Councillors would have rejected 137-home scheme

Councillors have said they would have rejected plans for a new housing estate on the edge of a North Yorkshire village if the decision had been up to them.

Barratt Homes wants to build 137 new properties on land to the north of Hull Road, in Hemingbrough, near Selby.

However, after North Yorkshire Council made no decision on the plans, the scheme was referred to the National Planning Inspectorate on the grounds of non-determination.

Meeting this week, members of the authority's Selby Ainsty area planning committee voted unanimously that they would have refused the application had they been given the opportunity.

They took the decision after hearing the scheme was not supported by the local parish council and other community groups.

Ann Tomlinson, speaking on behalf of Hemingbrough Parish Council, said the site had never previously been identified for housing because it would mean people having to cross the busy A63.

"We have always strongly objected to the development on the north side of the A63," she said. "We feel it would unnecessarily split the village."

The development also included plans for a new community centre, which the councillor said would be "absolutely detrimental to the existing facilities within the community".

However, Ian Reynolds, advisor to the Hall for Hemingbrough Group which supported the proposal, said it would deliver "huge benefits to the local community as well as much-needed housing".

The initial plans were for 142 properties but the application was later revised to 137, of which 20% would be classed as affordable, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A report by planning officer Linda Drake noted that the development would be beyond the development limits of Hemingbrough and within the open countryside.

The scheme has proved controversial in the village, with more than two hundred objections submitted by critics, compared to 28 in favour.

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