GREEN Belt concerns have been raised over plans for a new service station and hotel next to the A64 on the outskirts of York.

Proposals for the development on farmland near the Hopgrove roundabout have been submitted to City of York Council, with the company behind them saying more services are needed along the route to ensure drivers do not become tired and to reduce the risk of accidents.

If approved, the scheme would include a 50-bedroom lodge-style hotel, petrol station and café with 182 parking spaces for cars and nine for lorries.

However, Nick Emmerson, prospective Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for York Outer, said: “It is vital we protect York’s precious Green Belt and stop inappropriate development in our countryside. This land is rightly afforded a high degree of protection and I will be working with local residents and Lib Dem councillors to ensure this point is recognised.”

Huntington and New Earswick councillor Keith Orrell, whose ward includes the site for the proposed development, said: “Local residents will be concerned about the loss of Green Belt land in the area and the impact such a large development will have on existing traffic issues.

“A key part of the developer’s reasoning is that there is a supposed 42-mile gap in provision of services along the A64, but this ignores the fact the road passes numerous petrol stations and facilities in York.”