PLANNING inspectors have raised 'significant concerns' about the number of new homes to be built under York’s Local Plan - but stopped short of rejecting it.

Two independent inspectors have been appointed to examine City of York Council’s plan, which will determine what gets built, and where, across the city over the next 15 years and beyond.

Cllr Keith Aspden, executive member with responsibility for the plan, said the inspectors will schedule a public examination later in the year.

“Neither the secretary of state or the inspectors have exercised their power to reject the plan, and we now eagerly anticipate the scheduling of an examination,” he said.

“We are looking forward to this vital next stage in delivering a Local Plan for the city which delivers the housing and jobs the city needs while protecting our green belt and local character.”

Council leader Ian Gillies said the plan provided a balanced approach which York needed to make sure the city was the best place to live and work for the next generation.

“We welcome this feedback and look forward to assisting and working with the Planning Inspectorate throughout this examination process," he said.

"We remain on target to securing a plan that will ensure that any development makes York an even better place to live."

A council spokeswoman said the planning inspectorate had given the council the opportunity to ‘provide further evidence to substantiate its position in relation to the need for further technical evidence, the need for growth and the protection of the green belt. The council is happy to engage with the Planning Inspectorate on these.”

The inspectors say in a letter to the council that as things presently stand, they have ‘significant concerns’ about the council’s stance on its OAN (assessed housing need.)

“The evidence necessary to demonstrate that the 867 dpa (dwellings per annum) figure used in the plan is properly justified is absent from the documents submitted so far,” they say.

“On the contrary, the evidence produced for and submitted by the council does rather more to suggest that the 867 dpa figure is not justified.” They say it ‘may prove challenging’ for the council to seek to justify the figure.

Deputy Labour Group Leader, Cllr Stuart Barnes, said: “Short of instructing the council to start again, and despite the Tory-Lib Dem coalition’s spin, the inspectors' initial conclusions couldn’t have been much more damning of their Local Plan.

“We’re extremely concerned and disappointed with the response the council has received. We have warned at every step that this plan would provide too few homes for York, and that it ignored independent expert advice.

“To make things worse, the inspectors say there is no clear indication of housing supply in the first five years of the plan, an essential requirement for a Local Plan to be sound. In addition, infrastructure plans are unclear, including planning for new school places which creates significant uncertainty for those planning where to send their children to school.

“Labour has been vindicated in the criticisms it made of the Local Plan, and Conservatives and Liberal Democrats now have a final chance to present a sound plan that provides for the needs of York’s key workers, families, young people, nurses, teachers, and care workers and begin to address the crippling housing crisis in the city.

“They need to ditch the political posturing and provide a Local Plan that stands up to examination. To do otherwise would be playing Russian roulette with taxpayers money as the risk of defending a useless Local Plan would be catastrophic."