A REVISED masterplan has been drawn up for York’s British Sugar site, paving the way for one of the city’s biggest ever housing developments.

The company says its proposals continue to provide for up to 1,100 new homes, community uses and public open space at the former sugar beet factory, which closed in 2007 after 80 years in operation.

Neil Jones, partner at town planning firm Rapleys, said on Tuesday that British Sugar remained committed to the sustainable regeneration of the site off Boroughbridge Road to provide much-needed family housing for York.

However, he did not say whether there would be any further delay in starting construction work, beyond the target date of 2020 announced last summer.

Mr Jones said: “British Sugar has submitted to City of York Council an updated masterplan and parameter plans and associated supporting documentation in relation to the current planning applications for the site.

“The updates reflect matters raised in discussions and consultation with the council, local residents and local business owners.”

He said the company would continue to work closely with the council and local interested groups to progress the applications.

“It is British Sugar’s intention to secure the necessary permissions as soon as possible to enable the new family homes to be delivered on site,” he added.

York Press:

The Press revealed last summer that there would be a three-year decontamination battle before work could start on construction.

The land has lain largely empty and derelict since the factory was demolished in 2008. Back in 2013, the then council leader James Alexander hoped building work could start by autumn 2014, but the company revealed last summer that even if the scheme won planning permission by early this year - as it hoped- construction work was not likely to start until early 2020.

It said proper site preparation, remediation and infrastructure works would be needed on the 42 hectare site before any houses could be built.

A spokesman said then that British Sugar intended to start work on site as soon as possible, once permission was granted, and the remediation works were provisionally timetabled for early 2017.

He said British Sugar had recently met with senior council officers to present amendments to the masterplan which addressed feedback received from both officers and the public, and it would work with officers to present planning applications at the earliest opportunity.

Senior councillor Ian Cllr Gillies said last summer he understood the land would have to be turned over and then left for a year for any gases to escape, and the process repeated for another year.

He said this partially explained why the decontamination process would take so long.