Selby Local Plan 2021
A Local Plan is a vision and framework for future growth of Selby district, including identifying where new housing, employment and other development could take place.
For housing, National Government sets targets for the number of houses to be built, and the district council is legally required to produce a Local Plan that identifies sufficient sites to accommodate these.
In 2020 Selby District Council started preparation of a new plan to cover the period from 2023 to 2040. This started with a consultation on the issues and options. In summer 2020 land-owners were invited to submit any land to be considered for development. This allows the District Council to identify potential sites, before evaluating which of these potential sites are preferred. This takes into account a wide range of factors, from access to employment and services, through to flood plain and designations such as green belt.
The plan also considers what infrastructure investments are required to support the proposed sites.
More details are on Selby District Council's local plan pages.
Potential impact upon Escrick
Four sites have been put forward for consideration in/around Escrick.
( These are also shown on Selby District Council's preferred options map)
Three of the four sites near Escrick (those shown in pink above) are not included within the list of preferred sites in the draft plan. We understand this is primarily because they are within the York Greenbelt, and that local authorities can only allocate sites in the greenbelt if there are exceptional circumstances, or no other suitable locations are available.
The larger site to the south of Cawood Road (shown in orange), to be known as Heronby, is included in the draft plan as one of three potential locations for a new settlement in the District. You can read more about this proposal at the Heronby website.
Next steps (March 2021)
The District Council consulted on its draft plan, including preferred sites, from 29th January 2021 to 12th March 2021, and residents had the opportunity to comment on the draft plan, including evaluation of sites.
It is expected that there will be further consultation on specific aspects of the plan, and consultation on the next iteration of the plan itself in early 2022.
The Parish Council debated its own response at meetings on 1st and 8th March 2021.
A copy of the Parish Council's response is available here.
Fit with Escrick Neighbourhood Plan
At a more local level, Escrick is developing a Neighbourhood Plan (NDP). This provides further local context and policy to sit beneath the District Council's local plan. The NDP document is currently in the final stages of drafting, and the project team expect this to be available for informal consultation in May, with formal consultation and local referendum later in the year.