Liberal Democrat councillors are calling for an urgent update on controversial plans to build 22,000 houses in York.
Labour run City of York Council’s Draft Local Plan proposes building 22,000 houses over the next 15 years, including thousands on Green Belt land. Public consultation on the plan closed in July last year and over 14,000 responses were received – the vast majority in opposition to the proposals.
Green Belt land off Moor Lane still under threat
However, eight months after the consultation closed the full responses have still not been published and there has been no opportunity for councillors or residents to publically discuss the plan or the public reaction.
No dates for meetings have been included in the Council’s Forward Programme of decision dates (published this week) which covers all major issues scheduled to be considered during the forthcoming 4 months
Cllr Ann Reid, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Planning and Sustainability, commented:
“Thousands of residents took the time last summer to study the plans and respond to the consultation. It is ridiculous that eight months later these views have still not been fully published and the concerns raised have not been addressed.
“Labour should immediately publish these responses in full and organise a meeting of the council’s cross-party Local Plan Working Group. They need to give opposition councillors and residents the chance to discuss the issues and their concerns. Labour need to tell residents what is going on and publish a detailed timetable. At the moment residents are being kept in the dark and feel they are being ignored.
“The whole process is being shrouded in secrecy by Labour and in the meantime planning applications on the Green Belt, such as Becks Lane in Strensall, are being approved on an ad-hoc basis. We also know that the council is already talking to developers about building at other key Green Belt sites.”
At the meeting of York’s Full Council next week (Thursday 27th) Cllr Reid will ask the Labour Cabinet Member for Transport, Planning and Sustainability the following questions:
- When will a timetable of meetings be published at which residents can make representations on the (revised) Local Plan proposals?
- Why is it taking so long to publish – as promised – the written comments and objections which the Council received following its initial consultation on the Draft Local Plan last year?
- What is the proposed timetable for the preparation of the Local Plan up to, and beyond, the Examination in Public (Public Inquiry)?