A CONSULTATION process on a new £37 million access road into the York Central site has been given the green light by councillors.

City of York Council is considering three routes into the 72 hectare teardrop shaped development site behind York railway station, where up to 1,500 new homes are set to be built alongside 100,000 square metres of commercial space creating thousands of new jobs.

Three routes out of six have been judged to be “technically deliverable within the required timescale” of 2021: two from Water End and one from Holgate Road.

The next step will see consultation go ahead in August/September, with a decision on the route in October. That would be followed by a master plan consultation in November, then a planning application next March.

Speakers from various groups worried about the road going through their communities raised concerns about how they will be consulted at the authority’s Executive meeting, but they were reassured they would have a say. Councillors were in favour of the consultation process and Cllr Ian Gillies said this is a “major hurdle” in the York Central story and one which must be overcome.