Council considers 300-home 'garden village' plan

Plans for 314 homes near Huntington are set to go before councillors

Plans for more than 300 homes as part of a new "garden village" on the outskirts of York are set to go before councillors.

An application by Redrow Homes for the development near Huntington, about three miles (4.8km) north of the city centre, has been recommended for approval by council planning officers.

The developer said the plans were part of the wider Monks Cross Garden Village scheme, featuring almost 970 homes, as well as a new primary school, community hub and country park.

City of York Council officers will review the application on Thursday following approval of outline plans for the wider scheme in 2022.

The development comprises 10 one-bedroom, 83 two-bed, 127 three-bed and 86 four-bed homes. A further eight plots have been set aside for self-build homes.

No objections to the plans have been raised by council officers or external public bodies.

Plans state 94 of the 314 homes would be available at "affordable rates"

However, three councillors said calls for access from the Monks Cross Link Road had been ignored.

They said doubts remained about the need for a new primary school amid falling birth rates locally.

Huntington Parish Council also objected when plans for the homes were first lodged in 2023, stating that North Lane was unsuitable for the amount of traffic the development would generate.

Officials said 217 of the homes would be accessed from North Lane, with others approached from Monks Cross Link Road roundabout

Responding to objections to the scheme, council officers said talks with developers since the plans were lodged had resulted in 217 of the homes being served by access from North Lane.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service the remainder are set to be accessed from the northern roundabout on the Monks Cross Link Road.

Officers said expanding existing schools remained an option if it was deemed to be preferable to building a new facility.

Redrow Homes stated in its application that the wider development would feature its own shops and good walking, cycling and public transport links to Monks Cross Shopping Park and Huntington.

The developer said: "The aim is to deliver a new garden village development that acts as a sustainable urban extension to Huntington."

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