A 15-YEAR blueprint for York’s future split opinion as firm plans for the city’s development were debated for the first time.

City of York Council’s cabinet is next week set to agree to consult the public on the authority’s draft Local Plan, including potential sites for 22,000 new homes by 2030.

Supporters say it is vital to solving York’s housing problems, but opponents claim new housing will ruin York’s green belt.

The council’s Local Plan Working Group (LPWG) meeting this week saw its vice-chair, Skelton, Rawcliffe and Clifton Without councillor Joe Watt, walk out after branding the document “an attack on rural areas”.

The plan proposes at least 1,090 homes a year on 62 sites, including a new 5,500-home village to the south of York, and covers areas such as transport schemes and business growth.

The LPWG agreed, on a majority vote, that the plan can be consulted upon subject to cabinet approval.

Liberal Democrat planning spokeswoman Coun Ann Reid claimed housing and job growth forecasts appeared “unrealistic” and the annual new homes rate seemed to be “plucked from nowhere”.

She said as much housing as possible should be focused on brownfield sites before green belt land was considered, saying: “Growth on this scale would radically alter York’s character and put a strain on infrastructure.”

Fishergate councillor Andy D’Agorne said details of why other potential housing sites were dismissed should be revealed, while Osbaldwick councillor Mark Warters said the plan would “destroy outer York residents’ quality of life”.

Council leader James Alexander said: “Even if we developed all the city’s brownfield sites to the hilt, we would not have enough homes to satisfy existing demand, let alone future generations – saying the plan is wrong without saying where we can build these homes does not stack up.”

LWPG chair Coun Dave Merrett said failing to quickly progress the plan would mean national planning policy deciding York’s development “with virtually no local influence”.

He said: “York has had under-provision of housing for many years, and we must build more homes to address what is, frankly, a housing crisis.”

Eamonn Keogh, representing York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and York Property Forum, welcomed the plan, but said that as the York Central site may take time to develop, other land must be identified to cater for firms wanting to move to the city.