Category: News

We have been contacted by the producers of ‘The Man Who Captured Sunlight’ about their new play which is due to be performed for the first time in Harrogate this September. The play tells the story of the rise of inventor and engineer Samson Fox, who also served as Mayor of Harrogate from 1889-1892:

“For the first time, the remarkable story of one of the UK’s most meteoric inventors, Samson Fox, will be brought to dramatic life on stage by North of Watford on 23rd September 2022. There is a matinee and evening performance on 23^rd September 2022 at the Royal Hall in Harrogate. There will also be an audience Q&A with the Fox family (film commitments permitting), playwright, actors and director after the performance.”

Find more information or buy tickets here.

We have received a message from the organisers of the Roman Festival at Malton Museum, who are still on the lookout for more volunteers for the event. This could be a commitment of just 1 or 2 hours on the day or more if you are interested in getting involved further.

“The Roman Festival is nearly upon us, it’s only 3 weeks away. Thank you to those who have offered to help so far but we still need more volunteers. Please make a commitment to help out even if it’s just for a few hours, collar your family to join in too! It really will be a fun day for all concerned.”

If you are interested, there is more information on the Museum’s website and you can get in touch to show interest at [email protected].

Voice your Opinions on the Proposed Sites.

As many of you will be aware, Castle Howard have submitted several sites to Ryedale District Council as part of the Local Plan review. These sites, whilst only in the initial stages of the planning phase, could result in the development of 300 houses in Slingsby, almost doubling the size of the village.  It is really important that the Slingsby community and residents voice their opinions, even at this early stage. 

If the proposed sites went ahead, along with the 70+ houses already further along in the planning process (The Balk site and the Castle Farm and Heights Farm site), it would have a significant impact on Slingsby as a village. Some of these impacts may be negative but there is also an opportunity to identify some positive possible outcomes of such a considerable change to the village. Therefore, it is vital that as many people as possible have their say.

Sending a letter to the planning team at Ryedale District Council will help to get your message across and the more letters they get, the louder Slingsby’s voice will be heard, so please do put pen to paper!

It’s important that you make your comments individual and relevant to what you think, rather than everyone just sending in the same letter. Some topics that might be of particular interest to you and your family could include:

• Impact on existing amenities, such as school and sports club, play area and tennis courts which are much loved by the community and would not be as accessible or secure if located/re-located elsewhere
• Impact on existing infrastructures such as drains, wi-fi and roads, especially concerns about traffic, access points, pollution and impact on health; concerns about accidents on the B1257
• Impact on the immediate local environment, including heritage such as the castle and church but also wildlife, trees and plants
• Impact on flooding especially from new houses into the Beck and impact on Fryton, The Lawns and Railway Street or from any development on the other side of the B1257 on the entire village
• Alignment with the Slingsby Village Design Statement especially the protected views identified by the community: uninterrupted views between Slingsby and Fryton, especially E towards the three iconic buildings the castle, church and Old Rectory, and the view NE from the B1257 across fields to castle, church and Old Rectory.
• Impact on Slingsby as a whole, how would significant additional houses change Slingsby?
• The need for affordable or housing association homes for local families and youngsters
• The potential impact of additional second homes or holiday homes
• The need for additional amenities, such as shops, doctors’ surgeries etc if the above went ahead. 
• And any other impacts that are relevant to you. 

The full details of the proposed development sites here in Slingsby can be found here; https://www.slingsbyvillage.co.uk/news/review-of-the-ryedale-plan/ 

But in short, site 298 covers the playing field and the land west adjacent to the playing field [NB. This site was withdrawn and replaced by site 305 in late July 2022]. Sites 301A, 301B and 301C are the sites south of the village over the main road.

For further information visit www.ryedale.gov.uk/information/review-of-the-local-plan/our-consultations-on-the-plan-review/

And here is a link once again to the village design statement, including what people in Slingsby said mattered to them in 2016 (Appendix A).

Where to send your letter:

You can email your letter to [email protected] 

A good old-fashioned letter often adds a bit more weight.  The address is below but please reference the local plan and the Slingsby site numbers. 

Planning and Regulatory Services

Ryedale District Council

Ryedale House

Malton YO17 7HH

Alternatively, you could pop your letter in the postbox at the Slingsby Sports Club and mark it ‘RDC Planning’ and it will get hand delivered. 

At the moment, the exact timescales are a little vague but we are assuming the next stage of development meetings at RDC will take place in late summer, so the more letters we can get in by the end of July, the better!

Look out for more information about what Slingsby can do as a community to play our part in this potentially significant development in our village.

LATEST SITE SUBMISSION HERE [posted 29072022]