North Yorkshire Council has defended its planning department after it was found to have one of the worst records in the country for making decisions deemed unreasonable by the Planning Inspectorate.
Since 2019, inspectors ruled that the authority had made unreasonable decisions on 38 occasions — the second-highest number in the country, an investigation found.
The “unreasonable” ruling by the Planning Inspectorate is taken when it overturns a decision made by a council and awards costs to the appellant because an authority fails to follow planning policy, imposes unreasonable conditions, or it wastes time or money.
The investigation by Sky News found that only Cornwall Council had made more unreasonable decisions since 2019 than North Yorkshire.
Earlier this year, inspectors ruled against North Yorkshire Council after it rejected plans for up to 200 homes in Peasey Hills, Malton.
The inspector concluded:
“The council’s protracted catalogue of failings amounts to unreasonable behaviour that has caused the appellant unnecessary or wasted expense in respect of pursuing the appeal.”
Last year, the council’s actions were again deemed unreasonable when it refused listed building consent for a new access gate and drive at St Trinian’s Hall, in Richmond.
In response to the figures, North Yorkshire Council’s head of development management, Martin Grainger, said the authority would continue to support “positive development across the county, where appropriate”.
He added:
“This is evidenced by the number of positive decisions we have issued on planning applications, which exceeds the national average for similar English unitary authorities.
“The figures quoted in this report must be viewed in context. As the country’s largest geographical council, we handle more planning applications than most authorities.
“In 2024/25 alone, we made decisions on about 4,700 applications – compared with the national average of 1,365 for other English unitary authorities.
“Replicated over seven years, that level of demand would equate to more than 32,000 applications – meaning the ‘unreasonable decisions’ quoted represents just 0.1 per cent of all cases we deal with.”
Mr Grainger said the figures quoted spanned a seven-year period and pre-dated local government reorganisation and the launch of North Yorkshire Council in April 2023.
The investigation has been published as North Yorkshire Council comes under increasing pressure to meet government targets for new housing.
Senior councillors have criticised a target of around 4,200 new homes a year — up from 1,384 — which they say puts unprecedented pressure on rural land in the county.
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