Members of the public may ask questions or make statements at this meeting if they have given notice to Elizabeth Jackson, Principal Democratic Services Officer, and supplied the text by midday on Thursday 9 July 2026, three working days before the day of the meeting. Each speaker should limit themselves to 3 minutes on any item. Members of the public who have given notice will be invited to speak:
· at this point in the meeting if their questions/statements relate to matters which are not otherwise on the Agenda (subject to an overall time limit of 30 minutes);
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Minutes:
There was one public question.
1.
Public Question from Whitby Community
Network CIC – read out by Andy Jefferson
NYC Housing - Joint Venture
Dear Councillors
I am writing to you on behalf of Whitby Community Network CIC and as the Chair of the Whitby Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, to highlight the above topic subject Point 8 on NYC’s Executive Agenda Meeting - Tuesday, 14 July 2026 where you are being asked to “Agree to the conditional disposal of Sandsend Road, Whitby”. The claim is that this joint venture is needed to “to accelerate delivery of good quality, environmentally sustainable homes and to increase affordable housing delivery and social value.”
Increasing Affordable housing delivery
The proposed agreement is only providing 30% as "affordable” housing. 30% "affordable” housing is the present requirement under the Local Plan for any housing developer, therefore how is this joint venture “increasing affordable housing delivery”? What benefit is being gained by the local taxpayers or the residents of Whitby? It has to be noted that the term “affordable housing” to many Whitby people is a misnomer, with average earnings resulting in such properties being still out of reach.
Meeting the Housing Needs of the area
This joint venture does not address the housing requirements in Whitby as identified by the independent Housing Needs Assessment [1] carried out for Whitby for the Neighbourhood Plan. This identified approximately 45% of housing as being used for holiday/second homes, with most new housing not affordable for local people. Rented accommodation for young families and essential local workers is urgently needed along with extra care/older people's accommodation. Whitby is the only Principal Service Centre in North Yorkshire without any extra care housing.
We also note in terms of density, the site is around 2.8ha giving an indicative number of 60 homes, yet Broomfield Phase 3 (Whitby Town Deal) is 1.6ha giving 49 homes – so providing a significantly lower density than obtained elsewhere. Does this mean the majority of the proposed (non-affordable) homes will be larger, and not of the type required in Whitby at this
Impact on leisure and health
We would also like to highlight to Councillors that this land was originally part of the golf course, with golf course land across the road being lost to coastal erosion and no plans are in place for ensuring this facility can be maintained. The current Local Plan states that for area HA22 “The development of this site will only be supported where it is demonstrated that it will contribute to the longer term future of the Golf Course whilst also allowing the retention of its 18-hole status through a suitable re configuration of the course”. This condition has seemingly not been met. Indeed, the Shoreline Management Plan 2 [2] stated “The Whitby Golf Club, situated between Whitby and Sandsend is an important recreational asset to the area.” The removal of a further leisure/health facility, together with the lack of green space already identified in Whitby appears not to have been considered by this Council.
We hope you will take these points into consideration when making your decision and we would be interested to hear why the Planning department think this joint venture will address the housing needs in Whitby and district, and in North Yorkshire as a whole.
Response of the Executive Member for Culture, Arts and Housing
It is important to clarify that the proposed joint venture arrangement does not override or supersede the adopted Local Plan. Any future development of the site would still be required to comply with all relevant Local Plan policies, including the specific requirements relating to site HA22. Matters such as housing mix, affordable housing provision, highway safety, environmental impacts, open space, biodiversity, drainage, and the future operation of the golf course would continue to be assessed through the statutory planning process. The purpose of the Joint Venture is not to circumvent planning policy, but to provide an additional mechanism through which new homes can be delivered across North Yorkshire. Any planning application brought forward by the Joint Venture would be subject to the same policy requirements, scrutiny, and decision-making processes as any other development proposal.
In relation to housing provision, the Joint Venture has a specific objective of increasing the supply of affordable and social rented homes across the county. The development of site HA22 in Whitby presents an opportunity to facilitate the delivery of new council-owned social rented homes, which are the most affordable form of housing available. These homes would provide accommodation for local people on local incomes and would, to my knowledge, be the first new social rented homes delivered in Whitby for more than 50 years. In addition, Brierley Homes is delivering 49 affordable homes at Broomfields Phase 3, and the Council is also exploring 100% affordable housing site on St Hilda’s/Rievaulx Road.
The Council recognises the housing challenges facing Whitby, including affordability pressures, the impact of second homes and holiday accommodation, and the need for housing that meets the requirements of local residents. The provision of new social rented homes through this development would make a direct contribution towards addressing those needs and would provide housing that remains available to local households in perpetuity.
The Council has also made clear that it is considering mechanisms to ensure that homes delivered through the joint venture, particularly in Whitby and other coastal communities, are used as primary residences rather than as second homes or holiday lets. Whether this is achieved through arrangements within the joint venture itself or through the planning process is still being considered, but the intention is clear: the homes are being delivered to meet local housing need and not to become short-term holiday accommodation.
With regard to affordable housing, any proposal would be expected to meet the requirements of Local Plan policy. Furthermore, the Council’s involvement through the Joint Venture creates opportunities to secure council owned affordable and social rented housing that might not otherwise be delivered through a conventional private-sector development. Concerns regarding highway safety, green space, and the future of the golf course would all need to be fully considered and supported by evidence as part of any future planning application. The Local Plan requirements relating to the retention of the golf course and the long-term viability of the facility remain in place and would need to be satisfactorily addressed before planning permission could be granted.