CHILDREN will be the main winners under proposed new planning rules insisting that open space should be provided with all new homes in York.

Councillors have decided that even when single homes are being built, the builder or developer should still provide a sum of money to help upgrade existing open spaces in the area.

Until now, there has only been an obligation to provide such money or create a new open space with schemes involving more than ten homes.

A report to City of York Council's planning committee said councillors had been concerned for some time that existing open spaces had been put under greater strain through greater usage when single houses had been built.

John Roberts, assistant development manager, said in the report: "This has been particularly the case in villages, where the vast majority of new development has been for less than ten dwellings."

He said that under the new guidance, developments involving less than ten new homes would be expected to provide a "commuted sum payment," secured through the planning system, to upgrade existing spaces rather than provide a very small open space that is too small to function.

He said children's playgrounds should be within a five-minute walk, informal open space within a ten-minute walk and sports pitches within a 20-minute walk.

The amount payable by developers will depend on the size of the proposed homes. For example, with a one-bedroom dwelling, they would have to pay only £140 towards upgrading informal open amenity space and £215 towards outdoor sports pitches.

But with a four-bedroom home, the payments would rise to £860 towards upgrading sports pitches, £560 towards informal amenity open space and £2,070 towards equipment in a children's play area.

The proposals were greeted with dismay by Ron Wilson, regional director of the Federation of Master Builders, who claimed that they would push up prices and make it even harder for some people to get on the property ladder.

"The money will have to come from somewhere, and the obvious source is the end user," he said.

The committee decided to put the report, Open Space In New Developments: A Guide For Developers, out to public consultation this summer.

Consultees will include parish councils, Sport England, the National Playing Fields' Association and the York and North Yorkshire Playing Fields' Association, as well as ordinary members of the public.

The results of the consultation will be reported back to councillors in the autumn and any necessary changes made, before the policy is formally agreed.

Updated: 08:42 Tuesday, July 05, 2005