Plans to build four eco-friendly homes near Knaresborough refused by councillors

It follows two larger applications that were refused by the defunct Harrogate Borough Council in 2021 and 2022 with those decisions upheld on appeal.

The plots on York Road would be for people who want to build their homes and according to documents submitted by developer Ben Holmes from Holmes Planning Ltd, utility bills would be reduced to “as close to zero as possible”.

This would be achieved through solar panels on the roofs and air-source heat pumps instead of gas boilers.

The homes would be designed according to Passivhaus principles, which is an innovative design code that prioritises insulation so that a home doesn’t need any heating or cooling at all resulting in minimal energy bills.

The developer also said the homes would adopt rainwater harvesting technology to reduce water consumption.

North Yorkshire Council has a waiting list of people wanting to build their own homes in the county and the developer said the scheme would help meet a demand.

Councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s Selby and Ainsty planning committee met on Wednesday afternoon at Selby Civic Centre to consider the latest application.

The plans received several objections from villagers in Flaxby.

Caroline Greenhalgh, a councillor on Goldsborough and Flaxby Parish Council, told the committee that she believed the site was unsuitable for development.

She added: “There’s no infrastructure, services or adequate public transport.”

Mr Holmes addressed councillors and said the homes would be built to an “incredibly high standard”.

He said: “These are going to be extremely green properties.

"It’s not a perfect site, I accept that, but it’s a good site.

"People will use their cars to get there however does that outweigh the benefits the site will bring? I say no it doesn’t.

“I firmly believe if you ask the public what they think, the majority would support this application.”

Ahead of the meeting, the plans were recommended for refusal in an officer report due to harm to the countryside and the loss of agricultural land.

Councillors ended up backing the recommendation and unanimously voted to refuse the plans.

Mark Crane, Conservative councillor for Brayton and Barlow, said: “I strongly support self-build however it’s clear as clear can be that this is not the site for it.

“Seldom have I seen so many reasons for refusal.”