ELVINGTON Parish Council has hit out at the city council's plans for their village after three meetings saw hundreds turn out to oppose proposals.

The parish council has issued a statement setting out its opposition to two travellers sites, a residential development, and two industrial sites all included in the "Further Sites" consultation document for the draft Local Plan.

They are objecting to the five sites - some of which would be "strategic sites" to be developed straight away, and others which would be safeguarded for future development - on the grounds they are disproportionately large and would cause major problems to a small rural village like Elvington.

The parish council statement said: "This Local Plan, as it stands, fails to reflect the wishes of an overwhelming majority of the local community and should be withdrawn for further consideration."

The council's consultation of Further Sites to be added to the draft local plan ends next week with the final date for submissions on Wednesday, July 16.

Now action group Keep Elvington Rural! is calling on the council to extend the consultation period beyond Wednesday, as they say many residents and businesses in the village did not know about the plans or the deadline for responses.

The group is to host a 'drop-in' at Elvington Car Boot sale between 9am and 12.30pm on Sunday to give people more information.

Opposition also been voiced on plans for Earswick and Woodthorpe, and land near the Designer Outlet.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is opposing housing plans for Moor Lane, Woodthorpe, which is says could threaten the fragile ecosystem of nearby Askham Bog nature reserve.

Now the Trust has produced a video talking about the damage a nearby housing development could cause, and urging people to submit their objections to the consultation.

Fulford Community Orchard has also objected to possible developments near its site - on land south of the Designer Outlet.

The community group is concerned about the harm the proposed transport or employment use for the agricultural greenbelt land, which forms part of a local wildlife corridor could do, as well as the proposal to make the Designer Outlet land priority for leisure rather than retail use.

In Earswick, a public exhibition was held on Monday about proposals for a large housing development on land east of the village.

Now MP Julian Sturdy and councillor Paul Doughty have added their voices to objections to the scheme. Cllr Doughty said he was unhappy that the proposed development, for up to 1,500 homes on current greenbelt land, has been presented as a "fait accompli" and would overwhelm the village of 360 houses.

The council is to run a further consultation on the Local Plan in the autumn giving people chance to comment on the whole draft plan before it is scrutinised by a government planning inspector.