Councillors refuse ‘very detrimental’ plan to remove footbridge requirement from major Scalby housing project

Members of the Scarborough and Whitby area planning committee voted unanimously to refuse permission to remove the requirement for a footbridge over Scalby Beck at a major housing development in the area.

The 200-dwelling development at Mill Way, High Mill in Scalby, was granted planning permission in 2020 and the applicant sought permission to change the plans so it would not be required to build a pedestrian cycle bridge over the Scalby Beck River.

However, more than 60 members of the public wrote to North Yorkshire Council objecting to the plan, raising concerns that failure to build the bridge “would leave this estate and its young families isolated”.

Speaking at the meeting on Thursday, May 11, a planning officer told the committee: “From a planning point of view, as officers, and also supported by the Highway Authority, it is our firm view that [the bridge] is essential to the sustainability of the development at High Mill Farm.

“Whilst we recognise that provision of the bridge is not entirely straightforward and there are some difficulties that have been accounted for, we feel it is fundamental to the original planning permission.

“On that basis, the application is recommended for refusal.”

As an alternative, the applicant had proposed “a range of works intended to make Station Road safer for pedestrians and cyclists”.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Roberta Swiers said: “This must come down to cost but the cost is immaterial because it was on that planning application.

“If you look at the other routes, they are far longer, they are not as clear, they’re not lit as well, and I think this has to be done.”

Cllr Heather Phillips said: “With some experience of getting children to school, I think we need to encourage school use over this bridge and it is vital that people get what they were promised.

“I think it would be very detrimental and hurt the reputation of the planning committee if we allowed this to go through, so I’m happy for this to be refused.”

A report presented to the committee said that officers had “considered the works of mitigation along Station Road and the risk of development stalling” as a result of a “ransom strip” situation which had arisen.

However, it concluded that the proposals put forward by the applicant “do not outweigh the harm to concerns” covered by planning policies and that the application should be refused.

Former mayor of Scarborough, Cllr Eric Broadbent told the committee: “The residents will be short-changed if that bridge isn’t in the application, and I’m certainly in favour of keeping the bridge there.”

The plan to remove the bridge from the development was unanimously rejected by the planning committee.