Richmond win planning approval after official enquiry by Government inspector.
Richmond have won planning approval for a proposed development of 14 terraced homes at The Bay, Filey site in North Yorkshire.
Scarborough Borough Council has been roundly criticised by a Government inspector for the way it refused planning permission for more holiday homes at The Bay Filey. The Inspector concluded the Council had been in part inconsistent and unreasonable in turning down an application to build a further 14 terraced homes. He also took the unusual step of ordering the Council to pay costs to the applicant, Mr Wayne Low, a Director of Richmond, the company behind the development of The Bay, one of the UK’s most popular coastal holiday villages. The Inspector’s decision was welcomed by Mr Low, who accused the Council of unnecessarily putting barriers in the way of the development of what is one of the country’s most successful leisure projects of the past 20 years.
He said:
The Bay Filey is a £120m-plus development that is now in its sixth year. Thousands of holidaymakers come here each year bringing much-needed additional revenue to the local economy.
Businesses and individuals are investing in Filey and the immediate area by purchasing these holiday homes either for their own use or to let and yet we are too often confronted with ridiculous planning issues that do nothing but hold up the project. This is unreasonable and makes the development of The Bay hard to plan.
Thankfully, on this occasion, the Inspector has not only concluded in our favour by overturning the Council’s earlier decision but he has also been clear in his criticism of the officer’s reasoning.
Anyone who visits The Bay will see that we are creating a unique holiday environment, with homes built in traditional styles. Demand for these properties, from purchasers and holidaymakers, remains high and the building programme will continue for some time to come.
Wayne LowCEO & Director - Richmond Properties Uk Ltd
Mr Low had asked for permission to build a further 14 properties as part of the continuing expansion of The Bay. However, the Council refused his application on several grounds, but mainly because it felt the appeal site could be used for leisure facilities. The Inspector, Richard McCoy, reported: “By refusing permission, the Council has been inconsistent in its approach to the provision of leisure facilities at The Bay, insofar as it has, under various recent approvals, agreed to leisure facilities being located throughout the site with no concerns regarding accessibility.
He was also critical of the Council for raising its concerns over accessibility 10 weeks after the plan was submitted, even though the applicant had willingly entered into informal pre-application talks. He said the provision of a Masterplan for The Bay had highlighted the Council’s “unreasonableness” and the developer’s “willingness to work with the Council”. This was the second planning appeal Wayne Low has won against Scarborough Borough Council in the past month. He said: “The latest appeal proved to be a lengthy and costly affair and I’m delighted the Inspector has not only decided in our favour but has also ruled that the Council should meet part of the costs. It’s not often costs are apportioned to the local authority so this was a double triumph.
The Bay offer holiday home ownership in high quality homes ranging between £75k - £400K+.
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