North Yorkshire Council says it exceeded the statutory minimum requirements for consultation regarding plans for 4,000 homes at Maltkiln - between York and Harrogate - following criticism from local parish councils.

A public examination is taking place in Harrogate all week regarding the Maltkiln Development Plan Document (DPD).

The DPD aims to guide how a new town and two primary schools would be built.

If Maltkiln goes ahead as currently envisaged it will transform the area around Cattal, Whixley, Green Hammerton and Kirk Hammerton.

The council says the draft document “sets a clear and ambitious 30-year vision” for the scheme.

Government-appointed planning inspector Clive Coyne will judge if the DPD is up to scratch, if changes are needed and if developer Caddick Group and North Yorkshire Council can move forward with the scheme.

Mr Coyne asked the council if it believed it met the strict legal duties required regarding consultation with members of the public.

The council wrote in a statement ahead of the meeting that it consulted with the community in each stage of the preparation of the DPD and also met “extensively” with a local liaison group which included parish councillors.

During the inquiry, Mr Coyne heard from Paul Brown KC, a barrister representing North Yorkshire Council, who said that the authority went over and above what was legally required of them during the consultation stages.

Mr Brown said: “The council’s position was even throughout the Covid period, where it was difficult, we have more than adhered to and if anything exceeded the statutory minimum.”

However, three residents from local parish councils said the council’s approach to consultation left them “confused” and “in disbelief” with some rural residents struggling with online forms.

They also said the council should have consulted again following the withdrawal of the Dent land in December 2022, which made up 43 per cent of the overall scheme and left residents with many unanswered questions.

Alex Smith, who was speaking on behalf of a coalition of parish councils, said the council had held no face-to-face meetings with residents which had damaged trust in the DPD process.

Mr Smith said: “It left residents unable to ask questions and clarify issues. There was very little interactive engagement with a broad section of residents. Many couldn’t participate meaningfully and it confused residents.”

Kevin Bramley representing Hunsingore, Walshford with Great Ribston & Cattal Parish Council, described the DPD consultations as neither “reasonable nor proportionate”.

He said: “There were no village hall settings where officers could defend or promote their plan. Residents are still in disbelief about that.”

The planning inquiryThe planning inquiry

Paul Townsend from Kirk Hammerton Parish Council said the Covid period was “extremely difficult” for the council but with restrictions lifted there should have been efforts to rectify a lack of in-person meetings.

He added: “Given the fact there was so little opportunity to talk to people during Covid, that should increase your responsibility. You should go out and meet with people to tell them what’s going on.”

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The inspector Mr Coyne asked the council why there had been no face-to-face meetings since the pandemic.

In response, Mr Brown KC said: “It can’t be right that when we moved the plan on, the government expected us to go back to the starting blocks and carry out a consultation we couldn’t do during Covid. If we had to consult after every change we’d never get anywhere."

Mr Coyne replied: “To my mind, legal requirements have been met in terms of adequate consultations, the methods are something for the council to consider and decide. Was the change in land ownership enough to consider another consultation? I don’t know.”

The Maltkiln public examination continues this week at Harrogate Civic Centre and is open to the public. For a timetable visit here: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-08/ID03%20Hearing%20Programme%20-%20accessible.pdf