A new housing development linked to a community’s bid to secure the future of an allotments field has been given the go-ahead.
North Yorkshire councillors today agreed with planning officers who recommended they should be minded to approve plans for up to 55 houses on land west of Allotment Gardens, Great Ayton.
The development will be built on fields next to existing allotments on the north-west edge of the town.
Access to the scheme will be created on 15 of the most northern allotments, with new allotments built by the developer in compensation.
A new car park to serve the plots is also proposed.
The outline planning application includes provision for 15 affordable homes.
The application has divided opinion locally, with 115 people writing to the council to give their support and 104 filing objections.
Those in support welcomed the inclusion of affordable homes and said the design of the properties.
They also noted that the owner of the land had agreed to sell the allotments, which they also own, to the local community, if they were given planning permission.
Opponents of the scheme raised concerns about highway safety, the impact on local services and the loss of open space.
They also said the owner of the allotments could sell the plots without obtaining planning permission and that the planning process had been “distorted” by the promise of the sale.
Objector Stuart Laycock told the meeting the site was in the open countryside and approving it would set a “dangerous precedent”.
He said the application was not compliant with council policy, adding: “The benefits do not outweigh the harm.”
But Great Ayton Parish Council gave its support to the scheme.
Councillor Ron Kirk, from the parish council, told the meeting it was a small development that would fit into the community.
He said: “The site is in my opinion very well situated. There’s even a bus service going right past the entrance – there’s not many villages that can say that.
“Both schools are within comfortable walking distance and have space for more children.”
He added: “It’s the right place, it’s the right time and it’s the right development.”
Members of the Richmond area planning committee approved the scheme, subject to the signing of a 106 agreement.
Councillor Angus Thompson said: “I’m minded to agree with the parish council. It’s the right place and the time for this kind of development.”
The 106 agreement will include a payment of almost £185,000 towards an outdoor sports facility.
Great Ayton Parish Council has been awarded a grant of more than £190,000 from the government’s Community Ownership Fund to buy the ten-acre allotment site and secure it’s long-term future for the community.
The parish council has applied to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for more time to claim the money, which was due to be spent by December last year.
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