A £60 million shopping centre due to open in Naburn later this year doesn't exist - at least according to York's new Local Plan. According to the map outlining land use for the whole of York up to 2006, the former Naburn Hospital site is Green Belt, where very strict planning regulations apply.

The site is absent from a list in the chapter on the Green Belt giving major developed sites in the Green Belt - and isn't highlighted on the accompanying map.

That is despite the fact that in the real world builders are already hard at work converting the site into a £60 million shopping centre expected to attract five million visitors a year.

The man in charge of the Local Plan, Ian Thompson, explained that the plan represents future planning when the site will be subject to Green Belt restrictions.

Land there is not allocated for new shopping, so it is coloured green instead of blue, which it would be if future shopping was to be allowed.

Since the buildings at Naburn are not yet complete, they cannot be included on the map, which shows existing buildings.

The Local Plan is still in draft form so it could be amended - if for instance the site's developer wanted it included in the list of major developed sites in the Green Belt.

Planning permission for the Naburn Hospital site was granted by Selby District Council before the creation of the City of York Council.

See COMMENT Gone missing

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