Liberal Democrats say that thousands of extra houses could be built on the Green Belt after new figures were released by Labour run York Council.
The housing figures are contained in papers published as part of the council’s 6 week ‘further sites’ consultation, which begins today. Labour was forced to include the housing figures after Lib Dem councillors ‘called-in’ the decision to start public consultation without the numbers.
Last year Labour’s Draft Local Plan earmarked 16,000 houses for York’s Green Belt. However, the new information shows that use of so-called ‘safeguarded land’ could increase that figure by thousands more. Safeguarded land is allocated to meet long-term development need and means land that is being removed from the Green Belt and earmarked for housing.Safeguarded sites at Earswick and next to a planned new settlement at Whinthorpe could see over 2,000 and over 4,000 houses built respectively.
Meanwhile, some Green Belt sites first identified last year will increase in size, including East of Metcalfe Lane and North of Haxby while new sites such as Stockton Lane, the Old School Playing Fields in New Earswick and off Boroughbridge Road would see hundreds more houses built if Labour’s proposals are agreed.
Cllr Keith Orrell, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Local Plan and Councillor for Huntington and New Earswick, commented:
“The figures confirm that Labour want to go even further with their plans to bulldoze over York’s Green Belt.
“The land at Earswick and south of Heslington is called ‘safeguarded’, but what this actually means is that it is being removed from the Green Belt and set aside for further development. Experience tells us that if a site is identified as potential housing land, developers could try to develop at any time.
“Meanwhile, plans for a housing site in New Earswick would result in the loss of the last green belt area in the village.
“Liberal Democrats believe that the council should be prioritising development on existing brownfield sites rather than offering up more and more Green Belt sites. Housing is needed, but the council should have a ‘brownfield first’ policy.”
The Lib Dems have also criticised the planned six-week public consultation, which they say is not doing enough to engage with residents after it was confirmed that leaflets will not be sent to every household.
Cllr Orrell commented:
“It is hugely disappointing to see that Labour is only running a very limited consultation on these proposals to use even more Green Belt land. Leaflets will not be sent to residents, even to those households who live next door to one of the proposed sites. Given the impact that some of these planned developments could have, that is unacceptable.”
Full details of the consultation can be found here: http://www.york.gov.uk/info/200396/planning_policy/428/planning_policy
Cllr Keith Orrell has been appointed as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on the Local Plan to lead the Lib Dem campaign to ‘Save York’s Green Belt’ and fight Labour’s Draft Local Plan.