Tockwith Residential Development – Harrogate

Evans Property Group (Lonsdale Developments)

Tockwith, Harrogate

Bowman Riley worked with Planning Consultants, Quod to obtain outline planning consent for up to 80 new homes on land that formed part of a former RAF base in Tockwith, Harrogate.  The process involved careful and lengthy pre-application negotiations; using landscape architects, highway engineers and ecologists to evaluate the site and promote its deliver-ability to help meet Harrogate Borough Council’s Housing Land Supply.

The pre-application public consultations and presentations to the Parish Council responded to local concern about traffic generation and capacity of existing village services.  On adjacent land, a full planning application was submitted concurrently by others.  It was imperative that we responded quickly to amend our indicative masterplan and fully justify why our site was equal; if not preferable to the adjacent application site.  Whilst our land is further from the village core and Conservation Area, we convinced the local authority that our site was sustainable in transport connectivity, reusing previously developed land and sufficiently separated from listed buildings that would not detract from the historic village core.

The application was approved within four months of submission.  Alan Syers, portfolio director at Evans Property Group, said: “We are delighted to have been given the green light to transform this strategic site into a high quality housing development to help meet local needs and support the viability and vitality of Tockwith village.”

“The plans evolved through engagement with local stakeholders, officers at the Council and local residents resulting in a scheme which adopts good design principles and responds positively to local characteristics.  We are looking forward to implementing our proposed scheme in due course.”