Horton in Ribblesdale
Horton in Ribblesdale is a small village situated within the Craven district and Yorkshire Dales National Park and to the west of Pen Y Ghent. The village is served by the Settle-Carlisle Railway line with services to both Carlisle (West Coast mainline) and Skipton (East Coast mainline) and is also c. 7.5 miles from the A65 Skipton to Kendal road.
At the 2011 Census the population was 428 people in 211 households (2001 Census population – 498 people in 211 households).
Horton in Ribblesdale is the traditional starting and finishing point for the Three Peaks Walk and is popular for walking, caving and potholing. These attractions bring significant numbers of visitors to the village.
However, the village and its residents has recently lost significant amenities, including the closure of its Primary School in 2017 (due to falling school roll), Village Store and Post Office.
Craven District Council is acquiring a greenfield site of 945 square metres (c. 0.1ha), situated at the northern edge of Horton in Ribblesdale and are seeking proposals for this site. See Appendix Two – Horton Site Plan.
Craven District Council’s primary aspiration for the competition is the development of affordable housing units, which meet the functional needs of the prospective occupant. However, Craven District Council also wishes to use this competition to send out a strong statement both across their area and to other localities that affordable housing can be innovative, flexible and desirable.
Affordable Housing can often generate a real or perceived stigma due to the design and build standards used within schemes. Craven District Council wishes to challenge and change those perceptions via this competition.
A triangular greenfield site situated at the northern periphery of the village, bordered by the B6479 to the East and the Settle-Carlisle Railway to the West.
The site will be split in two with the western portion retained for market value housing development whilst the eastern portion will be used for the purposes of this competition.
The site is currently allocated in the Craven Local Plan for housing and is in the process of being acquired by Craven District Council who will develop affordable housing on the site utilising their own budget, supplemented by Homes England grant funding.
Craven District Council has initially been looking at developing 4 x affordable homes on the site (2 x 2-bed and 2 x 3-bed units).
To comply with Homes England funding requirements, entrants will need to take the following into consideration:
The homes will be offered to occupants on a shared ownership basis to first time buyers, i.e. Craven District Council will retain part ownership of each unit developed, which will reduce the price paid by prospective occupiers.
The definition of affordable housing means that prospective occupants must not have a household income in excess of £80,000 per annum and cannot afford to access housing on the open market.
The primary purpose of the competition for this site is to create an affordable housing product (incorporating the flexibility highlighted earlier in this document), that will help attract a younger generation to live within the village and help develop its economic and community strength.
Should you wish to submit an entry for more than one site please ensure you obtain a URN and Declaration Form for each entry.
