A MASSIVE development of 360 homes on land off Tadcaster Road in York is being proposed by York College.

The development is one of the biggest planned for the city, coming behind Germany Beck with 700 homes and New Osbaldwick with 540.

The college refused to be drawn on how much money it would get for the land, which currently houses one of its sites.

Any developer that buys the site from the college could command an asking price of more than £100,000 for each home it builds.

That could put a combined value of more than £36m on the new estate.

The college is planning to use cash from the housing site to fund part of a £50m extension at the Sim Balk Lane campus.

"The two applications go hand in hand," said the college's principal, Mike Galloway. "The money raised from the sale of the Tadcaster Road site will go part way to funding the new college.

"Without encroaching on any Green Belt land, the city gets the new college it so vitally needs, as well as much-needed new homes on brownfield land."

The college has put in an outline planning application for the development, after submitting plans for the Sim Balk Lane extension last month.

The housing plan includes the conversion of Ashfield House into apartments and the retention of a pond area.

The college has employed traffic consultants Faber Maunsell to assess the impact the new college and the new homes would have on traffic in the area.

Stuart Wilkins, from Faber Maunsell, said: "Minor road alterations, including provision for buses to pick up and set down safely within the new college site, coupled with the college's travel plan initiatives, will ensure that traffic conditions are not made any worse.

"We are working closely with the council's traffic planning officers and with the bus and coach companies to deliver the best possible scheme."

The college has also submitted a third application for an all-weather pitch on land next to the site of the new college.

A study by the college has shown there will be no negative impact on traffic conditions provided a number of improvement schemes are put in place.

It is hoped the new college will be built by 2007.

Updated: 10:45 Tuesday, March 16, 2004