THE recent planning inspector’s report on the Durham county local plan must surely signal the death knell for York’s own plan.

Durham’s plan was criticised because “the objective assessment of housing needs is too high, because the council’s vision for a successful local economy incorporates unrealistic assumptions about jobs growth and associated in-migration”. This is exactly what York has done. The Durham plan was also criticised for unnecessary intrusion into the green belt, just as York proposes.

We know from leaked emails that in April 2013 the Labour Cabinet declined to lower the estimate of housing need in view of new population figures released in 2013.

The latest population figures suggest the housing need is now about another 100 lower still. It’s time this wretched document was consigned to the bin so the new council elected in May can start with a clean slate.

The money wasted in pursuing such a failed vision must be added to that wasted on Lendal Bridge, the Lowfield/Burnholme care home fiasco and the Grand Departy, among others.

Tony Fisher, Liberal Democrat candidate for Strensall ward, West End, Strensall, York.