The Development

Development plans have been progressed and are about to be formally submitted to North Yorkshire Council to change the usage of Scorton Lakes to a large scale mixed holiday and retirement complex.

The last plans shared at a public meeting in 2022 included the building of more than 250 large holiday apartments / houses, a retirement residential complex and associated land and lakes based facilities, as well as a solar farm. Since then the developers have been refining their plans and progressing the Environmental Impact Assessment requirements stipulated by the North Yorks planning department.

The scheme is pitched as being the eco-friendly redevelopment of a disused quarry – we know that this absolutely misrepresents what will actually be the destruction of an established reserve where nature already thrives.

The scheme fundamentally disregards commitments given by local Council that once quarrying was completed, the area would be returned to a natural form and protected for the following 25 years (known as a Section 106 agreement).

A development of this size and nature will radically and negatively change the footprint and character of Scorton village forever.

There will be worsening congestion of local roads.

The construction activities will destroy the current established lakes flora and fauna – and it is hard to believe that they will ever recover to their current condition.

Construction activities will cause major disturbance and nuisance.

Once submitted the full formal planning application can be reviewed here on the North Yorkshire planning portal (add email address link).