York council approves business park - next to Community Woodland

Already, more than 85,000 young trees have been planted in the fledgling woodland just to the west of York, near Poppleton. Within the next few years, the plan is for that to increase to 210,000 trees.

The 190-acre woodland will include woodland walks, cycling trails, wildflower meadows, a community orchard, a woodland school and a visitor centre.

Former council leader Keith Aspden said in February this year that the woodland would ‘benefit the city and its residents for years to come', while former executive member for climate change Cllr Paula Widdowson described it as a ‘flagship project’ contributing to York’s efforts to protect biodiversity and tackle carbon emissions.

Yet a 40-page council report recommending approval of plans to convert three farm buildings right on the new woodland’s northern edge for business use made not a single mention of it.

A council CGI image used to promote the York Community Woodland (Image: City of York Council)

Nor was it referred to in accompanying drawings or photographs.

The proposals were eventually approved on August 16 on the casting vote of the planning committee chairman.

Now Cllr Christian Vassie, who was a member of the committee, has written to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, urging him to review the decision.

Cllr Vassie says that he and several other members of the committee were ‘astonished’ that officers who drew up the report had apparently failed to notice that the proposed business park was on the edge of the woodland.

Cllr Christian Vassie with some of the 85,000 young trees that have already been planted (Image: Stephen Lewis)

In his letter to Mr Gove, he says: “From their response at the meeting, it would appear that planning officers had simply not made the connection between application site and this major environmental development in York.

“They contended, when challenged, that they were not allowed to consider impacts on the land around the application site.”

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The city council’s director of transport, environment and planning James Gilchrist insists that the issue of the community woodland was discussed during the planning meeting - and that ‘all the required statutory processes’ were followed (see panel below).

But Cllr Vassie claims that there seemed to have been no attempt to consult with Forestry England, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England or other conservation groups when a report on the ecological impact of the business park was drawn up.

Agricultural buildings that would be converted for business use under the proposals (Image: Planning documents)

Planning officers also failed to consider the effect that 24/7 lighting at the business park would have on wildlife in the woodland itself, he claims.

He says the only saving grace is that, since the proposed site is officially on land designated as green belt, it automatically has to be referred to the Secretary of State.

In his letter to Mr Gove he says: “The proposed business park is right next to the northern access to this new woodland and between the woodland and the Park&Ride site.

A council consultation document from 2021 about the proposed community woodland (Image: City of York Council)

“The idea that HGVs and other business park vehicles might be allowed to mingle with visitors to the woodland - on foot, on bikes, with pushchairs, in wheelchairs - is unthinkable.

“I trust you will wish to consider the negative environmental impacts of allowing a business park … at this location.”

WHAT THE COUNCIL SAYS

Because the proposed business park is on land that is officially designated as green belt – even though it is allocated for employment use in the draft local plan - the application has only been approved provisionally, subject to referral to the Secretary of State, Mr Gove.

City of York Council’s director of transport, planning and environment James Gilchrist insisted that the authority remains ‘very committed’ to the Community Woodland.

Illustration compiled by Cllr Christian Vassie showing where the new business park would be in relation to the Community Woodland. York would be off to the left of the image, Poppleton to the top (Image: Supplied)

In a statement to The Press, he said: “The planning application was heard at Planning Committee B on August 16. After consideration of the case officers' report - along with discussion at the meeting, which specifically included reference to the community woodland - it was agreed that the application could be approved, subject to referral to the Secretary of State.

“The planning application followed all the required statutory processes including consultations and publications.

"The site is allocated for employment use as part of the draft local plan, the council’s ecologist had no objection to the proposal and a robust assessment was made in terms of the implications of the proposal before a recommendation was made.

“The previous access to the buildings in question was along Moor Lane which runs alongside the Community Woodland.

"Under the application that has been referred to the Secretary of State, the new vehicular access is not adjacent to the Community Woodland and is through the existing Northminster Business Park, the existing vehicular access to the site along Moor Lane is closed.

“The council is working in close partnership with Forestry England and remains very committed to the Community Woodland project and the benefits it brings to York.”

A recording of the planning meeting can be found at youtube.com/watch?v=JYq28pYG7B8