Plan to build 970 homes in £100m ‘extended village’ for York

Developers have revealed plans to build 970 new houses and a primary school on the edge of York.

National housebuilder Redrow has drawn up proposals for the north east of the city, near Huntington, on a site bounded by Monks Cross Link Road to the east and North Lane to the north.

The development would cost £100 million to build and take ten years to complete, at a rate of around 100 homes a year.

As well as the houses and school, there would be sports pitches, a play area and public open areas.

‘Vibrant village centre’

Redrow says the school and commercial, transport and sports facilities would be at the heart of the development, to form a vibrant village centre.

The site is within the Outer Ring Road has been deemed suitable for housing in various draft versions of York’s proposed Local Plan, so will likely prove less controversial in principle than a separate, larger plan north of the bypass, reported earlier this month in the York Press.

Redrow revealed its ideas for the site at two local consultation events earlier this month, and intends to submit a formal planning application to City of York Council early in the New Year.

Redrow said it was keen to “create a community that is not just another new development”. They say they will include affordable housing.

It says:

The extended village will have new community facilities to meet the needs of the future and existing residents, including a small local shop, primary school and public open space and playing fields.

It is expected that the primary school will be designed to a standard that facilitates wider public uses, to act as a community hub.

‘Respecting the landscape’

Elsewhere in the information they sent to YorkMix, Redrow says: “Monks Cross North will be a leading example of a high-quality sustainable community, through the creation of a place that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.

“The development will draw on the features of the site while respecting the landscape setting of the surrounding green belt.”

Huntington and New Earswick councillor Keith Orrell said: “Local councillors know this has long been in the Local Plan.

“When the Local Plan process finishes, we look forward to local people being consulted about the details.”

City of York Council has struggled for many years to complete an acceptable Local Plan, a landmark document meant to help determine the future development of the city.

The plan identifies which parts of the city are suitable for what sorts of development, and aims to project how many houses will be needed to accommodate the city’s growth.

Disputes between parties have seen repeated disagreements and rewrites, but the current administration now hopes to submit a plan to the Government by May 2018.