Plan for 20 new homes and glamping pods at former mill in Harrogate district refused by North Yorkshire Council

The mill, which was used for chopping up logs for timber, was put up for sale in December 2017 after the former owner retired.

Yorkshire-based developer Milner Homes bought the site and had a vision to create a housing development that used part of the old mill, which sits on the banks of the River Nidd.

It said the glamping pods would “promote sustainable tourism and leisure whilst respecting the character of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”.

The application received 16 public comments with 15 objections and it also received objections from both Dacre and Harwith cum Winsley parish councils.

A structural survey of the mill found that some of the buildings are in poor condition and should be demolished but the main building could be retained with a new roof and first floor.

The developer proposed building five apartments in the converted mill and a further 15 homes on the site.

Planning document highlighted the fact that the scheme would bring a brownfield site back into use.

They said: “The proposals on the site are deliverable and represent development that is sustainable and will actively contribute to the vitality of the local area.”

But with strict planning rules inside the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, North Yorkshire Council refused the plans last week.

Assistant director of planning, Trevor Watson, wrote: “The proposal is considered to represent major development in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“No exceptional circumstances for the development have been demonstrated as required by Paragraph 177 of the NPPF and Policy GS6 of the Harrogate District Local Plan.

"The proposal will also have a significant, adverse landscape and visual effect upon the landscape and scenic beauty of the AONB.”

Mr Watson also said the developer had failed to prove that the site could not be still used for employment purposes and that the glamping pods require a rural location.

Milner Homes can appeal the decision.