North Northallerton - Hambleton District Council

North Northallerton 

Masterplan Framework and Guidance 

Baseline Report 

November 2010

North Northallerton Development Area 

Document: 5335.doc.1.02 

Compiled By: SP 

Reviewed By: JF 

Date: Nov 2010 

Taylor Young 

Chadsworth House 

Wilmslow Road 

Handforth 

Cheshire SK9 3HP 

Tel: 01625 542 200 

Fax: 01625 542 250 

Email: HUmailroom@tayloryoung.co.ukU 

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North Northallerton Development Area


Contents 

1. Introduction 5 

2. Policy Context Review 9 

3. Placemaking Context 17 

4. Socio-Economic & Community 

Infrastructure Review 41 

5. Transport & Movement 49 

6. Capacity & Constraints Review 67 

7. Property Market & Delivery 87 

8. Sustainability Assessment 95 

9. Consultation Summary 101 

10. Conclusions & Next Steps 107 

Appendix 1: 

Additional Notes on Transport, Energy & Utilities 

Appendix 2: 

Urban Extensions Best Practice Examples 

List of Figures 

Figure 1.1: Strategic Context 

Figure 1.2: Study Area Boundary 

Figure 2.1: North Northallerton Development Area (NM5) 

Figure 3.1: Historical Development 

Figure 3.2: Views & Contours 

Figure 3.3: Landscape Character Plan 

Figure 3.4: Structural Landscape Plan 

Figure 3.5: Settlement Form 

Figure 3.6: Route Typology 

Figure 3.7: Brompton Urban Form Analysis 

Figure 3.8: Romanby Urban Form Analysis 

Figure 3.9: Village Studies 

Figure 4.1: Community Infrastructure Plan 

Figure 5.1: Strategic Routes 

Figure 5.2: Public Rights of Way 

Figure 5.3: Walking & Cycling Isochromes 

Figure 5.4: Bus Services 

Figure 6.1: Restricted Build Zones for Flooding Protection 

Figure 6.2: Initial Development Storm Water Storage Assessment 

Figure 7.1: Value Trends 

Figure 7.2: Risk Register 

Figure 7.3: Indicative Land Ownership Plan 

Figure 10.1: Preliminary Constraints 

List of Tables 

Table 3.1: Open Space Standards 

Table 4.1: Population Profile 

Table 4.2: Working Age Economic Activity Rate 2009 

Table 4.3: Community Facilities and Catchment Populations 

Table 5.1: Existing Bus Services 

Table 6.1: Summary of utility undertaker responses 

Table 6.2: Regulatory steps to zero carbon 

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1. Introduction 

1.1 In September 2010 Taylor Young were appointed by 

Hambleton District Council (HDC) and the Homes and 

Communities Agency (HCA) to prepare a Masterplan 

Framework and Design Guidance for the North Northallerton 

Development Area (NNDA). This is an area, designated in 

the Draft Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD), 

proposed for a sustainable mixed-use extension to the north 

of the town, comprising around 965 new homes, 

employment space and recreation facilities. The extension 

also includes a new road linking Stokesley Road to 

Darlington Road through the area. 

1.2 The purpose of the Masterplan Framework and Design 

Guidance is: 

To set out an overall approach and shared vision for 

the NNDA 

To provide a clear planning framework for the site, 

including a balance of land uses, type, mix and design 

To identify a deliverable and financially viable project 

that delivers the vision for the area 

To identify social and physical infrastructure 

requirements and the funding mechanisms for this, 

including likely development contributions 

To determine the appropriate phasing to ensure the 

timely delivery of the development and infrastructure 

and a sustainable quality place 

To inform the preparation of an SPD to provide a clear 

planning framework for the site against which to 

assess planning applications and to ensure the 

delivery of the NNDA vision and objectives and a 

comprehensive and integrated place. 

1.3 This masterplanning study has been commissioned jointly 

by Hambleton District Council and the Homes and 

Communities Agency. It has been funded through the HCA‟s 

Rural Masterplanning Fund and consequently has the 

aspiration of becoming a project that will exemplify best 

practice in place-making for rural communities. It is being 

managed by HDC with the advice and assistance of ATLAS 

(The Advisory Team for Large Applications – part of the 

HCA). 

1.4 The work programme commenced in September 2010 and 

is scheduled to finish with the agreement of a Final 

Masterplan Report in January 2011. Ultimately the study 

will then become formally adopted as a Supplementary 

Planning Document and will be used to support an outline 

planning application. 

1.5 A Project Planning Workshop for key stakeholders was 

facilitated by ATLAS on 1st September 2010. This has 

informed the agreement of a series of Project Objectives 

from HDC. These objectives are included in the concluding 

section of this report. They are being used to guide the 

progression of this study and the Masterplan Framework 

itself. 

1.6 Taylor Young are supported by ekosgen (economic and 

property market consultants), WYG (engineers advising on 

transport, utilities and flood risk) and Instinctively Green 

(sustainability specialist). On the client side, HDC is 

supported by ATLAS and the project is overseen by a 

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steering group that also includes HDC and key 

stakeholders. 

1.7 This document summarises the first stage in the 

masterplanning process: the baseline. The aim of this stage 

is to examine the existing context for development and 

identify key opportunities and constraints that will inform the 

masterplanning process. The research and analysis that is 

summarised here has been collected from desktop reviews 

of information, primary analysis on site and discussions with 

key stakeholders. This stage has also identified an initial list 

of „ingredients‟ that the masterplan should provide, 

alongside an initial vision and series of objectives. The next 

stage will be to develop the masterplan framework and 

guidance. 

Figure 1.1: Strategic Context 

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Figure 1.2: Study Area Boundary 

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2. Policy Context Review 

2.1 This section sets out the planning policy context that 

supports the development proposed for the North 

Northallerton Development Area. This includes national 

guidance notes and local planning policy. 

National Policy 

2.2 Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS1 - Delivering 

Sustainable Development) sets out how the Government 

intends to deliver sustainable development through the 

planning system. The key policy objectives are to promote 

social cohesion and inclusion, protect and enhance the 

environment, promote the prudent use of natural resources, 

ensure sustainable economic development and integrate 

sustainable development into development plans. The 

Planning and Climate Change supplement to PPS1 sets out 

how the planning system should contribute to reducing 

emissions and stabilising climate change. 

2.3 The Eco-towns supplement to PPS1, published in July 

2009, sets out the Government‟s aspiration for Eco-towns to 

make a significant contribution to meeting future housing 

needs, as well as helping to address the threat of climate 

change. The proposed extension to Northallerton is not an 

Eco-town but as a best practice example of rural 

masterplanning for a sustainable urban extension it should 

seek to follow appropriate Eco-town principles as far as 

these are practically achievable. Key policy themes in 

relation to Eco-towns include: 

Sustainability - eco-towns should achieve sustainability 

standards significantly above equivalent levels of 

development in existing towns and cities; 

Identity – eco-towns should develop unique 

characteristics by responding to the opportunities and 

challenges of their location and community aspirations; 

Self containment – eco-towns should be of sufficient 

size and have the necessary services to establish their 

own character and identity; 

Mixed-use – eco-towns should be mixed-use 

communities with good access to employment 

opportunities; 

Accessibility – eco-towns should promote opportunities 

for travel by modes other than the private car; 

Heritage – eco-towns should include measures to 

conserve and enhance heritage assets. 

2.4 PPS3 (Housing) aims to help achieve the Government‟s 

overarching housing objective of ensuring that everyone has 

the opportunity of living in a decent home, which they can 

afford, in a community where they want to live. The purpose 

of PPS3 is to help with the delivery of: 

high quality housing in terms of design and build 

quality 

a mix of housing, both market and affordable, to 

support a wide variety of households in all areas 

enough housing to meet demand and provide choice 

housing in suitable locations with easy access to 

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community facilities, 

infrastructure 

Housing Density 

jobs, services and transport 

2.5 Originally, PPS3 (2000) stated that housing densities should 

always be more than 30 dwellings per hectare (dph). As of 

July 2010, this minimum requirement has been scrapped. 

This was in response to “too many high rise blocks with 

affordable apartments too small for families”. Nevertheless, 

sustainability and climate change remain crucially important. 

The new wording in PPS3 provides supporting text 

encouraging LPAs to adopt good policies on density and 

housing design in order to address the efficient use of land, 

walkable densities, responding to local character and 

affordable housing provision. This is reflected in Hambleton 

DC‟s policy on required densities for development at North 

Northallerton (see under Local Policy below). 

2.6 The new PPS4 (Planning for Sustainable Economic 

Growth) (2009) provides guidance on town centre and 

employment uses. Significantly, it introduces a presumption 

in favour of permitting economic development. Other 

changes include the removal the requirement for out-ofcentre 

retail developments to undertake a needs-based 

assessment as part of their planning application. Otherwise 

though, the paper reinforces the „town centre first‟ approach 

and recommends strong sequential testing. 

2.7 PPS22 (Renewable Energy) promotes the production and 

use of renewable energy. PPS22 states that regional and 

local policies should contain policies that promote the use of 

renewable technologies and not restrict them. 

2.8 The overriding purpose of PPG13 (Transport) (Planning 

Policy Guidance note) is to promote more sustainable 

transport. PPG13 sets out a framework for integrating 

planning and transport at the national, regional, strategic 

and local level. It also promotes more sustainable transport 

through development that is accessible by public transport, 

walking and cycling and that is also less reliant on car use. 

2.9 The recently published Manual for Streets 2 – Wider 

Application of the Principles (2010), takes the philosophies 

and design principles set out in Manual for Streets and 

demonstrates how they can be extended beyond residential 

streets to encompass both urban and rural situations. The 

guidance encourages a breaking away from inflexible 

standards and traditional engineering solutions towards 

approaches which respond to local context and which 

improve quality of life and environment. 

2.10 In the context of urban extensions Manual for Streets 2 

recommends that roads should allow for the growth of towns 

and cities in a sustainable way, enabling new residents to 

benefit from existing facilities in the town. It states that 

“practice that relies on limited access via distributor and 

relief road limits the level of connectivity that can be 

delivered and is not recommended”. 

2.11 PPG17 (Open space, Sport and Recreation) states that 

open space, sport and recreation provision levels will be set 

locally. Where local assessments find that there are 

deficiencies caused by new development the use of 

planning obligations to remedy these is advised. 

2.12 Other important national policy notes that have particular 

relevance to this study are PPS25 Development and Flood 

Risk (as part of the site is in a flood plain), PPS9 

Biodiversity and Geological Conservation (because there 

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may be ecological implications) and PPS7 Sustainable 

Development in Rural Areas (given that the site lies in 

open countryside). These have all been considered by the 

masterplanning team and their recommendations will 

influence the design of the emerging Masterplan 

Framework. 

Local Policy 

2.13 The North Yorkshire Local Investment Plan 2011-2021 is 

currently in preparation. The Local Investment Plan (LIP) 

process is a means of bringing added value to the delivery 

of local priorities. Individual local authorities can determine 

whether to undertake this process alone or to work with 

neighbours to develop a shared investment plan. The 

following points within the document have particular 

relevance to the NNDA Masterplan: 

The importance of infrastructure and bridges to 

facilitate growth. 

Five priority objectives: 

1. Enabling the provision of more affordable homes 

2. Maintaining and improving existing housing stock 

3. Delivering Community Renaissance 

4. Improving access to housing services 

5. Reducing homelessness 

The NNDA is identified as the Key Strategic Growth 

Scheme in the Tees and Valley Link sub-area. 

The NNDA is described as an investement priority for 

2011-2015.It also mentions a new „sports village‟, 

green accessways, 40% (c.400) affordable homes), 

and an emerging Infrastructure Delivery SPD. 

2.14 Hambleton District Council has made good progress with 

their Local Development Framework (LDF). This includes 

the Core Strategy, which was adopted in April 2007, and 

the Development Policies Development Plan Document 

(DPD), adopted in February 2008. These policy documents 

establish Northallerton as one of two Principal Service 

Centres in the District where the majority of development 

should be focused. Brompton is identified as a „service 

village‟. The Core Strategy establishes the following vision 

for Hambleton. 

Hambleton’s LDF Vision 

“By 2021 Hambleton’s communities will have become 

sustainable, prosperous, safe, healthy and vibrant. The 

development of vibrant and prosperous market towns and 

sustainable rural communities will have been supported. 

People from all sections of society will have been provided 

with access to homes, jobs and services, more of the 

District’s younger population will have been retained and the 

needs of the elderly will have been better met. This will all 

have been achieved in ways that reduce the impact of 

society on the environment, improve the quality of design of 

the built environment and protect and enhance Hambleton’s 

environmental assets such as its historic heritage.” 

2.15 Two objectives are proposed relating to the scale of new 

development in the District. The LDF will seek to: 

increase significantly the proportion of new houses 

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that are lower priced, securing affordable opportunities 

particularly for local first-time buyers; and 

reduce the rate of in-migration into the District from 

those seeking retirement homes or more attractive 

locations to live, whilst working outside the District to 

north or south. 

2.18 The Allocations DPD clearly identified the North 

Northallerton Development Area as a development site: 

NM5, and goes on to sub-divide into separate land parcels 

and state appropriate uses for each. Policy NM5 therefore 

forms the planning policy foundation for this current 

masterplanning exercise. 

2.16 The Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for Yorkshire and the 

Humber has now been revoked, along with every other 

RSS, by the coalition Government. Nevertheless, the key 

elements of the RSS that inform local policy, notably 

housing numbers, have now been established within the 

Allocations DPD as statutory local policy. This is expressed 

as Policy CP5 in the Core Strategy: 

CP5: The Council, housing providers and service providers 

together will seek to achieve the completion of the net 

additional dwellings required by the Regional Spatial 

Strategy, as follows: 

2004-2011: 320 pa (31% in Northallerton) 



Allocations DPD 

2.17 The key local planning policy document in respect of the 

North Northallerton Development Area is the Allocations 

DPD. This will be adopted by HDC on 21 December 2010, 

having been found sound by the Inspector in September 

2010. This DPD is built on an extensive and robust evidence 

base, which also informs this masterplanning study. 

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Figure 2.1: North Northallerton Development Area (NM5) (from HDC Allocations DPD) 

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2.19 In brief, the policy states the following uses and 

development requirements for each parcel, which are 

labeled A to G and are located on the plan extracted above. 

NM5A: 200 dwellings (based on 5.7 ha @ 35 dph) in 

Phases 2 & 3. Flood attenuation measures will be 

required. Open space will need to be incorporated. 

Access will be taken from the new Link Road. 

NM5B: 200 dwellings (6.5 ha @ 30 dph) in Phase 3. 

Flood attenuation and sewage disposal improvements 

will be required. Access will be taken from Brompton 

Road and the Link Road. 

NM5C: 165 dwellings (5.5 ha @ 30 dph) in Phase 3. 

Access will be taken from Stokesley Road, and also 

pedestrian access from Winton Road. 

NM5D: Mixed use development comprising: 400 

dwellings (11.4 ha @ 35 dph) and 5.8 ha of B1/B2 

employment. Balancing ponds will be required as part 

of the drainage and flooding alleviation works. Access 

will be taken from the Link Road. 

NM5E: 5.7 ha of B1/B2/B8 employment. Access will be 

taken directly from a new roundabout between the 

A167 and the new Link Road. High quality B1 uses are 

required to define this gateway. 

NM5F: North Northallerton Link Road (8m carriageway 

plus cycleway, footpath and bridge over the railway 

line). The cost will be met from developer contributions 

by way of a tariff which will be defined in a proposed 

Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). 

NM5G: Recreation development. Increased and better 

facilities for local sports clubs. Access will be taken 

from Brompton Road and will also be connected to the 

footpath and cycleway network. This will help to 

maintain the physical separation between 

Northallerton and Brompton. 

2.20 The DPD also makes the following important points 

regarding development of the North Northallerton site: 

Phase 1 is identified as being up to 2016; Phase 2 is 

identified as 2016-2021; Phase 3 is 2021-2026. 

A requirement for 40% affordable housing is applied to 

all the residential allocations on the site (based on 

Core Policy CP9). 

Flood alleviation measuresare required before 

development can commence on any sites in the flood 

plain. This needs to be considered in the context of 

the alleviation measures currently being explored by 

the Environment Agency. 

Developer contributions toward the Link Road, primary 

school places, public open space and improved 

access to local healthcare facilities will be required. 

Opportunities to incorporate sustainable and 

renewable energy generation should be maximised. 

Incorporation of high quality landscaping within each 

development site is required. 

Housing is proposed at a density of at least 30 dph 

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(dwellings per hectare) in order to reflect the 

“predominantly urban fringe location”. Densities of 35 

dph are recommended in some areas in order to meet 

housing requirements and maximise the accessibility 

of services and facilities. 

Northallerton and Thirsk will contribute at least 51% of 

the housing development target for the district for the 

plan period (based on Core Policy CP6). 

The housing requirement has been informed on the 

Housing Market Demand Study 2008. This indicated a 

demand for all types of housing within the 

Northallerton sub-area. It is therefore expected that 

that the development will deliver a high number of two, 

three, four and five bedroom homes. 

2.21 The Development Policies DPD was adopted in February 

2008, the policies within this document are derived from the 

Core Strategy. They include a large range of development 

policies, including housing policies on phasing (DP11), type 

and tenure (DP13) and affordable housing (DP15). There 

are also specific policies on high quality design and 

landscaping (DP32 & DP34). Relevant policies from this 

document will inform the preparation of the masterplan and 

will be reflected in the design guidance to direct subsequent 

detailed design. 

2.22 A „Planning for Employment Land‟ report was produced 

by Roger Tym & Partners for Yorkshire Forward in April 

2010 to inform the preparation of guidance to planning 

authorities on the assessment of future need for 

employment land. This has formed part of the evidence 

base for Hambleton‟s Allocations DPD. 

2.23 In July 2003, Northallerton was awarded Renaissance 

Market Town status by Yorkshire Forward as part of their 

commitment to development of the economies in rural 

areas. The town has benefited from the support of town 

planning, transport, tourism and socio-economic expertise. 

This intensive programme has built on the existing 

Community Plan written by the Northallerton and Villages 

Community Plan Forum with a number of additional 

consultations and research work being undertaken. 

2.24 The Community Plan for Hambleton 2006 to 2011 was 

adopted in 2006. The Plan has been produced by the 

Hambleton Strategic Partnership, which brings together 

representatives from the public, private and voluntary 

sector. It lists a series of objectives for the local community 

to improve quality of life. 

2.25 Northallerton & Villages Community Plan Review 

assesses progress against the objectives in the Community 

Plan for the Northallerton area. This identifies a series on 

initiatives where progress has been made and other that 

remain as priorities for the local community where action is 

still required. 

2.26 HDC have also produced a series of useful SPDs 

(Supplementary Planning Documents) that have been 

referred to as part of this study and will guide development 

within the NNDA moving forward. These include the 

Sustainable Development SPD, Infrastructure SPD and the 

Open Space SPD (currently in draft; this will now be 

incorporated into the Infrastructure SPD). 

Design Guidance 

2.27 A significant body of national guidance now exists to aid 

implementation of good quality urban design, as outlined in 

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PPS1. This includes „By Design‟ (DETR/CABE, 2000) and 

the supplementary „By Design – Better Places to Live‟ 

(DETR/CABE, 2001); the „Urban Design Compendium‟ 

(English Partnerships & Housing Corporation, 2000) and 

Urban Design Compendium II (2007); and „Places, 

Streets and Movement‟ (DETR, 1998). All of these 

documents outline the importance of urban design and 

place-making in our urban areas and provide practical 

advice and best practice examples. 

2.28 Central to the concept of successful placemaking is the 

need to create „sustainable communities‟. This is 

expressed in „Sustainable Communities: Building for the 

Future (ODPM, 2003) and „Creating Successful 

Neighbourhoods‟ (CABE, 2005). The sustainable 

communities agenda is about focusing on places where 

people will want to live now and in the future, which involves 

housing and the local environment in addition to 

consideration of employment, shops and services and 

socio-economic factors. 

2.29 A Conservation Area Appraisal for the Northallerton 

Conservation Area was produced in 2009. Although this 

conservation area is focused on the Town Centre it is useful 

for the masterplan in that it provides a definition of the 

special character and vernacular styles of the town, which 

should be referenced in the North Northallerton area. The 

Appraisal is currently in consultation draft status but is due 

to be adopted as an SPD. It has been studied by the 

masterplanning team and has informed the townscape and 

vernacular analysis in Section 3 of this report. 

developments. This document has informed the 

sustainability strategy for the site (see Section 8). 

2.30 A Sustainable Development DPD was adopted by 

Hambleton DC in 2009. This has been produced to provide 

supporting information and guidance on LDF policies 

relating to the achievement of sustainability in new 

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3. Placemaking Context 

3.1 In order for the urban extension to integrate with its 

surroundings, to feel like part of Northallerton and to 

become a quality place it is important to first analyse and 

understand the local townscape and landscape context. Any 

masterplanning study must first begin with this 

understanding of place. This section sets out our 

understanding, based on desktop and field research as well 

as discussions and workshops with local stakeholders. 

Historical Development 

3.2 Northallerton has been situated on an important north-south 

route for at least the last two thousand years and this has 

given the town a history of greater significance than would 

be expected from a typical settlement of this size. This has 

included its position on the Imperial postal system of the 

Roman Empire, the site for a number of major medieval 

battles (most notably the Battle of the Standard) and its 

importance as a stopping point on the London to Scotland 

coaching route in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. 

3.3 Archaeology has revealed that there has been a settlement 

at Northallerton since Roman times. Later, an Anglo-Saxon 

church was built of stone in the early 7 th century, on the site 

of the present All Saints site, and in 855 a stone church was 

built on this same site. This church was within the Saxon 

town known then as Alvertune, and was the site of a number 

of battles in 865 between Saxons and the Danes. Alvertune 

was named in the Domesday Survey and became North 

Alvertune in the 12 th century to distinguish it from a similarlynamed 

settlement. The Battle of the Standard was a 

decisive battle fought between the English and the Scots in 

1138, with the loss of up to 12,000 Scots. The battlefield 

was around 3 miles north of the town (outside the NNDA) 

and is marked by a memorial on the A167. 

All Saints Church, 1925 

3.4 Northallerton became the market centre for the area and 

also drew traders from further afield to its four annual fairs 

(now reduced to two). Cattle drovers bringing cattle, horses 

and sheep from Northumbria and Scotland regularly came 

to the town. The original cattle market was by the church, 

but sheep were sold on High Street until the early part of the 

20th century. In the golden age of coaching, Northallerton 

had four coaching inns along High Street serving 

passengers and horses using several routes to the north. 

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Figure 3.1: Historical Development 

Sheep Market, Northallerton High Street 1900 

3.5 With the arrival of the railway in 1841 the town maintained 

its importance as a communications centre. The line from 

London to Edinburgh via York and Newcastle passed 

through the town (as indeed it still does), as did the line 

linking the industrial West Riding with the port and steel 

town of Middlesbrough. Expansion of the town beyond the 

linear area around the high street only really occurred in the 

twentieth century. Today, Northallerton's main commercial 

function is a mixture of light industry, commerce and 

agricultural services, such as the regular livestock auction 

market. 

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Landscape Character 

3.6 Landscape character describes the quality and 

characteristic of places which are special to a location and 

will make them recognisable within their broader setting. It 

will be important that new development sits well in the 

existing landscape particularly as there will be sensitivity to 

development along the rural edge and the need to protect 

the landscape known as the Brompton Gap. 

Key Elements 

3.7 The Landscape and Settlement Character Assessment 

(December 2008) (LSC), is an excellent record of the 

current landscape character and potential impact of 

development on the existing landscape qualities and views. 

The development area falls into several landscape character 

areas defined in the LSC as: 

Type 4b intensively farmed lowland (varied topography) 

More arable than permanent pasture, enclosed by well 

maintained hedgerows. 

Medium scale and sense of enclosure. 

Woodlands a significant land use (some of which may 

line the road network). 

Deciduous woodland, coniferous plantations, tree 

clumps, hedgerow trees, tree lined streams. 

Widely distributed brick or stone farmhouses and farm 

buildings. 

Type 5c – Intensively Farmed Lowland (Simple topography 

– flat) 

Predominantly arable crops, together with areas of 

permanent pasture & woodland divided by mainly well 

maintained hedgerows, under threat from removal to 

increase the size of fields. 

Other non-agricultural land uses are present. 

Large/vast scale, open & exposed landscape. 

Woodlands, shelterbelts, isolated trees are present but 

inconspicuous. 

Farm buildings and other built elements are present 

and prominent and large scale non-agricultural land 

use such as airfields are present. 

Type 9 – Remnant Field Pattern. 

An historic, small scale, enclosed linear field pattern. 

Landcover is permanent pasture, often overgrazed, 

with a few areas of arable in flatter, better quality 

agricultural land where the linear pattern has often 

been lost. 

Native hedgerows, often overgrown, with small to 

medium sized hedgerow trees enclose the field 

pattern. 

The hedgerows, together with areas of native tree and 

scrub vegetation, form an enclosed, layered and often 

dense buffer zone between settlements and the open 

country. 

Occasional allotment, smallholding, nursery uses. 

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3.8 Though the landscape setting is split into three character 

areas, there are some general characteristics. The 

landscape is predominantly agricultural land, with some 

broken field boundaries. It is also fairly flat and there are 

some good views to the North Yorkshire Moors to the east 

(3). There is also a pleasant view from the edge of 

Brompton, in the north, toward All Saints church and the 

town centre (1). The chimneys in the industrial park are a 

less attractive landmark (2) 

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Figure 3.2: Views & Contours 

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Recommendations 

3.8 In terms of mitigating views to new development across the 

north of Northallerton the LSC is prescriptive, 

recommending general mitigation measures including, 

breaking up massing, using buildings of different shapes 

and sizes, along with internal tree and hedge planting. It 

also proposes that native tree and shrub planting can be 

used along sensitive boundaries. The nature and proximity 

to development of relevant planting is discussed in the 

mitigation for each of these typologies. 

3.9 Within and to the north of the site is broadly large open 

fields. There are some significant structural landscape As 

described above the landscape character of the area 

elements on the site including North Beck and its associated 

woodland areas. There is also some woodland planting 

along the northern boundary of town centre. 

3.10 Field and road boundaries are generally hedges; however 

some of the field boundaries are thin and patchy. There are 

some rows of individual trees within these hedgerows and in 

places beside the road there are some short belts of 

woodland planting. 

3.11 There is also some scrub and light tree planting associated 

to the railway through the site. 

3.12 The flood zones within the site are reasonably wide and 

largely follow the alignment of the Beck. This constraint is 

covered in more depth elsewhere in the baseline. 

3.13 Very little work has been undertaken in terms of 

understanding the ecology across the site; the most relevant 

documents are the Habitat Regulations Screening Report, 

LDF designations and the Hambleton Biodiversity Action 

Plan (HBAP). These reports show that there are no 

designated wildlife sites within the site and development 

would have no impact on regional Natura 2000 or RAMSAR 

sites. The HBAP gives more general advice on the various 

habitats and tackles wildlife conservation issues. Habitat 

classification work has shown that the habitats that are of 

highest value for wildlife are scarce in the District. 

3.14 The Wildlife Audit Steering group formed for the HBAP was 

tasked with preparing a wildlife audit and was seeking to put 

this information on GIS; however this does not seem to be 

available for the site at present. 

3.15 Discussion with the County Council‟s ecology unit has 

underlined the following as elements which should be 

promoted in the masterplan: 

Wetlands 

Woodland 

Species rich grassland (protect existing within the 

verges) 

Wet grasslands 

3.16 They are also keen to underline the importance of a joined 

up ecology framework underpinned by a network of wildlife 

corridors. 

3.17 It is also worth noting the existence of the Green 

Infrastructure and the Regional Spatial Strategy for 

Yorkshire and the Humber: developing the evidence base. 

Yorkshire and Humber Assembly, 11th June 2008. This 

document is a regional strategic document and does not 

give guidance on the infrastructure specifically around 

Northallerton. Note should be taken of the typologies in the 

Green Infrastructure report. 

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Figure 3.3: Landscape Character Plan 

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Figure 3.4: Structural Landscape Plan 

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3.18 The draft Open Space, Sport and Recreation 

Supplementary Planning Document, July 2010 sets out the 

current policy context, delivery of open space and 

requirements for provision of new open space within the 

development. 

3.19 Below is a table outlining recommended open space 

provision based on the SPD, this is shown alongside the 

current LDF policy and where applicable national 

recommendations for facilities and outdoor sports facilities 

from Fields in Trust (FIT) formally the NPFA. 

Type 

Amenity Green 

Space 

Table 3.1: Open Space Standards 

Play areas 

Facilities for young 

people and 

teenagers 

Outdoor sports 

facilites 

Allotment gardens 

Quality 

Standard - Areas in 

Policy SPD/ 

DP37 person 

1.38Ha/1 

000 13.8 sqm 

1facility/ 

1350 2.7 sqm 

1 

facility/4 

000 2.1 sqm 

2.1Ha/10 

00 21sqm 

0.2Ha/10 

00 2sqm 

Areas in FIT 

(planning 

and design 

for outdoor 

sport and 

play) 

800sqm for 

both types of 

play 

Accessi 

bility/ 

Service 

Centre 

15mins 

walk 

10mins 

walk 

15mins 

walk 

15mins 

walk 

15mins 

walk 

Accessib 

ility/Vill 

ages 

NNDA 

2400pers 

on using 

SPD 

10mins 

walk 3.312 

10mins 

walk 0.65 

15mins 

walk 0.504 

15mins 

walk 5.04 

15mins 

walk 0.48 

Total / ha 9.986 

3.20 An indicative layout for a new recreation facility adjacent to 

the existing council offices was proposed in October 2008. 

This included the provision of four new football pitches, six 

new mini-soccer pitches, one netball court and a new 

athletics track. This would be supported by additional 

parking, club and changing facilities. It should be noted that 

a significant part of this site is within the area susceptible to 

surface water flooding and therefore may not be deemed as 

usable public open space. 


The area shown on the indicative recreation 

masterplan and on the allocation plan as area NM5G 

totals some 7.8-8Ha. 

The NNDA brief suggests 8Ha of public open space 

within the development including relevant amounts of 

the five open space typologies. 

The facilities illustrated on the masterplan do not 

include amenity green space, play areas and 

allotments. 

It should also be assumed that all open space 

provision should not be provided in a single location, in 

order to meet recommended accessibility standards 

and as part of the overarching placemaking principles. 

Settlement Form 

3.21 The description of the settlement form looks at the broader 

context of Northallerton. This will help provide context for 

the new development and cues for the next stage in the 

evolution of town. Some information has been drawn from 

the Northallerton Conservation Area Appraisal. For a fuller 

25


picture the outer residential areas are also covered here too. 

It should be said that given the limits of the brief this is a 

broad brush survey to illustrate some general principles. 

Key Elements 

3.22 The structure of Northallerton is largely based around the 

development of the north-south movement network and 

historic coaching routes. Routes north from Thirsk to 

Darlington and the moors in the north form the main 

structuring elements. The main east coast line from London 

to York and Newcastle also pass through the town. 

3.23 The town centre has been a service centre and market town 

for many centuries and the heart of the settlement is 

focused on the historic market on the High Street. The core 

is compact, continuous frontage stretching from Bullamoor 

Road in the north to the start of South Parade in the south. 

There are few streets leading off the High Street, the strong 

fronts punctuated occasionally by archways. Though these 

may historically have been integrated into the built form to 

access stabling, today a number have been converted into 

arcades and provide attractive shopping streets. 

3.24 Behind the High Street the form is more fragmented, 

particularly on East Road where the blocks are broken up by 

large format units, for example Northallerton Prison, Tescos 

and swathes of car parking. To the west of the high street 

Alverton Road has a somewhat „back of house‟ character 

fronted by the rear of the high street buildings, car parks and 

open space. 

3.25 The development from the centre progresses out along 

Thirsk Road, South Parade and the residential stretch of the 

High Street up to and including Quaker Lane. The two 

streets to the south of the town centre are fronted by 

attractive Victorian houses, a mix of terraced and semidetached 

properties line the streets. The more attractive 

South Parade forms a connecting route between the town 

centre and the station. This is an attractive Victorian Street. 

Close to the town centre the buildings are villas and larger 

detached buildings. However the majority of the mid section 

of the street is lined with terraced properties with strong 

continuous frontage. 

3.26 South parade is reasonably wide, the carriageway allowing 

two way traffic and parked cars to one side. The buildings 

are set back from the road with most have small enclosed 

front gardens. Given the linear nature and width of the street 

it could feel open and traffic dominated however there is 

also a generous grass verge to one side of the street with a 

mature avenue of street trees at regular intervals. This helps 

to enclose the street, giving it a more human scale and a 

green and leafy character. 

3.27 The residential part of the High Street and Quaker Lane to 

the north is more in keeping with the workers cottages and 

vernacular of the outlying villages. These properties are 

often set well back from the road but have little or no 

defensible space or gardens. Many residents are choosing 

to use the space for parking. The impact of the approach to 

the town centre is somewhat diminished by the scale and 

setting of the street. 

3.28 The next wave of development in the town created a more 

open grain townscape including pre-war semi-detached 

housing on larger plots tacked on to the existing Victorian 

streets. Later a large post war estate was built to the east of 

the town centre; it generally has a closer knit street pattern 

but has little relationship to its context. 

26


3.29 Broadly the settlement form outside the town centre is 

broken down into a series of „estates‟. Zones of semidetached 

and detached bungalows built in the 1970‟s are 

clustered to the east of the town centre. The street pattern is 

formed around looping roads and cul-de-sacs and each 

estate has little cohesion with its surroundings. 

3.30 Over the past twenty or so years new estates have been 

added in the south of Northallerton, the network of streets in 

these developments also generally relying on cul-de-sacs, 

with semi-detached and detached properties spaced along 

the streets. 

3.31 To the north-east of the town off Darlington Road is an 

employment area. This is another type of „estate‟ 

accommodating out of town shops such as Homebase, car 

show rooms, offices and light industrial units. 

3.32 These disparate pockets of settlement create a rather 

uncoordinated townscape and outside of the main routes 

along Thirsk, Boroughbridge, Bullamoor, Brompton and 

Darlington Road there is very little integrated townscape. 


3.35 Given the isolated nature of development around the town 

centre and the lack of cohesive townscape in many of the 

residential areas it will be difficult to tie new development 

into the existing. 

3.36 The coalescence of Romanby into Northallerton could 

provide a starting concept. It may be appropriate to 

generate a contemporary village core based on the model 

from the local historic villages, stitching a higher density 

development here back into the town with sensitively 

designed new development. 

3.37 One of the lessons to be learnt though is that this 

development should not create an inward facing and poorly 

connected layout. Linking routes across the scheme should 

ensure that the area is permeable. 

3.33 To the north of the town is Brompton, the pattern of 

development is not dissimilar to that of Northallerton, the 

southern part of the village closest to the development area 

being a small 1960/70‟s estate. 

3.34 To the south of the town centre is the small village of 

Romanby. This was once separate from the town centre but 

expansion from post war to date has coalesced the two 

settlements. The historic village centre however remains 

distinct; it creates an attractive core of well articulated 

streets and spaces, the newer development providing the 

transition to the town centre. 

27


Figure 3.5: Settlement Form 

28


Village Form and Local Vernacular 

3.38 Though the development falls within a largely rural setting it 

is important to understand the prevalent form and evolution 

of the local settlements so new development can build upon 

historic patterns as appropriate. A village study has not 

been undertake and is not covered in the LSC, therefore this 

baseline will attempt to set out the overarching principles for 

general guidance. 

Key Elements 

Brompton 

Type of settlement 

3.39 This is a ribbon development associated to a series of linear 

open spaces. The heart of the village is focused around a 

crossroads to one end of an open space. The vista at the 

end of this space is closed down at the other end by the 

church. 

3.40 To the north of the village a second open space is the 

setting for Brompton beck, the linear structure of the built 

form follows this alignment. 

3.41 Along the length of the main street a number of spurs of 

development have been added to the village. To the west 

these are hemmed in by the railway line. To the east these 

run up to Stokesley Road or the adjacent fields. 

Setting 

3.42 This is an isolated village surrounded by countryside 

however development over the last fourty or so years to the 

south has gradually brought the village closer to 

Northallerton. 

Form 

3.43 The urban grain around the open spaces in the village 

centre is tight. Terraced properties are set to the back edge 

of the pavements, leaving no defensible space. The 

29


footpaths are generally only associated to property and do 

not wrap around the spaces. The roads separating the 

footpaths and the open space are reasonably narrow two 

ways carriageways of approximately 5m width. 

3.44 To the rear of some of the historic properties along the main 

road are collections of old farm or stabling buildings. These 

are reached via narrow lanes or gateways between 

properties. 

3.46 Development off the main street is more open and is on the 

whole either post war semi-detached property or 1970/80‟s 

detached and semi detached properties. These have 

reasonably large front gardens often having within curtilage 

parking. The layout and form of these areas does not relate 

to the historic local pattern of development. 

3.45 Though these streets follow a linear alignment there is some 

articulation to the building frontage. 

Route topology 

3.47 The main and connecting routes are largely north-south. Off 

these are a number of cul-de-sacs or looping routes. 

30


Figure 3.6: Route Typology 

Building detail 

3.49 Attractive village details include: 

Varied roof heights and chimney stacks 

The varied use of slate and red clay roof tiles along the 

street 

The stable gate entrances to rear courtyards 

The narrow Victorian terraces and double fronted 

Georgian buildings 

Occasional front gardens behind solid brick walls, 

generally no front gardens 

3.50 Materials: 

Building typology 

3.48 Along the main street the buildings are two storey Victorian 

properties with some two to three storey attractive terrace 

Georgian properties at the core of the village. The „new‟ 

village development has been added over the past fifty or so 

years and includes small detached and semi-detached 

property from post war semis to bungalows. These are 

simple buildings on relatively large plots. 

3.51 Edges: 

Stone quions to the corners and gateways of the 

Georgian buildings 

Exposed multi-red brickwork : Old English brick bond: 

5no courses of stretcher bond between each header 

course 

Rendered and painted property scattered amongst the 

brick 

Few boundaries within the core of the village. Brick 

boundaries where defined 

31


Defensible space occasionally marked by round 

cobbles or in some cases grass and gravel 

Edges to some open space and streets defined by use 

of a double kerb 

32


Figure 3.7: Brompton Urban Form Analysis 

33


Romanby 

Type of settlement 

3.52 The core of this village is again based on linear routes and 

associated green spaces. The village pub and post office 

/convenience store sit at the southern edge of the space. 

Setting 

3.55 Though the original village had evolved in a linear form 

alongside the green, it has expanded over the years largely 

to the south. Outward expansion has been contained within 

the fixed boundaries of Willow Beck to the west and the 

railway line to the east. 

Form 

3.56 In the village centre to the south of the green the houses are 

flat fronted terraced housing with little articulation, to the 

north of the green the properties are more spread out and 

includes detached and semi-detached buildings. This 

reflects the varied ages of the dwellings here. 

3.57 Almost all the houses on the north side of the green have 

small front gardens ranging in size from 1-5m. Within 

curtilage parking is provided occasionally between property. 

3.53 The vista at the end of the green is closed down by a pair of 

detached properties. 

3.54 Over the last fifty or so years the village has expanded to 

include post war semis, small 70‟s/80‟s estates and recently 

pockets of new town houses. Romanby has for all intents 

and purposes now coalesced with Northallerton. 

34


3.58 There appears to be some historic farmstead buildings to 

the rear of some of the earlier housing, these are accessed 

cross the green and by lanes to the rear of the property. 

3.59 Other early development is seen along Ainderby Road, 

there are a number of tight knit terrace properties close to 

the green the grain gradually loosens moving south along 

the street. Houses become a mixture of individual and semidetached 

property dating from the turn of the century on. 

The newer houses are generally on larger plots and have 

within curtilage parking. 

3.60 In general the evolution of the village has been piecemeal 

with small „estates‟ of houses being added over time. 

Route topology 

3.61 The main and connecting routes are again largely northsouth, 

new „estates‟ and looping roads are fed off these. 

35


Building typology 

3.62 The early property here is mostly from the later part of the 

end of the 19 th century. These are small two storey workers 

cottages. 

3.63 Newer development is generally slightly larger, two storey 

homes. 

Building detail 

3.64 Attractive village details include: 

Varied roof heights and chimney stacks. 

Some variety in the pitch roof to the road. 

The varied use of slate and red clay roof tiles along the 

street. 

Cohesive streetscape formed by either terraced or 

detached properties on relatively small plots. 

Green space forming linking feature in the core of the 

village. 

Reinforced grass or gravel tracks across the green 

allowing vehicular access to property. 

3.66 Edges: 

Rendered/ part rendered and painted property 

scattered amongst the brick. 

Cottages often have simple lintels to windows and 

recessed doorways. 

Some articulation of the front of larger properties 

through the inclusion of details such as bay and 

dormer windows, small timber porches. 

Garden often defined, however not to the early 

workers cottages. 

Rows of attractive front gardens behind solid brick 

walls. 

Defensible space demarked with brick and rendered 

boundary walls. 

Some small gardens defined by low planting, 

properties often associated to green space. 


Exposed multi-red brickwork: Old English brick bond: 

5no courses of stretcher bond between each header 

course. 

36


Figure 3.8: Romanby Urban Form Analysis 

37


Northallerton 

3.67 The settlement form, historic growth and routes within the 

town centre are discussed in some detail in the following 

sections, and are therefore not covered in this section. 

3.68 The Northallerton (Draft) Conservation Area Appraisal 2009 

sets out the character, form and materials of significance in 

the core of the town centre and provides a good point of 

reference. Building details and materials and have been 

summarised below for ease of reference. 

3.69 Building detail: 

Mid to late Georgian buildings. 

In the town centre these are three storey buildings, 

beyond the High Street they are two. 

Georgian architecture emphasises the symmetrical 

facades and decoration of the time. 

Fenestration is varied but most are sliding sash 

windows. 

Behind the detail on the front the buildings are 

generally less ornate. 

3.71 Edges: 

Important civic Victorian buildings have decorative 

brickwork patterns using a varied of brick colours. 

Examples of coloured render, e.g. traditional rough 

cast render and modern smooth hard float render can 

be seen around the town. This has been applied to 

some of the later Georgian and Victorian buildings. 

Stone is used occasional in the town; it is most often 

used as a dressing or for fine carved work around door 

cases and similar features. 

Roof tiles in the town were traditionally red pantile 

more recent roofs were covered in slate, there are two 

main types of slate used in the town, Welsh grey slate 

and Westmoorland Green Slate. 

On the whole properties open onto the street with no 

boundary treatments provided. 

South Parade and Thirsk Road are of note for their 

front gardens, these add to the leafy character of the 

streets and help to reinforce continuous frontage along 

these important streets. 


Red brick is the dominant building material in 


Mottled pink bricks are used in earlier examples the 

architecture from the Georgian period. 

38


Figure 3.9: Village Studies 

39



General principles: 

Village green to the core of development, usually 

bookended by a cross road and significant village 

buildings to one end, the vista at the other closed with 

attractive detached buildings. 

Tight knit urban form around the green and the village 

centre with some farmstead type of arrangement of 

buildings to the rear. 

Narrow carriageways, foot paths associated to the 

property not the open space. 

Formal open space can form the setting for becks and 

streams cutting through the development. 

Modest buildings emphasising symmetry and rhythm. 

Materials as outlined in the Conversation Area 

Appraisal. 

Standards: 

Development on the NNDA should reach agreed high 

standards for Building for Life, Code for Sustainable 

Homes and BREEAM (for employment units). The 

target level for each will be discussed and agreed with 

HDC, the HCA and key stakeholders during 

subsequent stages of this study and targets will be 

established within the design guidance. 

40


4. Socio-economic & Community 

Infrastructure Review 

population (creating new homes which are suited to an older 

household, enabling existing family homes to be freed up). 

4.1 The purpose of this Section is to review the socio-economic 

profile of the existing population and to consider the impact 

that the proposed residential expansion will have on the 

provision of services, for both existing and new residents. It 

is important that this is considered and planned as part of 

the masterplan, in order for the development proposals to 

provide a positive benefit on service provision and to avoid 

overstretching existing facilities or creating a new 

development that will be poorly served by local facilities. In 

order to create a sustainable community it is essential that a 

good range of community facilities are provided within easy 

walking distance. 

Table 4.1: Population Profile 

Population Mid 2008 

Source: Resident Population Estimates, ONS 

Hambleton 

25.6 

24.0 

18.4 

Aged 65+ 

Aged 45-64 

Aged 30-44 

England & Wales 

19.1 

22.0 

21.3 

4.2 This analysis is an outline review for the purposes of the 

masterplan. It is important that Hambleton DC progresses a 

more detailed audit to establish local capacity and potential 

shortfalls to determine the strategy for future service 

provision and to subsequently inform developer 

contributions as part of a Section 106 agreement. 

Socio-Economic Review 

4.3 In common with many peer market towns across the region, 

the age profile of the district‟s population is increasing 

significantly, with an above average population over 

retirement age. 

17.8 

14.5 

Aged 15-29 

Aged 0-15 

30 27 24 21 18 15 12 9 6 3 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 

Percentage (%) 

4.5 Equally, levels of economic activity, skills and qualifications 

of local residents compare favourably with regional and 

national figures. This study provides the opportunity to plan 

positively for the next cycle of the town‟s economic growth – 

including opportunities for knowledge based jobs, and avoid 

an over-reliance upon out-commuting. 

18.8 

18.8 

4.4 The strategic growth and development of the town through 

the urban extension, offers the opportunity to redress this 

imbalance (providing affordable family accommodation for 

younger families) whilst also planning positively for an older 

41


Table 4.2: Working Age Economic Activity Rate 2009 

Working Age Economic Activity Rate 2009 

Source: Annual Population Survey 

Hambleton 

Yorkshire and 

The Humber 

England and 

Wales 

50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 

Percentage (%) 

4.6 In terms of community infrastructure provision, this socioeconomic 

profile is likely to mean that the requirement for 

school places is probably less than would normally be 

expected for the level of population. This could indicate 

spare capacity in existing schools. This tendency is likely to 

decrease when the North Northallerton area is developed, 

as this will seek to target families and younger residents. 

4.7 For the purposes of this review we have used the housing 

numbers in the Allocations DPD, i.e. a total of 965 new 

homes. If we assume a ratio of 2.4 people per dwelling 

[based on average occupancy rate of 2.37 in HDC Housing 

Needs Survey, 2004], then this represents an additional 

population of 2,316 people. The existing population of 

Northallerton is 15,720 [2004 Mid Year Estimate, from Core 

Strategy]. The population of Brompton should be added to 

77.8 

78.8 

82.2 

this as the residents of Brompton will realistically also be 

using the shops and services available in Northallerton. 

Brompton‟s current population is 1,912, giving a combined 

existing population total of 17,632. 

4.8 A note of caution should be added at this point: 

Northallerton is a market town with a large rural catchment, 

meaning that its real catchment population will be higher 

than that suggested by these population figures. This partly 

explains the generous provision of shops and services in 

relation to the town‟s population. However, for the purposes 

of this review the wider rural catchment has been excluded. 

This is because this wider catchment is difficult to quantify 

but also because the focus of this review is chiefly on the 

more local day-to-day services that should be provided 

within walking distance. This wider catchment population 

should not make a major difference to the figures as 78% of 

the district‟s population live within its market towns [source: 

Core Strategy]. 

4.9 The socio-economic profile also indicates a level of 

affluence, which is borne out when visiting the town centre. 

This enables the relatively small population of Northallerton 

to support a proportionally larger number of supermarkets 

and stores. This will assist in the ability of the town centre to 

serve a larger catchment. 

Hierarchy of Centres 

4.10 The primary Town Centre serving the site is Northallerton 

Town Centre. This is defined as a Principal Service Centre 

in the Local Development Framework. Brompton is identified 

as a „service village‟. Beyond this there are no local centres 

defined in the LDF. The strategy is that Northallerton Town 

Centre will be the primary service centre for the North 

Nothallerton Development Area and no proposed 

42


development should challenge the primacy of this centre. In 

reality, although on the edge of the town, Northallerton is 

fairly compact and the Town Centre lies within walking 

distance of the masterplan area (i.e. around 15 minutes 

walk). The strategy should concentrate on improving 

connections to the Town Centre, which should itself benefit 

from the proposed residential expansion. 

4.11 There may be a need for some smaller local-level facilities, 

i.e. convenience stores or health and community provision. 

These should be clustered in accessible local hubs that can 

be well supported. The need for, and location of these local 

hubs, will be reviewed and tested during the preferred 

option stage of this study. 

Community Facilities 

4.12 The current provision of community facilities has been 

assessed against its ability to serve for the masterplan area. 

This assessment forms two strands: there must be enough 

capacity in existing, or new, facilities in order to serve the 

expanded population; and the siting of facilities must ensure 

that they are accessible by sustainable modes for residents 

of the masterplan area. 

Town Centre, and to a lesser degree at Brompton and 

Romanby village centres. There is a marked lack of facilities 

within easy walking distance of the NNDA. If a broad tenminute 

walking distance is considered (as the crow flies) 

then it can be seen that there are only two facilities within 

easy walking distance: the Co-operative store at the petrol 

station on Stokesley Road and Allertonshire Secondary 

School. Initial discussions have been undertaken with 

NYCC Education with the local PCT on the subject of local 

provision and both organisations are undertaking reviews 

before Christmas 2010, the outcomes of which will further 

inform the masterplan. 

4.15 An Open Space, Sport and Recreation Study was 

produced for HDC by PMP in 2006 and has subsequently 

informed a similarly-titled Draft SPD, produced in 2010. 

PMP identified a Northallerton North area with an existing 

population of 3,400, into which the masterplan area will fall. 

In an extensive study they have identified a series of 

shortfalls in open space provision, based on current 

provision and on the population of the Northallerton subarea 

(at 22,801 somewhat larger than that of the town itself) 

4.13 The Community Infrastructure Plan (Figure 4.1) provides an 

overview of community facilities available to the North 

Northallerton area. This includes schools, health provision, 

recreation/open space, convenience stores/post offices, 

supermarkets and places of worship. These are shown with 

comparison to approximate walking distances from the 

masterplan area. 

4.14 This plan reveals that although there is a relatively generous 

supply of community facilities these, perhaps not 

surprisingly, tend to be clustered mostly in Northallerton 

43


Figure 4.1. Community Infrastructure Plan 

44


Table 4.3: Community Facilities and Catchment Populations 

Local Facility 

Illustrative 

Catchment 

Population 

usually required 

to support each 

facility 

[From Barton et 

al*] 

Expected number of 

facilities using the 

Illustrative 

Catchment 

Populations 

- based on existing 

population of 

Northallerton & 

Brompton (17,632) 

Existing 

number of 

facilities in 


& Brompton 

Existing 

facilities within 

800m (i.e. 10 

mins walk) of 

the masterplan 

area 

Potential 

Shortfall after 

development of 

North 


(based on 

additional 

population of 

2,316) 

Primary / middle school ** 4,000 4 5 0 Additional places/ 

new school? 

Secondary school (large) 16,000 1 1 0 Additional places 

Health centre (4 doctors) 10,000 2 3 0 New local facility? 

Post office 5,000 3 3 0 None / new local 

facility? 

Local centre *** 6,000 3 2* 0 Potential need for 

additional centre? 

Supermarket 24,000 1 3 0 None 

Leisure centre 24,000 1 1 0 None 

*Source: Shaping Urban Neighbourhoods, [Barton et al, 2003] 

** NYCC Education have been consulted on the projected need for additional school places. 

*** Romanby and Brompton are considered as local centres for the purpose of this assessment and included the projected growth rates from the 

emerging LDF This analysis is summarised in the Study. 

. 

45


4.16 In order to address the shortfalls identified in the Study the 

SPD clearly sets out expected standards which are then 

used to justify the level of developer contributions which are 

set out in some detail. 

4.17 The key open space and recreation facilities have been 

identified on Figure 4.1. Our landscape team has studied 

the standards in the SPD and will ensure that the landscape 

strategy for the masterplan provides this need on site 

wherever possible rather than requiring developer 

contributions. The opportunity of site NM5G provides an 

excellent opportunity to improve open space and recreation 

provision not just for the North Nothallerton area but for the 

whole of the town. 

4.18 Rutson Hospital is not included in the review as it has been 

deemed surplus to requirements by the NHS Trust. Current 

proposals for its re-use are for supported young people‟s 

housing with training facilities and offices for the voluntary 

sector. For the purposes of the review this is considered to 

be a housing and employment related use rather than a 

facility for the wider community and so it is not included on 

Figure 4.1 

Conclusions 

4.19 In „Shaping Urban Neighbourhoods’, Barton et al (2003) 

suggest that, based upon their research, the catchment 

populations identified in table 4.1 below are required to 

support key neighbourhood facilities. We have applied the 

population of Northallerton and Brompton to these 

illustrative catchments to consider the number of each 

facility we would expect to see. This is compared to the 

number that actually exist (as shown on Figure 4.1), to 

identify whether there may currently be an over or under 

provision. We have then considered the additional 

population envisaged in the masterplan area and assessed 

this against the previous column to identify any shortfalls 

that may result after the masterplan area is fully occupied. 

4.20 It must be stressed that this is a very broad brush exercise 

and does not examine the individual capacity within each 

facility. Nevertheless, this should provide a useful guide and 

a starting point for more detailed analysis. 

4.21 The above analysis reveals that in capacity terms there may 

be an adequate supply of most community facilities when 

considering Northallerton and Brompton globally. This 

means that the additional population may be adequately 

served numerically by most of the community infrastructure. 

There are some notable exceptions to this, for example in 

terms of school places. 

4.22 However, the physical distribution of these facilities may 

crucially result in a more local shortfall for residents of North 

Northallerton. Most of the existing facilities are located in 

either the Town Centre or the local centres of Brompton and 

Romanby. This means that they are rather difficult to reach 

by sustainable modes. The only real accessible facility being 

the Co-operative grocery store located within the petrol 

station on Stokesley Road, which is not designed to be 

accessed by pedestrians. This accessibility factor may well 

necessitate re-distributing the pattern of community 

provision in response to the proposed northern expansion, 

i.e. by creating a new small local centre in North 

Northallerton, or by improving links to existing facilities. 

4.23 In terms of school provision an initial discussion with North 

Yorkshire County Council (Children and Young Peoples 

Officer) has revealed that there is a need for new primary 

school places that could be met either by expansion of 

several existing schools or by the provision of a new primary 

46


school in North Northallerton, if a suitable site can be 

identified. The initial analysis has indicated that, as a rule of 

thumb, for every 1,000 homes there are usually 250 primary 

school places required. Therefore, for the 965 homes 

proposed in the DPD for North Northallerton this could 

equate to approximately 240 primary school places. This 

may indicate the need for either a new single-form entry 

primary school or several additional classrooms for the 

existing primary schools. In terms of secondary school 

places NYCC have confirmed that there is sufficient surplus 

in Allertonshire Secondary Shool and Northallerton College 

to deal with the proposed additional housing. NYCC‟s 

revised forecast figures will be available before Christmas 

2010. 

frontage is likely to be required for retail operators and 

accessibility by public transport is a priority. It makes sense 

to group the community facilities together to provide mutual 

support. The linear shape of the masterplan area, and the 

preponderance of stronger north-south rather than eastwest 

links, makes it difficult to provide a single accessible 

centre and two smaller hubs may be more appropriate. 

These options will be explored during the following stage. 

4.24 The local Primary Care Trust were interviewed as part of 

this study. Their representative understood the growth 

agenda and the community infrastructure issue related to a 

development of this scale. The PCT supports a shared 

facility approach e.g. with pharmacy, shops, extra care. The 

PCT will discuss this further with the two GP practices 

whose catchments would be affected: one near to County 

Hall in the town centre, one near to Friarage hospital to the 

east. The representative‟s initial view is that these premises 

may not be suitable for expansion. In masterplanning terms 

the conclusion is to incorporate land as part of shared 

building within „community hub‟ and test further with the 

PCT and others. 

4.25 If a new local centre is to be created within the masterplan 

area then careful thought must be given to its location. The 

centre will need to be easily accessible to the new 

community but will also require further footfall and passing 

trade to be viable, either from existing residents of the 

adjacent and under-served northern parts of Northallerton or 

from users of the Standard Way business park. A main road 

47

48 



5. Transport & Movement 

5.1 The North Northallerton Development Area (NNDA) is 

located approximately 1km north of the town of 

Northallerton. Immediately to the north of the development 

area lies the village of Brompton. The A167 Darlington Road 

runs along the western edge of the development area, 

joining the town with the outskirts of Darlington and the 

A1(M) Trunk Road to the north. The A684 Stokesley Road 

between Northallerton and the A19 Trunk Road, along with 

Northallerton Road, connects the town with Brompton, with 

both roads situated towards the eastern extents of the 

NNDA. There is a railway line which runs through the area 

and provides passenger and freight services between 

Northallerton and Middlesbrough. See Figure 5.1: Strategic 

Routes to understand this context. 

5.2 The area‟s close proximity to the centre of Northallerton and 

the town‟s compact and relatively flat nature provides an 

opportunity to access the development area by sustainable 

transport modes such as cycling and walking. 

5.3 The purpose of this baseline review is to assess the existing 

infrastructure, highlight committed transportation schemes, 

identify potential missing links or opportunities to enhance 

access to the NNDA and begin to establish standards for 

movement within and to the site which will be developed at 

the options stage of the Masterplan. In compiling this 

transport and movement baseline the Masterplan team has 

held meetings with North Yorkshire County Council 

Highways and has contacted Network Rail for comments. 

Strategic Context 

Planning Policy Guidance 13 (PPG13) 

5.4 In terms of National policy, PPG13 „Transport‟ provides the 

high level context for access to and within new 

developments. This document provides advice on how local 

authorities should integrate transport and land use planning 

for all types of development. The key aim of PPG13 is to 

ensure that local authorities carry out their land use policies 

and transport programmes in ways which help to: 

Promote more sustainable transport choices for both 

people and for moving freight. 

Promote accessibility to jobs, shopping, leisure 

facilities and services by public transport, walking and 

cycling. 

Reduce the need to travel, especially by car. 

5.5 Consideration of PPG13 is fundamental to transport 

strategies and projects and lies at the core of the 

Government‟s commitments to reduce the need to travel 

with the aim of reducing the environmental impacts of 

transport. 

Local Development Framework Allocations 

Development Plan 

5.6 Hambleton District Council produced an Allocations 

Development Plan Document Submission in December 

2009 as part of its Local Development Framework. Adoption 

of the Allocations DPD is expected in November 2010. With 

regards to transport and access for the allocated NNDA site, 

the document states that the development shall provide a 

new single carriageway road with a width of approximately 8 

49


Figure 5.1: Strategic Routes 

50


metres, a footpath and cycleway route, a bridge across the 

Northallerton to Middlesbrough railway and access to a 

number of sites within the North Northallerton Area. The 

design of the link road will meet North Yorkshire Highway 

Design standards, Manual for Streets and Network Rail‟s 

operating standards. The cost of the link road will be met 

from developer contributions in accordance with a tariff to be 

imposed on future developments within Northallerton which 

generate „significant traffic movements‟. The tariff will be 

defined by Hambleton District Council in a future 

Supplementary Planning Document. The link road 

construction will be integrated with flood alleviation works 

required for the area. 

5.7 Implementation of the North Northallerton Link Road (LDF 

scheme reference NM5F) will begin in Phase 1 of the LDF 

period (up to 2016) and completion is anticipated to occur in 

Phase 2 (2016 to 2021). Construction will commence from 

the western side of the area, working eastwards towards the 

majority of the proposed residential units which are 

dependent upon a completed link road. 

Local Transport Plan for North Yorkshire (LTP3) 

5.8 In May 2010 North Yorkshire County Council published its 

consultation draft of the third North Yorkshire Local 

Transport Plan (LTP3), a document which will cover 

transport planning and delivery for the County from April 

2011. The final document will consist of two parts: a Local 

Transport Strategy (LTS) which will cover a 10 to 15 year 

time period and sets out the objectives of the plan. Part 2 of 

the LTP is the Delivery Plan and covers the period 2011 to 

2016. 

5.9 The North Yorkshire LTP3 draft proposes the following 

objectives as part of the LTS: 

Supporting flourishing local economies by delivering 

reliable and efficient transport networks and services. 

Reducing the impact of transport on the natural and 

built environment and tackling climate change. 

Improving transport safety and security and promoting 

healthier travel. 

Promoting greater equality of opportunity for all by 

improving people‟s access to all necessary services. 

Ensuring transport helps improve quality of life for all. 

5.10 The Delivery Plan has the three overall aims of managing, 

maintaining and improving the transport network and 

services. In terms of prioritisation, the overall highways and 

transportation programme is split into three elements; one 

for highway maintenance, one for bridge and structure 

maintenance and one for other transport improvements. The 

highway and bridge maintenance elements area allocated 

so that the sections of highway (road or footway) that most 

need maintenance get the highest priority. The programme 

is tailored to the budget available. For other transport 

improvements all solutions are prioritised based on their 

relative contribution (positive or negative) to all of the LTP3 

objectives. 

5.11 North Yorkshire County Council has confirmed that there will 

be no significant new transport improvement schemes 

delivered in the Northallerton area within the first period of 

the LTP Delivery Plan (up to 2016), although investigations 

towards improving public transport interchange facilities at 

the northern part of High Street are ongoing. There is likely 

to be a reference to the North Northallerton Link Road but 

51


no commitment from the highway authority to funding as the 

road is seen as a developer funded initiative. 

ATLAS workshops 

5.12 Whilst not an adopted strategy or policy document, the 

report recording the outcomes of the workshops held by 

ATLAS (Advisory Team for Large Applications) with 

Hambleton District Council, North Yorkshire County Council, 

Environment Agency, Castlevale Group Ltd, Broadacres 

Housing Association and Taylor Young on 1 September 

2010 provide a useful tool in establishing the baseline 

transport conditions as well as the context for the 

development of the proposed access linkages. Key 

aspirations which impact upon movement consist of the 

need to create strong functional connections with the town 

centre to reduce the need to travel by car, allow high quality 

public transport and the proposal for a link road to primarily 

provide access to the NNDA but also to have a positive 

benefit upon existing traffic congestion within Northallerton. 

areas from the area to local facilities is shown as Figure 5.3. 

The catchment areas are calculated from a point in the 

centre of the proposed development area. The Department 

for Transport (DfT) in their Transport Statistics on walking in 

Great Britain state that the average length of a walk journey 

is 0.6 miles (965m). PPG13 identifies walking as the most 

important mode of travel at the local level and that walking 

offers the greatest opportunity to replace short car trips of 

up to 2km. It is therefore, concluded that a reasonable 

walking catchment area is 2km. The DfT in their Transport 

Statistics on Cycling in Great Britain state that the average 

length of a cycle journey is 2.4 miles (3.84km) and it a 4km 

catchment area has been used as a reasonable average 

distance for trips to employment, education and services. 

Walking & Cycling 

5.13 It is thought that the area‟s close proximity to Northallerton 

and Brompton, coupled with the topography and existing 

infrastructure provides an excellent environment for the 

potential encouragement of internal and external journeys to 

be made by walking and cycling. There are currently a high 

level (25.2%) of journeys made to work on foot in the North 

Northallerton area according to the 2001 Census. 5% of 

journeys to work are by pedal cycle. 

Existing cycling and walking routes are shown in Figure 5.2 

and a plan indicating likely cycling and walking catchment 

52


Figure 5.2: Public Rights of Way 

53


Figure 5.2: Walking & Cycling Catchment Areas 

54


5.14 As with public transport provision, due to the level and 

nature of existing development, pedestrian and cycle links 

from the town centre are more plentiful to the east of the site 

than the west. 

5.15 The A684 Brompton Road has a shared footway/cycleway 

in place from Turker Lane to Northallerton Road. Part of the 

route is adjacent to the eastern side of the road to connect 

with the similar facility on Turker Lane and the remainder is 

adjacent to the west side. Both facilities are connected by a 

controlled crossing outside of Allertonshire School. Street 

lighting is present and the route is separated from the 

carriageway in sections through a grass verge. 

5.16 Beyond Hambleton District Council‟s offices northwards the 

status of the route adjacent to the western side of the 

carriageway is a cycleway, rather than a facility shared with 

pedestrians. There is a footway next to the eastern side of 

the road. 

5.17 North of the Brompton Road/ Northallerton Road junction, 

the A684 is renamed Stokesley Road. There are footways 

adjacent to either side of the road as far north as Long Lane 

to the north of Brompton. 

5.18 The section of the A684 south of Turker Lane has footways 

adjacent to each side of the road, providing a pedestrian 

route to the northern end of Northallerton town centre. At the 

ATLAS workshop it was agreed that creating “strong 

functional and physical linkages between the NNDA and the 

High Street (would) support its use and improve trade”. Near 

the A684/ Friarage Road junction outside of the Netto 

supermarket there is a controlled crossing in place over 

Brompton Road. Once onto Friarage Road pedestrians can 

move towards the High Street through the use of a zebra 

crossing. It is considered that there is a reasonably high 

scope to encourage pedestrian journeys from the eastern 

part of the NNDA to Northallerton High Street. 

5.19 The A167 Darlington Road has a footway adjacent to its 

western side. There is a signal controlled pedestrian 

crossing situated on Darlington Road approximately 300m 

from the NNDA. To the eastern side of the road is a shared 

footway/ cycleway which provides access to the 

employment premises along this section, although the cycle 

route does not continue south of the Yafforth Road 

roundabout meaning that cyclists have to travel on 

carriageway in this narrower, more congested section of 

road towards the town centre. There is also no continuous 

footway along the western side of Darlington Road as it 

ceases to the south of Allerton Court hotel. As a pedestrian 

route this corridor provides access to shops at the northern 

end of the High Street within a manageable walking 

distance from the western part of the NNDA, although the 

width/ quality of infrastructure is constrained to the south of 

Yafforth Road due to the bridge over the Brompton Beck 

and the level crossing. 

5.20 Thurston Road, which is located immediately south of the 

development area and provides access from Darlington 

Road to office accommodation, has footways adjacent to 

both sides of the carriageway. It is essential that the 

Masterplan for NNDA considers options for connecting 

pedestrian and cycling facilities into these existing 

provisions. 

5.21 There is no complete cycling network in place within the 

town, however the Hambleton District Cycling Plan was 

produced in 2001 following consultation with a wide range of 

stakeholders such as North Yorkshire County Council, 

Cyclists‟ Touring Club, cycle shops, Parish and Town 

Councils, Sustrans and public transport operators with the 

55


aim of enhancing infrastructure for cycling. The plan 

produced an Action Plan for developing cycling in towns 

within the District, including Northallerton. A number of the 

schemes proposed in the plan have now been implemented 

but, whilst the majority of outstanding proposals remain 

valid, it is unlikely that these will be funded during the first 

LTP3 period. Therefore, the NNDA should take due regard 

of the plan with a view to contributing to the enhancement of 

this proposed cycle network wherever relevant. 

5.22 National Cycle Network route 71 is situated within 2km of 

the area, running locally from Borrowby to Yafforth passing 

through the southern part of Northallerton on Mill Hill Lane 

and Racecourse Lane. 

5.23 Public Rights of Way (PROW) within close proximity to the 

NNDA are shown in Figure 5.2. There is a public footpath 

which runs north eastwards from Yafforth Road through the 

western part of the site near Moor Close Farm, before 

continuing east of Darlington Road. The route then moves 

northwards out of the NNDA. The nearest bridleway is 

located to the north east of the site, travelling from 

Stokesley Road to Banks Road to the south east of 

Brompton. 

5.24 At the ATLAS workshop, it was felt that people currently had 

a fairly limited interest in using the area for recreational/ 

leisure movement uses, however the existing missing links 

across the site meaning circular walks or equestrian trips 

are not currently possible could be addressed if a crossing 

over the railway line providing for these user groups can be 

included as part of the NNLR bridge. 

Public Transport 

5.25 Paragraph 72 of PPG13 states that “the likely availability 

and use of public transport is a very important ingredient in 

determining locational policies designed to reduce the need 

to travel by car”. It will therefore be vital to establish new 

and enhance existing bus services to provide access to the 

NNDA. The nearest existing bus stops to the site are 

located on Northallerton Road and Darlington Road near to 

Thurston Road. 

5.26 Table 5.1 below and Figure 5.4 shows the details of the 

existing bus services which travel to areas in the vicinity of 

the NNDA, although these are not within the 400m walking 

distance recommended by the Institute of Highways and 

Transportation‟s (IHT) document „Planning for Public 

Transport in Developments‟ for much of the site and 

therefore bus routeing is a key issue for the NNDA. Services 

provide routes between Brompton and various locations 

within Northallerton, such as the town hall and County Hall 

which is close to the rail station (services 70A, 80 and 89), 

with the other services stopping at the northern end of the 

town centre. During the daytime, buses to Northallerton are 

regular, particularly on Wednesday and Saturday when the 

half hourly number 1 bus runs. However, during morning 

and evening peak times there are a fairly small number of 

buses and as part of the NNDA an opportunity could be 

presented to enhance the frequency as more employment 

and residential premises are developed in the area. 

5.27 The west of the site is currently less well served by buses. 

The X72 service provides a peak period direct route to the 

town from Darlington and Great Smeaton along the A167. 

Accordingly, this is a request stop with no timetable/ 

information, shelter or accessible boarding facilities. The 

70A service provides an hourly daytime service between 

56


Standard Way and Northallerton. The 55 and 70 routes 

provide additional peak time services into the town centre. 

5.28 All bus services mentioned are tendered operating under 

contract with North Yorkshire County Council. Developers of 

the NNDA should liaise with the authority to agree the 

specification for public transport routing and frequency. As 

an indication it is anticipated that funding for local bus 

service(s) to the site and associated infrastructure would 

need to be provided for a minimum of 5 years. Services will 

be required to provide links to Northallerton town centre and 

rail station 

57


Figure 5.4: Bus Services 

58


Table 5.1 – Existing Bus Services 

Operator Service / Route Monday - Saturday 

No. of Buses (Frequency) 

Abbots of 

Leeming 

Dales & 

Distric 

John 

Smith & 

Sons 

Dales & 

District 

Arriva 


East 

Arriva 


East 

Abbots of 

Leeming 

Abbots of 

Leeming 

1 Brompton to Northallerton 0 Buses 

07:00-09:00 09:00-16:00 

14 Buses 

(1 every 30 

mins) 

Wed & Sat 

only 

16:00- 

18:00 

0 Buses 

55 Richmond to Nothallerton 1 Bus 0 Buses 0 Buses 

70 Rippon/ Thirsk to Northallerton 1 Bus per day in each direction 

70A Brompton to Northallerton 

72X Darlington to Northallerton 

0 Buses 

72 Brompton to Northallerton 0 Buses 

80 Brompton to Northallerton 1 Bus 

89 Brompton to Northallerton 1 Bus 

6 buses (1 

every hour 

approx‟) 

1 Bus per day in each direction 

4 Buses 

(1 every 2 

hours) 

3 Buses 

(1 every 2 

hours) 

4 Buses 

(1 every 2 

hours) 

0 Buses 

0 Buses 

2 Buses 

1 Bus 

5.29 Northallerton rail station is located to the south western part 

of the town centre off Boroughbridge Road. Its distance from 

the NNDA is likely to preclude many walking journeys to the 

station, however it is within a reasonable cycling distance 

and there are cycle parking facilities, albeit not sheltered, 

already in place next to the station booking office, although 

the cycling facilities/ routes to the station is truncated. 

Cycling and the potential for bus services either directly from 

the area or via the town centre will minimise the need for car 

journeys to the station. Bus connectivity improvements to 

the rail station should be considered as part of the NNDA 

development. Initiatives such as through ticketing (e.g. plus 

bus) will make bus/ rail interchange more attractive to 

potential patrons. 

5.30 Northallerton has an hourly service on the Northallerton to 

Middlesbrough railway line which runs through the 

development area. The East Coast Mainline also serves 

Northallerton station. There are two to three services per 

hour northwards to Newcastle and two per hour south/ south 

east to York and Leeds. 

Road Infrastructure 

5.31 To the western edge of the NNDA lies the A167 Darlington 

Road. This road is a single carriageway subject to a 40mph 

speed limit where there is existing development adjacent to 

the road. At the northern western edge corner of the 

development area there is currently no frontage bounding 

the road and therefore a national speed limit is in place 

here. Darlington Road provides access to office and 

industrial employment premises located off Standard Way 

and Thurston Road. 

5.32 A684 Stokesley Road is the arterial route into Northallerton 

from the north east. This road is also a single carriageway 

subject to a 40mph speed limit. Northallerton Road provides 

a route northwards from the A684 into the village of 

Brompton and is also subject to a 40mph speed limit until it 

reaches the southern edge of the village where a 30mph 

speed limit is in place. 

5.33 Congestion occurs on the northern side of the town. The 

primary cause of the delay is caused by the level crossings 

in place on the A167 High Street and Boroughbridge Road, 

which are closed to road vehicles 44 times per day for an 

59


average of 3 minutes at a time to allow trains to pass. There 

are three main causes of congestion the Low Gates Level 

Crossing, the High Street / Friarage Street / East Road 

junction complex and the South Parade / High Street / 

Romanby Road junction complex. When the Low Gates 

level crossing is closed to road traffic queues build up 

affecting the operation of the junctions. The A167 

Boroughbridge Road level crossing south of the town can 

result in traffic queues as far as Boroughbridge Road /A684 

junction to the south and extend beyond the South Parade/ 

Racecourse Lane junction. 

5.34 The recent East Coast Mainline capacity review which has 

proposals which will increase rail use of the Low Gates 

Crossing, which may impact upon the surrounding highway 

network further. 

5.35 The „Northallerton LDF Strategic Option Testing Report‟ 

notes that the following junctions in Northallerton are (at 

2006 levels) operating close to or exceeding capacity and 

therefore would be particularly affected by additional traffic 

generated by future development: Darlington Road/ High 

Street/ Yafforth Road, Northallerton Road/ Stokesley Road/ 

Brompton Road, High Street/ Friarage Street, Brompton 

Road / Friarage Street, East Road/ Bullamoor Road, High 

Street/ Quaker Lane, South Parade/ High Street and 

Brompton Road/ Quaker Lane. 

Northallerton Northern Link Road 

5.36 The Northallerton Northern Link Road (NNLR) is a proposal 

to construct a 1.8km road which would connect the A167 

Darlington Road in the west and the A684 Stokesley Road 

in the east. Roundabout junctions would be provided at 

each end to integrate with the existing road network. 

Review of previous work 

5.37 In 2008 Jacobs, appointed by Hambleton District Council 

(HDC), produced two possible design options for a link road; 

the first was for a 40mph design speed distributor road 

along the northern boundary of much of the North 

Northallerton Development Area (NNDA), with the second 

comprising a 30mph single carriageway with an alignment 

further south within the west part of the NNDA. The second 

design was established as the preferred option by Jacobs 

and the total scheme cost was estimated at £12m. These 

two options are provided at the end of Appendix 1. 

5.38 We also note the Indicative Land Ownership Plan (Figure 

7.3) provided by HDC which indicates a different route for 

the eastern side of the road. 

Purpose of road 

5.39 From a review of previous work and our discussions with 

North Yorkshire County Council, it is concluded that the 

highway authority (and the evidence contained in the 

modeling work) view a North Northallerton link road to have 

a limited impact on existing and future congestion on the 

town‟s wider road network. Coupled with the desire to 

maximise connectivity for pedestrians, cyclists and public 

transport users as well as car and employment traffic within 

the NNDA it is suggested that the link road should be 

classed as a local access road rather than a link or 

distributor. The „link road‟ or NNLR is therefore referred to 

as the „access road‟ in this Report. 

Design criteria 

5.40 The access road should be designed with the principles of 

Manual for Streets (MfS) and Manual for Streets 2 – Wider 

60


Application of the Principles (MfS2) (launched in October 

2010) guidance in mind. The MfS2 guidelines will take the 

principles set out in MfS and demonstrate through guidance 

and case studies how they can be extended beyond 

residential streets to encompass both urban and rural 

situations. Guiding principles recommended by WYG for 

NNDA are: 

The access road will be subject to a 30mph speed 

limit, with a 7.3m maximum width carriageway, with a 

6.0m minimum width to accommodate 2 way bus 

movements. The road‟s primary rationale is to provide 

access to the development road rather than through 

traffic and to have active frontage. 

Buses will use the road and bus stops are to be 

located on the carriageway rather than in laybys. All 

properties should be within a 400m walking distance of 

a bus stop. 

Traffic calming features to be considered at locations 

where non motorised users are likely to cross the 

access road (e.g. 

Northallerton Road). Traffic calming measures to be 

compliant with bus services (e.g. cushions). 

Sections of on street parking/servicing laybys (e.g. 

outside shops) could be considered to help act as a 

traffic calming tool and give activity to any commercial 

units. 

Frontage development (and accesses) to be provided 

adjacent to the access road. 

Trees lining the carriageway could also be used to 

help establish 30mph speed limit. 

Shared 3.0m footway/cycleway either side of the 

access road. Local access roads leading from the 

main access road will have 2.0m footways but 

establish an environment suitable for on carriageway 

cycling. 

Alignment Options 

5.41 Constraints regarding the position of the access road are: 

Flooding – The area is within a flood plain and 

therefore the route over the brook is likely to require an 

overhead structure rather than a culvert. This will need 

to be discussed with the Environment Agency 

regarding any flood compensation required on whether 

the road can be allowed to flood. 

Local Development Framework – in the LDF 

Allocations Submission document it states that the 

position of the link road along the north of the NNDA 

will provide a development control function of 

separating Brompton from Northallerton. Is it 

acceptable to HDC to have any new development 

north of the access road? 

Rugby club to the north of the NNDA boundary – the 

two Jacobs link road options suggest use of this land, 

which is not thought to be available for development. 

The alignment, therefore should be to the south of that 

originally proposed as part of the North Northallerton 

Link Road (NNLR) design which will bring the 

61


alignment more into the development. 

The property Halfway House at the north of the NNDA 

– is this land available as part of the area to site the 

access road on if required? 

Providing the access road close to the centre of the 

development area will mean that the internal local 

access roads to residential/ employment sites within 

the area will be similar in length and character. The 

alignment will, however, need to ensure that the 

access road does not split useful housing plots in two. 

5.42 It is concluded that the alignment shown in NNLR option 2 is 

too far north. A potential re-alignment that better supports 

the client group‟s ambitions and the objectives of Manual for 

Streets 2 (DfT, 2010) is outlined in the emerging Preferred 

Concept Option (Figure 10.3). 

Structures 

5.43 The Jacobs cost estimate for the structures over the 

Brompton Beck and railway line is £4m. 

5.44 Key requirements for the design of the structure are:. 

Likelihood of the future electrification of the 

Northallerton to Middlesbrough railway line 

Requirements for the height of the structure; 

Position of the structure within the site – previous 

design work has suggested that a new link road would 

be positioned along the northern boundary of the site. 

As part of WYG‟s work so far we have considered a 

position this further south within the site, meaning that 

the watercourse and railway could possibly be crossed 

by a single structure and the access road could be 

through the centre of the site to improve accessibility 

throughout the NNDA; 

5.45 From our initial discussions, Network Rail have advised that 

whilst the line is unlikely to be electrified imminently, the 

design of the new structure should provide sufficient height 

clearance to enable electrification in the future. Network Rail 

has no particular preference for the position of the structure 

within the site. 

5.46 By moving away from the Jacobs alignment the scope to 

bridge the brook and the railway line in a single structure 

can be investigated to see if there is any cost saving. 

Integration with existing road network 

5.47 1) Junction with A167 Darlington Road – the link road 

position appears fixed as there is limited land available 

within the NNDA boundary to move this. Further work will be 

required to assess proposed traffic flows into the site to see 

whether priority junctions with the proposed accesses to 

NM5E and NM5D (in the Local Plan) would be suitable for 

the level of traffic predicted. The benefit of the roundabout 

proposed by the NNLR options is that it provides a gateway 

between the existing 60mph speed limit and the 40mph 

speed limit to the south on the A167. It would also provide a 

defined means of commencing the desired 30mph speed 

limit on the link road. 

5.48 2) Junction with A684 Stokesley Road – a roundabout in the 

location shown in NNLR option 2 seems the most 

62


appropriate design. The 30mph speed limit should start for 

southbound traffic at the roundabout rather than further 

south near Mowbray Road as is the case now. 

5.49 3) Northallerton Road – The Jacobs link road proposals 

show to close or revise this road. It is recommended that 

Northallerton Road is retained and a new signalised junction 

is provided where it meets the access road. Northallerton 

Road has good existing cycling and walking links which 

should be retained or enhanced by the proposal, including a 

crossing provision at the new junction. Signalising could 

allow for bus priority to be provided, which would increase 

permeability to Brompton. 

Funding 

5.50 Based on WYG‟s discussions with Helen Fielding 

(Hambleton District Council Housing Manager) we 

understand that HDC are exploring the possibility with the 

HCA of the HCA providing funding towards the cost of the 

structure(s) at the start of the development. This grant 

would then be repaid by individual developers of the NNDA 

towards other on-site measures such as affordable housing 

as the later phase plots were developed. 

5.51 Additional funding sources for the delivery of the link road 

are being pursued through a public / private partnership bid 

to the Regional Growth Fund. In addition to the identified 

developer contributions, other funding opportunities will also 

be explored as and when the arise. 

Phasing 

5.52 One of the major risks to the project in transport terms is if 

this funding cannot be found. Previous modelling work 

undertaken shows that by 2013/14 the Darlington 

Road/Yafforth Road roundabout will be operating over 

capacity if the early phases of the NNDA site are occupied 

and there is no link/access road in place across the entire 

site. Should HCA funding not be made available to construct 

the bridge over the railway line, the consequence of 

providing a no through road into the site is likely to mean 

that NYCC will require developer funding improvements to 

the capacity of the Darlington Road/ Yafforth Road 

roundabout as an interim measure prior to structure being 

constructed. 

5.53 Bus service improvements are a key consideration. Short 

term measures to improve the service on Darlington Road 

are required to cater for the early phases of the 

development. 

5.54 At our September 2010 meeting, NYCC advised that service 

level improvements such as bus stops and roundabout 

improvements will be required on the affected existing road 

network as part of the link road scheme. A key implication 

for the overall NNDA movement strategy will be to consider 

how the NNLR proposals connect with proposed cycling, 

walking and public transport connections within the site and 

to existing routes around its periphery. The NNLR will be 

designed to accommodate through traffic and therefore 

infrastructure to assist pedestrian and cycle crossing 

movements will be required. Dedicated facilities for these 

uses should be designed adjacent to the new road. 

Provision for a west to east bridleway/ equestrian route 

using the proposed structures over the currently 

inaccessible area around the Brompton Beck and railway 

63


line will also be a consideration. It is envisaged that the 

internal roads originating from the link road to provide 

access to new residential development will be designed with 

Manual for Streets, home zones or shared space concepts 

in mind to enable an environment for pedestrians and 

cyclists to have priority ahead of motorised traffic. 

Conclusions and Next Stages 

5.55 It has been established that the NNDA is well located to 

allow for journeys to be made by walking, cycling and public 

transport. 

5.56 There are only limited bus services currently in place for the 

western side of the area, although it is assumed once the 

first phase of NNDA is developed there will be the demand 

to run a commercial bus service to Northallerton. Services 

towards Brompton at the east of the NNDA are regular 

during the daytime but would benefit from an enhanced 

frequency during peak periods and are not close enough to 

serve all of the proposed development area. New or 

enhanced bus services and stops should therefore be 

facilitated using the route of the link road. Interim options will 

need to be examined to provide a short to medium term 

improvement to services for the western (A167) corridor as 

this part of the NNDA is programmed for earlier completion 

and currently has an extremely infrequent direct bus service 

in place. 

5.57 The Northallerton Northern Link Road (NNLR) is the key 

transport and access issue for the development area. The 

NNLR should have a multi-functional role as a movement 

route for motorised vehicles, pedestrian and cycle friendly 

environment, green corridor, attractive gateway feature and 

landmark to the town, and location for social interaction. 

Critical to the scheme is the construction of a rail bridge 

which allows a complete east to west route through the 

development. 

5.58 In addition to the NNLR new high quality and attractive 

footway/ cycleway links to the town centre, neighbouring 

employment areas and surrounding countryside should be 

developed and will be investigated in further detail during 

the Options stage of the Masterplan for the NNDA. 

Conclusions and Next Stages 

5.59 It has been established that the NNDA is well located to 

allow for journeys to be made by walking, cycling and public 

transport. 

5.60 There are only limited bus services currently in place for the 

western side of the area, although it is assumed once the 

first phase of NNDA is developed there will be the demand 

to run a commercial bus service to Northallerton. Services 

towards Brompton at the east of the NNDA are regular 

during the daytime but would benefit from an enhanced 

frequency during peak periods and are not close enough to 

serve all of the proposed development area. New or 

enhanced bus services and stops should therefore be 

facilitated using the route of the link road. Interim options will 

need to be examined to provide a short to medium term 

improvement to services for the western (A167) corridor as 

this part of the NNDA is programmed for earlier completion 

and currently has an extremely infrequent direct bus service 

in place. 

5.61 The Northallerton Northern Link Road (NNLR) is the key 

transport and access issue for the development area. The 

NNLR should have a multi-functional role as a movement 

route for motorised vehicles, pedestrian and cycle friendly 

environment, green corridor, attractive gateway feature and 

64


landmark to the town, and location for social interaction. 

Critical to the scheme is the construction of a rail bridge 

which allows a complete east to west route through the 

development. 

5.62 In addition to the NNLR new high quality and attractive 

footway/ cycleway links to the town centre, neighbouring 

employment areas and surrounding countryside should be 

developed and will be investigated in further detail during 

the Options stage of the Masterplan for the NNDA. 

65

66 



6. Capacity & Constraints Review 

North Northallerton Utility Infrastructure 

Scoping Summary 

6.1 The vision of the North Northallerton Development Area 

(NNDA) is that the area will be developed as a high quality 

comprehensive mixed use scheme as the principal Local 

Development Framework (LDF) allocation for Northallerton 

and deliver approximately 1,000 new dwellings, 11.5 

hectares for employment and 8 hectares for recreation 

development. 

Methodology 

6.2 WYG has obtained contemporary utility asset records for the 

development site and these have informed this initial 

infrastructure scoping report. It must be recognised that 

these records are given as indicative only and do not 

identify private infrastructure and the services information 

presented in these records is given without obligation, or 

warranty, the accuracy thereof cannot be guaranteed. 

6.3 Where the presence of private infrastructure is considered a 

significant risk WYG will recommended that on-site 

verification and connectivity surveys be undertaken as 

appropriate. 

6.4 Notional water, wastewater, gas and electricity loads will be 

applied to the outline development proposals as agreed with 

the masterplan team using approved civil, mechanical and 

electrical standards (Sewers for Adoption 6th Edition, 

BS6700: 1997, CIBSE - Chartered Institute of Building 

Service Engineers design data and BSRIA – The Building 

Services Research and Information Association). At this 

stage and for the purposes of consultation with all statutory 

undertakers conventional grid (gas and electricity) utility 

connection is assumed in meeting necessary heating, hot 

water and electrical demands of development constructed to 

current (2010 Part L) building regulation standards. 

6.5 A site location plan along with illustrative masterplan and 

notional utility loads estimated by WYG will be issued to all 

incumbent utility providers and their agents for network 

modeling, design and budget costs. The results of these 

modeling activities and budget costs will then be used to 

identify any abnormal investment need and significant 

constraints to development and appropriate mitigation 

strategies. 

6.6 Any on-site investigation and excavation should be carried 

out in accordance with HS(G)47 Avoiding Danger from 

Underground Services and Avoidance of Danger from 

Overhead Electric Powerline GC6 (3 rd Ed) 1997. 

6.7 Upon receipt of all formal responses from statutory 

undertakers WYG will review existing infrastructure 

constraints to determine diversion and alteration 

requirements needed to enable development at North 

Northallerton. This will include any potential land sterilisation 

impacts associated with immovable infrastructure and 

associated wayleaves and easements. 

6.8 WYG will review statutory undertakers formal responses 

upon their receipt and assess local utility network capacity 

to meet the forecast needs of development. 

67


6.9 A final Utility Infrastructure Report will summarise the 

necessary enabling works and new connection activities 

with budget costs. 

Existing Utilities Infrastructure 

6.10 The incumbent water and wastewater undertaker for the 

NNDA is Yorkshire Water Services. The incumbent gas 

transporter (GT) is Northern Gas Networks whilst CE 

Electrics (NEDL) is the host Distribution Network Operator 

(DNO). BT Openreach also operates an open access 

telecommunications network surrounding the development 

area. 

6.11 The following utility companies in the table below have been 

contacted as part of this scoping in regards to the presence 

of their apparatus in proximity to the NNDA: 

68


Table 6.1: Summary of utility undertaker responses 

Responses 

Utility 

Provider 

Within Site or Immediate 

Surrounding Area 

Electricity CE Electric NDEL Affected 

Water-Fresh Yorkshire Water Affected 

Water-Foul Yorkshire Water Affected 

Gas Northern Gas Networks Affected 

Telecom BT Affected 

Linesearch Various *See below Affected 

Gas ES Pipelines Ltd - Asset Request (IGT) Unaffected 

Gas Gas Transportation Co. - Asset Request Unaffected 

Telecom Virgin Unaffected 

Telecom Airwave Unaffected 

Telecom Network Rail Unaffected 

Telecom Orange Unaffected 

Telecom O2 UK Unaffected 

Telecom T-Mobile Unaffected 

Telecom Vodafone Unaffected 

Telecom 3 Unaffected 

Telecom Cable & Wireless Unaffected 

Telecom Colt Communications Unaffected 

Telecom KPN Eurorings Unaffected 

Telecom TATA Communications Unaffected 

Telecom Logica CMG (only located in Bridgend) Unaffected 

Telecom SOTA (only located in Kent) Unaffected 

Telecom Easynet Telecom Unaffected 

Telecom Orange PCS Unaffected 

Telecom Gamma Telecom Unaffected 

69


Telecom Global Crossing UK, Global Crossing PEC & Fibernet Unaffected 

Telecom 

KCOM Group Plc (Kingston Communications, Karoo, 

Unaffected 

Eclipse Internet, Affiniti) 

Telecom Interoute Communications Ltd Unaffected 

Telecom TeliaSonera Int., Optilan Unaffected 

Telecom Thus Plc Unaffected 

Telecom Level 3 Communications Unaffected 

Telecom Verizon Business Unaffected 

Misc 

Independent Pipelines, Independent Power Network and 

Quadrant Pipelines 

Unaffected 

70


Network Capacity and Physical Constraints 

Scoping 

Water 

6.12 Contemporary records have been received from Yorkshire 

Water, and do not identify any public water infrastructure 

within the green field areas of the proposed development. 

There are a number of public water mains up to and over 4” 

in diameter located within the highway routes of Darlington 

Road and Northallerton Road within the site extent. 

Gas 

6.13 Contemporary records have been received from National 

Gas Networks, and do not identify any gas infrastructure 

within the green field areas of the proposed development. 

There is a 90PE Medium Pressure Gas Main located within 

Northallerton Road within the site extent. 

Electricity 

6.14 Contemporary records have been received from CE Electric 

(CE Electric Asset Maps (1:2500) – North Northallerton) and 

identify electricity apparatus within the green field areas of 

the development and along the highway routes of Darlington 

Road, Northallerton Road and Stokesley Road. 

6.15 There are three separate 11kV overhead cables that enter 

the northern site extent in a north south direction, linking to 

another two sets of 11kV overhead cables that largely run in 

a west / east direction within the green field development 

the majority of which are contained between Darlington 

Road and Northallerton Road. There is also a section of low 

voltage (LV) apparatus running along Stokesley Road and 

High Voltage (HV) and LV underground cables are present 

within Darlington Road supplying the industrial estate in the 

west of the site. 

6.16 It has been noted that historic correspondence with NEDL 

dated July 2006 (Ref: ENG5004465) indicated that that 

there is insufficient high voltage network capacity in the 

vicinity of Darlington Road Northallerton and that to provide 

2MVA of supply would require a new 11kV underground 

cable and circuit breaker at Northallerton primary substation 

(33/11kV) with 2no 1MVA onsite secondary substations and 

associated LV network at a budget cost in excess of £800k. 

6.17 A review of the contemporary 2009 NEDL Long Term 

Development Statement (LTDS) indicates that the North 

Northallerton primary substation has a firm capacity of 

24MVA with maximum load for 2010/11 of 17.24MVA 

providing a net residual capacity of 6.76MVA and is not 

anticipated to require any reinforcement works beyond that 

outlined above. 

Telecommunications 

6.18 Contemporary records have been received from BT 

Openreach and identify cables and ducts mainly located 

within the highway routes. There are cable and ducts 

located in Darlington Road, Northallerton Road and 

Stokesley Road. There are also overhead cables supplying 

Moor Close Farm, located in the west of the site and 

Halfway House located in the east of the site. 

Wastewater 

6.19 Contemporary records have been received from Yorkshire 

Water, and do not identify any public foul or waste water 

infrastructure within the green field areas of the proposed 

71


development. There is public rising main located along the 

railway line running through the site extent. 

6.20 Correspondence dated July 2010 between MMI Civils and 

Yorkshire Water indicates that the existing local foul 

sewerage network and upstream waste water treatment 

works has limited spare capacity with a restriction on 

pumped foul flows to 6l/s (equivalent to 160 new dwellings). 

72


North Northallerton Sustainable Energy 

Scoping Summary 

Hambleton District Council Aspirations: North 

Northallerton Development Area - Draft Project Planning 

Workshop Report September 2010 

6.21 The vision of the NNDA is that the area will be developed as 

a high quality comprehensive mixed use scheme. Defining 

objectives and establishing a shared vision between the 

Council, the local community, landowners and developers is 

a key output r of the Masterplan. 

6.22 It is anticipated that development on this scale also provides 

the opportunity to incorporate sustainable development 

principles on a scale which could provide significant 

efficiencies and benefits. 

6.23 Hambleton District Council is very keen to incorporate onsite 

renewable energy generation, where appropriate, to 

help meet the Council‟s and local communities‟ 

sustainability aspirations and principles. 

6.24 Consideration of the full spectrum of possibilities for 

incorporating renewable energy generation from some form 

of combined heat and power technology through to 

microrenewable technologies will be important. 

Methodology 

6.25 The methodology for developing the outline energy strategy 

for North Northallerton is to be based on a hierarchical 

approach to carbon reduction as adopted in the latest 

definition of Zero Carbon homes: 

Improving energy efficiency to building fabric and 

systems 

Reducing the demand for heating, cooling and 

electricity 

Integration of low carbon and renewable energy 

Application of suitable residual carbon mitigation 

measures ( Allowable Solutions) 

6.26 WYG proposes that the North Northallerton Energy Strategy 

will set out a strategic vision and Carbon Reduction 

Framework as to how the development can successfully 

deliver increasing standards of carbon emission reduction 

as dictated by future legislation, which will continue to 

increase over the course of the development. This includes 

targets for Zero Carbon dwellings by 2016, public sector 

buildings by 2018, and commercial buildings by 2019. 

6.27 The scale and mix of development at North Northallerton 

provides an opportunity to deliver innovative and 

sustainable energy infrastructure that optimises economies 

of scale and efficiencies. WYG suggests the scheme 

aspires to ultimately deliver sustainable Zero Carbon 

development and maximise opportunities for autonomy in 

energy supply, but to also recognise the considerable 

technical and commercial challenges in achieving this and 

should aim to fully utilise the Government‟s proposed 

Allowable Solutions mechanism as appropriate to deliver 

Low and ultimately Zero Carbon compliance. 

6.28 The compatibility of technologies and approach to North 

Northallerton energy strategy will need to be carefully 

considered given the long forecast build programme and 

potential for significant advances in technical and 

73


commercial application of individual solutions over this 

period. 

6.29 WYG recommends that an outline energy strategy at this 

stage represent the first step in an iterative process that 

must be continually integrated and revisited at successive 

development stages, alongside and informing other planning 

and design activities. 

6.30 The methodology below sets out the approach of WYG at 

this stage to formulating a sustainable energy strategy 

within the planning and legislation context set out in Section 

2. At this stage in the development lifecycle many 

assumptions are required and must be constantly reviewed 

as the development progresses. 

Stage 1: define the development mix, build programme 

and initial building energy models: 

Evaluate the mix of housing and non-domestic building 

types and sizes for the site 

Select an adequately representative sample 

Use samples of standard calculation models and 

benchmark data sources to estimate Target Emissions 

Rate (TER) for buildings of the proposed types and 

scales 

Stage 2: consider low energy design measures in 

accordance with best practice and fabric efficiency 

standards 

Improved U-values 

Improved air tightness/thermal bridging 

Low energy lights and appliances 

Other energy efficient systems and components 

Stage 3: calculate regulated and „unregulated‟ 

emissions rates by building type: 

Calculate emissions for each development phase 

using the appropriate standard calculation 

assumptions. The emissions rate calculated at this 

point is not hugely significant beyond showing the 

impact of low energy design alone on reducing 

emissions. Energy use and emissions for „unregulated‟ 

end-uses not covered by the standard calculation 

assumptions are calculated separately and added 

At this stage energy demands and emissions from 

buildings operational energy consumption will be 

quantified and is exclusive of embodied carbon 

Stage 4: calculate „baseline‟ energy demand and CO2 

emissions of each phase: 

Calculate the aggregate value of CO 2 emissions for the 

entire development. This baseline accounts only for 

the carbon savings from low energy design and 

represents the reduction in CO 2 emissions to be 

achieved using low carbon and renewable solutions 

Stage 5: review the practical potential of individual Low 

and Zero Carbon Technologies (LZCs) to include: 

74


Application – technology type, scale and end-uses 

served 

Integration/design implications 

Potential CO 2 savings 

Capital costs (including any associated 

infrastructure/civil works) 

Technical considerations and uncertainties 

Planning considerations 

Impact on householder supply security and future 

energy costs 

Ongoing operational management and maintenance 

strategy 

Stage 6: review the cost-benefits of alternative energy 

strategies 

This may involve combinations of low energy design 

options 

on-site and near-site LZCs, and good-quality allowable 

solutions 

Delivery Mechanisms and Carbon Reduction 

Framework 

6.31 The final Energy report will be prepared in support of the 

emerging masterplan and will clearly set out the options 

studied and the potential approaches to delivering the 

development planning obligations and HDC aspirations. 

This will set out development targets that can inform future 

design code development and those low carbon and 

renewable energy supply solutions considered most suitable 

at this stage in the current technical, regulatory and 

commercial environment. 

6.32 The final strategy will define the forecast energy demand 

and carbon emissions of the North Northallerton 

development proposals and how the demand could be met 

through sustainable energy provision and carbon reduction 

obligations. 

6.33 It will consider how local authority and community 

involvement can take forward the delivery of sustainable 

energy through a suitable robust carbon reduction 

framework that develops and defines targets and delivery 

mechanisms and provides a route map of how the strategy 

can evolve as individual development phases are brought 

forward and procurement and delivery decisions are made 

to ensure the holistic and sustainable development of North 


Planning Context 

Planning Policy Statement 1: Supplement - Planning 

and Climate Change (Communities and Local 

Government 2008) 

6.34 Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS1) sets out the 

Government's overarching planning policies on the delivery 

of sustainable development through the planning system 

and promotes sustainable resource and energy use, 

including the use of renewable energy to mitigate and adapt 

to the effects of climate change. 

75


6.35 It states that regional planning authorities and local 

authorities should promote resource and energy efficient 

buildings, community heating schemes, the use of combined 

heat and power, small scale renewable and low carbon 

energy schemes in developments. 

Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable Energy 

(Communities and Local Government 2004) 

6.36 Planning Policy Statement 22 (PPS22) states that the 

increased development of renewable energy resources is 

vital to facilitating the delivery of the Government‟s 

commitments on both climate change and renewable energy 

and that local planning authorities may include policies in 

local development documents that require a percentage of 

the energy to be used in new residential, commercial or 

industrial developments to come from on-site renewable 

energy developments. Such policies: 

should ensure that requirement to generate on-site 

renewable energy is only applied to developments 

where the installation of renewable energy generation 

equipment is viable given the type of development 

proposed, its location, and design; 

should not be framed in such a way as to place an 

undue burden on developers, for example, by 

specifying that all energy to be used in a development 

should come from on-site renewable generation. 

Climate Change Act (2008) 

6.37 The Climate Change Act sets a legally binding target for 

reducing UK CO 2 emissions by least 80% on 1990 levels by 

2050. It established the Committee on Climate Change, 

which is responsible for setting binding interim carbon 

budgets for the Government over successive five year 

periods. The first three carbon budgets were announced in 

the Budget 2009, resulting in an interim target of a 34% 

reduction in CO 2 equivalent emissions on 1990 levels by 

2020. 

EU DIRECTIVE 2009/28/EC Promotion of the Use of 

Energy from Renewable Sources (2009) 

6.38 EU directives set out the end results that must be achieved 

in every Member State and the UK has signed up to the EU 

Renewable Energy Directive which includes a UK target of 

15 percent of energy from renewables by 2020. This target 

is equivalent to a seven-fold increase in UK renewable 

energy consumption from 2008 levels and one of the most 

challenging of any EU Member State. 

UK Low Carbon Transition Plan and Renewable Energy 

Strategy (2009) 

6.39 The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) 

published a White Paper, the UK Low Carbon Transition 

Plan in July 2009. The plan sets out how the UK will achieve 

a 34% cut in CO 2 equivalent emissions by 2020. 

6.40 The Plan is accompanied by a suite of documents, including 

the UK Renewable Energy Strategy which describes how 

the UK will meet its legally binding target to supply 15% of 

all of the energy it uses from renewable sources by 2020. It 

anticipates that this will be achieved by using renewable 

energy technologies to supply over 30% of the UK‟s 

electricity, 12% of the heat we use, and 10% of energy for 

transport. The strategy includes the following actions to help 

achieve these targets: 

76


Planning Process: establishing a new planning 

process for nationally significant infrastructure projects 

(as introduced in the Planning Act 2008, see below); 

support for English regions to develop evidence-based 

strategies for achieving 2020 renewable energy 

targets; developing skills and providing resources to 

support swifter development and implementation of 

regional and local energy planning policy; helping to 

resolve environmental impacts of renewable energy 

technologies and address spatial conflicts with other 

uses such as radar and navigation. 

Establishing the Office of Renewable Energy 

Deployment: to work with other Government 

Departments and stakeholders to remove barriers in 

the planning system, strengthen the supply chain and 

stimulate investment. 

Financial mechanisms: Extended Renewables 

Obligation for large scale renewable electricity 

generation; amended Renewable Transport Fuel 

Obligation; renewable heat incentive and feed-in tariffs 

to pay a guaranteed premium for each unit of 

renewable heat or small-scale renewable electricity 

generation. 

Investing in emerging technologies: Supporting 

offshore wind, marine energy and advanced bio-fuels; 

and investing in the Severn Estuary tidal power 

project. 

Hambleton Local Development Framework Sustainable 

Development Supplementary Planning Document 

Adopted 22 September 2009 

6.41 The Hambleton Sustainable Development Supplementary 

Planning Document (SPD) forms part of the Council‟s 

ongoing work to replace the old-style Hambleton District 

Wide Local Plan with a new Local Development Framework 

(LDF). 

6.42 This SPD recognises that the buildings that we live and 

work in have a significant part to play in combating the 

effects of climate change and existing buildings are 

estimated to contribute nearly half of all the CO2 emissions 

emitted in the UK. This section provides information and 

guidance on possible ways of reducing new developments‟ 

contribution to this figure in accordance with Council 

policies. The following policies are from the Development 

Policies DPD, and are elaborated upon within the SPD. 

6.43 Policy DP32 General Design states orientation and layout 

of development should maximise the potential for passive 

solar heating, taking account of the implications of solar 

heat gain. Utilising passive solar heating will have a 

significant effect on reducing a buildings energy demand for 

space heating/cooling. 

6.44 Policy DP34 Sustainable Energy states developments 

above 1,000m 2 in size, or 10 or more residential units 

should address sustainable energy issues through 

accredited assessment schemes. Commercial 

developments must undergo an energy use assessment. 

Development should consider incorporating Combined Heat 

and Power (CHP) schemes and provide at least 10% of their 

energy requirements from on-site renewable energy 

77


generation or demonstrate similar energy savings through 

design measures. 

Other Key Legislation 

Building Regulations and Zero Carbon Development 

6.45 Future step changes to Part L of the Building Regulations 

are anticipated to be the principle mechanism for appraising 

and enforcing compliance with increasing carbon reduction 

standards imposed on new homes and buildings. The 2010 

amendment to these regulations is to be enforced from 

October 2010 (subject to current review) and will require a 

25% reduction in regulated carbon emissions compared to 

the 2006 Part L baseline. These standards are anticipated 

to increase over time resulting in minimum carbon 

compliance level defined by the Zero Carbon standard of 

70% onsite regulated CO 2 reduction by 2016 for new 

homes. 

6.46 All residual emissions can then be mitigated through 

application of a suite of Allowable Solutions potentially 

including offsite installation and financial contribution 

mechanisms. The Government has not yet defined what the 

range of allowable solutions will ultimately be. However, 

John Healey‟s Written Ministerial Statement in July 2009 set 

out those allowable solutions that commanded broad 

support following the December 2008 consultation on zero 

carbon homes. These included: 

further carbon reductions on site beyond the regulatory 

standard 

energy efficient appliances meeting a high standard 

which are installed as fittings within the home 

advanced forms of building control system which 

reduce the level of energy use in the home 

exports of low carbon or renewable heat from the 

development to other developments 

investments in low and zero carbon community heat 

infrastructure 

Coalition Government Zero Carbon Commitment 

6.47 On 27 th July 2010 Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, 

committed to all new homes being zero-carbon from 2016 

with a pledge that Council‟s and developers could be given 

more flexibility in order to meet ambitious eco-standards to 

ensure all new homes are zero carbon from 2016. His 

statement emphasised the potential role of community 

energy fund contributions from developers to deliver 

projects such as wind farms and district heating schemes, to 

meet their obligations to reduce carbon emissions from new 

homes, giving developers and councils more freedom and 

flexibility to decide how to meet their zero-carbon 

obligations. 

The Zero Carbon Fabric Efficiency Standard 

6.48 In November 2009 the Zero Carbon Hub published 

recommendations for the minimum standards of fabric 

efficiency to be applied in achieving Zero Carbon standards 

recognising that embedding a high level of energy efficiency 

within the 2016 Zero Carbon homes policy is an important 

78


step in providing clarity and confidence for the industry in 

working towards delivering this standard. 

6.49 The report recommends that apartment blocks and mid 

terrace houses have a maximum energy demand of 39 

kWh/m²/yr and semi detached, end of terrace and detached 

houses have a maximum energy demand of 46 kWh/m²/yr 

with full implementation of these minimum standards in 

2016 and an interim standard enforced in 2013. 

Code for Sustainable Homes 

6.50 The Code for Sustainable Homes is the national standard 

for the sustainable design and construction of new homes. 

The Code aims to reduce carbon emissions and create 

homes that are more sustainable. The Code measures the 

sustainability of a new home against nine categories of 

sustainable design, rating the 'whole home' as a complete 

package. The Code uses a one to six star rating system to 

communicate the overall sustainability performance of a 

new home. The Code sets minimum standards for energy 

and water use at each level and became operational in April 

2007. Having a Code rating for new build homes is 

mandatory, from 1st May 2008; however no specific level 

achievement is mandated. 

6.51 At the end of 2009 the Government published the 

consultation on the Code for Sustainable Homes and the 

Energy Efficiency standard for Zero Carbon Homes to seek 

agreement to changes to the Code in 2010 and to align it 

with changes to Part L of the Building Regulations and the 

proposed approach to adopting the definition of Zero 

Carbon to be imposed from 2016. 

6.52 This consultation proposes that the Code requirements for 

levels 1-3 are all aligned with the Part L changes as a 25 

per cent improvement in CO 2 emissions and the 

requirements at the higher levels of the Code to reflect the 

definition of Zero Carbon and propose to redefine Code 

level 6 to match the requirement for at least 70 per cent 

carbon compliance with the remaining emissions, including 

appliances, addressed through allowable solutions. The 

Code is a voluntary standard only and there are no plans to 

change that and building regulations will remain the 

mandatory mechanism of enforcing energy performance at 

a national level. 

Table 6.2: Regulatory steps to zero carbon and corresponding 

Code levels. 

Code Level 

BREEAM 

Current Energy 

Performance 

Standard (Percentage 

Improvement over 

2006 Part L) 

When change to 

regulations takes 

place 

2009 Code 

consultation 

proposals (% 

improvement over 

2006 Part L) 

1 10% 25% 

2 18% 25% 

3 25% 2010 25% 

4 44% 2013 44% 

5 

100% Regulated 

70% onsite plus 30% 

6 

Emissions 

100% onsite plus 

appliances 

(approximately 150%) 

2016 

via allowable solutions 

70% onsite + all 

residual emissions via 

allowable solutions 

6.53 BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) is the 

leading and most widely used environmental assessment 

method for buildings. It sets standard for best practice in 

sustainable design and has become a common measure 

used to describe a building's environmental performance. 

79


Flood Risk 

6.54 The vision of the North Northallerton Development Area 

(NNDA) is that the area will be developed as a high quality 

comprehensive mixed use scheme as the principal Local 

Development Framework (LDF) allocation for Northallerton 

and deliver approximately 1,000 new dwellings 11.5 

hectares for employment and 8 hectares for recreation 

development. 

Executive Summary 

6.55 The majority of the site sits outside the 1:100yr flood plain 

for the Brompton Beck and its tributaries and can be 

developed without restriction. There are areas to the east of 

the Railway that sit within the 1:1000yr Flood plain, however 

this shouldn‟t be a restriction to developing housing in line 

with PPS 25. it is however recommended that any 

development within the 1:1000yr be considered carefully 

and if lower vulnerability classes as described in PPS25 

than that of housing can be assigned to this area then they 

should. 

6.56 The site generally slopes towards the Brompton Brook from 

both east and west with only parcel NM5E sloping away to 

the west. The site lends itself to mass storage towards the 

brook through a retention pond or ponds strategically placed 

throughout the site. The existing hedgelines running from 

east to west are thought to follow natural ditch lines and 

would therefore be useful to be reused as locations for 

swales to drain the site. 

6.57 With the site being mostly farmland there are no restrictions 

on changing contouring to suit or aid drainage save for its 

southernmost boundary where it connects to existing 

development within Northallerton. 

6.58 Despite the possibility of flood alleviation works it is 

understood that the Environment Agency is to seek to keep 

some semblance of the original flood plain in case of failure 

of the alleviation works in the future. The existing modelled 

line of the 1:100yr flood plain should therefore form the 

boundary of any intensive development and be restricted to 

those deemed acceptable with PPS25. 

Methodology 

6.59 The initial assessment in relation to flood risk to and from 

the development and for the surface water management 

strategy has been based on the following documentation / 

software: 

PPS25 

NNLR Report 

Strategic Flood Risk Assessment 2006 

Strategic Flood Risk Assessment Supplement 2009 

EA received Correspondence and Web based Data 

Northallerton & Romanby Proposed Flood Alleviation 

Scheme 2005 

Northallerton Flood Alleviation Scheme Scoping 

Consultation document 

Defra and EA R&D Technical Report W5-074/A/TR1 

Windes Modeling Suite 

6.60 The above information has been used to ascertain: 

The level of flood risk posed to, and by, the proposed 

80


development; 

The methods proposed to deal with surfacewater 

runoff; 

How the development may improve existing conditions 

on the site; and 

How the development will deal with climate change. 

6.61 For the extent of flooding to the site it has been assumed 

that the data contained in the above documents remains 

current. This data has been transposed onto the base 

mapping to inform the developing masterplan. 

6.62 For the extent of flooding from the development Table 9.1 

from the R&D Technical report W5-074/A has been used 

and the site identified as being under 50Ha. 

Site Description 

NM5A 

6.63 This parcel amounts to 5.7ha of housing development, with 

the intention of building 35 dwellings per hectare. The 

current land use is mixed pasture and arable farming. 

There are no significant structures within this parcel. 

Brompton Beck runs through the eastern portion of NM5A. 

The flood area associated with Brompton Beck covers 

approximately 50% of the parcel. Further issues may arise 

as a result of the Brompton Brook tributary running along 

the western edge of NM5A. There is no identified flood 

zone for this tributary. NM5A gently slopes from west to 

east (to be confirmed). 

NM5B 



current land use is mixed pasture and arable farming. To 

the south-east of the parcel there is a farm house and other 

associated buildings. There is a small brook running 

through the centre of the parcel from the north to south. 

There is no identified flood zone for this brook. For NM5B it 

can be assumed that the land slopes gently to the 

aforementioned brook (to be confirmed). 

NM5C 



current land use is mixed pasture and arable farming. 

NM5C increases in height from west to its east by 

approximately 10m, amounting to a gradient of 1 in 20. 

NM5D 


the intention of building 35 dwellings per hectare, alongside 

5.8ha of B1 and B2 employment development. The current 

land use is for mixed pasture and arable farming. To the 

south-west of the parcel there is a large farm house and 

other associated buildings, identified as Sheepcote Close on 

the OS Mapping. There is a small brook running along the 

eastern edge of the parcel from north to south. There is no 

identified flood zone for this brook. NM5D is assumed to 

slope gently to the brook on the eastern edge (to be 

confirmed). 

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NM5E 

6.67 This parcel amounts to 5.7ha of B1, B2 or B8 employment 

development. The current land use is for mixed pasture and 

arable farming. To the south-west of the parcel there is a 

farm and other associated buildings, identified as Moor 

Close Farm on the OS Mapping. NM5E has a gradual east 

to west slope (to be confirmed). 

NM5F 

6.68 NM5F is the area of land allocated to the link road itself. 

The current land use is mixed pasture and arable farming. 

The road‟s alignment shows it traversing Brompton Brook 

and crossing through an area currently taken by a large 

farm house and associated buildings, identified as Halfway 

House on the OS Mapping. 

NM5G 

6.69 This parcel amounts to 7.8ha of recreational development. 

The current land use is arable farming. NM5D is assumed 

to slope gently to Brompton Beck on the western edge (to 

be confirmed). The flood area associated with Brompton 

Beck covers approximately 15% of the parcel, along its 

western edge. 

Flood Risk to the Site 

6.70 The standard procedure for assessing the risk to a site is to 

request from the Environment Agency (EA) all known data 

for flooding, both mapping and modelling. In this case, 

mapping data was available from the documents referred to 

in the Method Statement on fluvial events for the North Beck 

in the immediate vicinity of the site, together with its 

tributaries. Of particular importance is the data for Flood 

Zones 2, 3. No static levels are known at the time of writing 

but have been requested along with any more detailed 

model data. 

6.71 Floods zones 2 and 3a, the 1:1000yr and 1:100yr events for 

the site respectively have been assessed in terms of their 

impact on the emerging masterplan. Flood zone 3b is not 

known at present and consequently its impact on 

development has not been assessed. 

6.72 The majority of the 1:100yr flood zone for the North Beck 

occurs on the western bank within the vicinity of the site. 

The eastern bank does have some flooding from the 1:100yr 

event but the furthest extents are that of the 1:1000yr event. 

6.73 There is no evidence to suggest that the site is affected by 

either sewer or highway flooding, however surface water is 

mapped and this is shown to be quite extensive throughout, 

but mostly effecting land east of the railway. 

6.74 It is understood that the flood alleviation work as described 

in the “Northallerton & Romanby Proposed Flood Alleviation 

Scheme 2005” and the “Northallerton Flood Alleviation 

Scheme Scoping Consultation document”, will get funding in 

early 2011 for immediate commencement. It is therefore 

likely that the flooding extents as discussed in the appraisal 

may no longer be applicable when considering restrictions 

to development. 

Flood Risk from the Site 

6.75 The site can be split into 3 distinct areas; 

Area 1. Comprising NM5E to the west of Darlington 

Road which generally slopes to the west. This area 

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does not drain to any immediate water course and 

therefore should be investigated for the use of 

infiltration through soakaways. The levels are relatively 

shallow. 

Area 2. Comprising NM5D and NM5A to the east of 

Darlington Road and the west of the railway which 

generally slopes to the east towards Brompton Brook. 

Area 3. Comprising NM5G, NM5B and NM5C east of 

the railway which generally slope to the west towards 

Brompton Brook. NM5G and NM5B are extremely flat 

and therefore require further topographical work to 

confirm slopes and gradients. 

83


Figure 6.1: Restricted Build Zones for Flooding Protection 

84


Figure 6.2: Initial Development Storm Water Storage 

Assessment 

85


Capacity & Constraints Conclusions 

Flood Risk: 

The extent of the flood plain for a 1:100yr and below 

event, associated with the Brompton Beck and its 

tributaries is a development constraint. 

The flood alleviation works to the north of Brompton 

may have an effect on this developable area. 

Around 16,000 sqm storage will be required as part of 

the landscaping proposals. The Brompton Beck and 

tributaries can be turned into an attractive feature of 

the site and integrated into the landscaping. 

Utilities & Energy 

There is insufficient sewerage network capacity to 

support the whole site – investment needed. 

There is insufficient electricity network capacity (at 

11kV) to support the whole site - investment needed. 

There is a foul pumping station at the site boundary 

requiring a 15m environmental health buffer. 

There is a foul water rising main within the site - can 

be diverted at cost. 

WYG will explore local solid waste and local waste 

heat providers to understand technical and 

economically viable opportunities for community 

heating provision. 

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7. Property Market & Delivery 

7.1 Northallerton is an historic market town and key service 

centre for the local area. The North Northallerton 

Development Area (NNDA) will provide significant housing 

and employment development, as well as leisure and 

community facilities and strategic infrastructure to support 

the future growth of the town. 

7.2 This section of the baseline provides a high level overview 

of the commercial and residential property markets affecting 

the North Northallerton Development Area. It has been 

prepared based upon: 

The Local Development Framework and evidence 

base 

Consultation with key stakeholders (housing and 

economic development officers) 

Consultation with active housebuilders, developers 

7.3 Using a variety of additional sources (Commercial Property 

Register, consultation with local agents and in house 

information), this section also considers current market 

conditions and an initial overview of potential development 

options for the site. 

Retail and leisure 

Residential Property Market Overview 

7.5 Northallerton residential property market is a diverse 

property market with strong home ownership. The town 

provides a high proportion of detached and semi-detached 

properties (31.6% and 36.2% respectively compared to 

national averages of 22.9% and 28.6%). Terraced houses 

represent 28.8% of the housing stock and flats only 3.4%. 

The proportion of terraced houses and flats is below the 

national averages of 31.6% and 16.9% respectively. 

7.6 The Hambleton residential property market is characterised 

by high levels of owner occupation with 79.4% of 

households owning their own home. Home ownership in 

Northallerton is below this level at 68%, but remains above 

the national average of 66.2%. Social rented properties 

account for 17.7% of housing stock and private rented 

property makes up the remaining 14.3%. 

7.7 Property prices in Northallerton are above the North 

Yorkshire average, but below the national average. Prices 

in Northallerton are slightly below Stokesley and 

Easingwold, where prices tend to be slightly higher 

associated with strong commuter demand. The following 

chart plots average house prices in the DL6 postcode 

against the North Yorkshire and national averages. 

7.4 The market review is structured under the following property 

market sectors: 

Residential 

Employment uses 

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Figure 7.1: Value Trends 

1 Bedroom 

Properties 

2 Bedroom 

Properties 

3 Bedroom 

Properties 

4 Bedroom 

Properties 

5 Bedroom 

Properties 

DL6 £100,400 £142,800 £167,900 £291,000 £319,200 

DL7 £117,900 £151,000 £195,900 £262,200 £346,200 

7.10 Price earning ratio is an indicator of the affordability of 

property for someone on the average salary in the area. 

The ratio for the area 8.92, which is very slightly above the 

national average of 8.84. 

7.11 Average private residential rents in Northallerton typically 

average £500-550 for two bedroom properties, £550-650 for 

three bedroom properties and £600-£800 for four bedroom 

properties. 

7.12 Searches for new build property in Northallerton have not 

identified private market family or starter homes for sale. 

There are two older persons and extra care developments in 


7.8 Zoopla.co.uk provides the following average values for 

property in the DL6 and DL7 postcode areas (November 

2010): 

Flats Terrace Semidetached 

Detached 

DL6 £100,686 £144,549 £161,298 £305836 

DL7 £122,969 £158,840 £174,849 £273,726 

7.9 Mouseprice.co.uk provides analysis of property values by 

number of bedrooms. The following average values are 

provided for the DL6 and DL7 postcodes (November 2010): 

7.13 Broadacre is currently marketing apartments at its 

Rivendale Extra Care scheme on Ashlands Road in 

Northallerton. The development provides 51 two bedroom 

apartments for people over 60 to rent, to buy on New Build 

Homebuy shared ownership terms or buy outright. 

Apartments are available for £150,000 outright, or for 

£75,000 plus rent for 50% ownership or £112,500 plus rent 

for 75% ownership. 

7.14 McCarthy & Stone is currently building 50 one and two 

bedroom assisted living extra care retirement apartments 

located on Malpas Road, Northallerton. This development 

is due for first occupations in April 2011, with a sales launch 

anticipated in November 2010. Prices are yet to be 

announced. 

88


Demand 

7.15 The Hambleton Housing Market Demand Study identifies 

housing demand based on two key sources, the Housing 

Needs Survey 2004 and consultation with Estate Agents. 

The main priorities and key messages identified for housing 

provision were: 

Household Aspirations 

Detached house 28.8 

Semi-detached house 18.7 

Terraced house 23.6 

Bungalow 22.0 

Flat/apartment 6.9 

Other 0 

Total 100.0 

One bed 4.1 

Two beds 21.9 

Three beds 42.3 

Four or more 31.7 

Total 100.0 

Source: 2004 Housing Needs Survey 

Key messages from estate agents: 

development of three bedroom semi-detached strongly 

recommended to satisfy demand from growing families 

and downsizing households; 

Limited marker activity for smaller properties due to 

difficult borrowing criteria; 

shared ownership/equity products linked to first-time 

buyer/starter home market; 

ensure good sized-rooms and good design standards; 

Good demand for rental properties, but lenders 

unwilling to mortgage if tenants are benefit dependent. 

Source: Hambleton Housing Market Demand Study (An update to 

the Strategic Housing Market Assessment is currently being 

prepared by GVA Grimley). 

7.16 Consultation with housebuilders continues to support the 

messages from estate agents. Housebuilders were 

particularly keen to establish that for the short term at least, 

apartment development is not viable. Development should 

therefore focus on houses (typically 2-4 bedroom family 

houses). Developers are also reluctant to develop 

townhouses as they have proved less attractive than twostorey 

houses and more difficult to sell. 

Employment Property Market Overview 

7.17 As the largest market town in Hambleton, Northallerton 

provides a broad range of employment opportunities to 

serve its population as well as the rest of the district and 

wider area. The town includes significant public sector 

employment. Hambleton District Council and North 

Yorkshire County Council both have their offices in the town, 

whilst Friarage Hospital, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue 

Service and the Young Offenders Institution are also major 

local employers. Private sector employers tend to focus on 

local businesses, with the employment property market in 

Northallerton largely focused on local demand. 

7.18 Employment uses are concentrated around the town centre 

and in the north-western quadrant of the town. Employment 

89


uses in and around the town centre include the County 

Council, Friarage Hospital, the Young Offender Institution 

and various commercial retail, leisure and office properties. 

7.19 To the north-west of the town centre, employment includes 

Standard Way Industrial Estate, County Business Park, 

Northallerton Business Park and Finkills Way. The 

Council‟s Evolution Business Centre, which opened in 

September 2009 is located within County Business Park. 

These business and industrial estates provide a diverse mix 

of office and industrial property. Recent office and industrial 

developments have focused on smaller stock of 1,000 to 

3,000 sq ft. 

7.20 There are a number of new office units available at Omega 

Business Village and Thornfield Business Park. Units range 

from 1,400 – 2,300 sq ft with quoting rents of £12.50 to 

£13.00 per sq ft. Recent deals have included at Omega 

Business Village have achieved £11 per sq ft (off a quoting 

price of £12 per sq ft). This development was completed in 

two phases, with a significant proportion of the first phase 

sold to investors. A number of vacant units remain across 

phases 1 and 2. 

7.21 In terms of recent industrial deals, Omega Industrial Village 

has achieved £5.70 per sq ft off a quoting price of £6.00. 

Freehold deals have achieved £86 per sq ft. 

7.22 Enquiries for business premises and employment land in 

Northallteron tend to stem from local businesses looking for 

small flexible business space, typically 1,000-3,000 sq ft. 

Enquiries for land to be for plots of 1-2 acres of serviced 

land. 

7.23 There is a common opinion that following a spate of 

development activity in the office sector prior to the 

recession, the office market in Northallerton is currently 

saturated with vacant stock. Agents and developers 

suggested that it will be several years before further 

speculative office building occurs in the town. 

7.24 However, there is potential developer interest in developing 

small business units (light industrial or hybrid units), where 

there is a perceived gap in supply. 

Leisure, Local Retail & Community Facilities 

7.25 Northallerton has a good choice of convenience and 

comparison retailing (including a mix of national multiples 

and local independent retailers), a range of services and 

entertainment facilities and a twice weekly market. It 

includes three major supermarkets – Tesco, Sainsbury‟s 

and Morrisons. There is also an M&S Simply Food on the 

high Street. The retail offer in Northallerton, including the 

supermarket offer, remains focused on the High Street and 

a small area to the north of the town centre. 

7.26 The Hambleton Town Centre Study was completed in 

December 2004. This document is now out of date and an 

update is planned. 

7.27 Vacancy levels in the town appear low, although there are a 

small number of retail units to let on High Street, with quoted 

rents ranging from £15-22 per sq ft. Two vacant units on 

the more secondary South Parade are currently being 

marketed at approximately £10 per sq ft. 

7.28 New retail development has recently been completed north 

of the town centre, with Homebase and Halfords recently 

opening stores. A further retail scheme is proposed to the 

north of Sainsbury, although specific retailers have not 

committed at this stage. 

90


7.29 The town‟s leisure offer is a little more limited. Hambleton 

Leisure Centre (owned and run by Hambleton DC) provides 

a swimming pool, sports hall and gym. The only cinema in 

the town (which also doubled as a theatre) closed in the mid 

1990‟s. Hambleton Forum does provide film screenings, 

theatre productions and concerts, but for modern leisure 

and entertainment attractions residents must travel to Thirsk 

or Tees Valley. There are outstanding requirements from 

hotel operators for a budget hotel in Northallerton. Such 

development would serve local employers and visitors to the 

town, 

7.30 New retail and leisure development within the NNDA should 

focus serving the NNDA, and the existing resident and 

working population in North Northallerton. It should include 

convenience offer, local services and facilities (i.e. 

restaurant/café, hot food take-away, dry cleaners, a pub). 

Additional facilities might include a hotel and health and 

fitness. 

Delivery Issues 

7.31 The following delivery issues have been raised or identified 

and will need to be addressed throughout the 

masterplanning process and wider development delivery: 

The railway crossing – it is imperative that 

negotiations commence immediately with Network 

Rail. Securing agreement to cross the railway could 

take many months or even years and it is imperative 

that this process is reflected in the development 

programme. 

Land ownership – the site is in multiple ownership 

and collaboration between owners is essential if 

comprehensive development is to be delivered. 

Alternatively a CPO will be necessary to secure key 

development phases and enable comprehensive 

development. 

Land use and phasing – the LDF explicitly identifies 

phasing from Darlington Road. A different approach to 

phasing or land uses will constitute a departure from 

the development plan. 

Community services and facilities – it would be 

common for a development of this scale to include a 

primary school and other community facilities. 

Capacity within existing community infrastructure 

needs to be researched and provision of additional 

infrastructure identified in the masterplan. 

Local Centre – careful consideration is required to the 

development of local centres. Operators/developers 

will favour main road frontage for a local centre 

(particularly for the retail offer). This suggests 

Darlington Road or Stokesley Road. Development of 

one location over another makes facilities less 

accessible to residents on the opposite side of 

development. Therefore, two hubs – one each on 

Darlington Road and Stokesley Road – might be 

appropriate and should be considered through the 

masterplan process. 

Market conditions – clearly market conditions are 

currently difficult for both commercial and residential 

property. Property prices are low and development 

viability is under intense pressure. Housebuilders 

have confirmed interest in the site, but early phases 

91


will need to be largely unconstrained and suitable for 

traditional family housing (2-4 bedroom family houses). 

Development of employment land will potentially be 

delayed until the existing supply of new vacant 

business premises is taken-up, although there may be 

scope for an early phase of small industrial units. 

Equally, serviced plots for bespoke requirements 

should be an early priority. 

Development viability – the NNDA will include 

significant community and physical infrastructure that 

will place development viability, in the short term at 

least, under intense pressure. Careful consideration 

to delivery and funding methods will be essential to 

enable development to commence. 

Viability of the NNDA (along with other residential 

allocations) was considered in preparation of the 

Allocations DPD. Development appraisals were 

prepared by J R Stroughair for each residential 

allocation in January 2009. These appraisals were 

reviewed by the District Valuer in March 2010. These 

appraisals focused solely on residential development 

and associated planning contributions. The Stroughair 

and District Valuer‟s appraisals demonstrated that the 

various phases of the NNDA are viable. Viability 

appraisals associated to the development of the 

masterplan will use the existing appraisals as a 

baseline, but be updated and extended to consider all 

land uses and relate to the comprehensive 

development package. 

Risk Register 

7.32 The following schedule identifies the key and high level risks 

to delivery of the masterplan and NNDA project. 

Figure 7.2: Risk Register 

Risk Likelihood Impact Mitigation 

Further property Moderate Moderate Monitor economic 

market/economic 

conditions and 

deterioration 

maintain dialogue 

with developers, 

housebuilders and 

Failure to engage 

developers and 

investors 

Delays to bridging the 

railway 

Delays resulting from 

land owner apathy or 

disagreement 

investors 

Low High Early consultation 

confirms developer 

interest. Ongoing 

consultation through 

the masterplan 

process and future 

marketing of the site 

should maintain 

developers and 

investors. Market 

conditions might, 

however, slow or 

temporarily stall 

development delivery. 

High High Early engagement 

and negotiation with 

Network Rail 

High High Proactive 

engagement with 

landowners or CPO of 

key parcels 

92


Unknown site 

constraints cause delay 

Opposition from 

landowners, residents 

or other interested 

parties 

Low Moderate Further site 

investigations 

including habitat and 

ecological surveys, 

extend SI to whole 

site, utilities searches 

Moderate Low Community and key 

stakeholders to be 

kept informed 

throughout the 

process. 

Development viability Moderate Moderate Continue to test 

viability of options and 

identify funding 

streams or alternate 

development 

scenarios to mitigate 

viability issues. 

Funding availability Moderate Moderate Engagement with 

potential funding 

provides (HCA, 

private investors) to 

explore alternative 

funding streams. 

Reduce scope of 

works. 

93


Figure 7.3: Indicative Land Ownership 

94


8. Sustainability Assessment 

Introduction 

8.1 Sustainability is now an imperative. It is virtually universally 

recognised that our climate is changing and that the main 

cause is mankind. The pressure is on us all to change our 

lifestyles and to live lives which have significantly lower 

impact on the environment and result in lower carbon 

emissions. Therefore there are a growing number of 

important policies at all levels of government which require 

new places, such as urban extensions, to clearly 

demonstrate that they will put no further pressure on our 

fragile climate. These are mostly discussed in terms of 

carbon emissions and wider sustainability. Such policies 

will fundamentally influence and shape the emerging 

masterplan for a site in North Northallerton. 

8.2 Instinctively Green‟s role, as part of the Taylor Young 

masterplanning team, is to offer strategic sustainability 

support. As part of this process we have carried out a 

review of key policy context at national, regional and local 

level. We also provide some headline guidance on a 

number of important topic areas. 

8.3 Hambleton District is predominately rural in character, with a 

strong dependence on agriculture in areas of significant 

landscape and visual importance. As a result car 

dependence is high and energy consumption is also above 

average. 

National Policy Context 

8.4 The UK Government‟s Climate Change Act 2008 sets out 

legally binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emission 

(GHG) in the UK by at least 80% by 2050, and reductions in 

CO2 emissions of at least 26% by 2020, against a 1990 

baseline. The 2020 target is under review to reflect the 

move to all greenhouse gases and the increase in the 2050 

target to 80%. 

8.5 In order to reach these targets a carbon budgeting system 

which caps emissions over five year periods has also been 

legislated upon. Carbon budgets cover a five-year period, 

with three budgets set at a time. The first three carbon 

budgets run from 2008-2012, 2013-2017 and 2018-2022. 

The Interim budget requires an emissions reduction of 34% 

in 2020 relative to 1990 levels (21% relative to 2005). It will 

require an annual average emissions reduction of 1.7% over 

the first three budget periods. The Intended budget would 

require an emissions reduction of 42% in 2020 relative to 

1990 (31% relative to 2005). This would require an annual 

average emissions reduction of 2.6% over the first three 

budget periods 

8.6 In April 2010 the Carbon Reduction Commitment which sets 

out targets for major emission producers. A recent report, 24 

Sept, recommends a simplification of the system with a 

possible lowering of the threshold: thus bringing in smaller 

companies requiring participation. 

8.7 Through the Climate Change Committee progress reports 

are presented to Parliament on how its policies and 

proposals are performing against the budgets. A recent 

report from the Adaptation Sub Committee (Sept 2010) 

reported that some progress was being made but local 

95


authorities had a greater role to play in ensuring adaptation 

measures were put in place now. 

8.8 A key driver to ensure adaptation measures are met, all new 

developments will need to be designed to meet a series of 

targets which deliver a sustainable place. This is enshrined 

in the Planning Policy Statements which define the 

governments support for creating sustainable communities 

which reduce carbon emissions, protect the environment 

and make better use of renewable energy and resources in 

general. 

Regional Policy Context 

8.9 The new coalition government announced in July 2010 that 

regional planning was to be abolished and that all regional 

spatial strategies and housing targets were null and void. 

8.10 However in planning terms planning inspectors advice 

notices suggest that baseline evidence and key policy 

directives remain valid material information in determining 

planning decisions. This baseline report therefore makes 

note of valid sustainability and climate change policies in the 

Yorkshire and Humber Regional Plan. 

8.11 The Regional Spatial Strategy for Yorkshire and the Humber 

sets out policy and housing requirements and was formally 

adopted in 2008 and covers the Hambleton District Local 

Authority Area. 

8.12 The Regional Housing Strategy (2005-2021) is relevant for 

prospective developments in that it reaffirms that housing is 

“more than bricks and mortar”. The strategy pays specific 

reference to supporting rural economic growth, regeneration 

and provision of affordable housing in the renaissance 

towns, through the Renaissance Market Towns Initiative of 

Northallerton is identified. 

8.13 In terms of sustainable policies, Policy YH2 deals with the 

key strategy of climate change and resource use. It seeks 

to reduce greenhouse gas omission in 2016 by 20% to 25% 

compared to 1990 levels with further reductions thereafter. 

Key issues to be tackled include: 

Increasing population, development and activity in 

cities and towns; 

Encouraging better energy, resource and water 

efficient buildings; 

Minimising resource to development; 

Reducing traffic growth through appropriate location of 

development, demand management and improving 

public transport and facilities for walking and cycling; 

Encouraging re-development of previously developed 

land; 

Facilitating effective waste management; and 

increasing renewable energy capacity and carbon 

capture. 

Local Policy Context 

8.14 There is a range of local policy context. This can be seen as 

influencing residents, businesses and existing stock and 

setting standards for new buildings. 

8.15 Hambleton District Council and the Local Strategic 

Partnership adopted a Climate Change Strategy and 

Action for 2009-2014 in Feb 2009. It is a comprehensive 

96


document which contains an action plan with detailed 

actions and targets for a series of identified themes. The 

report below highlights some of the key themes and relevant 

targets. 

8.16 Importantly the Strategy document highlights the Council‟s 

and Local Strategic Partnership‟s understanding of the 

complexity of the issues, while taking positive actions such 

as setting adaptation targets and identifying awareness 

raising and communication as key actions. It has a main 

target of ensuring at least 14.% reduction in per capita CO2 

emissions by 2012. 

8.17 The Climate Change Strategy has a Carbon Management 

Plan which is due for adoption, and sets out the context and 

targets for the existing residents and communities. 

8.18 More recently Hambleton District Council together with 10 

Local Authority partners in North Yorkshire commissioned 

AECOM consultants to advise and produce a Local 

Climate‟s Impact Profile (LCIP). The report covering 

Hambleton was produced in June 2010 and provides an 

evidence base for the Council as part of the National 

Indicator N188 re Adapting to Climate Change. The report 

concludes that changes in weather patterns are evidenced 

and there is a risk of increased flooding and disruption due 

to extreme snow conditions likely. As a result there are 

greater chances of flooding. 

8.19 The Hambleton District Council‟s Corporate Plan 

provides an overview of the Council‟s approach to improving 

the quality of life in Hambleton from 2008-2012. It sets out 

how the Council will deliver in the medium term against its 

long-term vision for the district of „Making Life Better.” The 

promotion of sustainability is a key Council value. 

8.20 The Corporate Plan sets out a series of priority themes. In 

terms of sustainability the following objectives are noted: 

Prosperity - sets out a focus on sustainable transport 

to support access to jobs. 

Health - sets out a focus on creating access to leisure 

and cultural activities. 

Safety - sets out a need to protect the community from 

adverse effects of natural and adverse forces. 

Places - sets out targets and objectives to protecting 

the environment. 

People - sets out a focus on creating quality 

Sustainable Places. 

8.21 Using the National Indicators the Corporate Plan sets out a 

series of objectives which will contribute to the carbon 

reduction across the district such as: 

Contribution to the reduction in CO2 emissions in the 

Local Authority area (NI 186) directly as an employer. 

Per capita reduction in CO2 emissions in the LA area - 

13.5 tonnes 2005/06 (NI 186). IN 2011/12 14% 

reduction recorded 11.6 tonnes. 

8.22 New developments have their policy framework set through 

the planning policy framework. In Planning terms besides 

the development of Hambleton‟s LDF in Sept 2009 the 

Council adopted a Sustainable Development 

Supplementary Planning Document. 

97


8.23 The document enforces the Council‟s approach to ensuring 

new developments meet challenging CO2 reduction targets 

and produce not only energy efficient buildings but better 

and more sustainable places. 

Developments need to demonstrate that they use a 

“hierarchical approach” to energy conservation. 

Water resource use and management also feature in 

the document. 

Use of local and appropriate materials is outlined while 

recognising the possible conflict with the 

environmental and character impacts. 

Waste is a key Council priority and this is endorsed by 

the SPD. 

Biodiversity is also a key theme within the SPD and 

this supports the Council‟s Biodiversity Action Plan 

(BAP) 2002, though the document is slightly dated and 

may require a review. Sixteen BAP priority sites are 

identified in the district. 

8.24 Hambleton District Council also has a series of other 

Supplementary Planning Documents. In particular the Draft 

Open Spaces SPD is out for public consultation and if 

approved will become a material consideration. Key issues 

within the proposed SPD seek the “delivery of a network of 

sites and facilities providing open access to high quality, 

sustainable open spaces and sport and recreation facilities 

depends not only on good planning, but also on creative 

urban and landscape design and effective management. 

Genuine unhindered accessibility is fundamental to the 

functionality, usefulness and quality of any space or facility.” 

Specific Topic Areas 

8.25 As indicated above the regional and local policy context has 

a number of specific topic areas with objectives and targets 

which are relevant when considered new planning proposals 

and developments in the district. The key themes are 

outlined below. 

Access/Travel 

8.26 Transport is a key regional and local issue. Importantly, 

transport and the reduction of car dependency is a key 

feature of regional policy. Regional Plan Policy T1: Personal 

Travel Reduction and Modal Shift seeks to reduce travel 

demand, traffic growth and congestion, with a shift to modes 

with lower environmental impacts, and improved journey 

time reliability. It sets out a range of criteria seeking to 

improve public transport, and to encourage modal shift away 

from car use. These policies are drawn through into Policy 

T3: Public Transport. This policy states that housing 

allocations should be guided towards sustainable locations. 

In rural areas, housing development should be located 

within a: 

10 minute walk of a bus stop ensuring that arrival and 

departure services coincide with work start and finish 

times; 

10 minute walk of a bus stop of primary health/primary 

education; 

10 minute walk of a bus stop of secondary 

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health/secondary education; 

10 minute walk of a bus stop to leisure and retail 

facilities; and 

10 minute walk to bus stop to local services. 

8.27 Hambleton District Council‟s supplementary planning 

document also supports the need for sustainable transport 

solutions at a local level to support economic growth. This is 

specifically important in a rural district where car 

dependency is high and alternative public and sustainable 

transport options are currently limited. 

8.28 The policy context for alternative sustainable transport is in 

its early stages. Key local context is driven through SPD‟s 

together with objectives to increase connectivity through 

better opportunities for walking and cycling. 

Energy 

8.29 The Regional Spatial Strategy for the Yorkshire and Humber 

includes targets through policy ENV5 for the installation of 

grid-connected renewable energy in each local authority 

area. 

8.30 Energy consumption is recognised in the Hambleton 

Climate Change strategy as a significant contributor to CO2 

emissions in the district. The 2009-2014 action plan sets out 

a series of specific actions to reduce this figure. 

8.31 A specific target for renewable energy in Hambleton local 

authority area is required to produce 40MW by 2010 and 

97MW by 2021. Fuel poverty is a growing problem in the 

district, with 1,441 residents classed as being in fuel poverty 

in 2005. Without support from the council fuel poverty will 

increase, especially in the current economic climate. 

Tackling fuel poverty will contribute to lowering CO2 

emissions from the domestic sector, which in 2006 equalled 

235.41kt in 2006. 

Water 

8.32 The Climate Change strategy identifies the importance of 

conserving water consumption as well as managing the 

local risks of increased flooding. This is emphasized in the 

Sustainable Development Supplementary Planning 

Document. The document promotes the use of water saving 

devices, use of alternative water sources such as grey water 

recycling, making use of the landscape by using sustainable 

urban drainage schemes, and incorporating water loss 

prevention solutions. 

Waste 

8.33 Hambleton District Council recognises the importance of 

reducing waste to landfill and supports recycling initiatives. It 

has introduced kerbside recycling collection throughout the 

district, with the aim of providing 96% of residential 

properties with the service by 2012. The current 

recycling/composting rate in the district is 43.6% (2007/08) 

with a target of 51% in 2010/11 reduction to 60% of 

municipal waste sent to landfill by 2012. 

Transport 

8.34 Emissions from road transport account for a significant 

proportion of the CO2 produced in the district both by end 

user and consumption activities (see baseline section). 

According to end user data from Defra travel on A roads 

from petrol and diesel vehicles accounts for a significant 

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proportion of the districts CO2 emissions. In 2006, road 

transport contributed to 498kt of CO2 to the total emissions 

in the district. This equates to roughly 50% of emissions 

released in 2006. 

Natural Environment 

8.35 The natural environment has a key role to play in the 

mitigation and adaptation to climate change. The Hambleton 

Biodiversity Action plan was adopted in 2002 with the 

specific aim of protecting those species and habitats that 

were at risk of disappearing within the district. Policies with 

the Council‟s Local Development Framework place a 

requirement on developers and land owners to actively 

protect the natural environment of the district. 

information and set out some clear objectives which will 

need to be considered when preparing options for new 

developments in the district. New development is framed by 

a series of new SPD documents which set clear objectives, 

targets and standards. 

8.39 Connecting these within a rural district of traditional housing 

stock, market towns and car dominated transport will be a 

key challenge to overcome. 

Other sustainability initiatives 

8.36 Importantly through the local Climate Change Strategy the 

Council sets out a commitment to communicate and 

promote the issues around sustainability and climate 

change to residents and businesses. Using baseline data it 

recognises that each resident currently contributes 13.3 

tonnes of CO2 per annum (the UK average is approx 6 

tonnes per person). 

Summary 

8.37 Policy guidance promoting sustainable places aims to 

ensure that economic growth and regeneration is 

encouraged, but without compromising the need to adapt 

and mitigate against the impacts of climate change. 

8.38 The local Climate Change Strategy and the recently 

published Local Climate Impact Profile provide useful local 

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9. Consultation Summary 

9.1 Consultation and engagement are key elements of this 

study. The content of this Baseline Report has been 

informed by discussions with key stakeholders (i.e. officers, 

service providers, landowners, developers etc). This has 

been in the form of group workshops, individual meetings 

and telephone conversations. This section of the report 

summarises the consultation that has been undertaken and 

the key point that have emerged.As the study progresses 

the scope of consultation will broaden to include events for 

the local community. 

One-to-one Discussions 

9.2 During the baseline stage the consultant teamhave engaged 

specifically with the following stakeholders, either by 

telephone conversations or one-to-one meetings. The 

content of these discussions has informed the various 

sections of this report. 

Clair Hewitt – Economic Development Manager, HDC 

Helen Fielding – Housing Manager, HDC 

Andrew McCormack – Planning Policy Officer, HDC 

Clare Booth – Conservation Officer, HDC 

Phil Broomhead – NYCC Highways 

Nicola Howells – NYCC Education 

Amanda Brown - North Yorks PCT 

David Snelson, ATLAS 

Martin Foster and Terry Davies - Castle Vale 

Andrew Creighton – Gladman Developments 

Adam Richardson – Priority Sites 

Chris Heron – Anderson McKenzie Ingram 

John Kirkham – Persimmon Homes 

Project Planning Workshop 

9.3 A Project Planning Workshop, facilitated by ATLAS, was 

held on 1 st September 2010. Attendees included officers 

from Hambleton District Council as well as representatives 

from North Yorkshire County Council, Environment Agency, 

Castlevale Group Ltd, Broadacres Housing Association and 

Taylor Young. The key objectives of the workshop were: 

To discuss developing a shared vision and objectives 

which will clearly identify what place North 

Northallerton Development Area (NNDA) will become 

and how this contributes to wider place making and 

sustainability. 

To define and agree issues and tasks to be addressed 

and responsibilities to inform a shared project plan and 

project management structures/decision making. 

To provide a common understanding and ownership of 

the project and masterplan with key project partners 

and stakeholders. 

9.4 The day focused around 4 workshop sessions as follows 

Workshop 1- Site Analysis, Opportunities & 

Challenges 

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Workshop 2 – Development Objectives 

Workshop 3 – Project Planning 

Workshop 4 – Project Management 

9.5 Each group considered opportunities and challenges in 

relation to each theme. ATLAS also used the workshop to 

recommend protocols for progressing the study, including 

the establishment of a Core Project Team and Working 

Groups. A full note of this Workshop has been prepared 

separately by ATLAS. The outcome of the workshop was a 

feedback report capturing the day‟s discussions, a revised 

set of project objectives and a draft project plan setting out 

these objectives, how the project would be managed and 

key decisions taken. This has since been finalised by the 

NNDA project team. 

Visioning Gaps Workshop 

9.6 Taylor Young facilitated a workshop involving local 

stakeholders on 12 November 2010. This focused on two 

areas of discussion that needed greater emphasis following 

the Visoning Workshop. These were the focus of two roundtable 

workshop sessions: Community Infrastructure and the 

Environment. 

9.7 Stakeholder Attendees: 

Paul Swales - Environment Agency 

Jonny Kendall - Environment Agency 

Mike Barningham - Natural England 

Mark Ashton - NYCC Children & Young Peoples Services 

Nicola Howells - NYCC Children & Young Peoples Services 

Sally Anderson - Northallerton & Villages Community Forum 

David Snelson - ATLAS 

Abdul Ravat - HCA 

Martin Foster - Castlevale Group 

Malcolm Barnet - NYCC Countryside Services 

Bryony Wilford - Hambleton District Council 

David Earl - Hambelton District Council 

Tim Wood - Hambleton District Council 

Mark Haynes- Hambleton District Council 

Key Findings: Community Infrastructure Group 

Issue Problems Opportunities 

Education - Applegarth School 

catchment can‟t be 

expanded – others 

similar e.g 

Brompton – not 

easy. 

- 2 schools Alverton 

and Mill Hill with 

surplus. 

- Need „fall back‟ of 

some land where 

school could be 

accommodated 

- Don‟t have funding 

at present 

- Secondary have 

surplus capacity 

which could be 

addressed/met 

through this 

development. 

- Primary – York 

trailers site soaking 

up 

- 250 places maybe 

- Need land to be provided in 

good location. 

- Development to subsidise 

the building through S106. 

- Community hall linked to 

school 

- Improve footways 

- More private nursery 

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Young 

People 

300 places. 

- Adult – college 

- Nursery – lots 

private 

- e.g. Ice Cream 

Factory type 

attraction 

- What is the Leisure 

offer 

- A range of facilities 

- No real large scale 

recreation 

- Very little for Young 

Children to do and 

14 years plus also 

limited 

Health - Dentist 

- Extra Care Housing 

- New GP?/Adjacent 

to site 

- Housing mix and 

req for new/existing. 

- Shortage of 

allotment land 

Community - Just lots of houses 

and not 

infrastructure to go 

with that. 

- Scale too many – 

not enough. 

- Northallerton Town 

Council – ok? 

- Brompton Town 

Council – not keen. 

- Brompton doesn‟t 

have community 

feel - 1pub - 1shop. 

- e.g. Petting Zoo 

- What could be possible 

- Climbing wall, cinema /+ 

bowling? 

- Absence of NHS Dentistry 

- Needs to be fully 

considered. 

- „Transition town‟ initiative 

- Understand what is already 

provided e.g. Brompton 

Village Hall 

- „Network and Heirarchy‟ 

- New Asset building. 

- What is the 

residential offer e.g. 

affordable 

- Community Trust. 

Sport - Rugby Club may 

have aspiration to 

move – they lease 

land – site may be 

used for something 

else. 

- A shared model 

- Trim Trail running 

route around 

development 

Shops - Support for two 

centres. 

- 2 centres with 

different roles, 1 of 

which is a 

commercial centre/ 

on Darlington Road. 

- District Centre 

- Auction mart 

- Pub, hotel etc 

Other - Scale of 

development impact 

visually on town. 

- Elderley 

people/extra care 

and retirement 

market. 

- How improve gap? 

- Realise a sports village 

- Reinforce town centre and 

do something different 

- Commercial focus 

- Community focus 

- Create benefit for town 

overall and existing 

residents....not just new 

community 

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- Demographic points 

to support for aging 

populations see 

GVA Grimley work. 

- Linking community 

facilities e.g. 

swimming pool. 

- Sports village and 

locate together at a 

hub e.g. further to 

the south 

- Places of worship 

- Brompton Village 

Hall 

- Proposal to add 

village hall next 

to school. 

- No 

money......save 

or improve. 

9.8 Key Findings: Environment Group 

NOTE:- Allotments & Play 

(Voluntary sector office space 

maybe off site) 

- (Need to speak) Baptist? 

Church group looking for 

building. 

Issue Problems Opportunities 

Flood - Functional Flood 

Plain 

- Water friendly development within 

flood plain (i.e. Leisure/Sports) 

- Flood Alleviation 

Scheme - Subject 

to funding, 

- Flood alleviation scheme could 

release additional land for 

development. 

modelling not yet 

available. 

- Environmental/landscape benefits 

of watercourse/drainage solution. 

- Surface run-off 

drainage 

management 

- Links to adjacent green areas 

(footway/cycleway/watercourse/s 

ports pitches). 

- Minimising 

surface water runoff. 

- Flood plain constraint to 

development in centre of site may 

help maintain „Brompton Gap‟. 

- Compensatory 

land for loss of 

flood plain. 

- Site drainage 

strategy – future 

maintenance 

responsibility? - 

Resident 

contributions? 

Local authority? 

Ecology - Need to 

protect/relocate 

any existing 

habitats. 

- Loss of bird 

feeding/roosting 

areas. 

- Potential for bat 

roosts. 

Topo Fit 

e.g. 

Contours 

- Protect existing 

hedge rows and 

watercourses. 

- Try and work 

around and 

preserve existing 

hedge 

- Strengthen Green Infrastructure 

network beyond the site. 

- Management and extension of 

Green Infrastructure in wider local 

area. 

- „Grey water‟, „Green Roofs‟, 

drainage hierarchy etc…. 

- Green Roofs also assist with 

green infrastructure. 

- Maintain/use existing hedge 

rows/ditches etc as part of green 

infrastructure strategy. 

- Good range of habitats (dry and 

wet). 

- Opportunity to increase Bio- 

Diversity. 

- Opportunity to provide 

replacement habitats and link 

with paths/routes/leisure/drainage 

infrastructure on site. 

- Leisure uses that will benefit 

wider community as well as 

providing wildlife habitats. 

- Re-introduction of local trees 

etc… local fruit trees etc… 

- Historic tree species being reintroduced 

to the area - initiative 

by HDC. 

- Use as part of Green 

Infrastructure, boundaries for 

development. 

- Looking outside of red line 

boundary to enhance „Brompton 

Gap‟ i.e. Landscaping in local 

area. 

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Visual 

Impact 

boundaries. 

- Views of 

development from 

road and rail 

corridors. 

- Any 

historic/archaeolo 

gical issues in 

local area that 

development 

should have 

regard to? 

- Impact of road 

embankment/brid 

ge over 

beck/railway. 

- Visual impact of 

existing 

employment area 

to south – big 

sheds with blank 

walls. 

Other - Alignment of link 

road. 

- Design standard 

of link road. 

Design of bridge 

over beck 

(classed as a 

main river – 

therefore design 

needs to comply 

with relevant 

standards). 

- Outlook of site needs to be 

considered from all sides, careful 

frontage design. 

- Opportunities to create gateway 

on A167 making best links to 

existing frontage development on 

approach from the north 

- Historic land patterns? – retain if 

possible. 

- Integrate with green 

corridors/infrastructure. 

- Trees for screening (view and 

noise) orienting buildings for solar 

gain. 

- Views into/out of site. 

- Scale of development. Especially 

on boundary to employment to 

south. 

- Complimentary location of 

development to adjacent 

development. 

- Development on both sides of the 

road, good active frontage 

development. 

- Alignment of Link road – edge to 

development? Or through 

development? 

- Excellent sustainable travel links 

to town and train station (i.e. 

walking, cycling, bus, train). 

- Home Zones/Liveable Streets – 

direct access to green spaces 

etc. 

Wider Community Consultation 

9.9 Wider community consultation, although not a specific focus 

of the study at this stage, has informed the development of 

the Masterplan. This has been by way of the consultation 

undertaken and feedback received as part of the wider LDF 

preparation, and crucially on the Allocations DPD which 

identified the NNDA. The feedback from this has been 

recorded by HDC and is available on their website. The key 

documents are the Consultation Statement (June 2009) and 

the Responses to Proposed Changes (July 2010). 

9.10 All of the formal representations received at the two 

publication stages are available to view and download from 

the Council‟s website. There is also a Representations 

Statement which notes the number of representations made 

and gives a brief summary of the main issues raised. The 

representations and statement were passed to the Planning 

Inspectorate, who appointed Karen McCabe as the 

Inspector and Sian Worden as Assistant Inspector to carry 

out an Examination into the document. Hearing sessions 

took place over 8 days between 12-27 May 2010. 

9.11 Arising from discussions at the Hearing Sessions the 

Council has suggested a number of changes to clarify and 

strengthen aspects of the submitted Allocations DPD, 

together with a list of minor factual corrections (see below). 

All those who made representations on the published DPD 

were given the opportunity to comment on these proposed 

changes by 30 June 2010 (see responses below). 

9.12 Reference should also be made at this stage to a local 

pressure group that has been established to oppose the 

NNDA allocation. Known as BANAGE (Brompton and 

Northallerton Against Green Erosion) their main points of 

objection are the loss of greenfield land and subsequently 

105


spatial integrity resulting from development in the „Brompton 

Gap‟ and the impact of the increased traffic, especially if the 

Access Road could not be delivered. The impact on local 

facilities is also an area of concern. 

9.13 Community engagement will be a focus of subsequent 

stages of this study. Taylor Young and HDC will jointly hold 

a „Brompton Gap‟ workshop in November 2010 to discuss 

this specific area of concern with interested residents. There 

will also be a broader public drop-in event in December 

2010. Ultimately the NNDA Masterplan Framework will 

become adopted as an SPD and there will be community 

consultation on the Draft SPD as part of this process in 

2011. 

Baseline Gaps 

9.14 There are a small number of „gaps‟ to the baseline analysis 

that are reliant on third party studies and reviews. These are 

ongoing and will run in parallel to the next stage of the 

masterplanning process. The next stage is the testing of 

concept options to identify a preferred option that balances 

the achievement of the projects objectives with viability and 

delivery. Presently, these gaps comprise: 

Topographical survey 

Phase I habitat survey 

Education review 

Healthcare review 

SHMA review/update 

Discussions with some key contacts, i.e. Network Rail 

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10. Conclusions & Next Steps 

10.1 This final section of the report pulls together the key findings 

of the previous sections to identity the key opportunities and 

constraints and the key „ingredients‟ that the Masterplan 

Framework should provide. The Report then concludes with 

an agreed „vision‟ for the NNDA and a series of themes, 

objectives and targets which will inform the framework. 

Opportunities Summary 

Landscape 

Landscape is used to define a strong character for the 

development weaving elements of the landscape into 

the placemaking objectives 

The rural landscape character can be preserved within 

the Brompton Gap 

Mitigate views to the development, using the 

precedence of some of the existing linear landscape 

elements 

Existing hedgerows and woodland planting retained to 

settle new development in the landscape and create 

wildlife corridors 

Create a well connected network of wildlife corridors 

using existing features 

A new sustainable urban drainage system considered, 

new development should not put further pressure on 

the amount of surface water draining to North Beck 

Create a new recreation hub close to the council 

offices, providing a high quality and central facility for 

the whole area 

Push some open space provision outside the current 

red line to free up developable land 

Townscape 

The surviving village character of Romanby within the 

wider Northallerton settlement could form an 

interesting concept for townscape character. 

Opportunities to reinforce the existing hub at the 

intersection of Northallerton Road and Stokesley Road 

close to the existing Esso/Co-op could be explored 

(outside the red line). 

Design principles developed from the evolution of 

existing local villages could help to inform design of an 

attractive hub within the development 

The character of streets such as South Parade and 

hedge-lined country lanes could help define a 

character for the new link/access road 

Linking routes across the scheme should ensure that 

the area is permeable 

Connections into the town centre should be promoted 

and pick out good existing links e.g. Northallerton 

Road 

The use of the local vernacular should be considered. 

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Community Infrastructure 

The masterplan provides the opportunity to address a 

spatial under-provision in accessible community 

infrastructure in the northern part of the town. This 

could be by way of one or two community hubs and a 

primary school, which would serve the new residents 

and adjacent existing neighbourhoods. 

Transport 

Close proximity to town centre allows for cycling and 

walking trips to be made. There is the basis of a good 

existing network for these users, with the link/access 

road corridor providing a „missing link‟ between the 

west and east of North Northallerton. 

New link/ site access road provides the chance to 

improve transport for all modes in to the North of the 

centre of the town. It is a new road but as part of the 

development area public transport, walking and cycling 

provisions can be greatly enhanced. 

Opportunity to enhance existing public transport 

services and infrastructure through the creation of the 

new link/ access road. 

New link/access road will allow the currently 

fragmented west and east sides (through the railway 

and Brompton Beck) of the NNDA to be joined up. 

The area can provide a transport gateway to the town 

centre along the existing radial routes into 

Northallerton. The positioning and design of new 

junctions into NNDA will help to manage traffic speeds. 

Area wide workplace travel planning measures could 

be undertaken which would benefit new developments 

and the existing employment premises situated close 

to the area. 

Flood Risk 

The site is unconstrained by any existing buildings or 

drainage infrastructure. 

The site slopes along its length rather than width 

allowing more credible surface water collection 

methods. 

The Brompton Beck and tributaries can be turned into 

an attractive feature of the site and integrated into the 

landscaping. 

The majority of the site does slope towards the natural 

water course and there are no apparent hollows or 

depressions. 

Energy and Utilities 

We will explore local solid waste and local waste heat 

providers to understand technical and economically 

viable opportunities for community heating provision 

We will explore whether parts of the local community 

could transfer to a low-carbon energy supply and 

become the anchor load within a new community 

energy company 

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Community buildings will be developed to maximise 

any revenue from Feed in Tariffs and other renewable 

energy subsidies where economically and technically 

viable 

Property Market 

The site provides a significant supply of land for 

housing and employment, with multiple accesses. 

The site relates well to existing employment in 

Northallerton and the town centre. 

Northallerton is the main service centre for the district 

and the wider area. It includes a wide range of 

services, facilities and employment opportunities and 

is well connected by road and rail. 

Nortallerton is a compact centre with a good range of 

national multiple and independent retailers. 

The residential market benefits from high levels of 

home ownership and house prices above average for 

North Yorkshire. 

Delivery & Risks 

The NNDA is a large Greenfield site, allocated for 

mixed use development including housing, 

employment and ancillary uses. 

Hambleton District Council and the Homes and 

Communities Agency are committed to enabling 

delivery of the site. 

Borrowing costs remain low. 

Constraints Summary 

Landscape 

Draft SPD suggests the need for around 10Ha of open 

space split under various typologies for the new 

development, of which around 5Ha is for sports 

(excludes wider catchment) 

8Ha suggested in brief, can‟t be formed in a single 

area as shown, needs to account for placemaking, 

retained features, accessibility and appropriate 

locations, more open space may be required to meet 

these objectives 

Appropriate uses for areas of undevelopable flood 

zone need to be found, recreation facilities in the flood 

zone may not be acceptable 

Landscape features such as the woodland and the 

hedgerows should be retained where possible 

Wildlife corridors particularly those along the railway 

and the Beck need to be protected and where 

appropriate enhanced 

The EA may require a maintenance strip of 8m from 

the top of the bank of the Beck 

Hard „green‟ wooded edge to development is not 

suitable 

It‟s stated that the recreation facilities outlined for the 

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masterplan will be funded by both developer 

contributions and other funding opportunities this 

maybe unrealistic in the current climate given the level 

of capital and on-going funding which may be required 

Townscape 

The railway and beck form a barrier cutting the site in 

half 

Links into the town could prove difficult to establish - 

the existing edge of the town is formed by inward 

looking and poorly connected development. 

New development alongside the existing 

business/industrial park will have to be sensitive to the 

adjacent uses 

The edge of the development will be visible from the 

north of the site, the massing of built form and 

combination of landscape treatments will have to be 

sound 

The new link/access road will have to be carefully 

integrated into the townscape to ensure that it has a 

positive impact on the character of the settlement. 

Transport 

The link/ access road is the key constraint to achieving 

successful movement patterns to and within the site. In 

particular: 

- Phasing of the link/ access road – this needs to be 

in place early on to prevent the Darlington Road/ 

Yafforth Road junction becoming over capacity. 

- The link/ access road requires a structure over the 

railway line and Brompton Brook. Network Rail 

and Environment Agency requirements will need 

to be fulfilled. 

- Public transport provision is currently poor for the 

western side of the site. If the access road is not 

completed at opening of the first parts of the 

development area an interim improvement to 

services and infrastructure along Darlington Road 

is required. 

Position of the access junction into the site from 

Darlington Road is fixed from the Jacobs link road 

options as there is little land either side to relocate the 

proposed position. The use of a roundabout would 

also appear to be the most suitable means of 

highlighting the change of speed limit at this point. 

A Public Right of Way (footpath) may require diversion 

at the western extent of the site. 

Flood Risk 

The extent of the flood plain for a 1:100yr and below 

event, associated with the Brompton Beck and its 

tributaries, renders large areas unsuitable for 

development. 

The flood alleviation works to the north of Brompton 

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and the effect may have an effect on the developable 

area. 

NM5E slopes west away from the Brompton Beck. 

The general slope of the land towards the water 

courses is extremely shallow. 

Standing surface water seems to be prevalent within 

the site boundary. 

The current agreed surface water run off rate appears 

quite restrictive (mmi civils letter dated 01/07/10. 

Energy and Utilities 

There is insufficient sewage treatment capacity to 

support the whole development – programme 

constraint 

There is insufficient sewerage network capacity to 

support the whole site – investment need 

There is insufficient electricity network capacity (at 

11kV) to support the whole site - investment need 

There is a foul pumping station at the site boundary 

requiring a 15m environmental health buffer 

There is a foul water rising main within the site - can 

be diverted at cost 

There are overhead 11kV electricity lines within the 

site – can be diverted at cost. 

The residential property market remains weak 

following the economic recession, although there are 

signs of recovery. However, property prices remain 

below the 2007 peak and mortgage lending remains 

low. 

The Commercial property market also remains weak, 

without the signs of recovery in the residential market. 

A significant quantity of new build office and industrial 

property remains vacant. 

Whilst borrowing costs remain low, access to 

mortgage finance is tough, with stringent mortgage 

terms being enforced by the banks. 


The site is in multiple ownerships, with limited 

collaboration between landowners. 

Delivery of the site requires a new bridge over the 

Northallerton to Stockton railway. 

Development viability remains weak due to low 

property prices and costs associated with physical 

and community infrastructure. 

Property Market 

111


Figure 10.1: Preliminary Constraints 

112


The Vision and Project Matrix 

10.2 The Vision and „Project Matrix‟ builds upon work facilitated 

by ATLAS and discussions with the Steering Group. This 

sets out a Vision and a series of themes, objectives and 

targets which will inform the development of the Masterplan 

Framework and Design Guidance. These are included in 

outline below and will be developed and expanded upon 

during the following stage of the study. 

The Vision 

“By 2026 North Northallerton will have developed into a cluster 

of attractive sustainable communities complementing the 

existing town of Northallerton and its neighbouring villages. 

High quality community facilities serve their residential and 

working communities well. The area is known for its ‘green 

heart’, excellent parks, recreation facilities and nature areas.” 

Themes 

Quality place making and design 

Environmentally sensitive 

Well served and run communities 

Sustainably well connected 

Project Objectives 

1. To provide a comprehensive mix of housing type and 

tenure to meet a wide range of housing needs and 

requirements (e.g. vulnerable adults, older persons 

housing), including a target of 40% affordable housing. 

2. To ensure appropriate provision of community facilities to 

support the existing and new population and ensure 

sustainable integration of the NNDA. 

3. To enhance existing sports and leisure infrastructure and 

deliver new recreational development, including the creation 

of a sports village hub to serve the needs of the local 

community and a wide range of users. 

4. To provide a mix of high quality development to meet local 

needs and commercial demand, including a gateway on the 

Darlington Road approach to town. 

5. To create a multi-functional green infrastructure network 

throughout the site and beyond, which provides for 

sustainability, recreational, biodiversity, water management 

and movement opportunities. 

6. To incorporate on-site renewable energy generation 

where appropriate to help meet the Council‟s and 

communities sustainability aspirations and principles 

7. To ensure a high standard of design quality throughout 

the development that creates a sustainable and locally 

distinctive place. 

8. To explore community ownership/social enterprise 

potential to include residents in the design, and 

management of recreational and community facilities. 

9. To create a sustainable transport network throughout the 

site including a well designed primary route (link road) that 

creates a high quality, safe and pedestrian friendly 

environment. 

113


10. To ensure that the development, implementation and management 

of the NNDA includes the active participation and involvement 

of the community and key stakeholders to deliver the shared vision 

and objectives. 

Targets and Standards 

10.3 Quality place making and design 

Building for Life Silver+ 

10.4 Environmentally sensitive: 

CSH 4+? 

BREEAM Excellent+? 

BREEAM Communities? 

10.5 Well served communities 

30-35dph, 40% affordable 

Provision of range of local services within walkable 

access 

10.6 Sustainably well connected 

30mph max link / access road 

Residents with 250m of a bus stop 

Ingredients 

10.7 Table 10.1, overleaf, provides an early indication of the 

outline „ingredients‟ for the masterplan, with a consideration 

of the likely land-take for each. This table will become 

further populated and developed in more detail as the study 

progresses. 

Concept Masterplan Evolution 

10.8 A series of thematic concepts could be developed during the 

options stage to test masterplan approaches. These could 

comprise the following: 

Zoning – allocating different sub-areas to different 

land-uses. 

Maximising Viability – an approach that maximises 

viability whilst being aware of constraints. 

Single Centre Garden Suburban – A garden village 

style extension to Northallerton that expands the town 

around a single centre in a low-density suburban 

manner without developing new higher density hubs. 

Sustainable Communities in the Landscape – An 

approach that follows best practice by creating new 

neighbourhoods around their own small hubs whilst 

also integrating with the surrounding town and 

landscape. 

10.9 The next stage of the study, the Preferred Option stage, will 

see these approaches being developed in the form of three 

concept options. These will be tested against the project 

objectives and a preferred option will be identified. 

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Table 10.1: Emerging Masterplan Ingredients (54.3 ha site) 

Ingredients 

Community Infrastructure/hub(s) 

Retail/pub/hotel 

Extent 

(DPD figures) 

Retail:



Promote collaboration between land owners. 

Early engagement with Network Rail to ensure early 

agreement to the new bridge over the railway. 

Engagement with developers and investors to confirm 

viability of and market for development in longer-term 

development context. 

Development viability is critical. Careful consideration 

of the priorities of physical and social infrastructure, 

affordable housing and development phasing will be 

critical to ensuring development remains viable, but 

ensures benefits for existing and future residents and 

maximised. 

Conclusion 

10.10 The Baseline review has collated a large amount of 

pertinent data to inform the masterplanning process. This 

has enabled the key site constraints and opportunities to be 

identified. A vision and a series of project objectives have 

been prepared. These will all be developed further, in 

collaboration with the Steering Group and the broader 

stakeholder group, during the next stage of the study: the 

Preferred Option stage. 

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Appendix 1. Additional Notes on Transport, Energy & 

Utilities (WYG) 

117

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Appendix 1. Additional Notes on Transport, Energy & 

Utilities (WYG) 

This appendix collates additional WYG comments following 

Workshop and Steering Group Meeting held on 12 th October 2010. 

Structure over Brompton Beck and Northallerton to 

Middlesbrough railway line: 

WYG been chasing Network Rail for an answer on 

their requirements regarding clearance and likelihood 

of future electrification, however we‟ve still not had a 

answer. Our bridges team has advised that on a 

recent local project Network Rail requested 5.8m as a 

worst case bridge height (this allows for future 

electrification). The road level will also sit around 1.2m 

above the clearance height, giving a total bridge height 

of 7m. 

The issue of carriageway gradients is a highway rather 

than bridge design issue. DMRB Volume 6, Section 1 

TD9/93 (Highway Link Design) states that a 30mph 

single carriageway road should have a desirable 

maximum gradient of 6% (absolute maximum of 8%, 

which is also the limit for most wheelchair users, as 

advised in Inclusive Mobility). Manual for Streets 2 

repeats this advice and states that a gradient of 5% is 

desirable where there are significant numbers of 

pedestrians walking along the route. 

From the OS base mapping it appears that the span of 

the bridge structure would need to be at least 35m if 

aligned through the centre of the site where the beck 

and railway line are closest, or approximately 105m at 

the northern edge of the site where the distance 

between the beck and the railway line is far greater. 

Based on this information the attached sketch 

indicates the approximate total lengths required for the 

bridge and approaches, depending on gradient and 

location. 

In terms of a structural design, an example to allow 

usage underneath is shown below. For Northallerton it 

would obviously need to be a lot taller and the 

parapets would be solid over the railway (as required 

by Network Rail). If this type of solution were pursued 

it would clearly be important to create a really vibrant 

waterside cycle/pedestrian route to ensure that the 

area underneath the bridge didn‟t become a location 

for anti-social behaviour. 

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Traffic Impacts on Standard Way from access/link road 

through site: 

A query was raised in the Steering Group meeting as 

to what the traffic impacts would be on Standard Way 

after the NNDA link road is completed. The location of 

Standard Way could make it prone to use by through 

traffic W to E/ E to W to avoid the Yafforth 

Road/Darlington Road roundabout once the NNDA 

access road is open. 

The road is an industrial estate road subject to a 

30mph speed limit and has a carriageway width of 

7.3m. No waiting restrictions are currently in place 

meaning that cars can freely park on-street, which may 

have some calming effect upon speeds. 

In the Jacobs LDF Strategic Options modelling the 

road had a relatively low increase in the modelled 

traffic in the AM peak with the NNDA and link road in 

place in compared to the 2026 do minimum (see 

attached/ screenprint below). 

Based on these forecast flows we wouldn‟t anticipate 

any particular issues on Standard Way and the benefit 

of a small increase in use of Standard Way would be 

fewer vehicles passing through the Yafforth Road/ 

Darlington Road roundabout. 

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Proposals for Yafforth Road/ Darlington Road 

roundabout as short term mitigation prior to access 

road: 

There are no existing designs/proposals to increase 

traffic capacity at the roundabout. 

The junction is constrained in terms of available 

highway land within which to deliver significant 

carriageway widening on the junction approaches. 

However, it may be possible to introduce two lane 

approaches on the northern and western arms through 

a combination of strip widening and re-allocation of 

road space. WYG to investigate the feasibility of this 

as traffic capacity at this junction could influence when 

the NNDA link road needs to be completed by. 

Noise from existing industrial premises south of 

the site: 

Impact of noise depends upon whether the majority of 

noisy work takes place within building or outside. 

Difficult to mitigate for noise within yard. 

Also far harder to mitigate if site operating hours are 

24 hours/during evening, due to lower background 

noise levels. 

Screening measures and acoustic insulation within the 

new building if expanded into the NNDA could be used 

to reduce the noise. Bringing all the exiting outdoor 

yard activities into a new enclosed building would offer 

the optimum solution for minimising noise nuisance. 

To gauge an accurate „clearance zone‟ from the site 

for residential development a noise monitoring survey 

would be required. A typical cost for this is £1,200 plus 

VAT which WYG could undertake „in-house‟ within 

approx‟ 2 weeks of an instruction to proceed. 

Utilities/ Energy: 

Will there be any difficulty providing high speed 

broadband connections to all buildings on the site? Is 

there existing broadband infrastructure in the local 

area to connect to? - Northallerton is served by ADSL 

broadband that the site will be able to connect into (i.e. 

uses telephone infrastructure). Based on the distance 

between the site and the nearest telephone exchange 

in Northallerton (approx‟ 1700m) „Average‟ broadband 

speeds could be expected. BT has no plans to 

upgrade broadband infrastructure in Northallerton for 

the foreseeable future. 

Do the energy demand estimates take into account the 

high efficiency homes that will be developed (i.e. Code 

3 / 4 homes)? – For the purposes of the preliminary 

assessment work this is irrelevant because we need to 

demonstrate that electricity and gas infrastructure 

could be provided to meet peak demands. Even with 

on-site energy generation it will be necessary to 

provide gas and electrical infrastructure „back up‟ to 

meet peak demands or in the event of failure of on-site 

generation. It is also necessary to provide adequate 

electrical connections back to the primary substation to 

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be able to export surplus energy back to the grid. 

There is good scope for on-site energy generation and 

as development will be taking place on the site after 

2016 it will be necessary to comply with „zero-carbon‟ 

standards. On-site generation in one form or another 

will therefore be required. There appears to be good 

scope for links with adjacent uses (e.g. school, leisure 

centre, employment) that an energy centre on the site 

could also serve, with surplus energy being sold back 

to the grid. WYG will be advising on the available 

options in the next stages of the masterplanning work. 

Flooding: 

Future maintenance of site drainage strategy – under 

Flood & Water Management Act 2010 it will be the 

developer‟s responsibility to provide designs to be 

approved by the local authority (SUDS Approving 

Body – SABs). The local authority will then be 

responsible for adopting the drainage infrastructure 

and all future maintenance. 

1) The water bodies which are located to the south 

of the site. 

2) Residential/ industrial land to the south will be a 

walk/ drive through inspection only. 

3) We will extend the habitat surveys to the north, 

and west of the railway line west of Darlington 

Road (A167) if visible. 

Topographical Survey: 

The latest red line boundary has been provided to the 

survey contractors and the survey coverage has been 

extended slightly to include the rectangular area of 

land containing „Halfway House‟, which was previously 

omitted from the area to be surveyed. The 

topographical survey is due to commence on Monday 

18 th October 2010. 

Ecology Survey: 

The scope of the Phase 1 habitat survey has been 

extended, as requested, to include immediately 

adjacent areas (approximate 100m radius outside of 

the red line boundary) This will include the following: 

122

123 


124 



Appendix 2. Urban Extensions Best Practice 

125

126 



Appendix 2. Urban Extensions Best Practice 

1. Upton, Northampton 

Overview 

Located on the southwest fringe of Northampton the Upton 

Sustainable Urban Extension was delivered through the teamwork 

of English Partnerships as landowner, Northampton Borough 

Council as the planning authority and the Prince's Foundation as 

advisers. When complete, Upton will be a sustainable community of 

circa 1400 homes, primary school, nursery, playing fields, 

community building/visitor centre, commercial and retail units. 

Design Principles 

Delivery 

Housing designed in a range of distinctive styles using 

quality materials and reflecting the old Northampton 

vernacular 

Affordable housing pepperpotted – no more than 3 

affordable houses together of four apartments of 

shared access 

22% affordable homes for rent or shared ownership 

(tenure blind) 

High density housing promotes provision of public 

transport 

Partners developed vision during December 2001, 

using an Enquiry by Design process 

Masterplan developed through highly participative 

process (led by Edaw) 

Design code used for assessing all developer 

proposals 

Advance infrastructure provided by English 

Partnerships (including SUDs, open space, playing 

fields and road infrastructure) 

English Partnerships prepared to achieve lower land 

values on some sites to help deliver groundbreaking 

housing 

Key Sustainability Features 

Best Practice 

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (swales, 

rainwater harvesting, green roofs, permeable paving) 

All dwellings eco-homes excellent as minimum (6 units 

built to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6) 

Ground source heat pumps, wood pellet boiler 

community heating, sockets for electric cars in 

courtyards 

Neighbourhood watch scheme established 

Landscape based drainage system provides wildlife 

habitats 

Promotes best practice in sustainability well ahead of 

Government standards 

Strong Partnership approach 

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Timescales/phasing 

Use of design code 

Approximately 650 houses built to date. 

The school has been open since April 2007 and the 

public transport has been up and running since 

October 2005. 

The SUDs are built across the whole development but 

only planted in areas of development. 

Work on the new community centre began in April 

2010 

128


2. Newhall, Harlow 

Overview 

Newhall is a new 100ha neighbourhood in Harlow with a planned 

residential population of 6,000 with mixed uses including 

employment, shops, services, schools, community and leisure 

facilities. The neighbourhood has been designed to integrate with 

Harlow New Town which was originally set out by Sir Frederic 

Gibberd. 


Masterplan sets aside 40% of land for habitat creation 

and leisure uses requiring development areas to be 

built at higher than average densities 

Large number of homes designed for live-work use, 

which combined with small-scale employment use, 

ensures that a resident community is present 

throughout the day 

neighbourhood designed to integrate into the structure 

of the New Town 

traffic calmed through street layout to promote walking 

and cycling. All streets except The Chase are 20mph 

zones. 

Mix of housing types promoted. Three or four storey 

town houses suggested along high street and major 

street intersections. Apartments concentrated towards 

the neighbourhood centre. 

Delivery 

Masterplan subdivides the site into development 

parcels from around 200 homes to single plots (for 

landmark sites) 

Different architects are employed on each parcel and 

co-ordination is achieved through the use of design 

codes which are agreed for each parcel prior to 

submission of a reserved matters application 


Residents Trust established with role in 

neighbourhood management including unadopted 

areas of soft landscaping, tree planting and woodland 

Sustainable water management and urban drainage 

systems, including permeable conveyance systems, 

filter drains and swales 

Shelter belts with a mix of species to give both wind 

protection and visual amenity 

Buildings maximise opportunities for solar gain through 

orientation, dwelling type and internal layout 

Buildings are adaptable to accommodate changing 

circumstances and lifestyle flexibility 

Information and advice on sustainability measures is 

supplied to all new residents 

Promotion of waste reduction, re-use and recycling 

129


Existing features and areas of special habitat value 

have been conserved and linked to form habitat 

corridors. 

Best Practice 

Timescales/Phasing 

Bespoke housing designs with high levels of energy 

efficiency 

Mix of house types and live/work accommodation 

High quality public realm and open space 

Landowner retains strict controls over development 

through design codes and covenant 

Phase 1 will be complete by end of 2011. 

Phase 2 will comprise a further 2500 dwellings, 

neighbourhood centre, commercial district and school 

and is the final stages of planning. 

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3. Poundbury, Dorchester 

Overview 

Poundbury is a 168ha urban extension on the western side of 

Dorchester. It is sited on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall 

since 1342. Poundbury is a 25 year project and will develop as the 

growth needs of Dorchester dictate. It will be home to around 2,250 

dwellings and 65,000 sq. m of employment space, as well as 

associated community facilities. 


seeks to implement the principles expounded in the 

Prince of Wales‟s 1989 book „ A Vision of Britain‟ 

traditional architecture using a variety of Dorset 

materials such as stone, slate and render 

parking generally provided in landscaped courtyards at 

the rear which also incorporate ancillary spaces to 

facilitate home working 

continuous street facades largely uninterrupted by 

parking bays or garages 

little segregation of pedestrians and vehicles 

average block size of 60m x 90m repeats the 

traditional settlement pattern 

buildings generally placed hard up against pavement 

roads tend to be irregular both in width and angle, 

helping to control the speed of vehicles without 

recourse to humps or traffic signs 

Delivery 

site Masterplanned by Leon Crier, appointed by Duchy 

of Cornwall in 1988 

The Masterplan divides Poundbury into 4 distinct 

quarters, each corresponding to a different phase of 

development 

Quality of design and workmanship is controlled by the 

Duchy of Cornwall through building agreements with 

each developer 

The Poundbury Building Code (covering mainly facade 

design and materials) governed all phase 1 buildings. 


Best Practice 

To date, 11 homes ( 5 houses, 6 apartments) have 

been built to an Eco Homes excellent rating 

Over one-third of the site is intended as landscaped 

open space 

Native trees such as beech, plane, horse chestnut, 

ash, cherry and white beam have been planted on all 

the streets and in the courtyards 

Social housing well integrated with private housing in 

terms of location and appearance 

High level of maintenance achieved through use of 

covenants on homeowners. Management company 

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Timescales/Phasing 

oversees maintenance of open spaces, communal 

courtyards and garages 

Alterations to buildings by homeowners controlled by 

legal agreements to preserve architectural harmony 

Architectural mix achieved by a well thought out set of 

guidelines that allowed for variation and contrast 

Pedestrian friendly with good connections to town of 

Dorchester 

- Phase 1 (7.5ha) completed in 2002 and comprised 196 

houses and 56 flats 

- Phase 2 granted planning permission in 1999 

- Expected to be fully completed by 2025 

132


4. Vastra Hamnen Malmo, Sweden 

Overview 

Malmot is the 3 rd largest city in Sweden, with a population of over 

250,000. In the 1970‟s, a recession in Malmo‟s traditional industry 

of shipbuilding left an abandoned swathe of industrial and dockland 

along the coastline of the city. The recovery strategy comprised of 

Malmo transforming itself into a major centre for IT business and 

knowledge, along with the development of a new city area that will 

eventually accommodate 3,000 people, either working, living or 

studying. The objective is for the district to be a leading international 

example of environmental adaptation and social sustainability. 

Design 

Delivery 

Heritage retained by restoring some of the large old 

industrial buildings 

taller apartment blocks cited on the outskirts of the 

site, facing the sea, to protect smaller inner buildings 

from cooling effect of wind 

integration of canals, recreational harbours, docks and 

waterfront promenades create „waterfront‟ character 

series of interlinked greenspaces at the core of the 

housing with open expanses of water, retention 

basins, private patios and play areas 

1st stage funded by State of Sweden, The City of 

Malmo, Sydkraft (a regional power company), The 

European Commission and private developers. Most 

of the state benefits were used for land reclamation 

and remediation 

Developers adhere to a „Quality Programme‟ which 

defined architectural quality, the character of public 

spaces, building performance, standards for colours, 

materials, energy and ecology 

Key Sustainable features 

Best Practice 

Traffic reduced by developing a well designed bicycle 

and pedestrian network 

local car pool uses electric and gas powered vehicles 

wind turbines provide all the district‟s electricity. Solar 

panels on roofs supply one-fifth of the heat, with the 

remainder coming from thermal heating and Malmo‟s 

existing district heating systems 

urban parks, meeting places and social areas provided 

across the site to encourage social interaction 

energy systems co-ordinated with waste systems to 

recover heat to generate biogas 

many residents can monitor their consumption of 

water, electricity and heat through IT systems in their 

homes 

Described as being „one of the farthest reaching 

programmes of ecological development in an existing 

neighbourhood in Europe‟ 

133


Timing/Phasing 

The City of Malmo‟s Environmental Department played 

a key role in setting and driving the environmental 

agenda for the redevelopment 

Establishment of a set of environmental criteria and 

benchmarks that developers who worked on the 

project had to achieve 

1 st stage, the Bo01 (Live 01) Housing Estate, was built 

and completed for the European Housing Expo in 

2001. 

The district now supports approximately 600 homes, 

offices, shops and other service trade premises. 

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offices: 

handforth, liverpool & leeds 

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chadsworth house 

wilmslow road 

handforth 

cheshire 

sk9 3hp 

t: 01625 542 200 

f: 01625 542 250 

e: cosec@tayloryoung.co.uk 

want to find out more? 

visit: www.tayloryoung.co.uk 

architecture | landscape architecture | town planning | urban design

North Northallerton - Hambleton District Council

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