Question mark over Tay Homes development (From Gazette & Herald)

Question mark over Tay Homes development

MYSTERY surrounds the controversial Tay Homes planned housing development at Kirkbymoorside after the company's new owners announced this week that the site was "under review".

Matthew Watts, land and planning manager for Redrow, the company which has taken over Tay Homes, said in a brief statement: "The position is that the land is under review."

He added through his spokeswoman that the future of the site was not yet known.

Tay Homes won a planning appeal late last year after Ryedale District Council turned down the company's plans to build 33 new homes on the prime site at Westfields.

The proposal was to build an affordable housing development incorporating three-bedroom houses and two-bedroom three-storey flats.

But there was strong opposition from residents and the town council because of claims that the design of the scheme was out of keeping with Kirkbymoorside's historic conservation areas and its stone-built houses and cottages.

However, the inspector for the Government's environment department at Bristol gave the plan approval, but with stringent conditions after a public inquiry at Ryedale House.

A spokeswoman for Ryedale council planning department confirmed that Redrow had put the plan on hold and indicated that the company might not develop the site.

Coun Gary Hobbs, Ryedale council member for the market town and one of the leading opponents of the scheme, said that while he had not heard anything officially about the development's future, he had been baffled by the disappearance of a large sign promoting the scheme on the site.

"I was surprised that nothing had been done so far on the scheme following the granting of planning permission," he said.

At the inquiry, Coun Hobbs said there were several reasons why the scheme should be turned down - traffic problems, the lack of variety of housing styles and three-storey dwellings so close to the conservation area, which was out of keeping.

Protesters attended several meetings at Kirkbymoorside and Ryedale House during their campaign to block the scheme.

Coun Sheila Ridley, a town councillor and also an objector to the development, said: "The town council wants development on the site, but not the Tay Homes scheme."

She said the three-storey flats had caused the most opposition.

"I would like to see family houses, and some accommodation for single people but only two-storeys high, which would be more in keeping with the area. Three-storey blocks of flats would be too prominent."

There were also worries about the density of the development and its affect on neighbours and the historic image of Kirkbymoorside as a whole.

Now the town is waiting to see if Redrow submits an alternative scheme for the site, in line with the wishes of residents and councillors.

Updated: 09:49 Thursday, April 11, 2002