Wednesday 30 November 2022

COUNCILLORS have approved plans to allow a new home to be built on the site of the former Old Racing Stables in Coombs Yard, off North Bar Within, Beverley. The decision by the Eastern Area Planning Committee was welcomed by Richard Burt, director of applicants Eko Custom Homes, who said work was due to start straight away. 

The initial scheme involving the demolition of a redundant building proved controversial  and was the subject of protracted discussions between Eko and planning officers and attracted a number of objections, including one from Beverley Civic Society. Mr Burt said: “After many months of discussions and after making some significant amendments to the plans we submitted a scheme that responded to all earlier concerns and which attracted not a single objection from any of the statutory consultees.”

He continued: “While we welcome the committee’s decision it has come at a price. We appreciate that this site, a remnant of Beverley’s former horse-racing community, is a sensitive location, but for this relatively small application to take four months to determine is unacceptable.And he went on: “The Council is repeatedly failing to hit its deadlines in determining planning applications and these delays add thousands of pounds to even the smallest scheme as well as holding back investment and job creation.

“Eko Custom Homes and other developers have walked away from some excellent potential development sites that would have benefited local communities and the local economy, including Beverley, but the time delays and barriers we so often face is becoming a major issue for the construction industry across the East Riding,” Mr Burt said.

TRAIN operators Northern, who serve Beverley, is introducing a ban on all e-scooters, hoverboards and e-skateboards across its trains and stations. They say the ruling, which comes into effect tomorrow, is due to the potential fire risk posed by the lithium batteries in these devices, which can overheat and catch fire. Electric wheelchairs and e-bikes are exempt from the ban – as are mobility scooters for those with access needs, as long as they are registered with the train operator’s Mobility Scooter Permit Scheme.