Plan for 200 new homes on hold for second time

Plans to build more than 200 homes on high-quality agricultural land have been put on hold after the developer wanted to "look again" at the scheme.

Nearly 160 objections have been made to the application, made by Redrow Homes and David Harry Campey, to build on the land off Mill Lane in Brayton, near Selby.

But shortly after Wednesday's Selby area planning meeting started, North Yorkshire Council officers said they had received a "further deferral" request from Redrow.

"This is to allow them the opportunity to look again at the design of the scheme and reconsider it in the light of the comments from landscape and urban design officers," a statement from council planning officers said.

Officials had earlier recommended the scheme's approval, with a report to the meeting stating: "It is concluded that the adverse impacts of granting permission would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits."

The land, deemed to be "best and most versatile" farmland, is close to Brayton Barff, a local beauty spot with ancient woodland.

Mark Crane, North Yorkshire Council's Conservative deputy leader, called the deferral "very disappointing".

Crane, who represents Brayton & Barlow, said: "I found out late last night that the developer had asked for deferment, so we have had councillors, officers and members of the public turn up to learn that we weren't going to make any decisions today.

"While I acknowledge they seem to be moving in the right direction if they're looking at the layout of the site, it is disappointing this late on to get a deferral from them."

He said he was "keeping an open mind" on the plan and hoped Redrow was looking to "ease the density" of the application.

"We will see what the next plan looks like and make decisions on that," he added.

The plans originally went before the planning committee on 13 May, but it was deferred until July to explore "potential amendments to the scheme to better reflect the character of the area" along with clarification on the land classification.

John Hamer, who lives locally, said: "There are concerns about traffic speed and that there is only one entrance into Mill Lane, which will concentrate all the residents' traffic down onto Doncaster Road.

"The difficulty is also using prime agricultural land for development - land that has never flooded, despite the torrential rain we've had in recent years.

"That is being taken, when there are brownfield sites in the Selby area that should be utilised."

John's wife, Ann Hamer, said the residents will keep campaigning against the plans.

"The number of houses we have had built in Brayton lately, we just can't accommodate them for shops, schools and doctors," she said.

Shirley Mason, who also lives locally, said: "So many things are wrong with this.

"It is very popular for dog walking here - there will be nowhere for them to walk if there are even more cars zooming up. It doesn't bear thinking about."

A spokesperson for Redrow Homes said: "We appreciate the frustration of the planning committee.

"However, we requested a deferral on 2 July following new comments from the design officers within the council, which we only received a week ago. The council opted to go ahead with the meeting and then adjourn.

"Throughout the process, we have fully engaged with the council and spent considerable time discussing the scheme with local representatives to better understand and address their concerns.

"While we acknowledge that some residents have objections to the proposal, the proposed development would deliver 204 new homes, including affordable housing, alongside significant investment in local infrastructure through contributions towards education, healthcare, highways, cycle links, public open space and bus service improvements.

"We believe these benefits should be given substantial weight when considering the application."

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