Council comes under pressure over Maltkiln developer’s cycling

The third afternoon of the Maltkiln public review was dominated by debate about how to ensure that the Maltkiln project becomes a ‘model’ for cycling for 4,000 households.

Government-appointed planning inspector Clive Coyne is assessing whether the council’s Development Plan Document (DPD), which serves as a guide for the development of Maltkiln, complies with national planning guidelines and is legally sound.

North Yorkshire Council has high ambitions for pedestrian and cycle routes in Maltkiln, describing it as a “top priority”.

The Caddick Group has proposed creating cycle lanes throughout the complex, saying it wants to encourage commuters to leave their cars at home on their way to work.

The city council has insisted that each newly built bedroom should have its own bicycle parking space.

This would mean, for example, that for a four-bedroom house the developer would have to provide four bicycle parking spaces outside the property.

This would encourage residents to cycle, knowing that their bike can be parked safely.

At the review in Harrogate yesterday (19 September), the council clashed with Caddick representatives, who described the cycle parking requirements as “excessive”.

The developer asked the reviewer to make changes to the DPD so that the storage requirements are less binding.

Planning agent Stuart Natkus said: