Consultation opens into latest plans for new Maltkiln village between Harrogate and York

The village to be named Maltkiln has been proposed for the Hammerton and Cattal area and includes between 3,000 and 4,000 homes, as well as two primary schools, shops and a GP surgery.

It is centred around Cattal train station and also includes land allocated for a possible secondary school.

Caddick Group are developing the site chosen by Harrogate Borough Council and are seeking views on their revised outline planning application.

Two primary schools planned for 3,000-home village between Harrogate and York

The developers have launched an online survey and will also hold a public drop-in event at Green Hammerton Village Hall on Monday (12 September) between from 3pm and 7pm.

Chris Procter, director at Caddick Group, said he was “very encouraged” by the way the plans have taken shape so far and that the latest consultation would build on feedback already provided.

He said: “We have carefully considered the feedback provided to date and arrived at proposals we believe will address an acute need for housing in this part of North Yorkshire

“We are truly committed to bringing an exceptional scheme to life and this latest round of community consultation holds the key for helping us do just that.”

The council has long argued that a new settlement is needed in order to meet Harrogate’s “desperate” need of new housing.

It chose the Hammerton and Cattal as the location for the huge housing plans despite concerns over the impact on the surrounding villages and an argument that rival proposals for 2,750 homes on the former Flaxby Golf Course were more suitable.

These rival plans were rejected by the council in 2020 before a failed legal challenge was launched by the developers.

‘Green gap’ will project villages from 3,000-home scheme, says Harrogate council

Despite the Maltkiln plans including up to 4,000 homes, it recently emerged that just 20% of properties at the site could be classed as affordable.

A new development plan document from the council – which sets out key policies for the site – states that the number of affordable homes is “anticipated to be within a range of 20% to 40%”.

The council’s target for affordable homes at all new housing sites is 40% and it said achieving this at Maltkiln will be “challenging” as the development needs to be financially viable.

The latest consultation will run until 19 September after which a revised planning application will be submitted to the council.

Meanwhile, a six-week consultation on the development plan document is also planned for October ahead of its submission to the government for public examination.

To have your say go to ww.maltkilnvillage.co.uk