Agenda item

Considered - the report of the Assistant Director Planning – Community Development Services setting out the options which had been considered in progressing the Selby District Local Plan and setting out the recommendation to undertake a further consultation on a revised Regulation 19 Publication Local Plan.

The report highlighted the following:

• The four options which had been considered for progressing the Local Plan for the former Selby district area based on recent Counsel advice and making a recommendation to undertake a six-week consultation on a revised Publication Local Plan (PLP).
• The revised plan removed the proposed new settlement known as Heronby, added three further site allocations, including revisions to policies in response to comments raised as part of the previous consultation stage and any changes required following the publication of the revised National Planning Policy Framework in December 2023.
• A consultation on the Publication Local Plan took place between August and October 2022. In total 409 individual responses were received to the consultation, with 202 in relation to a new settlement proposal at Heronby.
• The majority of responses to the Heronby New Settlement proposal were objections based on adverse traffic impact on the A19 and the wider local highway network, impact on the ancient woodland, impact on climate change, the loss of agricultural land and development of greenfield land. Concerns were also raised about the lack of access to employment opportunities and assertions that new housing should be sited in the more affordable areas of the district. City of York Council (CYC) raised concerns based on the highway modelling undertaken stating that the duty to cooperate had not been fulfilled, National Highways had raised concerns in relation to the A19/A64 trip rates, internalisation rates within the site and phasing of infrastructure improvements.
• As a result, legal advice was sought from Counsel on the options available to the Council in relation to the Selby Local Plan in the light of objections which had been made to proposals for a new settlement.

The four options considered were:

Ø  Option 1: Proceed to submission of the Plan in its current form with inclusion of   Heronby

Ø  Option 2: Proceed to submission of the Plan in its current form but on the basis that NYC would propose the removal of Heronby as a Main Modification

Ø  Option 3: Undertake further Consultation on an amended PLP which does not include Heronby

Ø  Option 4 Not proceed with further work on the Selby Local Plan and instead to address the need through NYC’s own Local Plan

• In order to progress the Local Plan with Heronby included as an allocation the City of York Council concerns on highways matters would need to be satisfactorily addressed.
• Further discussions had taken place and the views of both NYC and CYC highways were that they were unable to support the scheme based on the information that was currently available. This did not mean that issues could not be adequately addressed in the longer term, however it was the view of officers that in order to make good progress on the Selby Local Plan that this site should be deleted.
• The Revised Publication Selby Local Plan, therefore, would remove the proposed New Settlement at Heronby but would add the following sites in response to additional information submitted through the previous consultation which demonstrated that they were deliverable;
• Land West of White House Farm, Low Eggborough Road, Eggborough (114 dwellings)
• White House Farm and Manor Farm, Hambleton (128 dwellings)
• Land North of A163, North Duffield (40 dwellings)

The inclusion of these additional sites ensured that the Local Plan provided sufficient land to meet the housing needs of the former Selby district area up to 2040.

Members highlighted the following in relation to the report:

• There was disappointment from some Members that the Heronby proposal was to be removed from the Plan as new settlements provide an appropriate strategy to ensure new development is planned along with infrastructure. A question was raised as to whether requirements could me met if the site is removed It was explained that there some sites had been added as technical issues had been addressed however a significant buffer built into the target, which also excluded windfalls. It was noted that ongoing objections from City of York Council, and concerns raised by Highways, had led to Heronby being removed from the Plan, enabling the wider Selby Local Plan to progress as soon as possible. The forthcoming North Yorkshire Local Plan, which would replace the various Development Plans, would give further consideration to the Heronby Proposals.
• A Member raised concerns that an objection by City of York Council could have such a major influence on a Local Plan in North Yorkshire and suggested that the Heronby proposal be returned to the proposed Plan as this provided a holistic approach to development in the Selby area. In response it was stated that legal advice, from Counsel, emphasised that it would be difficult for the Heronby proposal to be re-instated while the objection remained, which would result in a further delay in the progression of the Plan, which would lead to difficulties in maintain control of speculative development in the Selby area.
• It was noted that work had commenced on the North Yorkshire Plan, with a Call for Sites taking place shortly, therefore the work on Heronby would continue in relation to this. The removal at this time was being proposed so as not to unduly delay the progression of the Selby Local Plan.
• Members emphasised the urgent need for housing development to ensure that local people could remain in their local areas and considered that the removal of Heronby did not support that.
• The timescales for the North Yorkshire Plan were outlined with an expected adoption date of 2028. Members noted that further consultation on the Heronby proposal would further delay the Selby Local Plan but considered that it was unlikely that anything would change in terms of including the scheme in the North Yorkshire Plan, and that it would be better to negotiate and reconsult at this stage rather than push it back into the consultation stage for the North Yorkshire Plan.
• During the discussion it was noted that the details held for other Districts would be taken account of during the development of the overarching North Yorkshire Plan, but it would require the resubmission of those details.
• A Member highlighted the details outlined in the Selby Local Plan in relation to additional residential development at Hambleton, North Duffield and Eggborough. He suggested that infrastructure and facilities were required to assist these new developments, in those locations, as those currently in those areas were in danger of being overwhelmed. He stated that careful thought was required of these locations being sustainable as the fall-out from removing Heronby and extending the local villages to provide the housing development could create problems for those areas. Other Members highlighted their concerns regarding the extended development of existing villages and the impact of the existing residents and resources within those locations. It was suggested that new settlements were more able to develop the necessary infrastructure and facilities as part of their development, rather than tagging new development onto existing areas. It was also more appropriate for issues around Climate Change to be addressed through the development of a new settlement, as these could be built in, rather than try and retrofit existing properties.
• It was requested that greater clarity be provided in what was required from the Plan and how this was to be achieved in relation to Climate Change.
• A Member stated that he was totally opposed to the inclusion of Heronby as a development within any Local Plan, citing the current difficulties on the A19 which would only be exacerbated by the development of Heronby. He considered that the development of Heronby would only lead to further calls for a by-pass in that area. A Member suggested that input from National Highways was required in respect of the potential impact the development of Heronby would have on the A19 before this was further pursued.

Resolved

That the report be noted and the recommendation outlined within the report be submitted to the Executive, with the comments of the Committee and a recommendation for approval.

(This was voted against by one Member of the Committee due to the continued pursual of the Heronby development).