Planning officials and senior councillors faced their first public questioning about the newest version of the contentious local plan proposals for York last night.

Campaigners, residents, developers and councillors all spoke at a local plan working group meeting at the city council's West Offices.

Representatives from Elvington spoke out against major development plans for their village, which they said could destroy its valued rural setting and represent an over concentration of new houses in the small area.

Tim Haward, chairman of Rufforth Parish Council, spoke out against the plans to put a 30 pitch travellers site on land near their village. The proposed site is close to land already considered, and rejected, for a travellers' site and Mr Haward said people in the village were unhappy to see a similar scheme back on the cards.

But Cllr Tracy Simpson Laing later urged people to remember that the council has a duty to provide Gypsy, Roma and traveller sites and if it does not do that a planning inspector could impose a site on the city, with no choice given.

Developers the Thirteen Group spoke about another controversial site at Earswick, and asked for a site they sponsor near the village to be available for development immediately, rather than set aside to be built on at a later date, saying they had addressed transport problems and had the plans "ready to go".

Meanwhile, Green party councillor Andy D'Agorne raised serious concerns over the publicised 5,000 reduction in house-building numbers.

He said the figure was exaggerated, with the real figure closer than 2,238, and questioned the calculations which produced the overall housing need figures.

Cllr Nigel Ayre added: "One thing that seems to be missing is any reflection of the consultation that has gone on."

But planning official Martin Grainger said housing need numbers were an attempt to link up housing growth and economic growth so the city operates on a sustainable way, adding that consultation responses had been taken into consideration.

Council officers also issued a stark warning about what York could face if it fails to produce a decent plan. Interim director of planning Sarah Tanburn said York has to work within the national planning laws and said putting forward a plan which does not stick to those rules risks losing a series of planning inquiries and putting much more land at risk of development.

Later, Ms Tanburn confirmed that every house in York would receive a leaflet about the final consultation on the local plan, set to start next month.

The meeting ended with political arguments with ruling Labour group's councillors who said their opponents would not support any proposals they made, while opposition councillors accused them of not making concessions or working towards a consensus. eventually the proposal to put the draft document forward to the cabinet for approval was passed on party ones with six votes for and five against.