Pip’s Patch

ARC News Service - a report by the monitoring team of the Association of Rural Communities after the July meeting of the YDNPA planning committee.

Planning appeals – It was announced that the planning inspectorate had dismissed the appeal against the YDNPA’s refusal to give full planning permission for the conversion and extension of an existing outbuilding to create a three bedroomed dwelling at Coles House in Askrigg – the former home of the late Marie Hartley.  (See Planning decisions October 2010)

It was agreed that Coun John Blackie would attend the appeal hearing on August 16 as the YDNPA member champion for planning as well as a North Yorkshire County Councillor. The owner of the new houses in the Outgang at Thornton Rust has appealed against the enforcement notice concerning the non-compliance with the approved plans and conditions when the dwellings were built. Coun Blackie said he wanted to support to the planning officers at this hearing. The chairman of the committee, Graham Dalton commented that this appeal was of interest to those who built according to the plans they submitted as well as to those who didn’t. “Those who don’t shouldn’t in the end get away with it,” he added. The hearing on August 16 is at the YDNPA office (Yoredale) in Bainbridge.

Reeth -The request by the planning officer to defer a decision regarding planning permission to erect one three-bedroom house to the rear of Metcalfe’s Farm at Reeth was accepted by the committee. The officer explained that another set of amended plans had been received since he had recommended refusal on the grounds that the new house would have an overbearing impact upon adjoining properties including loss of privacy.  Coun John Blackie had asked for the decision to be made by the planning committee because over the past few months five different sets of plans had been submitted. “I am aware that there have been differences of professional opinion at Planning Officer level,” he told the committee. He emphasised the need for a site meeting before a decision was made. Richmondshire Dt Coun Malcolm Gardner agreed with him and added that the site and the differing levels on it  should be accurately measured. The majority of the committee members felt that the applicant must submit his final set of plans before a site meeting was held.

Hawes – The majority of committee members agreed with the planning officer that reconstituted stone blocks could be used instead of natural stone for the external cladding on the renewable technology centre being constructed for GTEC Training Ltd at the Bruntacres Trading Estate in Hawes – but asked that they should be in a darker colour than that used for  the sample panel of stonework.  The original planning permission included a condition that local natural stone should be used.  GTEC argued that this would not match the existing adjacent buildings on the trading estate. County Coun Roger Harrison-Topham commented that it did not seem right to impose the financial penalty of using expensive natural stone when other buildings on the trading estate had been clad with cheaper reconstituted stone blocks. The majority of members agreed that the original planning condition could be changed as long as the reconstituted stone blocks were closer in colour to the houses  and walls outside of the trading estate so that this dominant building would make less impact upon the surrounding landscape.

Horton in Ribblesdale – Permission was granted for the extension of the campsite at Horton in Ribblesdale and improvements to the existing toilet and shower facilities. The committee agreed to this on the basis that a S106 agreement was signed that required the implementation of the measures set out in a management plan. These included keeping the campsite and the toilet and shower facilities clean; no food to be sold on site to campers;  no playing of loud music; and providing sufficient parking spaces so that campers could be discouraged from leaving cars on the roadside outside. Local residents accepted that the campsite was beneficial to the local economy but wanted it to be better managed.  The committee members asked how these measures could be enforced and the planning officer assured them that the YDNPA could do this once the S106 agreement had been signed.

The committee agreed that a site meeting should be held at the Old Slaughter House in Horton in Ribblesdale following the application to build a terrace of three houses there. The parish council had objected to this application partly because it was felt this would be a significant over development of a constricted site. The planning officer recommended approval subject to a S106 agreement restricting occupancy to those who met the Authority’s local needs criteria. An application to build three houses on the site was refused in January 2011 and one of the reasons given was that there was no evidence for “local need”.