PLANS for a large new settlement near York have been thrown into uncertainty after an area of land was withdrawn from the scheme.

Harrogate council bosses says they have postponed submission of a development plan document (DPD) for Maltkiln to the Secretary of State while they consider their options.

Developers behind the proposals for up to 4,000 new homes in the Cattal-Hammerton area say it is ‘regrettable’ that one of the landowners has now expressed their intention to withdraw their support for the development but they continue to have positive relationships with the other landowners and remain confident it can progress.

The DPD sets out the boundary limits of the 300-acre settlement and includes key details on access for vehicles, public transport, pedestrians and cyclists, as well as housing designs.

The Secretary of State must approve the document before any development can take place.

But Harrogate Borough Council said it has been notified that an area of land previously available and included in the proposed new settlement boundary had been withdrawn and was no longer available for development.

"As a result, submission of the proposed new settlement DPD to the Secretary of State for independent examination has been postponed while options are considered," it said.

Maltkiln developer Caddick Group said that as with most 'large and complex' developments, the proposed new settlement involved several landowners and it had been working with them for a number of years. 

"It is regrettable that one of the landowners has now expressed their intention to withdraw their support for the development," it said.

"However, we continue to have positive relationships with the other landowners and we remain confident that development can progress in accordance with the policy objectives of Harrogate Borough Council’s Development Plan Document for the new settlement."

It said the Maltkiln site had been established as the preferred option by Harrogate Borough Council based on its location, accessibility and relative freedom from constraints. 

"In parallel with the council’s DPD process, we have undertaken thorough community and stakeholder consultation as part of defining our proposals to deliver much needed new housing and associated amenities for this part of North Yorkshire," it said.

’We intend to continue a positive dialogue with all the landowners in the vicinity of our site and any updated proposals will be publicised after we have discussed with the Borough and County Councils how the amended site area may best be developed in accordance with the proposed DPD."

Councillor Tim Myatt, cabinet member for planning at the council, said last July that the DPD set a 'clear and ambitious thirty year vision for Maltkiln, which would be planned and delivered in a way that supported the delivery of net-zero carbon emissions by 2038.

The question of where to build a new settlement to meet Harrogate’s housing demand was at the centre of fierce debates during the adoption of the district’s Local Plan in 2020.

Residents in Cattal and nearby Green Hammerton said its siting in their area would be “utterly devastating”.