AP Cox (Letters, January 25) has misunderstood the planning situation on St Peter’s School and Pavers.
The decision to exclude the St Peter’s land from the green belt was not made by the council, but by the planning inspectors inspecting York’s Local Plan.
The council had included the land in the green belt in the draft Local Plan, but the inspectors recommended removing it. Ignoring recommendations by inspectors would risk the Local Plan being declared unsound.
The decision to refuse the Pavers application was made by councillors.
The Pavers land is in the green belt as defined by the Regional Spatial Strategy and the draft Local Plan.
Development in the green belt is contrary to national planning policy unless there are ‘very special circumstances’.
Councillors concluded these did not exist since there was a large supply of land for business use within 100 metres of the Pavers site which Pavers could use.
Cllr Tony Fisher, West End, Strensall
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