Village housing scheme approved on appeal

Plans for a new housing development in a village between Harrogate and Ripon have been given the go-ahead following an appeal.The government’s Planning Inspectorate has ruled that Loxley Homes’ proposed Burton Leonard scheme, which will include 12 affordable homes, should be approved.Overturning the 2016 decision by Harrogate Borough Council to refuse planning consent for the new housing development, the inspectorate cited an urgent need to provide affordable homes for local people in accessible locations, and the recent shift in planning regulations, as factors behind its ruling.The new homes, designed by Harrogate and Leeds firm Aspect Architecture, will have between one and five bedrooms. Improvements will also be made to the roads surrounding the site.Work is due to start on the development later this year, with homes available for sale by summer 2019.