Residents fight industrial plan which will ‘tear the heart’ out of their village
Angry residents are fighting against an industrial development which they say will tear the heart out of their village.
Villagers of Minskip, near Boroughbridge, say the development at Hazeldene Fold, a residential cul-de-sac, is out of character with the village.
The development also threatens a Roman mosaic, they believe.
Villager Lynne Scott said: “The mood here is very angry, because the developer hasn’t made any effort to interact with us or tell us what’s going on.
“They’ve already done massive groundworks without even having planning permission yet, and we just don’t know if there’s been any damage to the archaeology there.”
Minskip churchwarden Robert Beaumont added: “This is an outrageous application and will do huge harm to our pretty little village and cause untold distress to the residents of Hazeldene Fold.
“Hazeldene Fold is a cul-de-sac of eight residential houses on a private road of unadoptable construction and completely unsuited to having HGVs going up and down it every day. The idea defies belief.”
Mr Beaumont said an application for an extra five houses on this site was turned down in 2017 as it was beyond the Minskip Building Development Boundary line and the resultant extra traffic and noise would be detrimental to the amenity of neighbouring properties.
“Nothing has changed. Planning Policy Protocols set development boundaries and no other existing properties in the village exceed these boundaries. How then can anyone consider, let alone apply, to build five industrial units there?
“Add in the fact that there are very likely to be Roman remains on the site, it must be clear to everyone that this proposed development cannot be allowed to go ahead.”
The developer, Harrogate-based Forward Investment Properties, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council for retrospective planning permission to demolish some Nissen huts on the site, and build four light industrial units, a car park and a turning circle for goods vehicles.
The developers argue that “this has an extant commercial use and should be
regarded as previously developed land”.
They say it would create 20 jobs and argue “the proposal will generate a negligible level of new traffic movements”.
Campaigners believe the existing buildings may well conceal Roman remains. According to local resident Tony Hunt, a Roman mosaic floor is reported to have been discovered when the huts were built in 1970 but covered over with a layer of sand and plastic to preserve it.
Forward Investment Properties has agreed to an “appropriate scheme of archaeological investigation and recording” as part of a planning condition to be applied if planning permission is granted.
The application is likely to be discussed by Harrogate councillors next month.