A low carbon, affordable housing development in York has been approved despite concerns its low car aspirations could cause parking problems.
Plans approved for Hospital Fields Road and the Ordnance Lane site, off Fulford Road, mean the development first backed in 2022 will now be made up of only affordable homes.
Sophie Round, of City of York Council’s housing delivery team, said the 101-home development was pioneering while Fishergate’s Cllr Conrad Whitcroft said it would be built in an area with an affordability problem.
Cllr Rachel Melly and Cllr Jason Rose said they supported the scheme but felt parking issues had not been thought through despite assurances most residents would not have them.
The approval of the application by the council’s planning committee means the amount of houses in the scheme has gone up from the 85 approved in 2022 to 101.
The number of homes has increased to make council plans for all of them to be affordable viable, whereas 40 per cent of them were in the previously approved application.
The development is set to be made up of 28 one-bed, 59 two-bed, four three-bed and 10 four-bed homes.
Around one in 10 of the homes will be fully wheel chair accessible.
The new homes will be built to Passivehaus standards which include high levels of insulation and heat recovery systems to make them more energy efficient.
The site partly covers buildings constructed in the late 19th and early 20th Century in connection with the Military Station Hospital which was demolished in the late 20th Century.
The surviving Married Quarters building will be converted into 25 homes for a mix of ages as part of efforts to combat isolation and loneliness among the elderly.
Other buildings on the site are set to be demolished.
Commercial buildings and community spaces are also set to be included along with walking and cycle route through the development and public spaces.
It is set to feature 41 car parking and 329 cycle spaces and a cargo bike hire scheme for residents.
Council housing officer Ms Ridge told the committee the development would be advertised as one for people without cars once the homes are built.
She added car ownership typically tended to be lower among affordable housing tenants.
The officer said: “This is a flagship scheme which aims to set a new standard in affordable housing in a neighbourhood that’s healthy and supports residents to thrive.”
Parking worries
Fishergate ward’s Cllr Whitcroft said the development would help provide homes for essential workers such as police officers and firefighters.
The Labour ward councillor said: “Fishergate is one of the most beautful parts of York, but as with anywhere attractive affordability is a real problem.
“The area is home to a range of essential services, to keep these going we need places for these workers to live in.”
But Labour’s Cllr Melly said she felt the highway design was clumsy as a result of wanting to keep car ownership low.
The committee member said: “There’s lots and lots of gates and bollards, I can’t see how the highway system will work and it seems like it’s a case of figuring it out later.”
Cllr Rose said he feared people would leave their cars in neighbouring streets if they could not find a space in the development and was worried about safety.
The Labour councillor said: “It’s going to be hard to get in and out of the spaces that are there.
“You’ve got a route for pedestrians and cyclists where you could be cycling and enjoying yourself and then a car reverses in front of you.”