Agenda item

Martin Grainger from City of York Council’s City Strategy team introduced the new Local Development Framework (LDF) consultation.  Copies of the consultation document were available at the ward committee meeting and in the July 2009 issue of Your Ward.

7.1 This is a consultation exercise to gauge what people see as the key issues in York. It is to help develop a new development plan for the York area. Trying to make the future happen.

7.2 The current status is to give the project direction. 

7.3 There are lots of issues to be taken into account relating to lots of different areas including housing, employment, transport. 

7.4 The document deals with principles that affect every one who lives and works in York. Residents are encouraged to read and respond to the leaflet. An attempt has been made to deal with the big issues. The response from this consultation process will be used to build a plan that reflects the needs of York residents.

Residents asked the following questions

Q. Is the LDF a new name for the Local Structure Plan?

A. The response was given that in places this is the case.  The LDF is more about the future however, and is intended to be more capable of achieving results.

Q. What is the cost of the project from start to finish? This seems like the same thing we have seen many times already.

A. The response was given that these figures were not know at the present time. It was stated however that the process forces the Council to consider the needs of the city and its residents. Planning ahead can make a big difference and improve people’s lives.

Q. Some big projects have stalled, like the ‘Teardrop site’. How do we know that this won’t happen here? It is difficult to have faith in anything being delivered when no project has been successfully delivered by the Council in recent years.

A. The response was given that the best way to deliver on things like the Teardrop site is to build an overall strategy.

Q. Housing developments (i.e. the Sugarbeet site) have been badly carried out.

A. The response given was that even negative views are welcome. The point is to listen to what people think.

Q. It tends to be only older residents who attend ward committee meetings. What are you doing to engage with younger people?

A. The response was given that plans have been made to consult in schools and colleges in order to listen to the views of young people

Q. Surely transport improvements are a vital consideration?

A. The response given was that the benefit of the plan was that it gives a chance to look at what the city needs, including transport issues.  This consultation will help create a blueprint that forces developers to take into account the needs of  city residents.  People need to respond in order for us to be able to reflect their views.

Q. When will this be completed?

A. We will be submitting a document to the Secretary of state by the end of the year.

Q. There seems to have been no consideration of population change in this document.

A. The response was given that this issue had been considered but that putting that much hard data in the consultation leaflet would have made it too  long. Information is available through the council website or by emailing the City Strategy team.