PLANS to build 67 homes in York are set to be rejected by councillors.
City of York Council’s planning committee will consider proposals for the new homes in Avon Drive, Huntington, at a meeting on Thursday, but planners suggest they should be turned down because of the impact building work could have on the green belt.
The Pilcher Homes application for one to four bedroom homes and bungalows was scaled down from a rejected proposal of 109 homes earlier this year.
The main differences between the two applications include mainly building bungalows and longer gardens along the southern boundary with Avon Drive.
However, residents have raised concerns about the impact the new homes would have on school places at the nearby Huntington Primary School and Huntington Secondary School.
The developers argue the plans should not be rejected because the land should not be considered green belt.
They suggest the lack of a completed Local Plan in York means sections of the green belt have yet to be finalised, and at the same time, they say that York’s mounting housing crisis means the homes are desperately needed, and as their plans do not have an environmental impact, they should be approved.
A council report outlines why the plans have been recommended for rejection.
It reads: “It is considered that the proposal development of up to 67 houses and associated infrastructure constitutes inappropriate development in green belt as set out in section 9 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
“Inappropriate development is by definition harmful to the green belt.
“No ‘very special’ circumstances have been put forward by the applicant that would outweigh the harm, including the impact on the openness of the green belt and conflict with the purposes of including land within the green belt.”
York Outer MP Julian Sturdy has already spoken out against the plans and said he was “hopeful” the council would follow its previous decision and reject the plans.
Mr Sturdy has been joined in his disapproval of the plans by the area’s ward councillors, who have all set out their objections, along with Huntington Parish Council.
They believe the homes
will put unbearable strain on roads, schools and drains which are already under pressure.
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