Hobson’s choice for councillors as city’s long-term planning vision faces delays

CITY COUNCILLORS face ‘Hobson’s choice’ over whether to agree a controversial long-term building plan for York, it has been claimed.

York’s long-delayed Local Plan is due to be submitted to a government inspector later this month.

This week councillors were warned that asking for any changes would lead to delays which would in turn mean a May 31 deadline would be missed, meaning central government bureaucrats would almost certainly then step in and take over.

Planning chief Mike Slater warned City of York’s Local Plan Working Group that such moves have already been taken in Castle Point, Thanet and Wirral council areas, and said planning law gives councillors a binary choice at this point – to submit the plan for inspection or not – and doesn’t leave room for alterations without significant delays.

Labour’s Fiona Derbyshire said this left members like her facing ‘Hobson’s choice’ of backing a plan they do not agree with, or letting Whitehall take over.

Her party colleague Coun Dafydd Williams said they “strongly supported” a Local Plan that would bring affordable housing sustainable growth, infrastructure and economic growth but “this plan isn’t it”.

The plan makes room for 20,000 new homes in York over the next 20 years, and has been drafted by the ruling Conservative and Lib Dem groups since they took over at the council in 2015. Lib Dem councillor Ann Reid added: “We will never have a plan in front of us that everyone agrees with.

“There will always be differences of opinion, and we as a council have to try and find a middle way and come up with a plan that will see York move forward and provide housing opportunities, employment opportunities and recreational opportunities for our residents. I think, at this time, this plan does that.”

The meeting also saw former Conservative council leader David Carr, now an independent, strongly criticise the proposals.