Overdevelopment concerns over village homes plan

Plans to build up to 52 homes in a North Yorkshire village have been recommended for approval despite concerns from residents who believe the scheme could lead to overdevelopment.

An outline application to build on about 3.2 hectares of land adjoining The Pastures in Sherburn, near Malton, has been submitted to North Yorkshire Council.

Forty letters objecting to the scheme raised fears about infrastructure in the village such as school places, healthcare and traffic.

However, planning officers said harm caused by the project would not significantly outweigh its benefits and have urged councillors to approve the application at a meeting next Thursday.

Residents also said they had fears about flooding, the loss of agricultural land and the impact on wildlife, according to a council planning report.

Sherburn Parish Council raised concerns including the safety of traffic joining the A64 and said bus services were already full.

There were also 13 letters submitted in support of the plans, which have been lodged by developers Cromsdale Estates and William Edward Cundall.

Planning officers said the proposals should be approved, although they acknowledged that the site was outside the village's development limits in an area where new housing would not usually be supported.

The report said the council could currently demonstrate just 0.8 years of housing land supply in the former Ryedale area, rather than the five years required.

The development would include 35% affordable housing, public open space and a children's play area.

The Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board warned that nearby Sherburn and Rillington Practice did not have capacity for the additional population.

A developer contribution of £61,368 towards healthcare infrastructure was therefore proposed, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Officers also said the development would cause some harm to the setting of the Grade II listed Brewery House by building on largely undeveloped agricultural land.

However, they concluded this would be at the lower end of "less than substantial harm" and would be outweighed by the benefits of the project.

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