The council is increasingly being seen as a soft touch by developers looking to cut corners and flout planning conditions, according to its main opposition Labour Group.

Cuts to the Planning Enforcement department over many years mean developers know there’s a stronger chance that they will get away with ignoring planning conditions.  Concerns are now being raised that planning conditions may have been sidestepped on a development affecting residents in Heworth ward.

Opposition Labour Group Leader and Heworth ward councillor Claire Douglas explained:

“In Heworth Village, in a conservation area where some nearby properties are almost 200 years old, a developer has switched from the conditions stipulated in their original planning consent to using a different and more intrusive piling method, leading to excessive and sustained noise and vibration problems for residents over quite some distance from the site.

“The council appears to have no idea if this is likely to be causing damage to nearby historic properties, and only intervened to halt these works after I made representations on behalf of distraught local residents left shuddering in their own homes. 

“This is an appalling situation for residents to find themselves in, yet the council’s response was not nearly urgent enough.  In these situations, polite emails requesting compliance are not enough, it requires an immediate site visit and a ‘stop notice’ served.  Residents have spoken of whole homes shaking because the developer has a contractor using a piling method rather than the approved auger method to prepare the foundations.  This is totally unacceptable”. 

Leeds-based RHW Developments, which is responsible for the development of new homes on the former Chapman’s Garage site in Heworth Village, only sought retrospective permission to change the method from auger to concrete driven piles once noise and vibration problems led to council intervention.

The former method is described as ‘of low noise and virtually vibration free’, in stark contrast to the method being used.

Cllr Douglas said it’s crucial that the council considers the requested change of condition before any further piling works take place, and that guarantees are  provided to residents that future works won’t lead to any damage to their properties.