Selby District Council is consulting right now on a New Local Plan for growth in the district up to 2040.
The consultation ends on Friday 28th October.
Part of the plan - called STIL-D - is to build 3000 new homes, on a greenfield site west of the A19 south of the Escrick-Stillingfleet Road.
The proposed site for a new settlement is located to the south west of Escrick Village to the East of the Former Selby Mine.
The STIL-D housing development proposal is a major threat to precious ancient woodlands at Heron Wood and Moreby Wood
One ancient woodland - Heron Wood - is right in the centre of the proposed development site. A second ancient woodland - Moreby Wood - is just across the Escrick-Stillingfleet Road.
These ancient woodlands are delicate and irreplaceable ecosystems as well as beautiful. Public bridleways run through both woodlands so their beauty can be seen and shared by all.
If the development at STIL-D were to go ahead, major harm to the ancient woodlands Heron Wood and Moreby Wood cannot be avoided by "sensitive" housebuilding methods. It’s unavoidable that an ancient woodland in the middle of, or right next to, a large housing development will be seriously harmed.
The developer proposing STIL-D also owns Heron Wood. They are not going to speak up in its defence: that’s down to all of us!
How to object
Selby District Council is holding a six-week consultation on the proposed submission documents relating to the Selby District Local Plan, from Friday 26th August to 5pm on Friday 28th October 2022.
How do I make comments?
To submit your comments via the consultation portal (https://selby-consult.objective.co.uk/kse) you must first log in to the system. If you have not previously made comments via the consultation portal you will need to register.
Registering with the system is a two-step process; please make sure you have completed both parts of you may find you cannot log in. You must complete all name and address fields for your comments to be validated. You only need to register as an 'Agent' if you are a planning agent, that is a planning professional submitting comments on behalf of landowners and / or stakeholders.
If you need help with this process please use the Online Consultation Guide.
Once you are registered on the consultation portal you will be updated on progress as the Plan goes forward.
Alternative Ways of Submitting Comments
We encourage the use of Objective to submit representations on the Pre-Submission Publication Local Plan, but if you are having difficulties in using Objective, the representation (comment) form and guidance notes are available to download.
Please read the guidance notes before completing your comment form. Please return your completed comment form to the localplan@selby.gov.uk email or by post to: Planning Policy Team, Selby District Council, Civic Centre, Doncaster Road, Selby YO8 9FT.
Please note that the deadline for submitted representations is 5pm on Friday 28th October 2022.
If you have any queries please contact the Planning Policy Team at localplan@selby.gov.uk or call 01757 292134.
Ideas you might like to use in your consultation response
- A large housing development at Heronby would disturb sensitive ecological systems at Heron Wood and also Moreby Wood through light and noise pollution
- A large housing development at Heronby would drive away the owls, bats and other creatures that use Heron Wood and Moreby wood and the fields around them
- A large housing development at Heronby would harm the area in many ways that would get worse over time
- The Government's National Policy Planning Framework says that development resulting in the loss or deterioration of ancient woodland should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons. Here there are no such exceptional reasons, and there are viable alternative options for large scale housing development on brownfield sites at Burn and Church Fenton. The proposal at Heronby should never have been put forward and should not be taken any further forward
- A large housing development at Heronby would cause pollution from construction dust and then from garden chemicals and vehicles, pollution that affects trees, plants, lichens and animals
- A large housing development at Heronby would lead to major disturbance to birds, mammals and amphibians from domestic pets in both Heron Wood and Moreby Wood
- A large housing development at Heronby would lead to damage to both Heron Wood and Moreby Wood from fly-tipping, from vandalism, and from trampling on delicate soils
- A large housing development at Heronby would completely change the landscape setting from greenfield to suburban
- If the development at Heronby were to go ahead, major harm to the ancient woodlands Heron Wood and Moreby Wood cannot be avoided by "sensitive" housebuilding methods. It's unavoidable that an ancient woodland in the middle of, or right next to, a large housing development will be seriously harmed
Additional threats to both Heron Wood and Moreby Wood, as well as to the surrounding countryside
Proposed Waste Transfer (and recycling) Site - Marked 1 on the map
The proposed Waste Transfer site on land at the former Stillingfleet mine is still under consideration by North Yorkshire County Council, despite the fact that a previous planning condition was the reinstatement of agricultural land on the site after the mine closed.
The Planning Officer has recommended that it goes ahead and has suggested a limit of 50 HGV’s A DAY in/out of the site via the Escrick to Stillingfleet road (C307).
The demolition, building waste and plasterboard is intended to be stored outside and inevitably dust, noise and water course pollution will ensue. This will just be the start of activities on the site, if approved.
This was up for approval at the Planning Meeting on 22nd February 2021, but has been postponed until the next meeting. There is still time to object – just!
For more information, go to https://onlineplanningregister.northyorks.gov.uk/register/PlanAppDisp.aspx?recno=10129 and submit your objection quickly.
Clay Extraction Site – marked 4 on the map (Planning Approval given July 2020)
During 2020 planning approval was granted to Plasmor Ltd for a large clay extraction quarry, on land to the north and west of the former Escrick quarry (marked 3). This land is currently agricultural land and spans both sides of the cycle route, just south of Heron wood. Activities will likely affect the water table (impacting the surrounding trees), as well as disturbing the local wildlife and flora due to noise, dust, waste, etc.
The application was granted on the basis that the land be returned to agriculture or to a wetland after clay extraction ceases.
In the meantime untold damage will be inflicted and the landscape will never be the same again. Who’s to say that the conditions will even be met - already permission has been given to vary the infill conditions at the previous quarry site.
It’s too late to stop the quarry, but it’s not too late to stop the Waste Transfer Site or the Housing Development.