Housing development plan raises concerns (From York Press)

Thorpe Willoughby housing development plan raises concerns

8:19am Monday 4th February 2013 in News By Mark Stead, Political Reporter

A HUGE housing development on farmland in a Selby village could be given the green light this week.

Planners at Selby District Council have said proposals by Linden Homes North for 149 homes in Thorpe Willoughby should be approved, despite a string of objections and flooding fears raised by the local parish council.

The application will be debated when the authority’s planning committee meets on Wednesday.

If the plans are backed by councillors, the development on the 4.96-hectare site off Leeds Road will include 30 two-bedroom, 48 three-bedroom and 62 four-bedroom houses and nine three-bedroom bungalows, with 60 of the homes being classed as “affordable”.

Linden Homes has said the open nature of the land where the houses would be built meant there would be no privacy issues for other residents in the village, and an influx of people to the area will mean more trade for local businesses.

However, a report on the scheme by planning officer Claire Richards said Thorpe Willoughby Parish Council had highlighted the fact that the village already had “an existing sewerage and flooding problem” and it wanted this to be resolved before any more housing developments were approved.

Meanwhile, 26 people have lodged individual objections to Linden Homes’ proposals, with their concerns including an “unsustainable” rise in the Thorpe Willoughby population and the danger of the village becoming “overdeveloped”.

They also said nearby roads would not be able to cope with an increase in traffic and echoed the parish council’s flooding worries.

Ms Richards’ planning report said the flood risk was “acceptable” and a “balancing pond” could be created at the site to hold surface water.

She said transport bosses from North Yorkshire County Council believed the local road network was capable of taking extra cars.

The report states: “The proposals would contribute to the general housing provision within the district and meet the needs for affordable housing.”