HOW can York cope with an extra 40,000 people over the next 30 years, without becoming polluted and gridlocked?

That's the issue an online 'sustainable communities' workshop tomorrow night will be grappling with.

Organised by York Civic Trust, the 6.30pm workshop will bring 40 York people from all walks of life together with developers and council planning officials.

John Stevens, a member of the civic trust's Transport Advisory Group who has written a briefing note for the workshop, said the city's population was expected to grow by about 20 per cent (40,000 people) between now and 2050, as more and more people looked to move here for the 'good quality of life...great environment (and) social and cultural assets the city offers'.

But if York is to be able to cope with this number of extra people and at the same time prevent gridlock and meet its ambitious carbon reduction targets, there will need to be a 'complete re-think about how we design our new neighbourhoods and their associated transport systems', Mr Stevens said.

A whole raft of major new housing developments are proposed under York's draft local plan, Mr Stevens pointed out: including York Central (up to 2,500 homes), Metcalfe Lane, Osbaldwick (a 'garden village' of 845 homes), Clifton Gate to the west of Wigginton Road (another 'garden village' of 1,348 homes) and a 3,339-home 'garden village' at Elvington.

The workshop aims to look at how these new communities can be designed to be as self-sufficient as possible - through the inclusion of things like local shops and other facilities and proper public transport - so as to reduce the need for those living there to rely always on their car.

Prof Tony May, an expert on transport who heads up the civic trust's Transport Advisory Group, said the results of the workshop would be written up as a report to the council - and will also feed into any further discussions on the local plan and on the city's local transport plan, which is in the process of being revised.

"Many 'garden villages' simply end up becoming dormitories for larger towns and cities and are totally dominated by the car," Prof May said. "York cannot afford to develop its new communities in this way."

There are still a limited number of places available on the workshop. Find out more here