Housing estate set to go ahead despite concerns

Plans for a new housing estate in a North Yorkshire town have been recommended for approval despite local residents' concerns about its impact on the area.

The application, for land off Swinton Road in Masham, was first submitted in 2022 and has since been amended several times, with the number of homes proposed for the site reduced from 48 to 46.

Masham Parish Council said it had raised a number of concerns over the plans, including fears about flooding and increased traffic, and the revisions made to the scheme had not addressed those issues.

Members of North Yorkshire Council's Skipton and Ripon area planning committee are expected to discuss the application on Tuesday.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, 48 local residents had raised objections during five rounds of consultation.

A wide range of concerns had been raised, including the scale of the scheme, the loss of agricultural land, the lack of open space and play facilities on the estate and fears the density of the homes would be too high.

But a report by planning officers has concluded that the application should be passed.

The document, to be examined by councillors, stated the scheme would make a "positive contribution to delivering housing on an allocated site".

"When taking account of the council's housing land supply at 2.2 years, there is not such significant harm created by the development that would outweigh the benefits provided by the scheme," it said.

"Having regard to the overall planning balance, the proposed scheme complies with the overarching objectives and policies of the local development plan and national planning requirements and thus it represents sustainable development."

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.