A SIGNIFICANT milestone on the path to one of the biggest city centre developments for "generations" has been passed.

Councillors have agreed a draft planning framework for developing the York Teardrop - a teardrop-shaped piece of land behind the railway station.

The document is the first stage in an application for planning permission and shows proposals for a modern business district with an office quarter, transport links and a bus interchange.

The council has said it would particularly welcome businesses in the biosciences, health care, information and communication technology fields and those linked to the Science City initiative.

Possible tourism and conference facilities could also be built, with plans to link the railway station and the National Railway Museum with the development.

Half of up to 3,000 homes in the proposal could be "affordable" for both ownership and renting.

The houses will be "pepper-potted" throughout the development.

Council leader Dave Merrett said the development was "probably the biggest that would take place in our lifetimes and perhaps for several generations".

He said: "We must ensure we get the development that meets York's needs and fits in with York and captures the essence of York as an historic city.

"The important thing is that everybody in York participates in consultation, understands it and makes their own judgement and responds so it can be for them.

"The resulting amendments give us a planning framework for this site that York residents want."

He said that an enormous amount of hard work had gone into preparing the complex planning brief.

Liberal Democrat planning spokesperson Ann Reid said the council had got through to the "next step."

She said: "We have a wonderful opportunity to get sustainable development in a really meaningful way."

The planning brief will now be used as a basis for public consultation, which is scheduled to begin later this month and continue for six weeks.

Work on the development, which would cost hundreds of millions of pounds and is expected to take up to 15 years to complete, is not expected to begin until 2005.

Updated: 12:09 Friday, November 01, 2002