DEFIANT residents last night vented their anger over plans to build a new village near Osbaldwick.

More than 40 residents and other protesters attended a stormy meeting at Osbaldwick village hall to give their views and suggestions on the proposed PRP-designed development, which would create 520 homes on a 53-acre greenfield site.

"New Osbaldwick" is a joint venture between the City of York Council and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Liz Wilson, of Osbaldwick Parish Council, chaired the meeting, at which Chris Rudolph, of PRP, and Peter Marcus, of the foundation, were grilled for more than two hours.

After a short presentation by Mr Rudolph, residents expressed anger that the council initially led them to believe that only 320 homes would be built.

Osbaldwick parish councillor Bill Hall said: "We were given assurances that they would only build 320 houses, but now they have reneged on what they said."

However, City of York Council has said that this original figure related to what might be built if overhead power lines were left in place. The plan now is to send them underground, so the land can be developed.

Mr Marcus said: "I can only apologise to those people who feel misled."

Residents also wanted to know more about the project's impact on traffic, and on the environment.

Mr Rudolph predicted that an extra 600-700 cars would be added to the area.

Peter Lindsay, who has lived in Osbaldwick for 25 years, told the panel: "It's a nightmare for traffic now - and that is before all this has even started."

Coun Hall suggested re-routing cars through the nearby Sustrans cycle track which met with some approval.

Barry Potter, of the York Natural Environment Trust, said valuable hedgerows and meadows would also be lost if the scheme went ahead. "There is massive support for your cause and massive opposition to the plans to build on this site," he told residents.

"It's really quite disgraceful. I can only tell the Joseph Rowntree Foundation that it's incurring enormous damage to itself by joining this scheme."

Another resident shouted out: "Old Joseph Rowntree would turn in his grave if he knew."

But resident Dr David Lethem expressed support for the development.

He said: "I think an imaginative and exciting scheme has been produced."

Three further public meetings will take place for residents in Meadlands, Temple Avenue and Fifth Avenue.