Locals petition to stop development of Rossett Green Lane farmland for housing

Developers have put forward an outline planning application to build five houses on land off Rossett Green Lane in Harrogate.

A number of local people have come together and started a petition to oppose the proposals.

The land is owned by Batchelor and had previously been used as farming land. The proposal is for five large houses that would obstruct a view from an existing row of houses towards Pannal.

Jackie Charlesworth said:

The area is already a busy area. With the development of the former College of Policing, just around the corner, we feel there is enough development planned in the area.

The land is a valuable green space, a view that is enjoyed by many, not just those that live in the houses that overlook it.

Valetta Moyle said:

A unique vista will potentially be lost. I have lived opposite the field for 10-years and it was one of the reasons I moved into the area.

It’s also home to the rich and diverse wildlife. You can often see foxes or wakeup to the sound of owls. It would be a shame if that was lost.

The planning inspector is also part-way through reviewing the local plan, a plan setting the direction for housing development in the area. We don’t believe that this area is part of the land in that local plan land allocation.

Today we have been collecting signatures, as part of petition. We are also encouraging people to oppose the planning application, either in writing or through the Harrogate Borough Council website. People have until the 14 March to comment.

 

 

Shona Oxtoby said:

There are plans in place to build  147 homes on the old College of Policing site on Yew Tree Lane. Yew Tree is already a busy cut-through route and it’s junction with Rossett Green Lane is busy.