HML is Home Management Loans, a subsidiary of Skipton Building Society, and a company whose predominant occupation in Skipton is apparently servicing bad debt via their call centre, the infamous ‘Carbuncle.’ The council have agreed to allow their development on Gargrave Road, a protected greenfield site which happens to belong to the council. Many councillors have mortgages or invest with Skipton Building Society., and John Goodfellow, the Chief Executive of SBS is the chairman of the committee which sets allowances for councillors, allowances which increased fivefold in 4 short years -
Summer 2006: The council take a poll of the public, it is 3:1 against Gargrave Road being developed.
15th November 2006: The Performance and Resources committee of Craven District Council, chaired by Carl Lis, met and debated the Gargrave Road Development.
This item was not even on the Agenda for the evening, was introduced without prior notice, and read to them by the Chief Executive!
Without even having the opportunity to read this important document they voted FOR the development.
4th December 2006: a packed Town Hall met under the auspices of CRAG to discuss the application. A poll is taken of the approximately 150 persons present, there is not a single vote in favour of the development.
The council stated that no councillor could discuss the issue until after the Planning Committee had met to discuss it in February. Strangely, however...
8th December 2006: The council issued a prospectus for developers (a copy is HERE)
Where it is specifically stated that:
“Developers must work with the council to support the retention of an important local business, HML Ltd. in Skipton at Gargrave Road.”
19th December 2006: The full council, led by Carl Lis met to debate the same point -
January 2007: the Yorkshire Dales National Park chaired by Carl Lis, met to discuss the HML Application. Planning officers stated that as the site was not in the National Park, indeed could not even be seen from the National Park, then a stance of neutrality should be taken.
They too voted FOR developing Gargrave Road, presumably to influence their colleagues at CDC?
6th February 2007: Craven District Council’s Planning Committee discuss HML’s application to develop the Gargrave Road site, they vote FOR the development.
It is CRAG’s contention that this was a foregone conclusion, and was made that way due to the financial problems that the council has brought on itself.
Some 24 hours before the Planning Committee met, an agenda was issued. This agenda runs to 41 pages, and can be seen in its entirety HERE.
Before that, however, things were happening at Craven District Council:
The Head of Planning was on long term sick leave, due to stress. A replacement planning officer (Helen Signol) was brought in to deal with the matter.
Helen Signol refused to rush the affair through, as can be seen by the Agenda, the whole affair should have been started in November and been given permission by January 15th, a speed which many small house builders could seriously envy!
Indeed one application for a single dwelling near the proposed site was rejected because it was simply ‘Near to this protected green space!’ Perhaps the applicant should have asked for 135,000 square feet of buildings over 60 feet in height!
For whatever reasons, Someone at CDC decides that Helen Signol is to be replaced, and the report is written by consultants called, rather reassuringly, Urban Vision Partnership.
Urban's activities, however, are strictly commercial. It is a joint-venture that specialises in major development projects and is jointly owned by Salford City Council, Capita Symonds and Morrison PLC.
Capita specialises in business outsourcing and is on course to post revenues of £1.6 billion in its current financial year. Morrison Plc specialises in asset management services and claims to be one of the leading companies of its kind in the UK.
