A FARMER with 30 years' experience of local government has accused the University of York of failing to honour its promises to residents.

David Pearcy has criticised bosses for not drawing up a development master plan, something they pledged to do during an inquiry into the expansion of accommodation at Holmefield Lane.

He is considering approaching the Ombudsman over a string of planning decisions for additional accommodation and facilities around Heslington that, he feels, unfairly favoured the university.

Mr Pearcy, who served on Heslington Parish Council for 25 years, said he fears the university was going to leave residents short changed as it raced to expand into the green belt.

He said: "University planning applications have always been piecemeal and their first master plan, which they outlived nine years ago, has never been replaced.

"The present campus has just become a jungle of hotchpotch buildings and I fear the university is going to get away with doing it again."

University bosses continue to develop radical plans that will transform up to 65 hectares of agricultural land into a 21st century campus extension with academic, social and commercial facilities.

Many villagers have complained that the ever-increasing number of students living among them are bringing levels of noise and disruption to a crisis point.

Mr Pearcy said that if the student population doubles in size to around 16,000, areas such as Heslington will have twice as many students as a comparable area in Leeds.

He said: "I don't think York can take so many students, because with the number of visitors plus the percentage of students the infrastructure will not cope.

A spokeswoman for the University of York said experts at the university were working to ensure their vision of the campus extension was successfully achieved.

She said consultation with Heslington and Badger Hill residents, as well as university staff and students, had enabled Heslington East master planners to identify key components for the development.

She added: "This exciting project is not just about the university. It will have enormous benefits for the city as well as providing first-class facilities for local people."

A council spokeswoman said: "Every planning application submitted by the university has to go through the due planning process, but we're always happy to co-operate with anyone wanting to take a planning issue to the Ombudsman, as an independent arbiter.

"Any development by the university has to fit in with both the council's local plan, which is currently being revised, along with the green belt review."

Updated: 09:43 Friday, April 18, 2003