ONE of England's principal environmental watchdogs is strongly opposing three massive York developments, it emerged today.

English Heritage has lodged formal objections with the public inquiries into:

The 65-hectare expansion of the York University campus, which would create up to 4,500 extra university and Science City jobs, and attract an additional 5,000 students

The 540-home Derwenthorpe model village near Osbaldwick, proposed by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)

The 720-home Germany Beck development at Fulford, proposed by York-based builders Persimmon Homes.

It claims permission should not be granted for any of these schemes until the inner boundaries of York's Green Belt have been defined, warning that the historic city's special character and setting could otherwise be harmed.

It has also called for the Regional Assembly to carry out an overall assessment of York's capacity to accommodate further growth.

Ryedale MP John Greenway, who has claimed for years that the Derwenthorpe scheme is "premature", said today: "This is dynamite. It strengthens the arguments of those opposing these schemes, and places another obstacle in the path of those behind the schemes.

"The public has a right to expect that the whole Green Belt issue should be dealt with once and for all."

Mark Warters, a leading Derwenthorpe objector, claimed: "English Heritage has virtually kicked open the door of City of York Council's planning department and thrown a hand grenade in.

"This document potentially calls into question all this year's public inquiries.... there are some difficult questions to answer over how much development York can withstand without being harmed."

Richard Frost, chairman of Heslington Parish Council, which is vigorously opposing the university expansion, said he had been "surprised and delighted" by English Heritage's stance.

In its submission to the inquiry, English Heritage - the Government's principal advisor on the historic environment - says York is one of just a handful of English settlements where the Green Belt's primary purpose is to preserve the character of the historic city.

"Of those settlements, however, York is unique insofar as it is the only one whose precise Green Belt boundaries have yet to be formally defined in an adopted development plan....

"Granting permission for the development of these sites prejudices the definition of the inner Green Belt boundaries...This could, potentially, harm the special character and setting of the historic city."

The organisation says it has previously urged the council to carry out a "capacity study" to discover whether future growth can be accommodated in York, without prejudicing its special character or setting. "To date, no such assessment has been produced."

It claims the decision on Green Belt boundaries should be made through the Local Development Framework. "Incremental decisions on large development sites made outside the development plan process is not only against the underlying philosophy of the planning system as a whole, but it is also unlikely to be in the best interests of the proper planning of this historic city."

A University of York spokesman said today: "These matters will be addressed at the public inquiry," he added.

Ian Hessay, of Persimmon Homes, said he had not yet seen English Heritage's document and could not comment, other than to say he believed further development in the city's already fully developed historic core would be more damaging than on the periphery.

A spokesman for the JRF was unavailable for comment.

Council leader Steve Galloway today declined to comment, other than to say that English Heritage was just one of a series of organisations which would be making representations to the inquiries, for and against the schemes.

He said they would be independent inquiries, and the inspector would make the decisions based on the evidence heard.

Updated: 09:48 Wednesday, April 19, 2006