Holgate land sell-off row

12:27pm Monday 12th May 2008

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OPPOSITION councillors will today try to stop a slice of York land that is set aside for leisure provision from possibly being sold to make way for residential development.

City of York Council's approved capital programme shows the Balfour Street frontage of Back Park, in Holgate, as a possible sale site for housing after 2009.

City of York councillor Sonja Crisp, who represents Holgate ward, proposed at a budget meeting of the authority in February that the possible sale of the section of land be removed from the programme.

But Coun Crisp's proposal was defeated, and Labour councillors took the decision to "call-in" the authority's executive decision to designate the area of land as a possible sale site for housing after 2009.

Coun Crisp said: "The calling-in procedure allows three or more councillors to refer a decision of the ruling party to a cross party meeting for further consideration. This mechanism is used sparingly, but in this case we felt the executive had not taken the correct decision to remove the site from the saleable capital list, nor had it halted the investigation into the legal title on the land."

Coun David Scott, leader of the Labour Group on the council, said: "The setting of Back Park is such that any removal of open space can be considered wholly inappropriate. Residents value what little space they have and to sell it for further development is insensitive not only to their wishes, but to common sense urban planning policy."

The issue was due to be discussed at a meeting of the authority's scrutiny management committee (calling in) today. Outgoing council leader Coun Steve Galloway said: "The Balfour Street frontage site is not even scheduled for consideration before 2009.

"The executive have asked officers to review all council land holdings in the Leeman Road area and this will of course include consideration of any restrictive covenants which may prevent an improvement scheme being implemented."