Disputed Whitby housing development to proceed with changes
It involves changes to the house types as well as the form of affordable housing that'll be on offer
A disputed Whitby housing development will be allowed to proceed with changes to the house types as well as the form of affordable housing that will be on offer.
Scarborough Council’s Planning and Development Committee has approved a raft of changes and modifications regarding a 62-dwelling development in Whitby.
A planning application for the development was submitted in 2019 but permission was denied by the council in August 2021 due to issues regarding “safe vehicular access” which were considered to be in contravention of council policy.
However, following an appeal by the applicant, the council’s refusal was overturned in March 2022 by a Government-appointed inspector.
Speaking at the meeting of the planning committee on Thursday October 6, the chairman, Cllr Subash Sharma said: “Just for clarification, we refused this application and it was approved by the planning inspectorate. And they were awarded £17,000 in expenses which the borough had to pay.”
Located off land at Green Lane, Whitby, the developer Wharfedale Homes Ltd, will install solar panels to the majority of the west and south-facing roof slopes, although provisions have not been made for battery storage of the solar power, according to council officers.
The addition of basement living spaces to a number of plots as well as the repositioning of the sub-station was approved by the planning committee.
Councillors also voted in favour of approving changes to the type of affordable housing that will be available.
Of the 62 dwellings, 19 (31% of the total) are set to be affordable houses, of which 13 will be for rent and the remaining six were originally envisaged to be in the “intermediate” discount-for-sale category.
According to a council report, the discount-for-sale model is not something the committee has been asked to consider previously as it is not a common product locally, and “the main drawback of discount-for-sale housing is that few mortgage providers are willing to lend against it which limits the pool of potential occupants”.
Councillors agreed to approve the switch to a standard shared ownership type of intermediate affordable housing where “potential occupants tend to have less difficulty obtaining the necessary credit”.