UP to 1,000 extra homes could be built at York Central under suggested changes to York's draft Local Plan - and many hundreds more at sites near Elvington, Osbaldwick and Wigginton.

City of York Council officials are also suggesting that half a dozen sites which were previously rejected for housing in the Plan should be considered again, including one near Huntington where 1,575 homes could be built.

The dramatic hikes in the city's housing supply are being put forward as 'potential options' to tackle concerns that not enough new homes will be built under the plan to meet new Government calculations of the city's future housing needs.

A report to a meeting tomorrow of the Local Plan Working Group says that while the executive decided last July to go for a Plan target of 867 homes per annum, Government methodology to calculate housing need, published in November, suggested the housing target for York should be 1,070 per annum.

The report by head of strategic planning Martin Grainger and assistant director of planning Mike Slater says an increase in the supply of housing would place the council in a better position for defending the Plan through the examination process.

It says: "However, members will be aware of the counter arguments in particular the community responses to consultation. In addition in potentially increasing supply, members will also be mindful of the time required for achieving this more robust position in line with legislative requirements.

"An important issue to consider is whether changes can be made to the plan without undertaking additional consultation. This is a critical issue if the council is to meet the May 2018 deadline for submission."

The officers' suggestions include raising:

  • The number of homes in the huge York Central redevelopment site behind the railway station from the current plan for 1,500 homes to between 1,700 and 2,500 homes
  • The number of homes on land west of Elvington Lane by nearly 600 from 3,339 to 3,901
  • The number east of Metcalfe Lane at Osbaldwick from 845 to 975
  • The number west of Wigginton Road from 1,348 to 1,672.

They also suggest that sites that have in the past been assessed against site selection criteria and rejected, which should now be re-considered, include:

  • Land North of North Lane, Wheldrake - 88 dwellings
  • Land at Cherry Lane -18 dwellings
  • Land at Greystone Court, Haxby -34 dwellings 
  • Land North of Riverside Gardens Elvington -102 dwellings 
  • Racecourse stables off Tadcaster Road -98 dwellings 
  • Galtres Farm, Huntington- 1,575 dwellings

They also suggest 92 homes could be built at Kettlestring Lane, Clifton Moor, where none were planned before, but warned that if this was to be included in the next stage of the Plan, ‘the lack of consultation creates a risk to process and the examiner could require further consultation before the examination could proceed' (which) would mean that the May 2018 date for submission could not be met.’

The officers recommend working group members to request the council's executive to consider any potential changes to the draft Local Plan, based on the information included within the report.