Harrogate Borough Council is opening a six-week public consultation on its new Local Plan. Residents, businesses, community groups, voluntary organisations and other agencies are being encouraged to share their views and help shape the future of the Harrogate district.
The Local Plan sets out how the district should grow and develop between now and 2035 and provides a firm basis for the consideration of planning applications. It is currently at the Issues and Options phase, an early stage in its production.
The public consultation, which begins on Friday 17 July and runs until Friday 28 August 2015, will be seeking views and ideas on what the plan should achieve, how new homes and jobs should be distributed across the district, and what potential new policies could be introduced for managing development.
The Councils have to go through a process of “objectively assessed need” to determine how many houses they need to build each year. Latest evidence on the district’s housing need suggests that 621 new homes should be provided per year.
Taking current planned housing development into account, there is a need to identify enough land to build 6,364 new homes up to 2035. The consultation will seek views on a number of different options for how this need can be accommodated over the period of the Local Plan.
During the consultation all relevant documents will be available to view on the council’s website, in the council’s Crescent Gardens offices in Harrogate, at Ripon Town Hall, Knaresborough House, and in the district’s libraries.
The council will also be holding 11 public exhibitions across the district providing the opportunity to view consultation materials and discuss ideas with council planning officers.
The events will be held on:
- Wednesday 22 July, 9am-4pm – Knaresborough Market, Market Place, Knaresborough
- Saturday 25 July, 10am-3pm – Victoria Shopping Centre (1st Floor), Victoria Avenue, Harrogate
- Thursday 30 July, 3pm-7pm – Town Hall, Little Market Place, Masham
- Tuesday 4 August, 3pm-7pm – The Co-operative Food, Jennyfield Drive, Harrogate
- Wednesday 5 August, 3pm-7pm – Memorial Hall, Pateley Bridge
- Saturday 8 August, 10am-3pm – Town Hall, Market Place South, Ripon
- Tuesday 11 August, 3pm-7pm – Green Hammerton Village Hall, Harrogate Road, Green Hammerton
- Thursday 13 August, 9am-4pm – Harrogate Farmers Market, Cambridge Street, Harrogate
- Saturday 15 August, 10am-3pm – The Co-operative Food, Chain Lane, Knaresborough
- Tuesday 18 August, 3pm-7pm – Almscliffe Village Hall, Harrogate Road, Huby
- Thursday 20 August, 3pm-7pm – The Jubilee Room, 17 St James Square, Boroughbridge
- Permanent displays will also be available at the council’s Crescent Gardens offices in Harrogate and St Peter’s Church on Cambridge Road in Harrogate.
Last year, the council called on the public for assistance in identifying land for future housing and commercial development in the district. Over 450 locations were submitted for consideration for their potential suitability. These submissions, together with the comments and key issues raised during the Issues and Options consultation, will help shape the draft Local Plan, which will undergo public consultation in July 2016.
Councillor Rebecca Burnett, Harrogate Borough Council Cabinet Member for Planning and Sustainable Transport said:
The council has a responsibility to meet the district’s needs for new homes and jobs, and our Local Plan will set out how we can meet these needs.
While we are currently at an early stage in the development of a new Local Plan, it is the perfect time to get people’s views on where they think the focus on growth should be. By doing so we can ensure that we are able to develop a Local Plan which is right for the district.
Should we focus growth in the main urban areas, or perhaps also look at developing the surrounding villages? Alternatively, growth could be focussed along the main public transport corridors or by creating a brand new settlement.
This consultation will provide a variety of suggestions for people to consider, and the responses we receive will help us to make the best possible decisions in the years ahead. I would encourage anyone who would like to shape the future of the Harrogate district to take part in our consultation.
The public consultation will be available to complete on the council’s website from Friday 17 July at: http://consult.harrogate.gov.uk
Completed responses can also be sent to planningpolicy@harrogate.gov.uk or posted to Local Plan Consultation, Directorate Support, Springfield House, Kings Road, Harrogate, HG1 5NX.
The closing date and time for responding to the consultation is 4.30pm on Friday 28 August 2015.
