Residents and organisations have had their say on draft planning documents which went out to a seven-week consultation period last year.

If approved, the documents could now apply guidelines for Wheldrake and Strensall with Towthorpe to ensure the special characters of the villages are preserved in the determination of future planning applications.

Produced by local steering groups, in conjunction with City of York Council and compliant with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the draft Village Design Statements (VDS) defines the special characters of Wheldrake and Strensall with Towthorpe. They also identify guidelines that could be applied to future developments, as a basis for ensuring that new development fits its surroundings.

Village Design Statements are supported by City of York Council as a means of fostering good design, appropriate to its local context and have so far been completed in Heslington, Copmanthorpe, Rufforth, Skelton, Holtby, Murton, Dunnington, Poppleton, Askham Bryan, Askham Richard and Knapton.

The proposals for each village will now go before the cross-party Local Plan Working Group on 29 January and subsequently require approval by the Local Planning Authority (City of York Council).

The Village Design Statements are a draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) to the emerging Local Plan. If approved, the plan will become a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.

For more information about the plan, visit: www.york.gov.uk/VDSconsultation

To read the responses and find out more about the report click