Flats-building shows 65 per cent increase in a year

City of York Council planning chiefs say that the number of flats built in the city over the last year has increased by 65 per cent.

Nursing homes, social clubs, pubs, filling stations and hotels across the city have all been gobbled up by developers and turned into flats.

The situation shows no sign of slowing down as hundreds more developments are awaiting planning approval.

These include:

50 apartments at the rear of Dixons Yard, off Walmgate

23 apartments at the former petrol station in Main Street, Fulford

18 flats in Gale Lane, Acomb

24 flats at the former nursing home, Burton Croft, in Burton Stone Lane.

Cliff Carruthers, City of York Council's head of development control, said that the number of flats built in York rose from 167 in March 2002, to 276 in March, 2003 - an increase of more than 65 per cent.

Major developments in recent years have included a 228-apartment complex off Lawrence Street, and a major site in Leeman Road of more than 120 flats.

"It's the inevitable outcome of the need to make the best use of brownfield sites," Mr Carruthers said.

"There are government guidelines we're required to follow on developing them."

Developer Ian McAndrew, associate director of the S Harrison Group, said: "There is no sign of the boom abating, even though the trend may

be slowing in other areas.

"There has certainly been a tremendous demand for city living style developments in York.

"But there is a note of caution to sound here, though. The building of flats and apartments alone will not solve the city's housing issue. "Developers still need to have access to new brownfield and greenfield sites to build traditional homes for sale and for rent, and especially affordable family homes, if the community's housing need is to be met."

Don Parlabean, a former member of the council's planning committee, said: "There are too many flats in York. "I can't understand the obsession with cramming people in on top of each other."

In a flat spin!

YORK'S flats building frenzy is likely to get worse, industry experts predict.

The city has seen an explosion of flats being built in recent years and the number has increased by a massive 65 per cent since March.

Hundreds more are awaiting development subject to planning approval.

Developer John Reeves, managing director of the Helmsley Group, said apartments made the best and most intensive use of city centre brownfield space.

He said the flats boom had kept prices steadier elsewhere in the housing market because they freed other stock.

"There have been fundamental shifts in the way people live nowadays," he said. "People perceive city centre living as very attractive.

"I do believe we should also be going back to the more traditional style of housing because flats don't suit everybody, particularly families."

Kevin Hollinrake, managing director of Hunters Estates Agents, said city living in flats was "very much here to stay", providing the jobs market stayed buoyant.

"They are a very efficient use of space and good for York," he said.

"More people are staying single these days so want to live in smaller units."

But Liz Edge, a former leading member of the council's planning committee, said building more and more flats stored up trouble for York's future.

"It is draining the character that is the city's essence," she said.

Mrs Edge said she would like to see legislation to restrict the number of flats that could be built in a city, but conceded it was "unlikely to happen".

Darrell Buttery, chairman of York Civic Trust, said he feared scores of flats could be left standing empty if the property market dipped.

He said: "The developers try and keep ahead of the market by building a block (of flats), selling them quickly, then putting the next block up. When or if the (market) fall comes they (developers) will say they have lined their feather nests very nicely from the gold rush years seen in York."

Updated: 11:23 Monday, August 11, 2003