DEVELOPERS are finally preparing to start work on one of York’s biggest housing schemes as an access road into the site nears completion.

Persimmon Homes Yorkshire hoped last April to start building 655 homes at Germany Beck, Fulford, by last summer, and then said in November that an access road to the A19 - essential for construction traffic - was due to be completed by this month.

Now a series of yellow traffic signs has gone up in the Fulford and Fishergate areas, displaying direction arrows and the message: “Germany Beck construction traffic.’

And on the A19, the outbound lane has been built up to the higher level of the access road, making it easier for it to be connected up to the main road and construction lorries to be allowed on to it.

Managing director Simon Usher told The Press that ‘good progress’ was being made with the main junction works, and the company expected these to be finished by early May at the latest.

He said the company, which is based just a short distance away in Fulford, will start building new homes on the site once the road is completed.

“Naturally after such a long gestation period we are very excited at the prospect of offering a wide range of affordable new homes for sale very soon,” he said.

The £120 million scheme includes 227 affordable homes, a £1.75 million contribution to sports facilities and a £2 million contribution to school facilities, and will lead to the creation of 120 construction jobs.

The project has been beset by lengthy 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.

The road junction works are intended to help prevent flooding of the A19 from the River Ouse, as happened in December 2015, by raising the road level.

However, the roadworks have been causing 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.