PLANS for a major housing scheme on the edge of York have been withdrawn.

As The Press reported last year, the Joseph Rowntree Trust (JRHT) formed a partnership with property developer North Star to build 70 homes on a 2.73 plot of green belt land near Poppleton on the D Tail nursery site.

But today a spokesperson for the trust said they have chosen to withdraw the request to City of York Council for planning permission to build new homes on site. 

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They said: "Initially, we were working together with North Star, but we’ve decided to end this partnership.  

"The plans submitted also relied on buying two pieces of land from different owners.  We have not been able to do this.   

"For the above reasons, the planning application has been withdrawn from the City of York Council planning portal.  

"We have no further plans for this land currently."

York Press: A visual of how the site at Poppleton was going to lookA visual of how the site at Poppleton was going to look (Image: Supplied)

Whe outline plans were submitted last year  for the site off the A59 Roman Road, the plan was for the nursery, a tenanted business, to relocate elsewhere.

The applicants were told by council planning staff at the time that with the site being in green belt, the applicants would have to demonstrate ‘very special circumstances’ to gain approval.

The trust and North Star, whose other projects include York’s Roman Quarter, The Gasworks and Malmaison, highlighted that their plans will help address a great need for homes in York, especially social housing.

The plans, which followed public consultation including a drop-in exhibition and online feedback, said 24 homes would be marketed and 46 either social rent or shared ownership.

There would be a mix of 1,2,3 and 4-bed homes, with the mix still to be determined.

The public consultation also led proposed housing numbers to drop from 75, the saving of some trees and new planting to deliver a net gain in biodiversity.

The proposed site access will provide vehicular, pedestrian and cyclist access and will tie into the existing pedestrian footway provision. A new priority T-junction with ghost-island right turn will be created onto the A59 to the south of the site. A widened carriageway by the site would help accommodate drivers leaving the site and reduce the need to queue onto the A59 Roman Road.

At the time David Boyes-Watson, deputy director, development and asset management from Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust said: “New and high-quality affordable homes are the foundation for people’s lives and there is a critical need for these homes in York.  We are pleased to have submitted the plans and look forward to working with North Star to build these homes in the near future.”