Work starts on Riverhead housing developments
Work has started on two small-scale housing schemes in Driffield, creating employment for up to 50 construction workers over the next few months.
Eight homes will be built on the site of the former highways depot in Riverside and adjacent to the new dental centre.
Six will be built by Geneva Holdings (Yorkshire) Limited and the remaining two by Montgomery Holdings (Yorkshire) Limited.
Montgomery Low, director of Montgomery Holdings (Yorkshire) Ltd, said the developments would complement each other and protect the character of the Driffield navigation heritage zone which is part of the town’s Conservation Area.
He added: “Both companies are keen to protect and enhance this part of Driffield and we are delighted to finally be on site but at the same time we have been dismayed at the amount of planning bureaucracy that almost forced us to scrap our plans for both sites.
“Development of unused brownfield sites is encouraged and supported by national and local planning policy but planning officers from East Riding of Yorkshire Council have taken almost a year to give these schemes delegated approval.
“We know the council receives a high number of planning applications every month but why has it taken so long for two relatively straightforward proposals, neither attracting any major objections, to pass through what seems to be a congested system?
“Small-scale developments such as these are extremely important to our smaller county towns such as Driffield by creating employment for local skilled and unskilled workers and more trade for the local supply chain.
“They also bring disused land back to life, as in this case, and provide much-needed housing in central areas close to shops, health services and local transport. It’s time the planning system was given a full overhaul, especially in the East Riding.”
Both companies are based in Beverley and say they are committed to identifying and regenerating other similar sites in Driffield and elsewhere in the East Riding.
