Planning in the Selby area.
This week sees further evidence of a lack of understanding in the Selby area by the Conservatives at North Yorkshire Council. The Selby Local Plan has progressed quite well and it was decided to continue with it and let it become part of the new Local Plan being devised by the new unitary North Yorkshire.
So far so good. It all goes off the ‘rails’ from then on. This week, after a discussion by the Executive at North Yorkshire, it has been decided to take a part of that plan off whilst continuing with it. That ‘part’ is the idea of a new village called Heronby which would eventually lead to a settlement of 4,000 houses over a considerable period of time. A settlement properly planned from the start (rather than a small village just having bits bolted on as and when developers want to build) with a good number of affordable homes for those on lower incomes.
Instead we will continue to have bits added on to all the current towns and villages with no likelihood of proper infrastructure. So the pressure on certain areas will continue, including Eggborough which could end up with an extra 1,500 houses.
Now let’s just get Eggborough into perspective here. We have a village which will turn into a town virtually the size of Tadcaster but with absolutely none of the facilities such as —bus station, 2 large car parks, good size town hall, Costa coffee, on a major bus route to the east coast, sports centre with swimming pool!!!
You have the Executive at North Yorkshire to thank for this and in particular a Councillor from —Scarborough 70 miles away.
It doesn’t end there. The Conservative Candidate for the Mayoral election is dead ‘keen’ on throwing what little budget he has to dual up the A64 to the coast from York. It only gets blocked up when folk are going to the coast in the summer, rest of the time its fine. But what the hell, it’s a vote winner apparently. Meanwhile the A19 which is clogged up EVERY DAM DAY OF THE WEEK, between Selby and York isn’t getting a ‘look in’. Make that a dual carriageway and you would please a whole world of people in the Selby area but hey ho.
We are and will remain the poor relatives of North Yorkshire. We have built more houses than other areas but no one is interested.