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Harrogate MP raises concerns over 285 homes planned near Penny Pot Lane

Tom Gordon, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has raised concerns in Parliament about how a proposed housing development could affect security at the Army Foundation College.

Redrow Homes Yorkshire is seeking outline planning permission for up to 285 homes on farmland west of Oaker Bank, near Penny Pot Lane.

The site is directly east of the college.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday 12th November, Mr Gordon asked what steps the Ministry of Defence was taking with North Yorkshire Council and other government departments to protect sites such as the college.

Luke Pollard, the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said Harrogate played an important role for the armed forces.

He offered to arrange a meeting between Mr Gordon and the Minister for Veterans and People.

Mr Gordon said:

“The Army Foundation College is a relatively isolated site at the moment, and that matters for its security. Any plan to build hundreds of homes right next to it needs to be thought through very carefully.

"These latest plans come on top of an additional 1000 homes proposed for nearby. There are sites that are far more suitable than this one, which would limit the expansion of the AFC and pose security concerns.

“The Minister himself recognised that local communities care passionately about the security of these bases, and Harrogate is no different. The armed forces are a crucial part of our community here.

"I welcome the offer of a meeting, and I’ll be following this process every step of the way.”

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