THE proposed new 540-home development on York's eastern outskirts has been given a new name.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has jettisoned the original working title New Osbaldwick in favour of Derwenthorpe.

Local residents today welcomed the change but said they would still oppose the scheme, as there would still be the same extra volume of traffic using local roads.

Malcolm Kettlestring, chairman of Osbaldwick Parish Council, feared many people would have driven through Osbaldwick to get to the development if the name New Osbaldwick had stayed.

But he added: "There's a new name but we could do with a new road for traffic coming into the development."

The original idea of calling the development New Osbaldwick was a recognition of similarities with the original Rowntree model village New Earswick. But the foundation said today there had been concerns that it linked the development too closely with the existing village of Osbaldwick.

Spokesman Ian Atkinson said this was felt to be unhelpful, given that it was intended for the development to integrate with all the surrounding communities.

"The proposed development is by linkage an urban extension rather than a stand alone community," he said.

"The change of name avoids a conflict of perception with what is actually planned."

He said Thorpe was a Yorkshire word meaning hamlet or community, while Derwent was already used locally, for example at the Derwent Light Valley Railway and the Derwent pub in Osbaldwick.

The new name was chosen following a local competition for naming ideas.

Derwent Park was considered, but it was already in use.

He said the new title was preferred by the New Osbaldwick Partnership Committee, which involves City of York Council, the foundation and the community, and seemed to have met with general approval.

Updated: 14:26 Thursday, February 12, 2004