Planning Objection Letter

Planning Department

North Yorkshire Council

Re: Outline Planning Application 25/04622/OUT

Site: Church Farm, Bishop Monkton – Additional 9 Dwellings

Objector: Bishop Monkton Parish Council

Date: 23rd January 2026

Bishop Monkton Parish Council wishes to formally object to the above outline planning application. The Parish Council raises the following objections, concerns, and observations based on material planning considerations which we believe have not been adequately addressed by the applicant.

1. Conflict with Development Limit and Spatial Strategy

The application site lies outside the defined development limit for Bishop Monkton. In planning policy terms, this is a clear and unambiguous designation: land is either within or outside the settlement boundary, and proximity to that boundary is not a material consideration.

The proposal therefore represents inappropriate residential development in the open countryside, contrary to the spatial strategy of the adopted and emerging Local Plan, which seeks to strictly control housing growth beyond defined settlement limits. The application fails to demonstrate the exceptional circumstances necessary to justify approval in principle.

Granting outline consent would undermine the purpose of the development limit andset an undesirable precedent for incremental encroachment into the countryside.

2. Cumulative Impact on Flood Risk and Foul Water Infrastructure

The Parish Council has serious concerns regarding the cumulative impact of this proposal when considered alongside existing development in the village and developments already approved but not yet built.

In particular, this application must be considered in the context of the approved Church Farm development of 23 dwellings and the subsequent approval of the Moor Lane development of 58 dwellings. When taken together, these developments represent a significant increase in housing within Bishop Monkton, placing significant additional pressure on local foul water and surface water drainage infrastructure which is already known to be under strain.

Prior to the approval on appeal of the Church Farm development, and subsequently the approval of the Moor Lane development, Yorkshire Water advised that the combined sewer system serving the village was “close to capacity.” While Yorkshire Water is not a statutory consultee for planning purposes, any assertion that there is “no objection” to additional development is insufficient to demonstrate that the system has adequate capacity. Real-world experience in the village shows that foul water regularly surcharges from manholes and flows along streets during heavy rainfall, demonstrating that the infrastructure is already stressed.

The Parish Council remains concerned that the cumulative impact of multiple developments has not been adequately assessed and that insufficient evidence has been provided to demonstrate that existing infrastructure can accommodate further growth without increasing flood risk or pollution incidents.

The Parish Council fully endorses the concerns and requests for further information raised by the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA). In particular, further investigation is required to demonstrate that surface water can be managed sustainably and routed appropriately, without increasing flood risk on-site or elsewhere, in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

3. Highway Infrastructure and Safety

The Parish Council remains concerned about the cumulative impact of additional residential development on the local highway network. Roads serving Bishop Monkton are narrow, rural in character, and already subject to increased traffic from recent and approved developments.

4. Inappropriateness of Outline Consent

Given the site’s location outside the defined development limit, the acknowledged infrastructure constraints, and the cumulative impacts arising from other approved developments, the Parish Council considers it inappropriate to grant outline planning permission.

The lack of detailed information prevents a robust assessment of flood risk, drainage capacity, and highway impacts, and risks establishing the principle of further development in a location that conflicts with adopted planning policy.

Conclusion

For the reasons set out above, Bishop Monkton Parish Council objects to application 25/04622/OUT and respectfully requests that North Yorkshire Council refuse outline planning permission.

Yours faithfully,

Bishop Monkton Parish Council