COUNCILLORS in North Yorkshire are making an ambitious multi-million pound bid for government funding in the hopes of transforming Selby.

Bids have gone in for £88 million from the Homes and Communities Agency, to pay for major infrastructure works on seven sites around the town.

Overseen by North Yorkshire County Council, the money would help bring more than 3,600 new homes to Selby by 2027, and unlock the long-awaited Olympia Park development.

County Cllr Andrew Lee, executive member for economic growth, said: “This is a deliberately ambitious bid and we believe this is a great opportunity for the town. The investment is needed to enable housing growth in line with Selby District Council’s Local Plan. This growth will be staggered, depending on the infrastructure investment and market conditions."

He added: “Selby is a great place to work, live, do business and raise a family, but there are parts of the town that can benefit from investment and that is what this bid is designed to address.”

The Olympia Park funding bid is the biggest, with the county council asking for £38 million for land remediation and a vital access road from the A63, with the potential for 1,000 new homes on the site.

A site on Cross Hills Lane is the next largest, with a bid for £24 million to pay for flood defences, a school and access for 1,500 new homes.

The other five sites - at Rigid Paper Mill, Bondgate, Barlby Road, Portholme Road, and Selby station gateway - are all asking for between £300,000 and £14 million for things like flood works, public transport, walking and cycling facilities, land remediation and access roads.

The bids - called the Selby Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) Forward Funding Expression of Interest - were jointly developed by the county council and Selby District Council.

A county council spokesman said they demonstrated the councils’ joint ambition for growth and their willingness to work together.

The bids’ overarching themes are connectivity and links between the town centre and railway station; flood mitigation; land remediation and decontamination; land assembly, urban regeneration and place making.

The Government launched the HIF in July this year to support “high impact” sites. Bids are currently being assessed by the Homes and Communities Agency.

Successful bids will be announced in early 2018 and will progress to stage two, which requires a business case by spring 2018. Final funding will be announced in summer 2018.