Councillors granted 133 homes at Cow Dyke Farm and 20 over-55 flats on Knaresborough Road, both unanimously, with 40% affordable and a new tree order.

Both of the housing schemes that went before Harrogate councillors on 25 August were granted, and both votes were unanimous. The minutes were published on 2 September.

The decisions cover:

  • 133 homes at Cow Dyke Farm, off Skipton Road, reference 25/01728/REMMAJ, with 53 of them affordable
  • 20 affordable flats for over-55s on Knaresborough Road, reference HGTZC24/00012/FULMAJ, replacing Applegarth Homes

Both were granted subject to conditions and, for Cow Dyke Farm, the prior completion of a section 106 agreement. We previewed both schemes before the meeting. What follows is what actually happened in the room, and the two things that changed between the report being written and the vote being taken.

The new planning rulebook landed eight days before the meeting

The government published a new National Planning Policy Framework on 17 August 2026. It applies from the date of publication, so it landed on both of these applications while they were already on the agenda.

Officers had to issue update notes rewriting parts of both reports. The most important rewrite is the one that removes the argument the recommendations were built on.

Both officer reports had leaned on paragraph 11(d) of the old Framework, the presumption in favour of sustainable development that bites when a council cannot show five years of housing land. North Yorkshire can currently show 2.2 years for the former Harrogate area.

Paragraph 11(d) no longer exists. The officer update note says it “is not directly replaced within the new NPPF”, and that the route is now national decision-making policy S3, with policy S4 applying to sites inside settlements. S4(1) says proposals within settlements “should be approved unless the benefits of doing so would be substantially outweighed by any adverse effects”.

Here it made no difference. Both sites sit inside the Harrogate settlement limit, and Cow Dyke Farm already had outline permission from 2017, so officers concluded the new Framework “does not alter the acceptability of the principle of development”. The change matters for what comes next rather than for these two: a scheme outside a settlement boundary can no longer be argued through on the old tilted balance.

Two other national policies did real work at this meeting. Officers cited NDMP N2 on biodiversity, which requires new development to include features for priority species and to build in nest boxes. On the Knaresborough Road scheme that produced a new condition requiring a bird nest box scheme. And NDMP HO9, the first Framework policy with specific criteria for older people’s housing, was applied to the over-55 flats; officers concluded the scheme is not purpose-built specialist accommodation under the NPPF glossary definition, and that 40% of the units are accessible.

A tree order was made a week before the vote

On 18 August 2026 the council made Tree Preservation Order No. 73/2026 (HAR). It covers the trees in the green corridor through the Cow Dyke Farm site and along the eastern boundary next to the public right of way. The order makes it an offence to cut down, top or lop those trees without the council’s consent.

Two details are worth knowing if you live nearby:

  • the order took effect provisionally on 18 August, and stays provisional for six months or until the council confirms it, whichever comes first
  • until it is confirmed, anyone affected still has the right to object or make representations

All the protected trees are shown as retained on the landscape masterplan, and conditions 3, 4 and 5 require tree protection and monitoring during construction, on top of two tree conditions already carried over from the outline permission.

The hedgerow objection did not carry

A resident spoke for a number of households on the Dalesway Estate, objecting. The long-running complaint has been the loss of about 160 metres of hawthorn hedgerow on the southern boundary.

The council’s ecology officer settled it against the objectors before the vote. The update note records the officer agreeing that the hedge does not qualify as an “important hedgerow” under the Hedgerow Regulations, because it is species-poor and falls below the woody species threshold the regulations set. The officer also confirmed the scheme achieves biodiversity net gain overall, through new and enhanced hedges elsewhere on the site.

Northern Powergrid confirmed it had no objection, provided its access to its apparatus is preserved.

What councillors actually pressed on

The minutes record members raising:

  • whether officers and the developer had discussed the affordable housing mix, and the clustering of affordable units in one part of the site
  • who maintains the public open space, and what the management company will charge residents for it
  • whether the southern hedgerow had been properly assessed under the Hedgerow Regulations
  • who pays if construction traffic damages the unadopted section of Malham Drive
  • whether the hedgerow removal could be conditioned to happen late in the build, since the replacement planting comes at the end

Members called it a well-designed scheme with a good layout and landscaping, and welcomed the 40% affordable housing. Their one recorded criticism was that despite the work done on renewable energy, the heating system chosen will need replacing in future. Councillor Sam Gibbs proposed approval and Councillor Paul Haslam seconded it. The vote was unanimous.

The 53 affordable homes, in detail

The officer update note corrected the affordable housing table. The final figures are 53 affordable homes out of 133, split as:

  • 36 for affordable rent: 18 one-bed, 6 two-bed, 8 three-bed and 4 four-bed
  • 17 for shared ownership: 2 two-bed, 9 three-bed and 6 four-bed
  • 48 built to accessibility standards: 43 to M4(2) and 5 to M4(3), the wheelchair-user standard
The 53 affordable homes approved at Cow Dyke Farm, by size and tenure Grouped bar chart. One bedroom: 18 affordable rent, none shared ownership. Two bedroom: 6 affordable rent, 2 shared ownership. Three bedroom: 8 affordable rent, 9 shared ownership. Four bedroom: 4 affordable rent, 6 shared ownership. Totals 36 affordable rent and 17 shared ownership. Source: North Yorkshire Council officer update note, 25 August 2026. The 53 affordable homes at Cow Dyke Farm By size and tenure, as corrected in the officer update note Affordable rent (36) Shared ownership (17) 1 bedroom 18 none shared ownership 2 bedrooms 6 2 3 bedrooms 8 9 4 bedrooms 4 6 Every one-bedroom affordable home on the site is for rent, and half the four-bedroom ones are shared ownership Source: North Yorkshire Council, officer update note, Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Planning Committee, 25 August 2026 Graphic by Harrogate Live
Graphic by Harrogate Live.

Knaresborough Road: two conditions added on the night

The 20 over-55 flats were granted on the same basis. Councillor Philip Broadbank proposed approval, Councillor Andrew Timothy seconded, and the vote was again unanimous.

Two conditions were added after the report was written:

  • a scheme for bird nest boxes, to provide habitat for priority and threatened species, required under NDMP N2
  • a cycle storage scheme, to be approved before anyone moves in

A member of the public had queried who owned the land to the north of the site. The applicant produced a title plan confirming ownership, and officers told the committee that any remaining dispute is a civil matter, not a planning one. Members were told the five disabled parking spaces and the minimum age of 55 were both raised in debate. Councillor Chris Aldred, who chaired, declared that he is the division councillor for High Harrogate and Kingsley, where the site sits, confirmed he had not been lobbied, and took part in the vote.

The chair called the scheme excellent and said it would benefit future residents and the wider area. Members accepted the loss of the existing building, which residents had told the earlier consultation has problems with damp and mould.

What it means for you

If you live next to the Cow Dyke Farm site, the tree order is the live one. It is still provisional, and the window to object or make representations is open until the council confirms it or six months pass from 18 August. Representations go through North Yorkshire Council.

The section 106 money for Cow Dyke Farm has to be signed before the permission issues. That agreement carries £1,126,936.57 for education, including £543,049.75 for Killinghall CofE Primary School, £154,836 for health, and £184,663.97 for off-site open space at Jennyfields Recreation Area, St Thomas Churchyard and Killinghall Moor pitches. Those figures are in the officer report and are unchanged by the update notes.

The committee’s next meeting is Tuesday 29 September at 2pm. You can follow what is coming on our Harrogate planning news page, and Cow Dyke Farm sits between Skipton Road and Jennyfield, where the Duchy Road and Jennyfield Drive works are due to finish on 13 September.

Sources