Plans for business incubator units north of York are recommended for refusal as their proposed site is in the Green Belt.

Geoff Neal Roofing  (GNR) wants to build the six units, with warehousing and training facilities at its 1.5ha site off Sutton Road, Wigginton. The site also contains several other businesses in the building and stove/ fireplaces sector.

A report prepared for next Thursday’s meeting of City of York Council’s planning committee said: “The rationale is that the proposals seeks to expand the current business facility to predominately provide a regional centre for the training of roofing, building and stove/ biomass appliances.”

The council received a letter of support from a neighbour and Wigginton Parish Council also supported the proposals.

Council planners said the GNR site occupies a prominent, open location in the Green Belt that is visible from Sutton Road.

The proposed buildings would “change the overall visual appearance of the site” and be “detrimental to the openness Green Belt.”

“It would also constitute unrestricted sprawl,” they continued.

The proposed development also concerns land not allocated for development.

Council planners said the proposals presented “inappropriate development” as it would harm the openness of the site.

The concluded: “The proposed development will supplement the existing warehouse use on site and provide opportunities for purpose formed training space where craft trades can be taught in classrooms with workshop space. “

The location was in the Green Belt and the land needs to remain open to safeguard the countryside from encroachment. The site was not identified for development in the emerging local plan.

There were “economic benefits” from the scheme, and it did not conflict with the council’s social and environmental objectives.

However, the proposal did not present the ‘Very Special Circumstances’ needed to outweigh the harm that would be caused by building on the open, Green Belt site, they added. Therefore, the scheme was recommended for refusal.

When the plans were submitted last autumn, planning documents said: “The Sutton Road site has become a beacon for small, independent and entrepreneurial businesses and the proposed extension of the site is intended to harness this growth opportunity.”

 “The training facility will also be supported by the e-commerce knowledge and reach of the existing businesses on-site, helping to create a training facility that equips apprentices with the practical skills and the business skills to become future entrepreneurs.”

The application continued: “The masterplan for the site has been carefully considered from a business and landscape perspective. The Sutton group of companies are keen to see the site developed in a sensitive way, with low-impact incubator units nestled within native landscape planting.“

“The incubator units will provide a modern, open-plan workspace with net-zero operational running costs and the ability to support electric car charging.”