Heronby is Escrick Park Estate’s plan for a community between Selby and York which it said would include a new high street, two primary schools, a health centre and sports facilities, as well as a country park of almost 50 acres.
There are also proposals for a park and ride scheme and improvements to the A19.
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The estate’s plans for the development go on show today (October 15) in a public consultation exhibition at the Escrick and Deighton Club in Main Street, Escrick, and plans will be available from that date on the Heronby website.
As reported by The Press last week, campaigners from the Halt Heronby Action Group said fundamental questions about traffic, infrastructure and deliverability “were never satisfactorily answered”.
The group – thought to be made up of residents from nearby villages and local parish councils, along with landowners – claimed an earlier masterplan drawn up in 2021 was “removed from the Local Plan after concerns from York Council and highways authorities.”
An early masterplan for Heronby was drawn up as part of the former Selby Local Plan process in 2021, under Selby District Council.
North Yorkshire Council later halted work on a fresh Local Plan for Selby after it came to power and the targets for new houses trebled in the county.
A spokesperson for the campaigners said: “The fundamental problem with Heronby has not disappeared.
“We are being promised schools, healthcare, park-and-ride and major road improvements.
“But these are not inexpensive additions to a masterplan.
“They are major pieces of public infrastructure costing tens of millions of pounds, and they cannot simply be conjured into existence by putting them on a plan.
“It is not enough to say that schools, healthcare, park-and-ride facilities and major road improvements are proposed.
“There must be a realistic funding mechanism, a responsible authority, secured contributions and a clear timetable for delivery.
Beilby Forbes-Adam, of Escrick Park Estate, said: “North Yorkshire is desperately short of homes and there are not enough being built to meet the needs of the people of the county.
“Since Heronby was first put forward for the Selby Local Plan in 2020, the situation has only got worse.
“Back in December last year, a planning inspector described the area’s housing land supply situation as chronic.
“But Heronby is not just about housing supply and numbers.
“It is about providing a place for people to live, and that includes the infrastructure to support their daily lives.”
“The development of Heronby won’t happen overnight.
“It is a long-term project which we expect will take 30 years or more to deliver.
“This means that initial profits from Heronby are reinvested into the community, so planning uplift contributes to infrastructure such as roads, schools and a health centre.”
There will be a public consultation exhibition on the Heronby proposals at the Escrick & Deighton Club today (October 15), from 1.30pm to 7pm.
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