‘A bit of a nightmare’: Dozens of objections against proposed Hunmanby housing development over water, drainage, and highway concerns

The proposed development of 46 dwellings on land to the south side of Sands Lane, Hunmanby, has received dozens of objections from members of the public regarding concerns about the overdevelopment of the area, access to open spaces, transport links, and drainage and water supply.

Items of concern have also been raised by a borough councillor, North Yorkshire Police, and the highway authority.

The applicant, Gleeson Regeneration Ltd, specialises in new build affordable housing but according to documents on Scarborough Council’s website, a commitment to maintaining affordability has not been secured from the developer.

Cllr Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, who represents the Hunmanby ward on Scarborough Council, stated in an email: “It is clear from discussions with Gleeson Homes that while they have a business model geared towards assisting people onto the housing ladder, they are not willing to make specific commitments in relation to the Sands Lane site.”

The original proposal was for the development of 58 new residential units, however, this has been reduced to 46 dwellings to be made up of two, three and four-bedroom, two-storey properties.

A supporting statement submitted by the applicant says the site is located within a “predominantly residential area” and therefore the proposed use “is the most suitable for the site.”

It adds that “inclusive access within the layout provides for ease of movement by all social groupings.”

Among the more than 30 objections from members of the public, Jim Crow, a neighbour, said: “Sands Lane is a lane… more of a route for horse and cart than modern day traffic.

“With its narrowness, many twists, turns and blind spots, how on earth is it supposed to cope with any extra traffic? It is widely used by walkers and horse riders whose safety should be a priority.”

While several people raised concerns about the development’s impact on local schools and health services, many locals also said they were not convinced by the proposed drainage and sewage plans.

John Sutton, a resident in the area, said: “Having studied the proposed drainage plan for 46 dwellings, it has raised some worries.”

Mr Sutton added: “The flow control valve which is the kingpin in holding back the flood to our village has no fail-safe plan.

“The developers mention that on completion of works YWA will take over the care and servicing of this, [but] no undertaking has been given and they will not be adopting the site drains.”

Mr Sutton described the situation as “a bit of a nightmare”, adding that “an accident is going to happen as soon as the houses are built and they go away.”

He said: “On one of the new estates the plans look as if it drains directly into the River Hertford – nobody is looking at the sewerage.

“Why build all these homes in Hunmanby with a population of 4,000 people – you already can’t get a doctors appointment for three weeks.

“The attitude seems to be that its allocated land and because of that we must build houses regardless of the infrastructure.”

In an assessment of the submitted drawings, Yorkshire Water said it had “no objection” as long as works were carried out according to plans, adding that a water supply can be made available to the site.

However, it did add that “site drainage details submitted have not been been approved for the purposes of adoption” and that if the developer wants the sewers included in a diversion agreement, that must be agreed with Yorkshire Water.

A decision on the plans is yet to be made public by the local planning authority.