Residents of Domesday Book village in Yorkshire told their objections to 23 new houses have come 'years too late'

Ahead of a meeting on Thursday to decide upon Loxley Homes’ scheme for 23 homes off Cross Lane, Burneston, near Bedale, North Yorkshire Council planning officers have underlined that principle of a residential development on the site was established through its adoption in the Hambleton Local Plan.

The blueprint that guides development across the large rural area was adopted in February 2022 after years of debate about the distribution of housing and commercial estates across the former district, where it was concluded more than 7,700 homes needed to be built by 2035.

Recommending the development be approved, an officer’s report to the Richmond constituency planning committee states with 23 proposed homes across a hectare of arable farmland the estate would feature two fewer properties than had been agreed for the site in the Local Plan.

The report states: “The main determining issues are therefore the impact on the setting of the Burneston Conservation Area, design, residential amenity and the impact on highway safety.”

It added the development would deliver 30 per cent affordable housing and that there are are some 265 families and individuals with a registered interest of housing in the area surrounding Bedale.

Nevertheless, Burneston, Swainby with Allerthorpe and Theakston Parish Council has objected to the scheme over the potential loss of high grade agricultural land and a lack of infrastructure to support the development, such as healthcare services.

In its objection, a parish council spokesman added its members feared the sewage system would not have the capacity to cope with a significant increase to the village’s population, alongside road safety concerns owing to increased traffic in the village.

The spokesman wrote: “The proposal conflicts with the Local Plan as it will have a detrimental impact on the natural, built and historic environment, the countryside and cannot be accommodated within the capacity of existing or planned infrastructure.”

In addition, some 68 local representations have been sent to the council over the proposal, all of which object, with some saying too much development had recently been approved in the village.

They added there was a lack of bus services allowing connections to jobs and services which would lead to a reliance on cars, which is considered unsustainable.

However, the officer’s report concludes the proposal is in line with the relevant Local Plan policies in regard to design, the impact on the historic environment, residential amenity, housing mix, affordable housing provision, biodiversity targets and highway safety.