Norton Town Council opposes Persimmon’s expansion plans for housing development

Persimmon Homes Yorkshire wants to raise the number of homes at the Westfield Nurseries site in Norton – through a scheme which would be one of the biggest in the town’s history – to 216, 30 more than it was originally given permission to build.

The firm has already been allowed to enlarge its initial 186-home development to 197 properties by reshaping its layout and design, but has now applied to Ryedale District Council for approval to include another 19 houses.

However, council planning officials have recommended rejecting this, saying another expansion would lead to the Scarborough Road site, a former brickworks, being “overdeveloped”.

The application will be debated by the authority’s planning committee next Tuesday.

Norton Town Council has opposed Persimmon’s request for more homes, with its objection claiming it would increase pressure on local parking and school places as well as the town’s sewage system, although North Yorkshire County Council’s education officers have not objected as long as the developer contributes towards education provision in the area.

When Persimmon’s original 186-home development was approved, the company said it would be a “major asset” to Norton with a one-bedroom to four-bedroom homes, many of them affordable housing.

An agreement was signed for it to provide financial support for A64 improvements at Brambling Fields, more school places and upgrading and providing open space in the town.

In a report on Persimmon’s application, planning officer Matthew Mortonson said: “The proposal would result in a cramped development which would appear incongruous in the street scene and would be out of character with the original development.

The car-parking arrangements, both in terms of on-street and off-street parking, would result in a car-dominated street scene. The proposal would not provide an adequate living environment for future residents.”