A NEW campaign group is said to have been launched to fight plans for a new village on York's outskirts.

A press release sent to the Evening Press by the "No to New Osbaldwick" campaign claims that 2,000 residents in Osbaldwick are to be canvassed over the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust's proposals for a 540-home settlement.

It claimed they will be asked to sign a petition to be handed to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, calling for him to order a public inquiry into the model village scheme.

"A similar public inquiry into the Coppergate (Riverside) scheme led to that scheme being scrapped after the planning inspector decided that the development was inappropriate," it said.

But the release was unsigned, and efforts by the paper to contact those behind it have proved unsuccessful. Leading members of Osbaldwick Parish Council say they have no idea who is involved, or even whether a genuine campaign group has been formed.

Other claims in the release have been disputed by the trust. It suggested that it had not been able to secure the removal of electricity pylons from the site, and that the development would therefore go ahead with a large row of pylons running through the middle.

But project manager Ian Atkinson said it was essential to the scheme that the power lines were sent underground, and agreement had been reached with the power company for this to happen. The only agreement not yet reached was with owners of land to the east of the development site, where the cables would also need to be sent underground.

He also dismissed suggestions that the protected species, the Great Crested Newt, lived on the site, and that this might prevent the whole scheme going ahead. He said extensive surveys had found no signs of the newt.

Are you involved in "No to New Osbaldwick"? If so, please email to mike.laycock@ycp.co.uk, or phone him on 01904 567132.

Updated: 11:37 Wednesday, September 24, 2003