Ripon barracks homes plan narrowly approved

Plans to build 1,300 homes in Ripon on Ministry of Defence (MoD) land have been narrowly approved.

The site, which includes Deverell Barracks, Claro Barracks and Laver Banks, is due to be vacated by the military in 2026.

Homes England said it would be named Clotherholme and would increase Ripon's population by a fifth.

It was approved on the casting vote of Harrogate Borough Council's planning committee chair Rebecca Burnett.

Government housing agency Homes England said it had been working with the MoD on the plans for five years and it is expected that all the homes would be built by 2035.

Opponents expressed concerns over the impact on roads and the loss of historic military buildings.

Speaking on behalf of the Ripon Spa Residents' Action Group, county councillor Barbara Brodigan objected to the number of homes and the lack of plans for a relief road.

She told the committee the city was planned for "horses and carts" not cars.

"It's pretty to look at, but hell to drive through," she said.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Ripon Independent councillor Sid Hawke said it would have a huge impact on roads and said it would be "absolute mayhem" at peak times.

David Rowlinson, for Homes England, said highways and transport had been a "key issue" for them and they had worked closely with the county council's highways department to find solutions.

The barracks were built as a convalescent camp for troops during World War One and thousands of servicemen were housed there, including war poet Wilfred Owen.

Jane Furse of the Ripon Military Heritage Trust urged councillors to defer the plans until a strategy was put it place to protect some of the buildings, including two training bridges and a prefab World War Two hut.

Historic England had also raised concerns over its demolition, however it had been decided it could not be retained due to asbestos.

The developer said it would work with the groups on studies to resolve what happens to the buildings.

Harrogate Borough Council's planning committee voted six for and six against the proposals.

However, committee chair Ms Burnett cast her deciding vote in favour of the plans.

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