Environment Secretary John Gummer has refused outline planning consent for a business park on a 13.9ha (150 acre) site next to Flaxby Covert on the A59/A1 near Knaresborough in north Yorkshire.
Harrogate Council had originally resolved to grant Axis 1 Ltd consent for the proposed scheme The council did so on the grounds that the region needed a site large enough to attract major inward investment to compensate for the loss of MOD-related jobs.
However the inspector questioned the extent of “inherent demand” for such a large scheme. He added: “It would appear that the site was seriously considered only by Kimberley Clark before they located at Barton on Humber. Other approaches, with the possible exception of the Central Science Research Laboratory, are acknowledged to have been tentative, including those made by Mercedes Benz, British Gas and British Telecom.”
He also noted that, significantly, none of the “enquiries” had extended to an application for planning permission. He also rejected the argument that the region needed the site if it was to attract “footloose” requirements.
Concern at the impact of the proposed scheme on the local countryside has triggered opposition in the area. The development would also entail the loss of 30ha (74 acres) of arable land. The inspector upheld both of these arguments.
EGi News 20/08/96
