Cllr Keith Orrell

Liberal Democrat councillors say plans to build over 100 houses on green belt land near Avon Drive in Huntington should be rejected. Residents are currently being formally consulted on an application by Pilcher Homes to construct 109 houses to the north of Avon Drive. The proposal is then due to be assessed by the council’s Planning Committee over the summer.

Use of the site for housing has twice before been rejected by council planning officers. This was over concerns that the land would be needed if the ring-road is dualled in the future while questions were also raised about air quality and noise, given the sites proximity to the A1237, as well as access to local schools. Officers concluded that the site was “unsuitable for residential development” and it was not included in the council’s Draft Local Plan.

Liberal Democrats started a petition against the latest proposal before the local elections and are now urging residents to object to the application. 

Cllr Keith Orrell, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Huntington and New Earswick, and a member of the Local Plan Working Group commented: 

“This site has twice before been rejected for housing and the latest plans should be rejected again. Residents are deeply concerned about the prospect of over 100 houses being built on this green belt land and I would urge them to have their say during the public consultation.

“There are currently two housing developments being built on brownfield land in Huntington. That is the right way to deliver houses rather than building on new green belt sites. This is particularly true in Huntington which has already taken its fair share of development with the Monks Cross expansion and the building of the new stadium.

“Unfortunately, the Avon Drive planning application sits outside of the Local Plan process and therefore can not be stopped by the new the Lib Dem and Conservative administration. It will be up to the cross-party Planning Committee to accept or reject this application following the public consultation.”

For more information on the Avon Drive application please go here (Reference Number: 15/00798/OUTM): https://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications//