Residents' campaign to save nature-rich land in beautiful corner of Harrogate from housing development

Although planners at Harrogate Borough Council voted last month to defer a decision on plans for 53 new homes after concern from groups including a countryside charity, members of the Keep Knox Natural campaign is not backing down in its battle to preserve nature-rich land in the Knox Lane area.

A spokesperson from the group said “We know that there is a need for affordable housing in and around Harrogate, but it must be built in the right place; near sustainable transport links and with access to health professionals and local schools.

"It has always been entirely unsuitable for development.

"It lies within a designated Special Landscape Area (SLA) and building on this land will severely damage bio-diversity and destroy a range of landscape and historical features.

"Additionally, we believe that the development would cause serious risk of floodwater damage to Spruisty Bridge and houses near the site on Knox Lane.”

The campaign to prevent beautiful nature-rich land in Knox Lane (H2) being destroyed, has already seen a series of pop-up events on the Nidderdale Way and a popular petition.

Councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee have requested a full "Phase 2 Contamination Report" be conducted before the application is returned to the planning committee for further hearing.

They added that the report should outline the types and levels of contamination present. as well as provide a detailed proposal to decontaminate the land and protect the surrounding residents, wildlife and area.

Campaigners’ arguments focus on the Local Plan and why, in their view, the application fails to meet the criteria in several ways.

Keep Knox Natural’s case:

1. Harrogate Borough Council’s own site assessments of H2 in 2013 and 2016 found the land unsuitable for development, stating that: it failed suitability tests on all six criteria for accessibility: it is situated entirely within Warren Bank Special Landscape Area (SLA): development would have adverse or highly adverse effects on historic environment, priority habitats and/or species and landscape.

2. The number of houses allocated in the Plan, plus existing permissions and dwellings already completed, provide for an oversupply of around 31% against the Local Plan period housing requirement of 13,377.

3. The land has effectively reverted to nature and with some planting of specially selected trees and other local species it could become an area of rewilding.

In this way it would actively support biodiversity at the edge of Harrogate and contribute to the White Rose Forest, a major initiative supported by both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

Knox campaigners are also pleading with Harrogate council to review the Local Plan at the earliest opportunity and remove the site at Knox from it completely.

The CPRE, formerly known as the Council for the Protection of Rural England, does not dispute that the area is ear-marked for housing development in the Local Plan.

A spokesperson said: “While the principle of development of part of the site is acknowledged via policy H2, the application in its current guise is not considered to be in conformity with a number of adopted Local Plan policies and is outside the newly adopted development limits.”

The petition can be found at www.petition.knoxresidents.com