A new bus depot has been approved for York’s green belt.
It will occupy a vacant site on Shipton Road in Rawcliffe. This has previously been used as a vehicle maintenance and storage area for York Pullman Bus Company.
City of York Council has now granted Transdev permission to turn it into a bus depot.
“The proposal is to use the existing main building for the storage and maintenance of buses, with the smaller building used as a facilities’ building, providing washing, changing, WC and canteen facilities for workers on the site,” planning documents state.
“The applicant, Transdev Blazefield, needs to re-locate from its current site within York, due to the local authority allocating the site for housing.
“Numerous sites were checked for suitability with only this one providing the required space and proximity to the bus routes it will serve. The proposed site easily allows for the change of use and space within it for the intended purpose as a bus depot.”
The site is on York’s Green Belt. The report says: “The site resides in the green belt and the proposal serves to re-use buildings on site that are of substantial construction, therefore resulting in no discernible harm to the openness of the green belt above what already exists on site.”
About 35 people will be employed at the site, and therefore it would support the local economy, City of York Council development management officer Alison Stockdale wrote in a report.
“The proposed bus depot use would be very similar in character to the existing vehicle maintenance yard and as such there is not considered to be any impact on openness or Green Belt purpose.”
The council has approved the plan with five conditions.
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