.