Harrogate’s planning committee approves sole council house in final act

Planning permission has been granted for the property in Huby

The committee of councillors has met around once a month to decide on some of the largest and most controversial developments in the district.

But in its final meeting it was asked to approve a 2-bedroom council home in the Kingsway estate in Huby.

When the council was formed in 1974 it owned 7,000 council houses across the Harrogate district but this has fallen to 3,800 since the Conservative government introduced the Right to Buy scheme in the 1980s.

There are currently 2,199 households registered on the waiting list for council homes.

The new home in Huby will be two-storeys and include solar panels and an air source heat pump to provide future residents with renewable energy.

Harrogate Borough Council housing officer Emily Shephard told councillors that the authority still owns 80% of the council homes on the Huby estate, which is next to Weeton train station.

Objector Susan Durrant told councillors the site will increase traffic in Huby and the empty grassland should be used by the community instead. She said: “The highway is very difficult in that area for parking.

"You can only park on one side of the road. It’s hazardous. All the vehicles coming and going would create mayhem.”

Ms Durrant added: “The land could be used as common land for a play area for children. Why at this point in the day has it been decided to build upon there?”

The plans were approved by 8 votes to 4.

North Yorkshire Council will create new planning committees by parliamentary constituency area.

This means that from April 1, the Harrogate Borough Council area will be split into new committees for Harrogate & Knaresborough, Selby & Ainsty and Ripon & Skipon.