DEVELOPERS behind one of York’s biggest and most controversial housing developments are considering what to do when planning permission for the scheme expires.

The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust was given the go-ahead for the 540-home Derwenthorpe project by the Secretary of State in May 2007, following a public inquiry.

But construction work only started on the first phase of the scheme earlier this year, after planning and legal challenges were mounted by local residents opposed to the loss of green-belt land and concerned about additional traffic on local roads. One challenge even went to the European Commission. The trust has said the scheme would offer 540 badly needed, high-quality eco-friendly and energy- efficient homes.

The original outline permission only lasted for five years and now town planning consultant Jennifer Hubbard has written to City of York Council to say the trust is considering applying to extend the permission’s “life” for the second, third and fourth phase.

She said the trust was also considering as an alternative option, to submit a “reserved matters” – or detailed – planning application for the three phases.

Both options mean the trust would have to revisit the Environmental Statement which accompanied the original application, and it is now requesting a “scoping opinion” from the council, asking it to state which elements of the statement it believed should be reviewed or updated.

The consultant said the trust did not believe there was any need to review a whole series of issues, including drainage and water quality, ecology, landscaping and transport.

However, Osbaldwick independent councillor Mark Warters, a persistent critic of the Derwenthorpe scheme, said he believed the original Environmental Statement was now considerably out of date and did need to be reviewed.

He claimed, for example, that traffic problems in the area had increased and residents living near the development had suffered drainage problems.

“This may be an opportunity to make changes which could mitigate some of the worst aspects of the original planning permission,” he claimed.