Councillors decide the bigger Pot Bank roundabout on 13 October. Up to 960 approved west Harrogate homes cannot start until it is agreed; 13 trees would go.
The mini roundabout where Otley Road meets Pot Bank, on the western edge of Harrogate, would be replaced by a much larger roundabout under plans going to councillors on Tuesday 13 October.
Officers are recommending approval. The decision matters well beyond the junction. Two west Harrogate housing estates, with up to 960 homes between them, already have planning permission but cannot start building until this scheme is approved.
The application, reference 25/03390/RG3, is North Yorkshire Council’s own, made by its highways team. That is why it goes to the Strategic Planning Committee rather than being decided by an officer.
What would be built
The officers’ report describes the scheme as:
- a conventional three-arm roundabout in place of the uncontrolled mini roundabout
- a 37 metre inscribed circle, with two-lane approaches on all three arms
- a lay-by on the central island for maintenance vehicles
- informal pedestrian crossings with refuge islands, dropped kerbs and tactile paving
- new footways and street lighting
- longer stretches of lower speed limit on the approaches
- new drainage, landscaping and planting on the roundabout
The site covers about 0.63 hectares. It takes in the existing junction and a small field between Pot Bank Road and Sandringham House, the former vicarage.
The report gives no construction cost or start date.
Why the council says it is needed
The scheme is listed as mitigation for the West Harrogate urban expansion. Three large housing sites there are expected to add traffic to this junction.
Two of them already have permission, and both carry the same condition. No homes can be built until a Pot Bank scheme is approved and the land needed for it has been handed to the council. Officers want the same condition on the third.
| Site | Planning reference | Homes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land east of Lady Lane (H51) | HGT18/05202/EIAMAJ | up to 480 | Approved 29 April 2026 |
| Bluecoats (H45) | HGT22/01558/EIAMAJ | up to 480 | Approved 30 June 2026 |
| Windmill Farm (H49) | HGT22/00089/EIAMAJ | 643 | Still being considered |
The home numbers come from each application’s description on the council’s planning register. Lady Lane also includes land for employment and a local shopping centre. Bluecoats includes football pitches and a cricket pitch. Windmill Farm’s application adds a two-form-entry primary school, up to 70 affordable flats for older people and up to 24 self-build plots.
The council’s transport assessment, as summarised in the report, found seven collisions at the mini roundabout between 2013 and 2023. It calls that a poor safety record. The same summary says none were recorded between January 2018 and December 2023.
Trees, the wall and the listed gates
Thirteen trees on the north side of Otley Road would be felled:
- six ash trees, which the report says are in decline and would have needed felling soon
- six lime trees
- one sycamore
The landscaping plan was first submitted with 30 replacement trees. After comments from the council’s tree and landscape officers, it was redrawn with 15 lime and Scots pine planted as an avenue, matching the trees further east. The roadside stone wall would be taken down and rebuilt, using the salvaged stone where possible.
The council’s conservation officer found a low level of harm to the setting of:
- the Grade II listed east gate piers and railings to Moor Park
- East Lodge, Moor Park’s former gate lodge
- the former vicarage
- Beckwithshaw Primary School’s building
Officers conclude that safer crossings and more road capacity outweigh that harm.
What residents and the parish council said
Three people objected. Their concerns, as the report summarises them, were traffic and road safety, the risk of drivers cutting through the Moor Park estate, the look of the junction, the loss of trees and the loss of bird habitat.
The council’s highways officers replied that the Moor Park estate is a private road and no traffic would be diverted through it.
Beckwithshaw Parish Council neither supported nor objected. It asked for a 20mph limit through the village, better footpath links, changes to where the crossings go, and checks that large lorries could get through. It also asked who would look after the new trees. Officers said the 20mph request is outside this application and would need to be raised with the council’s highways team separately.
What it means for you
- If you drive Otley Road or Pot Bank: nothing changes yet. If approved, works would need a construction plan agreed first. The council’s lane rental scheme applies on Otley Road and Pot Bank on weekdays from 7.30am to 9.30am and 3.30pm to 7pm, which pushes contractors away from the rush hours.
- If you walk or cycle there: the new layout adds crossing points with refuge islands, which the report calls an improvement on the current arrangement. It links with the planned Otley Road cycleway, which runs from the Pot Bank junction towards the town centre.
- If you are waiting on the new estates: an approval on 13 October is one of two steps. The land for the roundabout also has to be transferred to the council before house building can start at Lady Lane or Bluecoats.
- If you want to watch: the meeting starts at 10am at County Hall, Northallerton. The council says it will be broadcast live and uploaded to its YouTube channel. Members of the public can attend as observers.
We will report the decision once the council publishes it. Live closures in the area are on our Harrogate roadworks page, and other big applications are on our Harrogate planning news page.
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