A COUNCILLOR has come under fire after refusing to “call in” plans to turn a York home into a student household.

Residents and parish councillors in Osbaldwick want City of York Council to use new powers to control the growth of houses of multiple occupation with a “test case” in Thirkleby Way.

The Press reported last month how neighbours claim an application to turn a semi-detached home into accommodation for five students should be turned down, because they believe student lifestyles can be incompatible with working families and elderly residents and there are already student homes there.

Parish council chairman Mark Warters said today the parish wrote to Osbaldwick’s city council representative, Jonathan Morley, to ask him to “call in” the application to a committee, so it could be considered by councillors rather than decided by officers under delegated powers.

But he said Coun Morley had refused to do so, saying in a letter: “If we wanted to have a flagship type case, I don’t feel this is it.

“Although changes are involved, they are within permitted limits, so the committee could not make a decision based on this aspect. I don’t feel that I can (or would have planning grounds) to ask for it to go before the committee. I would be happy to look at other applications on a case-by-case basis.”

Coun Warters said he was “absolutely appalled” by what he believed was the councillors’ refusal to act in villagers’ best interests.

“Fourteen residents from a short section of street came to the parish to ask us to take this course of action.”

But Coun Morley told The Press he understood the item would come before committee in July, and he would be asking to attend as ward councillor to speak against the application.

He said: “If the parish council has chosen to publish my private comments about the application, that, of course, will not make my task any easier but I will point out the concerns of residents about this proposed change of use and do my best to find suitable planning grounds for opposing the application.”