A BITTER battle over plans to launch a centre for children’s activity holidays at a former police headquarters which has already seen a High Court ruling is set to resume as further legal action looms.

Solicitors representing residents of Maunby, South Otterington and Newby Wiske, near Northallerton, have issued a warning to Hambleton District Council ahead of its planning committee convening an extraordinary meeting at Solberge Hall reconsidering a proposal to change the use of grade II listed Newby Wiske Hall.

Despite vociferous local opposition to the plans by PGL to create a residential training centre featuring up to 550 guest bed spaces and staff accommodation at the country mansion, the authority approved the plans in November last year.

However, in April the High Court quashed the permission after finding the council’s planning officers did not properly assess the impact on the hall and its grounds and ordered the council pay £19,000 costs to Newby Wiske Action Group.

The High Court decision also set back North Yorkshire Police’s sale of the site – thought to have been valued at about £2.5m – as it is dependent on planning permission being granted.

Ahead of the hearing, PGL has submitted a revised planning application including fresh plans for an abseil tower, climbing wall and zip line this week.

Following the High Court ruling against the council, the planning authority has stressed the decision-making process would be “fully transparent”. It is understood the authority has altered some of the planning process High Court challenges by the action group.

But in a letter to the authority, solicitors for Newby Wiske Action Group have warned that “the material submitted by the applicant contains numerous significant deficiencies, omissions and errors which means that the application does not satisfy the relevant legal and policy tests which would enable it to be approved”. 

The action group maintains that the proposal would significantly impact the quality of life of residents due to late-night noise from the outdoor sports area and a significantly larger number of heavy vehicles passing through the area.

Other objections include plans to fell trees, the introduction of numerous “large alien structures for use in recreational pursuits” and the impact on a heritage asset.

Objector Vikki Albert said: “Children having fun make a lot of noise and they will be encouraged to do so. This will have a detrimental affect on the residents of the village many of whom are retired and wish fora pleasant retirement and not have to put up with screaming children.

“The traffic will be horrendous and it will be of a totally different nature to what it was when the police occupied the building.”

In a document submitted to the planning authority this week, agents for PGL said at peak times up to 300 guests, 80 per cent of which are of primary school age, could be taking part in the outdoor activities at any one time.  It added discos would be held inside one of the hall’s buildings on five nights a week for up to 100 guests.

In a separate response to the objections, agents for PGL have dismissed claims the transformation of the site would not boost the local economy.

They said the venture would generate 109 permanent jobs while the holiday centre’s operation would use locally-produced food and services such as plumbers and electricians. The agents claimed benefits arising from PGL plan for the lsted building included its funding for maintenance and avoidance of potential decay if it continued to be left vacant.

The agents said the hall and grounds remained consented for office and non-residential training centre use.

They said: “Therefore the site could currently operate as a day centre and lawfully accept day visitors brought in and out by coach. This would arguably generate a greater number of coach movements to those proposed by PGL within the application documents as it would entail visitor arrival and pickup on a daily basis. This type of use would not require planning permission.”

The agents added the grounds to the south of the hall were used as sports fields by North Yorkshire Police and there a wooden activity structure the force built remained in the grounds.

The agents stated: “Again, the current consented use of the site would allow a day-centre to operate at the site with activities taking place within the grounds.”