Agenda item

Feedback on planning consultation and an update on where we are. Sue Houghton, City of York Council, York Central Project Manager.

Richard Wood, Assistant Director for Strategic Planning and Transport, and Sue Houghton, York Northwest Project Manager, gave an update on the planned redevelopment of the Former British Sugar and Manor School site.

• The boundary of the area for development includes both the former British Sugar and the former Manor School sites.
• A master plan for the area is being prepared by consultants for Associated British Foods.
• After a master plan has been prepared, a planning application for the development will be submitted. The development is likely to be phased over 10 – 15 years. It is unlikely that development will start on site until at least 2012.
• The site will be developed mainly for housing and will include local shopping and community facilities. Around 1,200 new homes could be provided with a range of different types and sizes of houses, including family housing and affordable housing. The new development will also need to provide a range of open space, leisure and play facilities.
• Two processes are taking place at the moment. City of York Council is preparing a planning framework to guide and control the development of the area and ABF is producing a master plan for the redevelopment. 
• City of York Council is consulting local residents and will take all suggestions into consideration. 
• There are two existing access points to the former British sugar site, one on Millfield Lane and one on Plantation Drive. The existing access point to the former Manor School site is on Low Poppleton Lane. The scale of the proposed development means that there will need to be new access points to ensure that it is adequately served.
• An assessment will be made of the level of existing playing fields in the area and the demand for these areas by the local community. This assessment will be carried out as part of the master planning process by Associated British Foods, and will identify whether any of the existing playing fields should be kept.
• There is a presumption that existing trees and areas of landscape value will be retained within the new development. If it is proposed that any of these trees are to be removed, the developer will need to give clear justification for this and show that other options have been considered. In addition, new tree planting will need to be carried out as a part of the proposed development.
• The majority of the comments made on the consultation concerned issues of access, traffic, open space and trees, shopping facilities, community and leisure facilities, employment and affordable housing.

Next Steps:

• Report on the consultation in Summer 2011.
• The draft SPD will be revised following this consultation process in Autumn 2011.
• Residents will be invited by Associated British Foods to be involved in the master plan process. Residents who have responded to the consultation on the draft SPD will automatically be contacted.

Residents were given opportunity to raise questions.

Q         One of the proposed access route leads through my property

A         This is only draft plan and we will make sure that the access route will not be through your property.

Q         What is the timescale for the redevelopment?

A         The timescale is between 10 to 15 years, it is proposed that the start will be near the end of 2012.

Q         As there will be a requirement for anew school on the site will the former Manor School building be considered?

A         We do not expect that there will be a requirement for the provision of a secondary school on the site.  However there will be provision made for existing secondary schools to take include pupils from the development.

Q         Is the number of homes to be built on site a definite figure?

A         The figure of 1,291 new homes is the maximum capacity of the site. The final number may be lower, but not higher.

Q         Will Associated British Foods be involved in developing York Central site also?

A         They are not involved at this stage, but it’s a possibility that they will in the future.

Q         The northwest side of York is already struggling with traffic, this development will increase the number of cars so making the situation worse.

A         We aware of current traffic issues. Sustainability is key, encouraging use of public transport, cycling and walking.

Q         Will you provide rail link with the site, or tram train link?

A         Not at this stage, but we will future proof plans to make provision for future rail links in case  the possibility arises.

Q         How many residents is it expected will live in the 1291 houses?

A         There will be a high proportion of family houses, so approx. 3,000 – 3,500 residents.

Q         How many cars are these properties expected to own?

A         For 1,300 units we can broadly speak of 700 car trips in the peek hours.

Q            Footpaths are becoming an issue when they are divided for use between cyclists and pedestrians. They do not feel safe and comfortable especially for families walking together. Also the public transport has hugely eroded over past years,

A         The policy for public transport will be in force, it specifies that the frequency of buses should be 6 per hour for this size of site.

Q         ‘Principle 3’ on the leaflet, refers to new jobs and training opportunities. How will these be delivered?

A         It is expected that developer will work with City of York Council, York College and other organisations to identify the best ways of providing these.   Some apprenticeships and jobs could be provided during the development.