RESIDENTS and councillors have raised concerns after a well-known nature site in York went up for sale.

Severus Hill in Holgate is due to be sold off by Auction House on October 25, with a guide price of £95,000.

Members of the Friends of Severus Hill Facebook group said they are worried that the site could be used for development if it is sold.

Speaking on the Facebook group's page, Holgate ward councillor Kallum Taylor said: "As ward councillors Jenny Kent, Lucy Steels-Walshaw and I are very much aware of residents' concerns and earlier campaigns, about protecting this environmentally valuable land - and still we share them.

"With this in mind, we are after a meeting with the right people at Yorkshire Water, the land owner, to discuss this and the available alternative possibilities outside of just selling it off."

Cllr Taylor said they will also welcome residents' ideas for helping to make it a community asset. To contact them, email holgate.councillors@york.gov.uk

"If this is of interest, we'd love to hear from you," he added.

Auction House, which is due to carry out the sale of the Severus Hill site later this month, said: "This former service reservoir and land is now rather overgrown but should be of interest to any developers and speculators looking for an opportunity they can add some real value to.

"At present the site does not have any planning permission and any interested parties are advised to do their own research in this regard.

"The land is accessed via a gated track to the North just off the A59 Poppleton Road and is located less than two miles to the west of York city centre with residential development to three sides."

The water tower in the area is not included in the sale.

Back in 2017, plans for 43 new homes at Severus Hill off Bouthwaite Drive were rejected due to the impact new properties would have on people already living in the area - as well as on views of York Minster, wildlife on the wooded hillside and road problems.

Dozens of local residents objected as they were unhappy about the prospect of building on such a small green space and other worries were raised by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust - as the land is an official Site of Interest for Nature.

Speaking at the time, one resident said he believed the development was "entirely inappropriate" for the site as he felt it would have a very negative impact on the daily lives of the local community and contravene his human rights by affecting his family and private life.

Meanwhile, another raised concerns that the buildings would increase the likelihood of flooding.