Whitby holiday-let plans near historic viaduct refused

Plans to build four holiday-let units near a Victorian viaduct have been refused following opposition from residents and concerns about the impact on the landscape and wildlife.

Developer Knapton & Knapton had applied to build the accommodation on Riverside Walk, off Larpool Lane, close to the Grade II listed Larpool Viaduct near Whitby.

More than 30 objections were submitted to North Yorkshire Council, raising concerns over ecology, heritage, highway impacts and the design of the proposed development.

One resident said the site was a refuge for local wildlife and warned construction work could damage a "thriving environment".

The units would have been built on land close to existing visitor accommodation, with the scheme also including new parking areas, landscaping and improvements to the access road.

In planning documents, the applicants said the development would provide "market-leading, high-end modular accommodation" that would be sensitive to the surrounding landscape and "enhance the experience of visitors and the wider public".

However, council planning officers concluded the proposal would cause "significant visual harm" to the setting of the viaduct, which was completed in 1884.

A report said that while additional tourist accommodation could bring some economic benefits, those benefits would be limited and did not outweigh the harm identified to the heritage asset.

North Yorkshire Council's conservation officer also warned that increasing development around the viaduct had reduced its historic setting in recent decades.

The officer said any further development would risk eroding the site's remaining "green setting" and would cause "clear harm" to the significance of the structure.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said ecology concerns were also raised during the application process.

Objector Stephen Clough said the embankment was home to "families of deer" and provided a safe route for wildlife moving through the area.

"We feel that disruption, in the form of construction work, to this balanced ecosystem would be detrimental to the area and its ability to support such a thriving environment," he said.

The council's ecology officer said: "It could not be concluded that the scheme would avoid causing significant ecological harm."

The site lies south of Whitby town centre and north-east of Ruswarp, bordered by purpose-built holiday accommodation to the north and south.

The application was refused by North Yorkshire Council earlier this month.

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