PEOPLE keen to have their say on York's proposed £100 million Hungate development are being given a final chance to debate the outline plans.

York Open Planning Forum is holding a discussion on the plans at The Guildhall next Tuesday.

Visitors will be able to view a scale model of the development, which aims to transform the ten-acre brownfield site.

An outline planning application for more than 700 new homes on the site, which stretches from the River Foss to Stonebow and Foss Islands Road, is due to be considered by council chiefs at the end of the month.

The York Open Planning Forum claims next week's meeting will be the last chance for people to comment on the outline proposals and are urging people to attend.

Chairwoman Alison Sinclair said the forum was hoping a representative of architects John Thompson, which has designed the development, would attend the meeting to listen to residents' views.

Ms Sinclair said: "People will still be able to comment on the detailed individual subjects of the planning application.

"But the exhibition is now finished and this meeting will provide people with an opportunity to see and say what they think about this development before the outline proposals go to the council.

"We are hoping to say directly to the developer's representative what we think. It may well be that people are 100 per cent in support of it."

Ms Sinclair said the forum provided people with a chance to get together to discuss major developments in the city.

She stressed that the group only gave residents a chance to have their say and did not take a stance on the Hungate development itself.

An exhibition, featuring extensive plans and drawings of the outline scheme, recently closed at the former bed warehouse at Garden Place.

The planning forum discussion begins at 7pm, on February 4.

Updated: 11:30 Tuesday, January 28, 2003