OBJECTIONS have poured into the city council's planning department over a scheme to build more than 100 houses on land by the York ring road.

Neighbours are warning that the land in Huntington is waterlogged and prone to flooding, and have written to the council with fears that more homes in the area will see drains and roads, and facilities like schools and doctors, overwhelmed with demand.

Objectors are also angry that the field off Avon Drive could be built on, when the land has in the past been safeguarded for the time the A1237 is made into a dual carriageway.

York Outer MP Julian Sturdy met some of the worried neighbours at a the site earlier this week, and has submitted his own detailed objection to the plans.

The MP said he was particularly concerned to see planning agents arguing that the site should not be considered as green belt.

He said: “It was a real pleasure to meet with local residents and to discuss their very real concerns in detail. Despite whatever the planning agents may say, the land in question is greenbelt and to my mind, no exceptional circumstances have been displayed to warrant its approval. But even excluding the greenbelt issues, there are many reasons to refuse this application and I hope to see a strong rejection from the council in the coming months.”

Jane Rhodes is one of the neighbours concerned about the proposals. She said: "This land is a greenbelt site which is home to much wildlife and must be protected. There are many issues relating to drainage, access points, traffic and general road safety. Healthcare and education facilities, air quality, noise and light pollution are all concerns to residents which must be considered."

Concerns have also been raised by the ward councillors and Huntington's parish councillors, who have all spoken about the land's greenbelt status, and the chance that could be needed for ring road improvements in the future.

The agents behind the scheme, Signet Planning, it does not deserve to be treated as "greenbelt".

A council spokesman said that the application was under consideration, and it was not clear when it would be ready for a planning decision.