According to that mighty organ the Craven Herald, Planning Officer Roger France has been imitating Dirty Harry, by asking councillors “Do you feel lucky?” Because “it is likely the applicant (Skipton Properties) will appeal, and extremely likely that the the appeal will win.”
And the reason for Mr. France’s feelings?
“You are up against the Government set Housing Targets of 250 new homes per year,” and “We shall have to use Greenfield sites.”

But is Mr France right in what he says?
Paakwa - ever inquisitive, tried to find out - with the following results:

The Regional Spatial Strategy (which had come up with the figure of 1250 houses over five years) has been abolished by the current government, which realises that there is presently a glut of houses on the market. At a local meeting MP Julian Smith explained that the RSS is almost dead, and that councillors and officers should listen to the public. Mr Smith’s viewpoint was ostensibly accepted by David Smurthwaite, CDC’s Strategic Manager Planning and Regeneration, but who later admitted that CDC will persist in building more houses. Possible reasons for this are given below.

That this Regional Spatial Strategy was abolished was explained to Skipton Properties by CDC’s council leader, Knowles-Fitton amongst a series of emails. (1)

More - CDC’s planning officials told the government in April 2009 that CDC already had more than 300% of the land needed for a further 5 years. (2)

More still - in August 2009 the officers declared that Craven was already only 7 houses short of a 5 year supply at 250/annum from 2008 to 2013 (3)

And would you believe yet more? - CDC gave away our land to a Housing Association, which built a further 86 houses between 2010 and 2011 - which should be added to those figures from August 2009 above. (4)

And - More again! On 18th October 2010 a Planning Officer, Mr. Roger France, declared “a sub regional Strategic Housing Market Assessment has been commissioned to take place before the end of the financial year to cover the five year period 2010 onwards.” Why is CDC and Mr. France then using and quoting the outdated and virtually scrapped RSS? This ‘scrapping’ was confirmed in May 2011

Indeed Mr. France quotes: “Following the reinstatement of the Yorkshire and Humber Plan (Regional Spatial Strategy), the housing requirement for Craven is 250 units per annum.  Therefore the requirement is 1250 dwellings over 5 years.” That ‘reinstatement’ was done on November 10th 2010 but the Government then stated that the intention to rescind RSS’s could be regarded as a ‘material consideration’ by Planning Authorities. Developers appealed against that decision of course, but the appeal was lost, and so the intention of the Government to abolish these strategies as part of the Localism Bill may be taken into account.
Planning Minister Bob Neill said “This judgment confirms that decision makers can take into account the Government's intention to sweep away Regional Strategies when deciding planning applications and appeals. I welcome the helpful guidance given in the judgment on the approach which local planning authorities and inspectors should follow in such decisions.”
Whilst Eric Pickles was even more explicit in his statement - HERE

Mr. France - whilst the RSS is not quite dead, it is close to defunct, has nearly gone to a happy hunting ground, and almost turned up its toes - despite its beautiful plumage!

The Officer’s Report. - Mr. France’s report is available HERE and some discrepancies can be noted between his report and answers given by Mr. Smurthwaite.

For example - Mr. Smurthwaite’s reply in answer to a request from CRAG regarding affordable homes, and the promise to build 20/annum by Craven Housing in exchange for buying 1,540 of our council houses for £5,400 each, is shown in (4) and states that between 2006 and 2011 some 128 affordable homes were completed by Yorkshire Housing.

However - Mr. France states “the Housing Needs Assessment 2005 shows a gross shortfall of 234 dwellings over the five year period between 2005 and 2010 for Skipton.” He continues, “there have only been 64 affordable dwellings provided within Skipton since 2005 to deal with this shortfall”

64 or 128? Who can we believe?

The report from Mr. Smurthwaite (3 below) states that between April 2008 and August 2009 no fewer than 450 houses were completed, and also that 103 affordable homes were built between 2009/2011 (4 below) totalling 553 and this doesn’t include any of the 321 under construction in 2009

Yet Mr. France states. “For information, and comparison, the actual historical completion achieved in the period 4th April 2008 to 1st May 2011 is 520 units”

Can we then take it that between 2009 and 2011 rather than build or complete any houses, some 33 were demolished, or can we take it that some CDC figures just don’t add up?

CRAG is concerned that CDC will attempt to push through the construction of houses, possibly because orders have come from ‘on high’ that one hundred houses could generate additional council tax revenues, money which CDC desperately needs – not least to pay for the leasing of its new-built and wholly unnecessary council offices at Belle Vue Mills.

How much money?
Each newly built house generates up to £1,850 per annum for CDC’s coffers, totalling a possible £11,100 each over a six year period.
Imagine what building 100 at Elsey Croft would be worth to CDC - a cash-strapped and financially incompetent council!

However, CRAG is pleased to learn that Skipton Properties is now in a position to afford the cost of an appeal over the Elsey Croft decision, especially since a mere ten months ago, the company pleaded penury due to the “downturn in the housing market”. Following this ‘downturn’ it asked to be released from part of its Section 106 undertaking to Cowling – thereby allowing them to hand over Cowling’s village hall in an unfinished state that may cost villagers around £250,000 to complete, and this application to CDC was granted. Part of the planning application supported by Mr. France was the mention of a Section 106 undertaking to ensure that 40% of the housing would be affordable.

A copy of Skipton Properties’ most recent Report and Accounts is included for those who find such information of interest.

From: Chris Knowles-Fitton [mailto:chris@knowleslodge.com]
Sent: 19 July 2010 10:39
To: Brian Verity
Subject: Meeting ref: Elsey croft
 
Brian,
Talked to Paul Shevlin and we don’t think there’s much we can usefully talk about. Quite simply we don’t yet know how planning is going to play. There’s an up to date housing needs assessment to be carried out very soon and with the abolition of the RSS there are questions now about how many years housing supply we have. That’s to say; if the assessment shows a reduced requirement, then depending upon the figures, it might show that we do have 5 years supply. Equally like Harrogate it may show the same housing need we have already.
 
Bearing the present uncertainty and that the Coalition haven’t really thought through their new planning proposals we feel there’s nothing we can usefully discuss at present. That said, if you want to phone me I’ll always talk to you.


From: Brian Verity [mailto:bverity@skiptonproperties.com]
Sent: 19 July 2010 12:52
To: Chris Knowles-Fitton
Subject: RE: Meeting ref: Elsey croft
 
Chris
Is it safe to email you?
I wanted to talk to you about the councils owned land originally we included it then was asked for some political reason to remove it this was all done at the request of the head of planning .


From: Chris Knowles-Fitton [mailto:chris@knowleslodge.com]
Sent: 20 July 2010 06:16
To: Brian Verity
Subject: RE: Meeting ref: Elsey croft
 
Yes I think it is. The e-mails between us that were leaked were only those I copied to either Paul Shevlin or the Monitoring officer which, ironically I will have done for my protection. However I’ve got to be v. careful in terms of e-mailed contact with you. I assume that the withdrawal of E.C. was no more than a reaction to possible changes in government planning policies.


From: Brian Verity
Sent: 27 August 2010 17:05
To: Chris Knowles-Fitton
Subject: leaked emails
 
Chris
I am sick of this please ask them to ask me to come to a formal hearing the only question i asked you about elsey croft was should the councils land be included to which i am still awaiting a reply.
 
I have never asked you anything to do with the planning merits of this site full stop.
 
I do intend to speak to the press and go through my entire comments ref all the items the council have been attempting to do over many years they are only my personal views and with the exception of elsey croft i would have had no financial gain whatsoever.
Brian

Yorkshire and Humberside   
 Barnsley 122
 Bradford (City of) Not available
 Calderdale 173
 Craven Over 300 percent
 Doncaster 120
 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 118
 Hambleton Over 300 percent
 Harrogate 108
 Kingston upon Hull (City and County of) UA 101
 Kirklees 114
 Leeds 100
 North East Lincolnshire UA 113
 North Lincolnshire UA 104
 Richmondshire 100
 Rotherham 31
 Ryedale 83
 Scarborough 142
 Selby 156
 Sheffield 116
 Wakefield 112
 York (City of) UA 137

Site Number of affordable Units CDC Assisted
2004/2005 completions   
Cawder Green, Skipton 3  
2005/2006 completions   
None   
2006/2007 completions   
Land West of Goodenber Road, High Bentham 9 Land gifted
2007/2008 completions   
None   
2008/2009 completions   
Hillside Road, Low Bentham 2  
Southern Portion, Airedale Avenue, Skipton 5 Land gifted
Purchase and Repair - Skipton 7  
Purchase and Repair - Glusburn 1  
Purchase and Repair - Sutton 1  
Total 16  
2009/2010 completions   
Southern Portion, Station Road, Hellifield 16 Land gifted
Mortgage Rescue - Skipton 1  
Total 17  
2010/2011 completions   
Mortgage Rescue - Settle 1  
Old Ice Cream Factory, Cononley 4  
Land West of Goodenber Road, Bentham 34 land gifted
Roughaw Close, Skipton 8  
Greenroyd Mill, Sutton 19  
Greenroyd Mill, Sutton 20  
Total 86  
   
Grand Total 2004-2011 131