Market Weighton split over 325 homes plan
It means a state-of-the-art new health centre and an invaluable new roundabout.
But plans for up to 325 homes at Wold View, Market Weighton, have split the community.
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Councillor Peter Hemmerman stands at Wold View, Holme Road, Market Weighton, where developers want to build a major housing development.
Before East Riding Council's planning committee effectively rubber-stamped the scheme yesterday, town councillor Pete Hemmerman made what he said was a plea on behalf of residents for the homes plan to be scrapped.
He said: "If this health centre is so vital it should be built with the appropriate funding. I support the centre, but not at any cost.
"Who is going to buy these houses? Their construction will destroy the town.
"We've had 29 housing developments in the past 20 years, the population has pretty much doubled. It was 3,000, now it's mote than 5,000.
"People have moved here to be in a nice, quiet market town, now it's just a commuter belt."
The committee had already heard a letter from Dr Clive Henderson, of the current Market Weighton Medical Centre in Londesborough Road, who is backing the scheme.
He said the people of Market Weighton were overwhelmingly behind the building of a new centre, which will serve about 8,500 patients in Market Weighton,
Pocklington and Holme-on-Spalding Moor.
An enthusiastic Dr Henderson had earlier told the Mail that the new facility would offer far more medical services than the old one.
He said: "Our present building is too small, it was developed from a bungalow and it's really inappropriate.
"We've been campaigning for this for six years."
And the landowners' agent, Jenny Hubbard, pointed out that the plan was for a site already allocated for development.
Before the recession hit last year, a similar scheme was on the table.
On that occasion, the developer Barratts pulled out. Landowners yesterday told the Mail that no deal had yet been struck with a new developer.
Considering the latest application, planning members wanted to see conditions met relating to the applicant's commitment to building a roundabout and a play area.
And Natural England had raised last-minute concerns about whether the application followed its guidelines.
But, subject to those matters being addressed, the committee voted to defer and delegate the application for officer approval.
Former long-serving Market Weighton mayor Councillor Stephen King said he backed the plan.
He said: "It's a good thing, it's something the town needs.
"I agree the nature of the town is changing, and I can see both sides of the argument, but this land was allocated for housing under the borough-wide local plan 10 or 15 years ago.
"The time to object to it would have been then."
11 Comments
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by EY4eva
Saturday, October 08 2011, 10:58AM
“People need to understand that the field in question is surrounded by houses already. It's a greenfield site which hasn't been built on, but there have been houses stood around the proposed development site since the 19th century. Surely building here is better than building on 'open' farmland (i.e. the other side of the bypass (and doing that would set a precedent for the further outward expansion of Weighton, which this development wouldn't)? 325 houses is a lot of houses, but as long as the population increases, we're going to need more houses. Don't forget either that the health centre and roundabout are conditions of the development. That is to say, we're letting a housebuilder build his houses on the condition that he also builds us a health centre and roundabout - two things that the town would most certainly not be able to afford without external funding.”
by Watch Dog, Every where.
Friday, March 19 2010, 7:02PM
“Tubbs,royston vasey. I would not be to smug,Not very far into the future they will be coming in and not from the cities.”
by Tubbs, Royston Vasey
Friday, March 19 2010, 3:50PM
“We dont want more houses or people from the city coming here,this town is for local people.”
by RM, Market Weighton
Friday, March 19 2010, 3:05PM
“I seem to be in the group that is not terribly welcome, I bought a new house here several years ago and commute to work! Sorry for that! That said, I pay my council tax and spend my money in the shops in town and I love the local market we have.
It is a great place to live, others will move here and hopefully be made to feel welcome. Mr King says that this is an area designated for housing, so the developments will come anyway.
I don't think the town is against the development and I don't really understand the opposition, we need a new health centre, think of the benefits to all.”
by peter hemmerman, market weighton
Friday, March 19 2010, 1:54PM
“Grace:The original application called for 32 affordable homes. This has now been reduced to 22. If the application was made today they would have to build over 100 affordable homes. It makes you wonder ?
Despite your criticism I feel passionately about the community of Market Weighton and will do everything I can to make it a better place to live
even if I have to put up with comments by people who hide behind an internet name.”
by Anon, Beverley
Friday, March 19 2010, 1:45PM
“They promise the 'affordable housing' will be for first time buyers and young professionals etc and what they REALLY do is pass/sell it over to the housing association who put 'problem' people in them for £60 a month rent. Trust me, it happened in Beverley on the hospital site.”
by Seen it all., Withernsea.
Friday, March 19 2010, 11:42AM
“They are building houses all over the place at Withernsea, people that did buy them ( And not a lot) have put them up for sale due to the council putting unmarried teenagers in them with children.Don,t forget Withernsea is the end of the road there is no work in the place.”
by andy, hull
Friday, March 19 2010, 8:24AM
“new housing just gets bought by the housing association and alocated to the evicted asbo's driving down the nice area to a pig hole.”
by Bob, Hull
Friday, March 19 2010, 7:11AM
“It's everybody's dream to live somewhere quiet and select, with no nosy neighbours. We never ever question the increasing population, the way our green fields are being lost forever just for the human race. We are destroyong ourselves, and the environment. Sure these house will go ahead, they always do, "developers" always get their own way and if they don't they go at it and at it and at it through the legal process until they win. But too much "development" ruins a nice quiet town.
Everybody likes to travel abroad where the lifestyle is more relaxed and it feels like "going back in time".
We are just a bunch of maniacs determined to burn ourselves out with all this "progress".
Go ahead and build a town the size of Hull where Market Weighton is now, it will be that big one day anyway as long as this madness continues, but one day we'll sober up and realise we are destroying ourselves.”
by oswald, hull
Friday, March 19 2010, 7:09AM
“is the planning isssue that the new homes don't have a porch for the yokels to sit & the banjo on ?”