Planning Changes Proposed for Scarborough Borough

The way planning applications are dealt with in the Scarborough Borough is set to change next year.

As part of the local government reorganisation it's being proposed new planning committees are set up to mirror the parliamentary constituencies. That will mean Whitby and Scarborough will be in one area while Filey will be in a separate area with Malton and Thirsk.

The county council's executive has backed the blueprint for a new local plan for the whole county.

Borough Councillor - Liz Colling - says it's disappointing that the local plan the Borough Council was developing wont now be completed.

Borough council officers has been working on the latest update to the borough's local plan that would have seen a number of revisions made to local planning policies.

Borough Councillor Liz Colling hopes the work done so far will now be incorporated in to the wider county plan.

Senior county councillors have this week given their unanimous approval for a detailed blueprint for development, called the Local Plan, to be adopted within a five-year deadline of a new council being launched in the spring of next year to cover the whole of North Yorkshire.

Members of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive have also unanimously backed the mechanism for the new authority to consider planning applications throughout England’s largest county.

Proposals for six planning committees based around the current parliamentary constituencies were approved, with a strategic planning committee responsible for major developments in the county.

The decision to support both the Local Plan and the planning committee structure will now be considered by members at a full council meeting in February before final approval is given to adopt the policies for the new North Yorkshire Council, which launches on April 1 next year.

It is hoped the new planning policies will help to address the affordable homes crisis in North Yorkshire, which is particularly accentuated in the county’s rural and coastal areas.

Average house prices in the Yorkshire Dales, for instance, are about a third higher than the county’s average, with the average cost of a property nearly £400,000 while the weekly wage in North Yorkshire is just over £530.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for growth and housing, Cllr Simon Myers, said:

“The launch of North Yorkshire Council, which will cover the whole of the county, presents a huge opportunity to provide a co-ordinated planning policy.

“This will help attract new investment and bring in much-needed new homes to address the affordable housing issues. A clearly defined approach to local and countywide planning issues is also critical to ensure fairness and opportunity for all.

“The need to ensure that development in the county is handled in the best interests of everyone involved is vital with the launch of the new council, and we are confident that the approach to planning will be conducted in a fair, impartial and transparent way.”

This will be the first time that a single local plan document has been drawn up for the whole of North Yorkshire.

The current seven district and borough councils in North Yorkshire act as planning authorities, but the move to one unitary authority presents the chance to provide a single, unified approach to development.

The Local Plan for the new North Yorkshire Council will look ahead for a minimum of 15 years, and at least 30 years in relation to any larger scale developments, such as new settlements or significant extensions to urban areas. It is set to encompass all areas of the county outside the National Parks for the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.

North Yorkshire Council will be launched when North Yorkshire County Council and the existing seven district and borough authorities are replaced in the biggest shake-up of local government since 1974. It is a legal requirement for the new authority to develop a Local Plan within five years of its launch.

Reviews of some of the Local Plans currently overseen by district and borough authorities which are generally at an early stage are set to be paused and revisited as part of the creation of the new blueprint. This includes the plans for the Scarborough Borough as well as for Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate borough, and Richmondshire.

Reviews at a more advanced stage are due to continue, including the plans for Ryedale and Selby, the Maltkiln new settlement proposals in the Harrogate area and the Minerals and Waste Joint Plan for York and North Yorkshire, which would be separate to the Local Plan.

The County Council say the next step is to produce a local development scheme, which will set out the timetable for the preparation of the Local Plan.

The six planning committees are set to cover areas defined by the existing parliamentary constituencies for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Selby and Ainsty, and Richmond, as well as Skipton and Ripon, Thirsk and Malton (which includes Filey), and Scarborough and Whitby.

Cllr Myers has chaired a group of members who have been looking at the best way forward to incorporate decision-making for planning applications for the new authority.

He said:

“A great deal of work has gone into making sure that planning decisions are made effectively. I would like to put on record that I am extremely grateful for all the work that has been undertaken by members and officers, for the proposals for both the planning committees and the Local Plan.”

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