North Yorkshire defers Eggborough decision for second time
Banks Homes’ plans for 1,500 homes on 173 acres to the west of the village were first proposed in 2023 and will now be subject to more scrutiny from the council, with concerns ranging from access to affordable homes.
As well as the housing, a 70-bed care facility, primary school, nursery, retail units, public open space, and enhanced local transport routes are also part of the plan for the site.
Located near Selby, the project team for the scheme includes DLA Architecture and planner Lichfields.
The developer amended its masterplan following an initial deferral in May, with access arrangements updated to include a single roundabout at Weeland Road and changes to the internal road layout.
However, no extra affordable housing provision was included, with the suggested amount remaining at 10%. Banks has said this is because of viability reasons, while councillors have asked for an independent study into how much would be appropriate for the site.
Despite being recommended for approval, North Yorkshire Council chose to defer the scheme again at its meeting yesterday, with discussions now expected to take place with Banks.
Speaking at the meeting, cllr Andy Brown of the Green Party said: “I am not taking the view here that there should be no development. Nor am I taking a view that I know exactly what the financials of this are, or that I can put a precise number on what the affordable should be.
“What I’m stating is that nobody in this room is in a position to have accurate independent figures on what the cost benefit analysis of it is and what the potential for affordables are – and it is deeply irresponsible of us to make a decision without up-to-date information of that.”
Banks Property is now looking at all the options it has available to move the project forward.
Rob Ormrod, land director at the Banks Group, says: “While we remain committed to working constructively with all parties around our Eggborough West planning application, we are disappointed by this second deferral of a committee decision, which has been again made against the recommendations of the planning officer.
“We have worked closely with North Yorkshire Council over the last three months to provide responses on all the reasons for deferral that were raised at the May committee meeting, and it is frustrating that this work has been overlooked, further delaying the delivery of these much-needed new homes.
“Our plans will deliver a well-connected and sustainable extension to Eggborough which will incorporate a wide range of benefits to the local community, economy and environment.
“These will include enhanced local transport links, a new primary school and nursery, retail units, an extra care home, substantial numbers of affordable new homes and new areas of accessible public open space that will help ensure Eggborough continues to thrive for decades to come.
“We will now review all planning options available to us before deciding on the most appropriate next steps to take.”
Embarrassing to say the least.
I don’t know the development, but have dealt with the planning authority before.
As described this is a housing development on allocated land, with a care facility, nursery, primary school, transport improvements and 10% affordable housing… get it built. If you’re arguing over some additional discounting of homes in an area with already low house prices, for the sake of politics, you’re wasting time which could be spent building homes and aiding the often cited housing crisis.
By Myopic