YORK MP Rachael Maskell has joined a campaign to stop former school fields on the edge of York being built on.

The York Central MP was at a public meeting about Acomb Park - the former Manor School fields - and has added her voice to a campaign against housebuilding on the land.

City of York Council has included the fields in it latest draft of the Local Plan, saying the space could accommodate up to 100 homes built by the council and the Homes and Communities Agency.

Now Ms Maskell has joined Acomb Labour councillor Stuart Barnes and people who live nearby in fighting to see the fields to instead become open space for people who live nearby.

The MP said although her party recognised the need for more housing, especially affordable housing.

“Without it, we will continue to see many working people struggle to buy homes in York, and will see rents continue to rise, making life harder for people and making it more difficult for York to attract the key workers it needs such as nurses, teachers and social workers.

“Nevertheless, the British Sugar site in Acomb is already going to provide more than a thousand homes, and the area needs to preserve this green space for the benefit of residents.”

The meeting also heard about concerns for mature trees on the site, with Cllr Barnes telling people council bosses were refusing to formalise a Tree Protection Order (TPO) sparking fears for the future of the large trees along Boroughbridge Road.

However, City of York’s planning head Mike Slater has since said that as the trees are council owned and the authority has no plans to fell them, TPOs would be unnecessary.