Chaloners Road development plans revealed

Chaloners Road development layout click to enlarge

Chaloners Road development layout click to enlarge

The York Council’s controversial plan to develop the garage area on Chaloners Road has taken a step forward with layout plans having been published.

The plans show a 3 storey block containing 6 flats, plus two houses, on the site.

The main criticism of the Councils plan had been its impact on the availability of parking spaces in the area, increased traffic, the dominating effect that a 3 storey building would have and its impact on the adjacent Hoggs Pond nature area.

The plans show an allocated parking space for each new property with one visitor space. No measures to address the needs of drivers displaced from the garages have been announced.

On street parking space in the area is very limited. and the dropped kerb and layby provision programmes have both stalled recently.

The plans suggest that 8 mature trees will be felled. A significant amount of land is allocated as a “compost area”.

A planning application is expected to be submitted and determined in May. Residents will be able to object to the proposals and are permitted to address the Planning Committee before a decision is made.

Chaloners Road development plans click to enlarge

Chaloners Road development plans click to enlarge

Latest Planning applications Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward

Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe ward.

Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

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Location:       Kate’S Flowers Of Woodthorpe 55 Moorcroft Road York YO24 2RQ

Proposal:       Change of use from retail (use Class A1) to tea room (use Class A3) with tables and chairs to front pavement

Ref No: 14/00617/FUL

Applicant:      Mr Chris Wilcock     Consultation Expiry Date        5 May 2014 Case Officer:   Heather Fairy (Mon – Wed)       Expected Decision Level DEL

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Location:       1 Northfield Terrace York YO24 2HT

Proposal:       Change of use from residential dwelling (use class C3) to bed and breakfast (use class C1) with two storey rear extension

Ref No: 14/00753/FUL

Applicant:      Mr Paul Smith   Contact Mr Steve Mills  Consultation Expiry Date        5 May 2014 Case Officer:   Heather Fairy (Mon – Wed)       Expected Decision Level DEL

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Entrance to Acomb Wood footpath

Entrance to Acomb Wood footpath

Location:       Acomb Wood Acomb Wood Drive York

Proposal:       Siting of additional footpath from Ashbourne Way to Quaker Wood Pub and extension of existing path from Girvan Close to Lomond Ginnel

Ref No: 14/00790/GRG3

Applicant:      Mrs Jennifer Cairns     Consultation Expiry Date        5 May 2014 Case Officer:   Heather Fairy (Mon – Wed)       Expected Decision Level DEL

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Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.  http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

NB. The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received.

Solar farm planned for Knapton Moor

Solar Farm site click to enlarge

Solar Farm site click to enlarge

1.8 hectares of land off Wetherby Road (Site 772) could be turned into a solar farm.  The area of land is located near to Harewood Whin.

The Council report indicates what criteria have to be met by these farms which generate electricity from solar panels (similar in principle to those now found on many household roofs).

They are not as controversial as wind farms, being silent and relatively unobtrusive. Security at the sites is high though.

Similar sites are planned for Malton Road and Towthorpe

Housing building sites – more information released

Moor Lane developers option - click to enlarge

Moor Lane developers option – click to enlarge

The York Council has released more details of the assessments that it has made of requests by landowners for particular sites to be considered for development.

They include assessments for some sites, which were rejected, and are not being considered at its meetings on the 17th April  and 23rd April 2014

Council officials have reviewed development boundaries at several sites put forward last year.

Council officials have agree to reduce the area of land available for house building to the rear of St Leonards Hospice (site 247). This is aimed a preserving the views for patients. However officers continue to endorse building on the farm land to the rear of The Square. The housing site further down Tadcaster Road site 696) at the stables will not be increased in size.

Hospice/The Square site. Click to enlarge

Hospice/The Square site. Click to enlarge

A proposal by developers to more than double the size of the Moor Lane site (ref ST10) – itself highly controversial – has also been rejected by officials

They are relevant though in so far as they provide an indication of the landowner’s development aspirations. They are likely to reappear at the Public Inquiry later in the year when owners will try to have additional development land added to the Plan.

39 sites, including one off Askham Lane, were rejected because they failed to respect the natural environment; two were rejected because they were on open space, while 21 had poor transport links and/or access to services

Stables housing site on Tadcaster Road

Stables housing site on Tadcaster Road

The proposals included the land (site ref 220) on Wetherby Road – near Knapton – originally suggested as a “Showman’s Yard” site. Now the owners want to build housing there. Worryingly the reason given by the Council officials for opposing development is the “lack of public transport”. No mention is made of its green belt credentials.

26 sites failed a “technical evaluation”. These included land to the west of Chapelfields (ref 778) which was rejected on grounds of landscape value and potential archaeology.

Askham Bryan transhipment depot plan. Click to enlarge

Askham Bryan transhipment depot plan. Click to enlarge

There is a similar list of changes to sites proposed for Employment/Retail use.

These include a “freight transhipment” and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) site on land between the A1237 and Askham Bryan. Although currently well screened by trees, this is an elevated site which would be visible from several miles.

Officials also rule out the development of even more of the open space between Woodthorpe, Foxwood, Chapelfields and the ring roads (site 791) and the rest of Acomb Moor (site 792) although the partial development of the moor still remains part of the draft Plan.

959 housing sites missed from draft Local Plan

Green Belt campaign logo

Nearly two thirds, of the homes granted planning permission since Labours draft Local Plan was drawn up, have been for sites omitted from the Plan.

A total of 1831 new sites for homes have been agreed since October 2012.

This is in addition to the 3231 sites which already had planning permission.

That means developers could now erect 5062 homes in the City – a 6 year supply of land, based on average house building rates over the last decade.

Of the total new permissions granted, 1678 were for brownfield sites. The vast majority – including the former Press offices in Walmgate – were not identified for residential use when the draft Local Plan was published 12 months ago.

The Council’s plans continue to under-estimate the supply of brownfield land. The plan should identify any site – of more that 0.2 ha in size – with potential for housing. The draft Plan failed to do so. The additional sites which will be considered on 17th April also fail to do so. The Council has said that it does not know how many additional homes could be accommodated on the new sites due to be considered on 17th April.

It is an important issue as the Council has not made any allowance for “windfall” sites in its calculation of the total build requirement for the next 15 years.

Nor has it identified the potential for conversion of existing commercial property with some very large opportunities – such as Ryedale House, Stonebow and Hillary House – excluded from the calculations.

Promised conversions, of the upper floors of shopping premises, have also been excluded.

A full list of the permissions granted can be downloaded from here

The figures are likely to be of considerable significance when the Local Plan reaches the Examination in Public Inquiry stage.

The make up of the Draft local Plan base numbers is as follows:

The Local Plan Preferred Options was based on a position at 1st October 2012. The total number of residential net outstanding consents (commitments) at that date was 3,231 dwellings. This is detailed in Chapter 10 of the LPPO document (Housing Growth and Distribution). The table below splits this figure into site categories.

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Signpost replacement programme priority questioned

The York Council has announced that it is to employ consultants to recommend a new design for “signposts” in York.

Signpost in York

The Council has refused to reveal how much the design work will cost or , indeed, how much changing all York’s signposts would cost.

The Council has been increasingly criticised for neglecting sub-urban shopping and residential areas while ploughing millions into cosmetic improvements to a limited number of city centre streets.

It also faces a potential financial crisis in the wake of the Lendal Bridge/Coppergate affair with many commentators expecting that that Council will be forced to repay the £2 million in fines that it unlawfully imposed..

The Council’s media release says,

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Labour announce plans to build on more Green Belt Land

Click to enlarge Boroughbridge Road

Click to enlarge Boroughbridge Road

It has become clear which additional sections of Green Belt land are now under threat from Labours expansion plans.

They announced a year ago that they wanted to increase the size of the City by 25% over the next 15 years.

Now they want to go even further and have identified additional stretches of green belt land that could be developed.

This despite a number of “windfall” opportunities emerging over the last year which has seen planning permission granted in York for around 1500 additional homes on brownfield (previously developed) land.

Click to enlarge A1237

Click to enlarge A1237


No community is safe from the expansion plans although the Boroughbridge Road (Acomb Ward) and Poppleton (Rural West) area fare particularly badly.

A whole series of residential developments will see virtually all the land lying between the existing built up area in east Acomb and the A1237 developed.

There will also be a huge expansion of the Northminster Business Park on the other side of the A1237. The garden centre site may also be developed.

click to enlarge Boroughbridge Road

click to enlarge Boroughbridge Road

Other communities facing additional development include

  • New Earswick,
  • Escrick,
  • Heworth Without,
  • Fulford,
  • Elvington,
  • Designer Centre (expansion and new Park and Ride location),
  • British Sugar site,
  • Osbaldwick,
  • Haxby,
  • Huntington,
    • Click to enlarge Manor school

    Click to enlarge Manor school

  • Clifton Moor,
  • Winthorpe new town,
  • Dunnington,
  • Wheldrake,
  • Copmanthorpe,
  • Knapton Moor (new solar energy site),
  • Towthorpe (ditto),
  • University (further expansion),
  • Wigginton Road (Park and Ride site),
  • Askham Bryan (compressed natural gas depot and Freight Transhipment centre)

click to enlarge Boroughbridge Road

click to enlarge Boroughbridge Road


Details can be downloaded by clicking here

Breaking News – York Council abandons Traveller and Showman’s site proposals

 

The York Council is withdrawing its proposals to establish traveller sites at Dunnington and on Malton Road.

The Council is, therefore, still looking for sites for 59 pitches.

It has also confirmed that it will not allocate land on Wetherby Road (near Knapton) for use as a Travelling Showman’s Site.

It is still looking for a suitable Showman’s site but has reduced the requirement to 8 plots of which two would be accommodated by expanding an existing site at Elvington.

Details of the changes can be read by clicking here (Para 8)

Concerns still remain for the sites in question as their inclusion for development, in the first Draft of the Local Plan, has brought into question whether they will be retained in the formal “Green Belt” when it is adopted.

Tea rooms plan for Woodthorpe shops

Woodthorpe shops

Woodthorpe shops

Latest Planning applications Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward

Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe ward.

Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

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Location:       Kate’S Flowers Of Woodthorpe 55 Moorcroft Road York YO24 2RQ

Proposal:       Change of use from retail (use Class A1) to tea room (use Class A3) with tables and chairs to front pavement

Ref No: 14/00617/FUL

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Location:       6 Weddall Close York YO24 1EG

Proposal:       Bay window to front

Ref No: 14/00714/FUL

Applicant:      Mrs Alison Wynne        Contact Howard Berry    Consultation Expiry Date        28 April 2014Case Officer:   Sandra Duffill  Expected Decision Level DEL

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Location:       112 Chaloners Road York YO24 2TG

Proposal:       Single storey front and side extension

Ref No: 14/00768/FUL

Applicant:      Mr Steven Irving     Contact M T S Architectural Services    Consultation Expiry Date        28 April 2014Case Officer:   Carolyn Howarth Expected Decision Level DEL

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Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.  http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

NB. The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received.