CAMPAIGNERS against the development of 70 new homes on playing fields will highlight the distance between the open spaces available to them by walking about four miles to the site.

Residents in Windmill Lane, off Hull Road, York, believe the fields, owned by York St John University, should not be used to build the houses because of the limited space for dog walkers and footballers to use nearby.

They will walk to pitches on Haxby Road, which have been offered to them as an alternative for community use, on Saturday, June 3.

York Press:

However, residents point to a Health England study which says any alternative green space should be no more than a 15 minutes walk away, but it would take them around an hour or longer to cover the distance on foot.

City of York Council’s Planning Committee has already deferred a decision on the homes after they were recommended for approval by officers, but campaigners are eager to do all they can to show their opposition. Yvonne Kilgallon, a resident on Windmill Lane, said: “This is about providing and protecting green spaces in the city and caring for the community.”

John Cossham, who is standing for the Green Party in the forthcoming Hull Road ward by-election, said: “Both routes to Haxby Road are more than an hour away and we don’t believe they can be called replacement facilities. The fields in Windmill Lane are not surplus to requirements. There are teams looking for somewhere to play and we think they should be kept for recreation and leisure.”

A spokeswoman for York St John University said: “Our application for outline planning permission is for the development of housing on an area of private land, and is currently due for consideration by the relevant planning committee in June.

“As a university in the heart of York, we are committed to serving the whole city and have invested significantly in high quality sports facilities at Haxby Road in order to meet the multiple needs of our students and the wider community.”