Homes scheme under attack

2:55pm Saturday 1st December 2007

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PLANS to build a 5,500 home eco-town near York have been branded "completely inappropriate" by Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh.

The Tory MP claimed the proposed development to the north of Clifton Moor would worsen traffic congestion on the outer ring road, and suggested the area was also at risk of flooding.

Ms McIntosh was responding to an exclusive story in The Press yesterday, which revealed that City of York Council had received notice of plans for the development of green belt land immediately north of Clifton Moor.

Council leader Steve Galloway told a meeting that a partnership of developers Hallam Land and CEG was believed to be behind a "covert" scheme to build the settlement in line with Government plans to step up the country's house-building programme.

Miss McIntosh said the development would fall in her constituency, and she would resist it because she had stood at the last election on a platform of opposition to building on green belt land.

She suggested that brownfield sites such as York Central and the doomed British Sugar factory should be developed instead. She said there was also a problem of flooding in the area, as had been demonstrated during the floods of Nove- mber 2000.

"It would also be a nightmare on the roads, including the outer ring road," she said. "I doubt if people at Clifton Moor would welcome it."

She said conflicting messages were coming out of Government over matters such as the construction of new homes in areas at risk of flooding.

York MP Hugh Bayley said that any proposals for a new eco-town would have to go through the local authority planning process, like any other development.

He said that the Government was looking to develop one environmentally-friendly town in each region in England, of between 5,000 and 20,000 people, and this scheme would be at the bottom end of this range.

He suggested that the York council should have discussions with neighbouring authorities at Leeds and Harrogate about the possibility of a new eco-town in the so-called golden triangle between the three communities, where houses prices were being pushed up by increased demand.

Hallam Land and CEG yesterday declined to make any comment to The Press, but indicated they would do so next week.

We asked people in York what they thought of the scheme for new homes near Clifton Moor

• Helga Seabourne, 42, a housewife, of Strensall, said: "You have to ask if it is needed and if it's that sustainable, can't they spread them out more? And I do think that congestion is a huge problem in the area."

• Lee Graham, 28, a chef of Huntington, said: "York needs more housing but all major cities have traffic problems. Everyone needs homes and there is a decent public transport system so not everyone needs to drive."

• Samantha Anderson, 33, shop manager of South Bank, York, said: "Eco-homes are a brilliant idea - we need more ecologically-friendly homes. Congestion is a problem and the fact that it is a green belt is a problem."

• Helen Power, 31 of Huntington, said: "There isn't enough housing for York residents. Environmentally-friendly housing is a good thing and as for the congestion, everyone should walk!"