All affordable homes plan in York set to be rejected
The plans are set to be rejected by City of York Council.
Plans for a new development where all the homes are affordable is set to be rejected by City of York Council.
York Housing Association has applied to build 60 affordable homes on land off Boroughbridge Road, west of Trenchard Road.
Council planning officers say the scheme should be turned down because it is in the green belt.
But plans for 266 new homes on the former civil service site on the opposite side of the road has been allowed to go ahead.
That application, submitted by developer Miller Homes, is also on green belt land but planning officers recommended it be approved. But it was rejected by councillors in 2019 and the developer took the council to a planning appeal, where the decision was overturned by the Secretary of State.
The affordable homes scheme would see 12 new bungalows built, as well as four one-bedroom flats, 24 two bedroom homes and 20 three-bedroom houses.
And the council has received 85 letters objecting to the plans – with neighbours worried about traffic, the impact on the green belt and saying enough homes are being built elsewhere in the city.
They also say the homes will put extra pressure on school places and nearby GP surgeries.
But the developer says the lack of affordable homes in the city means the scheme should go ahead. They argue that delays to the Local Plan mean the green belt has not been confirmed.
A report says the council’s own projections found 2,865 new affordable homes needed to be built between 2014 and 2019. But only 462 affordable homes were built in that timeframe.
Planning officers say the application should be rejected, adding: “Whilst the provision of affordable housing, for which there is an identified shortfall in the city, is considered to be a substantial benefit of the scheme, the harm by reason of its inappropriateness cannot be justified by very special circumstances.”
“The main benefit of the scheme is housing provision, and specifically affordable housing. Whilst this benefit carries significant weight, due to local housing supply, it does not clearly outweigh the conflicts … relating to Green Belt policy.”
The application will be discussed at a live streamed council planning meeting on Thursday at 4.30pm.