Agenda item

Welcome and Introductions

Cllr Chris Steward welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced himself and Cllr Paul Healey. He gave apologies for Cllr Ian Gillies who was unable to attend.

Laura Smith, one of the ward’s  PCSO’s was invited to give an update to the meeting:

Crime is down by 4.6% on last year. There have been burglaries at Station Rise in Poppleton at the Business Park and a couple of attempted garage burglaries. There have been 2 reported incidences of Anti Social Behaviour in Copmanthorpe. Cllr C Steward thanked Laura for coming.

 

Have Your Say – Local Plan proposals

Cllr Steward explained that this was a meeting of the Residents Forum (previously Ward Committee) on the Local Plan proposals.

Since the announcement of the proposals the parish councils and local groups had been busy working on their responses. He explained as background that York is required to have a Local Plan and that it was how the City is meant to grow. However it is a key area for debate and has taken a long time to be produced. There are 3 areas of the Local Plan:

·        22,200 homes over 15 years (relevant to Rural West Ward: Rufforth/Poppleton/Copmanthorpe)

·        4 traveller sites (relevant to Rural West Ward: Knapton 20 pitches)

·        40 windfarms (relevant to Rural West ward: Copmanthorpe/Rufforth)

There was a call for sites to landowners who put in bids and regardless of whether they are suitable or not at this stage they have all been included for consultation. With regards to the proposals for the windfarm sites, this has been done by a computer generated search, rather than landowners.

We are now in the first consultation phase running between 5^th June – 31 July 2013. Various forms of consultation are available for residents to use eg petitions, consultation events, online etc The City of York Council will then consider the feedback and any new sites submitted. A new draft Local Plan will then be written and in another consultation will take place in early 2014. The Planning Inspector will then examine it.

Cllr Steward explained that whilst his party supported York having a Local Plan the scale of the proposals was not achievable.

Cllr Paul Healey then summarised the proposals which affect Copmanthorpe. For example the proposed area west of Manor Health dropping down to Moor Lane.  Approximately 600 new homes proposed therefore making it a 35-40% increase in the village.

Cllr Steward then summarised the proposals which affect Knapton, regarding a show people field bounded by the ring road with 20 pitches.

 

Cllr Steward invited questions from residents:

Question 1: what does affordable housing mean?

In response: Its CYC policy to have affordable housing so as part of any private house building development the company has to make a percentage of the houses more affordable. On greenbelt lands its 35% affordable, on brown belt its 25%.

Question 2: Copmanthorpe cannot take a further 600 houses. It would require another primary school, new road systems.

In response: We would agree that the scale is not absorbable.

Question 3: This is a slap in the face for people who haven’t got a job, that we are building homes for immigrants and supply them with a job.

In response: We should welcome people to the country and treat people respectfully. We don’t feel these proposals are however supportable and we would encourage you to write to your MP.

Question 4: Nothing has been discussed about the flooding at the bottom of Wilstrop Farm Road. The new proposals would remove ground which absorbs a lot of the water.

What provision is being made for older people?

In response: Flooding is the only criteria to stop it being put in the Local Plan but yes it is a potential problem.

We are giving out a sheet at the end of meeting which includes things like drainage. In response to the second question the Council is looking at the issue of housing for older people and we feel this is something that needs to be looked at by the whole city.

Question 5: The Local Plan predicts a York population increase from 197,000 to 227,000 by 2030 and building 22,000 additional houses. Why is it growing as there seems to be fewer jobs year on year. This will have a severe impact on Copmanthorpe. We ought to agree what is the optimum number of people we can support.

In response: There are some fundamental changes happening to the working population. Even if we were to grow 1,000 new jobs York could not replace with the same amount of jobs lost since 2008.

There are also more older people working now at 60/65. The city aims to get about 960 new jobs. we have a low wage economy and we need to bring in higher wage earners who buy homes. We want people who live in York to benefit from York jobs.

Cllr Steward explained that CYC had commissioned ARUP to produce a report which recommended that York needed 850 homes, based on the most optimistic of their projections, so why 1,400?

Question 6: Greenfield sites seem to be taking priority over Brownfield sites. There are plenty of Brownfield sites in York. Has there been a change in policy?

In response: there has to a degree been a change and the priority has lessened. The big sites will obviously bring in more money.

 

 

Question 7: What is the point of the consultation? Isn’t it a done deal?

In response: it’s important that you do feed in your views to the council. It also has to go through the Planning Inspector which is no walkover.

Question 8: Why have we allowed Askham Bryan College to concrete over greenbelt land?

In response: I don’t know the answer to that question other than to say that the college has purchased a lot of land recently. So i would suggest you write to them.

Question 9: Do you believe a Planning Enquiry will be held?

In response: It is not certain at this stage. However i would urge you to use the opportunity you have now to get your comments in by 31 July. The Planning Inspector stage is the last chance.

Question 10: You mentioned affordable housing and decreasing house prices from £300k to £200k. How is that going to affect those who currently live in a 4 bedroom house?

In response: If you live in an existing house you are not affected. Even if York built 22,000 homes it won’t affect house prices because it’s a desirable place to live.

Question 11: With all the activist groups being set up locally, petitions etc, is there anyway of consolidating all this as a whole?

In response: We want to get the greatest level of opposition from the broadest number of people. So use the different mechanisms available to have your say eg Knapton Action Group, Copmanthorpe Parish Council website, localplan@york.gov.uk, www.coppc.org.uk

Question 12: I’ve been a York resident for a long time and seen the industry decimated. Where’s the industry – if it comes back where will it be built?

In response: New jobs will come from new industries eg Biotech, I.T., tourism

 

Question 13: When the objections are finished why don’t CYC filter it a bit before going to the Planning Inspector?

In response: All the comments will go through, CYC does not analyse the responses.

Question 14: There are a lot of younger people who are apathetic about this. I spoke to neighbours who had no inkling of the Local Plan.

In response: I agree with that. I would encourage you to talk to your friends and neighbours and make them aware.

Question 15: I was concerned when talking to Council officers at the exhibition that they couldn’t answer about how they are going to manage the potential new infrastructure needed and that it will be down to the developers.

In response: From the Council’s perspective they are dealing in large blocks of land with no interest in the very local issues. So i would encourage you to put the detail of the issues down on the consultation return form.

Question 16: Julian Sturdy stated that 80% was rejected. What criteria was that 20% chosen from?

In response: I have an email that says that every single farmer will have submitted their land

Question 17: But at the exhibition no one could really say what the criteria was, why reject one field and not another?

In response: you are correct that is a critical issue. What is the CYC selection process?

Question 18: I believe that there is a document possible called Annexe 6(?) which referenced a scoring process.

In response: We will follow this up.

 

 

Question 19: using Brownfield land would make an excellent contribution. The largest site is next to the York railway station.

In response: The problem with this site is that it is bound by railway lines and therefore £20m would need to be spent on an access bridge.

Question 20: Has anyone thought about the far reaching aspects of expansion. The A64 already gets blocked, no one will be able to get to the coastal towns for the increased traffic.

In response: We don’t believe that this impact will have been considered.

 

Cllr Steward brought the meeting to a close by summarising that he’d hoped people felt that they’d been given enough information for them to take part in the consultation and closed the meeting at 8.50pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLLR CHRIS STEWARD, Chair