THREE new “garden villages” could be on the way for York, according to the city council’s latest version of a long-term city development plan.

More than 5,500 new homes could be built at the three sites, along with schools, shops, health and community facilities and new transport links.

The proposals appear in the Local Plan draft that was published for people to see and comment upon on Monday.

The biggest of the three sites is west of Elvington Lane, on land earlier versions of the plan earmarked for a new village called Whinthorpe.

Now proposals put 3,339 homes on that land, with 2,200 to be built in the next 15 years. The city council also revealed that while York missed out on large scale government funding for infrastructure on the site, it has been given £75,000 to start looking at the development.

Elsewhere in the city two other sites have been earmarked for “garden village” development. One on land east of Metcalfe Lane near Osbaldwick would contain 845 new homes while a larger site on land west of Wigginton Road and across the ring road from Clifton Moor would have 1,348 new homes.

Consultation documents published this week show council planning bosses want all three to be “exemplar sustainable communities”.

All three could house new primary schools and the Metcalfe Lane site could bring about a new secondary school once the population growth there is combined with an “urban extension” north of Monks Cross that could feature nearly 1,000 new homes.

The ideas have got the cautious backing of the York Environment Forum, which has previously called for bold thinking to tackle the need for new housing in York, and challenged planners to stop trying to offend the smallest number of people.

Whole new settlements, with their own communities and facilities, mean much needed new homes can be built without using up all spare land in the city centre and leading to more overcrowding in already densely populated areas, the forum said.

However, its chairman Phil Bixby warned that only the largest of the proposed “garden villages” appears big enough to be sustainable.

Anything with less than about 3,000 homes risks not being big enough to sustain things like transport links, schools and doctors' surgeries, and would instead become extended suburbs reliant on York.

The developers behind that site, Langwith Development Partnership Ltd, also want a bigger settlement and have said that by expanding the plan they could speed up the construction of both the new houses and a new A64 junction.

A spokesman said: “We are pleased with the principle of a new garden village being allocated here, and are keen to carry on working with the council to deliver a place of which York can be proud.

“We will continue to make our case to the council that a larger allocation would offer additional benefits. These might include earlier delivery of the new A64 junction, speeding up delivery of new homes and being able to support additional services for residents, meaning fewer car journeys into York.

“During our consultations on this site, we have been very encouraged by positive feedback from organisations such as Campaign to Protect Rural England, York Civic Trust, the York Environment Forum and Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

“We will continue to work with all stakeholders and the council to create a great place to live as the Local Plan progresses.”

Concerns do remain, however, and the planning documents acknowledge that for the Wigginton Road site transport issues will have to be tackled - especially once the cumulative impact of other big sites around the ring road have been taken into account.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has previously raised concerns about the Elvington site, because of its proximity to the Hesltington Tilmire - a site of special scientific interest.

The trust has said it cannot comment until its experts have read the new plan in detail, but previously it warned that the bird and plant life at the Tilmire would undoubtedly be hit by the arrival of a large population centre nearby.