Copmanthorpe: 75 homes approved on green belt despite fears

The plans will see two one-beds, 19 two-beds, 31 three-beds and 23 four-beds built in the village in the southwest of the city.

The site is a triangular piece of land to the south of the village and accessed by Moor Lane.

But this access point was a concerning factor for Graham Auton, chair of Copmanthorpe parish council, who had “serious concerns about access to and from this proposed development” and said there will be an “inevitable impact of significant increase in traffic in the heart of our village".

At a planning committee meeting on October 5, he said: “For those not familiar with Copmanthorpe, Moor Lane is a relatively narrow two-way cul-de-sac with properties on both sides of the road.

“Parking overspill means many vehicles are parked at the curbside, making access rather difficult.”

Moor Lane

Mr Auton added: “The road itself is in very poor repair, a situation which has severely worsened over the last two years due to the high volume of heavy goods vehicles transporting equipment to and from the Network Rail depot at the end of Moor Lane, which is directly opposite the proposed development site.”

Liam Tate, planning manager at Barratt and David Wilson Homes, said the area has “consistently been identified as a suitable location” for a housing development site.

“The application has been accompanied by a robust traffic assessment which has been independently reviewed by [the council’s] qualified highways officers,” he added.

Cllr Chris Steward said although the pictures in the planning proposal make Moor Lane look positive, he said: “I just don’t think it’s that good of a road.”

Neighbouring properties to the north of the site in Copmanthorpe (Image: CYC)

He added: “It does feel like a road that is fizzling out and they’ve done well just to get a couple of vehicles on it.

“It’s always got a lot more vehicles.”

The development meets the affordable housing contribution requirement, which is for 30 per cent of a greenfield site development to be affordable.

There are 22 affordable homes now planned to be built at Copmanthorpe.

However, an increase in housing means an increase in people, which was a reason why the local doctor’s surgery objected to the plans.

Old School Medical Practice was represented in the committee report, and it asked for a contribution of £103,455 to deal with the increase pressure on its services.

It said Companthorpe is  “serviced by two relatively small GP surgeries, both surgeries have remained unaltered since 1980s when there has been a significant increase in the number of dwellings".

Plans for the housing

It added: “This has resulted in under provision of accommodation for the delivery of primary care services in the village.

“[It] would not be supported without a financial contribution to reflect the impact that the scheme would have on the delivery of primary care services.

“[It] would have a detrimental impact on the existing health care provision within the vicinity.

“[There’s] no capacity to provide services for additional patients.”

A sum of £92,690 will be paid towards improvements to, reconfiguration of, or extension of existing premises or providing additional resource for the benefit of primary health care patients.

All councillors except Cllr Steward and Cllr Dave Merrett, both of whom abstained, voted for the proposals.