ONE of York’s biggest housing schemes should finally start by the spring after an access road into the site is connected to the highways network.

The new junction on the A19 at Fulford will allow Persimmon Homes Yorkshire to begin building 655 homes on land near Germany Beck, but it will also help prevent traffic chaos when the Ouse floods the key route into the city from the A64 and Selby.

However, the roadworks are set to cause more delays and disruption in the short term with contraflows and traffic lights even at peak periods, and local residents have previously warned that traffic from the new homes will worsen long-term congestion.

The £120 million housing scheme has been beset by delays and controversy, including claims taken to the High Court that the 1066 Battle of Fulford took place there prior to the Battle of Hastings and that the site should be protected from development.

Persimmon said in April that it hoped the project, which would create 120 construction jobs and include 227 affordable homes, a £1.75 million contribution to sports facilities and a £2 million contribution to school facilities, would start by August.

But now managing director Simon Usher has said it is still in the process of creating an access road to the A19, which was now due to be completed by February. “As per the planning permission agreed with City of York Council, work on the Germany Beck site cannot commence until the road has been connected,” he said.

“Initial roadworks will need to take place but every care will be taken to keep disruption to a minimum. Once completed, the new elevated road will lift the junction out of the flood plain, ultimately relieving traffic levels and reducing the risk of future road closures due to flooding.”

Tony Clarke, the council’s head of transport, said that if a flood affected the A19 over coming months, diversion routes could be put in place to avoid the area, including using both Tadcaster Road and Hull Road.

He said the access road work was planned to be completed in spring 2018, at which point it would raise the A19 above flood levels, adding: “Other flood defence measures are also planned to protect this area of the A19 to substantially reduce the risk of the route being closed by high river levels.”

He said the council was working with the developer to limit disruption during delivery of the scheme as far as possible, but inevitably there would be a short term impact in order to alleviate the problem for future generations.

He said: “No full road closures are currently planned but single lane working will be required at certain times, due to the width of the road available to undertake the works.

“Wherever possible, temporary signals will only be in operation during off peak periods but unfortunately this is not practical for certain activities such as the diversion of services.”

He said that to help minimise disruption, traffic would be diverted on to the widened access road area whilst works on the opposite side of the road were undertaken.

“This will minimise the delays but unfortunately there will inevitably be some disruption during the works, including periods with temporary traffic signals and single lane working particularly when connecting to the existing A19 north and south of the junction.”