A LEADING Green councillor has claimed that York’s Local Plan will not be viable without additional urgent work on the transport strategy.

The group’s leader in City of York Council, Andy D’Agorne, said the absence of a plan to link proposed new ‘garden villages’ to the urban area by high quality public transport - such as a high frequency tram or monorail - risked the whole plan being declared unsound by an inspector.

“The current transport modelling would condemn future generations to gridlock, pollution, social isolation and poorer health,” he said.

“Traffic modelling suggests at least 85 per cent of new occupants of ‘garden villages’ would be travelling daily by private car, resulting in peak time increases of 500 cars per hour on the A64 and as much as 300 extra vehicles on the A19 Fulford Road.

“Such levels make the whole concept unworkable – a rapid transit system is the only way such numbers of residents could realistically access the university, city and other workplaces such as Leeds with any degree of speed and efficiency.”

He said the Greens considered a new Elvington settlement might increase from 3,000 to 5,000 dwellings to support viable public transport.