New plans have been revealed for a garden village with 1,700 homes that could be built on the green belt in north York.
The vision for the Galtres Garden Village would see the large development built at North Lane, Huntington, about 0.6 miles north of Hopwood roundabout.
A proposal for the village was first put forward in 2017, by the Galtres Garden Village Development Company, “a consortium of local landowners and property consultants with local interests at heart”.
It met with significant opposition, with York Outer MP Julian Sturdy branding it foolhardy, and the then City of York Council leader at the time David Carr saying it would not be included in the local plan.
Now, though, the development company has submitted a scoping plan, giving more details of the garden village as part of a consultation process which would lead to a full application
It says the village would mean:
- 40% affordable homes for York residents
- A garden village, in a landscaped environment supporting wildlife and parkland
- A ‘Continuing Care Retirement Village’ with bungalows, apartments and care facilities
- A central village hub including shops, school and community facilities
- A commitment to low/zero carbon energy solutions and sustainable, greener, lifestyle.
The developers say: “Galtres Garden Village is a unique opportunity to address the significant shortfall of the housing that is needed in the City of York.
“It is unique in that it can deliver a viable and flexible solution, working with Home Housing to create a new community that embraces the needs of the elderly, key workers and working families wanting to live affordably in York.
“Galtres Garden Village is a critical project for the future of housing in the city to help ensure that locals who live in York can stay in York, whatever their circumstances.”
‘Opens access to countryside’
The area of the site is identified as green belt by City of York Council, and is currently under review as part of the creation of a new city Local Plan.
But rather than seeing it as development on the green belt, developers say it “opens access to natural country parkland and embraces health, wellbeing and harmonious living”.
“The scheme takes land which is currently closed and private making it open and accessible to all,” documents say.
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“It will create a new country park for the public, designed within the existing landscape of hedgerows and water courses. The new village will be out of sight from the nearby villages of Huntingdon and Earswick and stand separately as a new community sitting neatly in its own environment.”
According to the documents, Galtres Garden Village is being “promoted by a partnership of Galtres Garden Village Development Company (GGVDC) working with Home Housing. Members of GGVDC were responsible for the delivery of Monks Cross/Vanguard Shopping Park.”
Documents say:
The Galtres Garden Village Development Company is working hard to have its proposed development included in the revised Local Plan which is out for consultation.
We are inviting the council to participate in supporting the delivery of the village so that housing provision serves those that need it at affordable levels. The development will ultimately become a long-term asset to the City of York and its citizens.
You can read the documents here.
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