Business park operator says council has agreed to quash planning approval for college development
A business park operator has said North Yorkshire Council has conceded that a planning application that impinges on its land was not properly approved.
Hornbeam Park Developments has applied for judicial review of the council’s decision to allow an application by the adjacent Harrogate College to demolish some buildings and replace them with teaching and workshop blocks.
Hornbeam Park said planners failed to consider significant local objections and rushed through the planning application under delegated powers.
Its chief objection concerns parking; the company argues there will be both a substantial reduction in spaces while building work is in progress and a permanent loss of spaces that will cause local congestion.
A statement from Hornbeam Park said: “North Yorkshire Council have agreed that the planning application has not been properly considered.”
This has also been widely reported in the local press, although North Yorkshire did not respond to a request for comment.
Hornbeam Park director Chris Bentley said: “While we always welcome much-needed investment in local education facilities, this ill-conceived proposal is not a good deal for Harrogate.
“The neighbouring community will be severely inconvenienced by parking and congestion issues during the nearly two years of construction period, when no parking will be provided by the college for its staff or contractors, despite them having access to neighbouring Department for Education land.”
Bentley said the college required about 200 parking spaces, “only a fraction of that will be available during construction;” and its long-term parking plan “will only see 88 vehicle spaces and 50 cycle spaces which locals say is wholly inadequate for the number of expected users”.
The company’s statement said: “We believe that correct and proper procedures to preside on an application of this nature were not correctly followed.
“The council have now accepted this argument and have agreed that the decision is quashed.”
It added: “We believe that North Yorkshire Council rushed through the planning process.”
Hornbeam Park also said: “We expect Harrogate College to make more car park spaces available to avoid disrupting nearby streets. Moreover, instead of demolishing already-refurbished buildings, they should be sold on the open market and not waste more taxpayer’s money.”
The relevant officer’s delegated report recommended approval and said 28 local representations were received from management companies and tenants at Hornbeam Park and other local residents, mainly concerning parking but also lack of consultation.
It said: “With regards to consultation, the application has been subject to advertisement via press notice and site notices. The other matters raised have been fully considered as part of the consideration of the application and are covered in the highways and design sections below.”
Mark Smulian
