Object

Representation ID: 29684

Received: 24/03/2021

Respondent: Redrow Homes

Agent: Johnson Mowat

The site (IL/013) is on the edge of Ben Rhydding suburb of Ilkley, a Principal Town and important urban area of Wharfedale.

The 35% uplift to the housing requirement should apply to Ilkley.

This site lies in a sustainable location, it is available and suitable and is a deliverable site that should be included within the Local Plan.

The site credentials are better than those of site IL3/H to the immediate south, which has been included as a Preferred Allocation. The SLA reason for the rejection of the site is Heritage. Adjoining Site IL/014 (Preferred Allocation IL3/H) receives the same ‘Less than Substantial Harm (Unacceptable)’ across the whole site, yet the site is included as a preferred allocation.

We disagree with the Council’s overall conclusion in the Heritage Impact Assessment which refers to the site not being capable of mitigation to achieve a less harmful impact on heritage significance (for details see document submission).

The Green Belt site specific assessment concludes that Site IL/013 is located in a ‘moderate’ green belt parcel and the site has a ‘moderate’ potential impact on the Green Belt, yet site IL/014, a preferred housing site, has a ‘major’ potential impact on the Green Belt.

The 2013 Bradford Growth Assessment concluded that there may be some potential for Green Belt development to the east and west of Ilkley, where landscaping could contribute to providing a settlement boundary.
The SHLAA3 (July 2015) site summary in relation to the Green Belt stated that:
“Development would probably not be damaging to the openness of the green belt in this location.”

The development of this site provides the opportunity to secure a stronger, defensible boundary, to the settlement.

There is logic in extending the size of Preferred Site IL3/H to the immediate south of IL/013, to incorporate IL/013 and deliver the sites together comprehensively. This will allow more scope via design, to address the heritage constraints associated with the setting of Wheatley Grange, as well as provide an opportunity for creating a scheme to form an important gateway development, when entering into Ilkley from the east.