Hundreds of York householders have voiced their opinions on plans that could map out the future for land around their homes.

More than 700 residents in Huntington and New Earswick have responded to plans to allocate more than 100 acres of land in their area for housing and commercial development.

The third draft of City of York Council's Local Plan includes proposals to set aside 60 acres of green belt land for building and to create 600 dwellings.

Residents were answering a call by their parish leaders to make their voice heard on the wide-ranging plans, which could transform their community.

Huntington Parish Council chairman Keith Hyman, New Earswick Parish Council chairman Don Crawford, and parish councillor Ron Jones delivered the written responses to the council offices in York.

Coun Hyman said: "The proposed loss of current green belt land in Huntington would run at seven times the average across the rest of York.

"That's why so many of our residents have made the effort through these responses to make the planners think again and expose to the planning inspector the scale of the over-development."

Parish councillors are concerned by the threat of over-development and predict it will bring traffic congestion, pollution, water damage, and increase pressure on schools.

Assistant director of city development and transport, Bill Woolley, who received the responses from the parish councillors, said this was an "excellent response".

He said: "This is a very important issue for the future of York, and it is good to see people becoming involved in the process."

This was the last opportunity for residents to have their views recorded and presented to the council before a government planning inspector reviews the overall plans.

Planning permission has already been granted for a Park&Ride site at Huntington, and for the Vangarde site south of Monks Cross, which will become 450,000 square feet of offices and laboratories.

Huntington has been declared an "action area" by City of York Council, which plans to focus high levels of business and residential development in the area over the next decade.

Updated: 09:17 Wednesday, March 19, 2003