FOURTEEN households have turned down offers of thousands of pounds to allow their quiet York cul-de-sac to become a major access road into a new model village.

Now the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust - the organisation behind the 540-home New Osbaldwick proposals - is asking City of York Council to consider compulsorily purchasing the end section of Fifth Avenue in Tang Hall.

Under the trust's scheme, Fifth Avenue would be used to get to and from 185 homes in the village.

But it would also be the main bus route into York, and would be one of only two routes used by construction traffic.

While most of Fifth Avenue is adopted public highway, the cul-de-sac leading to the development site, where 14 houses and St Aelred's Roman Catholic Primary School are situated, is privately owned.

The trust made an undisclosed offer to the homes and school early this year for the road to be adopted as public highway. That was turned down, as was a second higher offer.

Chartered surveyor John Reeves, the residents' spokesman, said not enough was being offered to reduce the impact of the extra traffic, and this was a bigger sticking point than the amount of compensation.

He stressed that discussions had been amicable.

Residents were reluctant to comment to the Evening Press, although many stressed they were keen to maintain a united front.

One woman, who did not wish to be named, said: "I am not very happy. I came here because it was so quiet, and there's going to be a stream of buses as well as cars coming along here."

New Osbaldwick project manager Ian Atkinson said the trust was in the process of asking the council whether it would consider beginning preliminary procedures for issuing a compulsory purchase order.

He said this could lead to a public inquiry.

However, the trust, which was subject to scrutiny as part of a charitable organisation, was not in a position to raise its offer.

Updated: 10:31 Tuesday, September 23, 2003