British Sugar is inviting local residents to attend public exhibitions to discuss proposals for the redevelopment of the former British Sugar industrial site off Boroughbridge Road in York.

The events will take place on Thursday 28 November and Saturday 30 November and will provide residents with the opportunity to review the draft Masterplan options for the site and discuss the proposals with the project team.

City of York Council has consulted for a number of years on the future development of the site and has identified it in its Draft Local Plan for a residential-led development, which will deliver much-needed family homes.

However the Council’s Leadership is understood to be pressing for a large supermarket to be included in the development which could cause huge traffic pressures in the area while robbing the beleaguered Acomb shopping centre of vital footfall.

The exhibitions will be held at the former Manor School site, Low Poppleton Lane, York, YO26 6BB between 3pm and 7pm on Thursday 28 November and between 11am and 4pm on Saturday 30 November.

Site tours will also be offered to those attending the Saturday event.

Further information is available by calling 08448 425285. Following the exhibitions information will be uploaded to the website http://www.sugarredevelopmentyork.co.uk/.

David Mills, Head of Group Property at Associated British Foods (ABF), which owns British Sugar, said the site provides a huge opportunity for local people:
“The draft options we will be presenting include a range of new homes, transport improvements and more than 12 hectares of new public open space, which is equivalent to the size of Rowntree Park.
“We want to talk to local people to ensure that development brings this brownfield site back into beneficial use, delivering a high quality, sustainable development.

 

We are particularly keen to know what types of leisure space and facilities are preferred for this area. The ambition is to make this an attractive place where people will enjoy living and visiting, of which the community can be proud.”
A Community Forum, made up of local stakeholders and residents acting as liaisons between the developer and the local community, met last week to discuss the site.

 

This Forum, along with the public exhibitions, will ensure that local people have the opportunity to be actively involved in the master planning process.