The village of Huby is located within the picturesque district of Harrogate in Yorkshire, nestled in the heart of mainland UK. Huby is within the area known as the Yorkshire Dales which spans over 500sq miles, with the west and north forming part of the Pennine upland chain, which is renowned for the beauty and diversity of its landscape and wildlife. Huby’s convenient access to major UK motorways creates excellent connections to both London in the south and Edinburgh in the north, and for those needing to travel further afield, Leeds Bradford International airport is located a mere 15 minutes drive away. A short walk from the site is the train station of Weeton with connections to mainline rail links across the country.

Huby is ideally located within 30 minutes drive to York, Leeds and Bradford, three of the most thriving commercial cities in the north of England.

To the east is York, an industrial, commercial and transport centre, with a tradition of major companies in the fields of chocolate manufacturing, construction, engineering and scientific products. Today, there is substantial office employment in insurance, financial services, health care, telecommunications and the railway industry, while the tourism and retail industries are major economic sectors.

To the south is Leeds which, over the last ten years, has created the second highest number of employee jobs outside of London and between 2003 – 2008 12,600 employee jobs were created – the third largest increase amongst major cities and forecasts predict a further 28,700 jobs will be created over the next decade. It is the largest employer outside London for finance and business services and the second largest employer for manufacturing. Additional offerings include decadent dining, contemporary arts, vibrant nightlife, stylish shopping and has famously been dubbed the ‘Knightsbridge of the North’.

To the south west of Huby is Bradford which is fast becoming a flourishing and prosperous place where people want to live, work and study and is at the heart of the motorway network, equidistant between London and Edinburgh, Liverpool and Hull. Bradford’s economy is the third largest in the region and offers a workforce that is ambitious, well educated and skilled and has the benefit of the fastest growing working-age population of any major city in the UK.

A ten minute drive to the north will bring you to the thriving town centre of Harrogate. Harrogate has a rich cultural heritage that can be traced back to 500AD, far beyond the Roman occupation, and today this can be seen in its impressive historic buildings elegantly coupled with contemporary modern day architecture and amenities that now serve its flourishing community. Harrogate’s house prices are above the national average – and Huby’s prices are even higher still – and this is due to them being located in the heart of The Golden Triangle, which is a commonly used term for the largely affluent suburban areas in West and North Yorkshire in between Ilkley, Ripon and York.

Close to Harrogate are attractive villages and towns such as Ilkley, Huby and Wetherby – some of the most quintessentially “Yorkshire” places in the country – containing a mix of cottages, old farms and exceptionally high priced family accommodation. Harrogate boasts one of the lowest crime rates in the country and its grand boulevards and streets, lined with elegant boutiques and cosmopolitan cafes, also maintains a reputation of being an antique hotspot, where bargain hunters can be found on their quest to find Harrogate’s hidden little gems.

Due to its history and natural beauty, tourism has traditionally been the main contributor to Harrogate’s development over the decades, and now due to its central location and easy access, it has established itself as an important international resort, exhibition and conference centre, supported by a wide range of hotel accommodation within and around the town centre. Today this business attracts over 350,000 visitors per year, spending some £160 million and supporting around 5,000 jobs throughout the District.

Amongst Harrogate’s list of first class conference and exhibition centres is the Harrogate International Centre (HIC) which in 2009 invested £13 million in its own expansion project, which is due for completion in autumn 2011. The project will comprise of more flexible multi-purpose exhibition space spanning 3,300sq meters in the form of two new event halls and expanded public areas. The HIC currently spans 16,500sq meters and hosts around 150 events each year, attracting in excess of 290,000 visitors annually.

With its ease of access and excellent business facilities, recent years have seen a rise in numerous companies establishing new offices within Harrogate. These new tenants include the Royal Bank of Scotland, T-Mobile, Link, InTechnology, Engage Mutual Assurance, Sky Sports and a branch of the up market international estate agents Knight Frank. In testament to Knight Frank’s recently opened office in Harrogate they quote:

“Following the general election and emergency budget the summer of 2010 has seen an active market place with increasing numbers of properties coming to the market. Good houses that are sensibly priced are creating strong interest”.

Housing supply in the Yorkshire Dales will be based on the policies as laid down within the Yorkshire dales Development Framework 2010 – 2021 this is currently in draft form. This document states that the specific purpose of preparing a Housing Development Plan is to address the urgent social and economic priority of facilitating affordable housing. Increasing the supply of locally affordable housing is a priority.

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