The planning inspector has turned down an appeal which could have seen a large number of houses built on land near Moor Lane in Woodthorpe.
The plan had been refused by the York Planning Committee.
There were concerns that the development would have adversely impacted on the nearby Askham Bog nature reserve.
Today’s announcement of a plan to build on greenbelt land between Acomb and Poppleton highlights the problems that lockdown is bringing for the planning system in the City.
The Councils Local Plan never got beyond the preliminary stages of a hearing in public before restrictions caused proceedings to be suspended.
As so much of the Plan depends on – now impossibly unrealistic – assumptions about economic growth and the demand for extra housing that will bring not surprisingly some objectors are calling for a new plan to be developed.
But that would leave the City without a basis on which to judge individual applications for a period of 5 years or longer. It would also involve enormous cost which the taxpayer can ill afford. It isn’t even certain when revised ONS population figures could be published reflecting what is now called he “new normal”.
The “new normal” won’t be clear for at least a year.
Against that background, some developers are spotting the main chance and seeking to exploit the chaos in the planning system. Losing large chunks of the Green Belt to avarice would be a disaster for the City.
The Council only has itself to blame. They bounced their own Lowfields development – much of which is being built on playing fields – through the system before it could be subject to a proper public inquiry. The Council may, therefore, find it difficult to defend its position, if significant numbers of appeals are lodged against planning applications even if they have been rejected locally.
This also raises the issue of the role of the planning committee.
At least on “meeting” of the committee will be held later this month (21st May at 10.30am) to consider an application at the hospital. Many of its members will not be allowed to participate in what will be a “remote” meeting.
Instead what the Council terms a proportional sample will make decisions (Cllrs (Cullwick, Chair, Pavlovic, Vice Chair, Ayre, Hollyer, Perrett, Kilbane and D’Agorne). The “proportion is based on the relative strength of the political parties represented on the Council. However planning decisions should not be determined by party political priorities. Each application should be judged on its merits.
Several Conservative and Independent members are therefore being excluded from the process, ostensibly on the basis that the more who log in the greater the risk of technical failure.
It may be that the hospital application will prove to be uncontroversial. The only outstanding application is for the erection of vascular imaging unit on Wigginton Road. The application was submitted last August. The only significant issue appears to relate to drainage.
But there are other controversial proposals in the pipeline. The Acomb/Poppleton proposals may be the tip of the iceberg.
A more inclusive way of making decisions is required.
NB. We were sorry to learn of the passing recently of Rachel Macefield who was the lead planning officer for the Council on the York Local Plan. Our condolences to her family and friends.
The York Council is considering an application (click) to site a large, 20 metre high, telecoms mast on Burton Green.
The mast is 4 times higher than the nearby street light
The government have published proposals which could see significant changes in the way that homes are planned and delivered in York. click
The proposals include plans to make better use of brownfield (previously developed) land and a requirement for all local authorities to have an approved Local Plan.
One aspect, that has attracted local criticism, is the paragraph covering the introduction of “new rules to encourage building upwards, increasing density in line with local character and make the most of local infrastructure”. Permitted development rights (PDR) would be extended to allow residential blocks to be increased by up to two storeys. Some have claimed that this might affect views of The Minster. Indeed, it might, particularly if the proposals are applied to conservation areas and local PDRs have not already been restricted by the local Council.
That does need to be clarified before changes are published later in the year.
But the White Paper also includes some positive messages.
As well as plans to make better use of brownfield land, the paper says it will ensure land allocated for housing is built on. That will ring a bell with some who regularly walk past derelict sites like that next the Barbican. It has had planning permission for homes for over 5 years.
Many will also feel sympathy for the proposal to improve security for tenants by abolishing the use of ‘no fault evictions’. The papers says, “that tenants can put down roots in their communities and plan for their long-term future”.
Local amenity organisations will surely welcome proposals to revise the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to embed the principles of good design and placemaking – “this will make clear that high-quality buildings and places must be considered throughout the planning process”?
Another commitment is for urban tree planting and giving communities a greater opportunity to influence design standards in their area. “This will put tree lined streets at the centre of future plans, so that they become the norm not the exception”
The government plans to give local authorities the ability to ensure that new homes conform to “local residents’ ideas of beauty” through the planning system. “Using the National Model Design Code, we will set out clear parameters for promoting the design and style of homes and neighbourhoods local people want to see. We will ask local places to produce their own design guides and codes, informed by listening to local people and considering local context”.
There is more than a whiff of centralised control about the paper and, of course, the actual implementation of ideas often proves illusive.
The world and the City may in any event look very different in 6 months time.
But there is still something to be positive about in the White Paper
The planning committee yesterday approved plans which would see the former Council offices at Ashbank on Shipton Road converted into apartments.
Ashbank has been empty since 2013.
The news comes a few days before a report on empty property in the City is due to be discussed by the Council’s Executive.
It follows claims in 2018 that the City had a relatively large number of empty properties. At the time that seemed – given local land and property prices – unlikely but the Council agreed to review the issue. The review wasn’t aimed at bringing unused space (e.g. floors above shops) into use but rather focused on those properties where empty property tax relief was being claimed.
Last September the Council increased the Council Tax liability on long term empty homes to 300%.
National statistics confirm that York has the second lowest level of empty homes in the country (after Oxford).
The Council claims that it has helped to bring back in to use 45 long term empty properties, through advice and assistance, since April 2017.
An audit of properties shown as empty on the Council tax database found that 43% of those visited so far are either occupied or about to be occupied.
Only 150 (27%) of properties visited were found to be empty. Nearly half of these empty homes were undergoing refurbishment, currently up for sale or let or awaiting site redevelopment.
In only 10% of the cases (15 properties) the owner appeared to have no immediate plans to bring the property back in to use.
One unintended consequence of the audit may be that some owners, who have been claiming empty property tax relief, may find that they now receive a substantial bill.
The report pointedly fails to mention the Councils own housing stock. Leaving aside delays in re-letting Council houses, the list of empty properties owned by the Council – which includes some residential homes – clearly merits further investigation.
Whether the Council’s Executive will order a probe into their own performance will become clear at next Thursday’s meeting
Applications are starting to come in for new mobile phone masts in parts of York. They will support the new 5G network that is being rolled out.
We understand that many will involve the upgrade of existing equipment.
Only one case has so far been referred to the planning committee. It concerns a proposed mast to be located in Naburn Lane.
The application seeks permission for the replacement of an existing 11.7m high monopole telecommunications mast with a 20m high tower and associated cabinets.
The site is in the Green Belt. Officials are recommending approval at a meeting next week.
The application does, however, raise the broader issue of how many new masts may be required in the York area and crucially how high they might be.
Last year the government threatened to remove Councils powers to vet applications. They hoped that this would speed up the process of rolling out the new network
While the new masts could be twice as high as those provided for 4G coverage, the main impact is likely to be on rural areas.
At present little information has been made available to York residents. All we have are national background briefings.
A BBC article last year reacted to forecasts of hundreds of new masts being required.
We think that the Council should tell residents what to expect, where and when as the 5G revolution gathers pace
Council officials are recommending to a Planning committee meeting next week, that a flat in the Gale Farm Court sheltered accommodation building – which is provided for the use of elderly residents – be converted into a housing office.
Officials claim that it is the only “rent free” option available them in Acomb. Currently they rent a room at the Gateway Centre (and the Foxwood Community Centre).
Acomb lost its housing office about 8 years ago. That was a bad move, which prompted a divide between housing managers and the largest concentration of social tenants in the City.
It had been intended to provide a replacement as part of a “one stop shop” extension to the Acomb library but that project stalled. Land to the rear of the library had been purchased by the Council but has remained derelict for over 10 years.
Officials have promised to revive the Acomb Library plan as part of a £2 million refurbishment project. However senior managers ion the housing department say they can’t wait for that work to be competed
At a time when the largest number of people on the housing waiting list are those requiring one bedroomed accommodation, it seems illogical to take an existing home out of use.
The office could be in use 12 hours a day and it could prove to be a difficult neighbour for the several dozen elderly people who live on the site.
There is also a concern about car parking. Official calm that users will walk to the office but experience elsewhere suggests that this may not be the case.
Cllr Andrew Waller is the local Councillor leading the call for a rethink. He is right to do so.
There is empty property In the Front Street pedestrian area which could be rented until a permanent new location for a Council office can be found. Any increase in footfall in the main shopping area would be welcomed by both traders and residents.
Appropriating scarce residential accommodation is not the right solution for the Councils office problem.
The council has submitted its plans to create a new public park at the rear of the Castle Museum, a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Foss, commercial spaces for local independent traders, and 106 new apartments, including new council housing.
This is another major milestone in the delivery of the regeneration of the Castle Gateway. As well as bringing life to the old Castle Mills car park site and a place for growing York businesses on Piccadilly, the residential development would fund the construction of a new multi-storey car park on St George’s Field.
This parking would then allow Castle car park to close and be replaced by additional public space.
The Castle Mills plans would see two residential apartment blocks built, with the entire southern block of 20 apartments being new council housing. The northern block will include 86 flats ranging in size from 1 bed apartments to 2 bed duplexes. The ground floor of both apartment blocks will feature commercial spaces.
The council are taking a lead on environmental sustainability, with homes benefiting from renewable energy sources and the proposals providing a car free development with high level of cycle parking.
The proposals also include a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the river Foss linking up with the new pedestrian/cycle crossing over the inner ring and connecting up wider cycle routes to create safer and sustainable journeys in to and through the city centre.
The bridge will also link across to the area at the rear of the Castle Museum. This space, which is currently part of the museum grounds, will be opened to the public as a new riverside park, creating a place to relax in the shadow of the Castle Walls.
The proposals have been shaped and developed with stakeholders, partners and residents through the innovative My Castle Gateway public engagement project. The design will create new landmark riverside buildings for Piccadilly whilst generating the financial return to help pay for the regeneration proposals for the Castle Gateway.
The main features of the masterplan are:
After the planning application has been validated by the council’s planning team in the coming days, it will be available to view at www.york.gov.uk/planning under reference number 19/02415/FUL
Further information can be found on the My Castle Gateway project at www.york.gov.uk/CastleGatewayCastleMills
The York Council says that the next stage of it’s work with York residents to design the homes, streets and open spaces planned for the city is underway, and everyone is welcome to get involved.
The latest workshops will inform our architects of local priorities before they start work at the drawing boards, and are open to all residents to join in. The next phase of these engagement events will be for Ordnance Lane, Duncombe Barracks and Burnholme site.
David Mikhail, is the founding director of our architect Mikhail Riches and is the design director for the sites coming forward in City of York Council’s Housing Delivery Programme. He said: “Our design team and City of York Council are eager to learn from the people who live, work or study in the area.
“We believe in co-design and know that collaborating with people on our projects helps us to design and build a better place: a new place that belongs to the neighbourhood right from the start.”
Tom Brittain, assistant director of housing and safer communities, said: “The three-stage engagement events for the council-owned sites will be guided by our housing design manual (www.york.gov.uk/housingdesignmanual). We want to encourage as many people as possible to continue to support these sessions so that they can help create the homes and settings for them that they want to see.”
The event at Hospital Fields Road will be the first for this site and will start conversations between residents and our architects from Mikhail Riches. This will include asking residents about the area and what they want from the homes, streets and open spaces on the site, as has already been done for Duncombe Barracks and Burnholme.
The events at Duncombe Barracks and Burnholme will be detailed, one-day workshops, with lunch provided. At them, residents can hear the ideas and priorities voiced at the first workshops held in October. They can then create 3D models of how they’d like each site to look like.
The third events are scheduled for spring 2020 for the Duncombe Barracks and Burnholme sites. At these, plans of the proposals will be drawn up and feedback on them requested, as well as from on-line surveys, ahead of planning permission being submitted.
Everyone is welcome to these next meetings as we are very keen to hear your views. They will be:
For more information, please visit www.york.gov.uk/HousingDeliveryProgramme
According to sources within the York Council, the the Office for National Statistics new population projections published yesterday, may have major implications for York Local Plan assumptions.
. The new projections have substantially reduced population growth expectations.
The 2018-based population projections show growth over the next 10 years (2019-2029) is expected to be 31% lower than predicted four years ago in the 2014-based projections.
This equates to 1,270,000 persons and would have serious implications on housing need across the country.
Although of course the government decided to ignore this evidence last time around, and may do so again once these are translated into household projections.
The majority of growth (57%) over the next ten years is expected to in those aged over 75. This is an increase from 50% in the 2014-based projections. This will have implications on the type of housing being planned for as well a potential labour force deficit in the longer term.
The draft York Local Plan claims that nearly 1000 new homes a year would be needed over the next 20 years.
The figure is an exaggeration.
It increasingly looks like the figures agreed for the 2011 draft of the Local Plan (575 additional homes a year) were spot on.
In the meantime green spaces are being developed unnecessarily. There is plenty of brownfield land available to satisfy demand
Shocking that the Council hasn’t realised that its house building programme should concentrate on providing flats and bungalows aimed at older people.
In turn this would have freed up larger homes for families.
Sadly its probably too late now to be of any help on sites like Lowfields which is an ideal site for older residents being within walking distance of good local amenities. .
The new figures may also explain why some sites that are ready for development – for example the land adjacent to the Barbican – continue to be derelict.
The public examination of the draft York Plan starts in a few days time.
