Plans for 380 homes at garden village refused

An application for up to 380 homes in a garden village has been refused after councillors said the quality of the plans was poor.

The properties near York were proposed as part of a site set to feature about 845 homes, but were turned down.

Committee chair Jonny Crawshaw said Taylor Wimpey's application for the homes off Stockton Lane in Heworth Without was not up to scratch.

He said: "I cannot emphasise enough how bad this application is and how poor the evidence base for it seems to be as well."

Planning officers recommended councillors reject the proposals because they did not stand out as a garden village or comply with development policies, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Heworth Without councillor Nigel Ayre said the developers had failed to properly plan infrastructure, community facilities and school places.

He said: "There's concerns about education with the nearest schools over an hour's walk away.

"The rush to get these plans submitted before December was not the correct approach.

"It's so important that we get a site with almost 850 homes that has the necessary infrastructure and community facilities."

Taylor Wimpey agent Jennie Hanbidge said they were blindsided by council planning officers' recommendation to block the plans and asked for more time to address the issues raised.

She said: "The developer is currently in deep and collaborative dialogue on highways, drainage and heritage, a decision to refuse the plans would be massively premature."

The outline plans were discussed at a meeting of York Council's Planning Committee A on Thursday, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The housebuilder's plans for their part of the site, which were lodged in December, include a 400 sq m (4,305 sq ft) community facility, with a suggestion that it could be used for child care.

A total of 27 objections were lodged against the plans claiming development would fuel congestion, lacked services for future residents and did not provide safe cycle routes.

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