I AM concerned about the creation of more than 22,000 homes, including two new settlements, in the draft local plan produced by City of York Council.

Not all of the proposals will be equally damaging: the sensitive redevelopment of the many brown-field sites within the city is positively welcomed. But we must ensure that any growth in homes is matched by a growth in jobs.

York needs a limited number of quality homes that can be occupied by rich and poor alike, for the whole of their lifetime, without fear of eviction or punitive gas, electricity, and water bills. Major new settlements outside the ring road will lead to increased congestion with high levels of pollution.

There are no existing places of employment close by, and no declared intention of creating them. The proposals fly in the face of guidance on sustainable design. Any development south of York would be directly at risk of flooding.

One of the proposed new settlements, along with the Germany Beck site already recommended for approval, will be directly impacted by sea level rise before other areas of the city.

It is questionable whether York would in any case need 22,000 new homes within the foreseeable future.

This claim is based on a multitude of assumptions about migration within the UK and from abroad, and a preconception that most people wish to live alone from the age of 16. The local plan has many other shortcomings that are not addressed in this letter.

Judith Morris, On behalf of UKIP York.