Battlefield fears fail to stop plan for 655 homes

CAMPAIGNERS have spoken of their disappointment after councillors backed plans for hundreds of homes on what some historians claim is the site of an 11th century battle which shaped the nation’s history.
Historian Chas Jones walking along  the 'shield wall'  on the  battlefield of the Battle of FulfordHistorian Chas Jones walking along  the 'shield wall'  on the  battlefield of the Battle of Fulford
Historian Chas Jones walking along the 'shield wall' on the battlefield of the Battle of Fulford

The 655-home scheme has been approved by York councillors despite historians maintaining the land on the outskirts of the city is the site of the Battle of Fulford in 1066.

Now protesters are left pinning their hopes on a legal challenge. Earlier this month the Yorkshire Post revealed campaigners are preparing for a judicial review to prevent the multi-million pound development.

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They have challenged English Heritage over its decision not to designate the land on a national register which already includes the sites of other landmark conflicts including Stamford Bridge and Towton in North Yorkshire.

English Heritage admitted the Fulford site remains “the most likely candidate” for the clash between Viking invaders and English forces, and has launched its own review to consider new evidence submitted by local historian Chas Jones.

This week members of York Council’s planning committee gave the go-ahead to a reserved matters application from the developers, Persimmon Homes and Hogg the Builder.

The application for the site, dubbed Germany Beck, includes details of the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of the homes.

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Coun Keith Aspden, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Fulford and a member of the Germany Beck Community Forum, pledged to carry on the fight.

He said: “While it is disappointing that the committee accepted the current proposals without fully addressing some key concerns over flooding, traffic and the impact the site will have on the character of Fulford, I will continue to work with local residents to raise their concerns and I await the independent review on whether the site should be added to English Heritage’s protection list as the location of the 1066 Battle of Fulford.”

Local resident, Verna Campbell, said there was a lot of local opposition to the proposals.

“Everybody is appalled,” she said. She described the proposed estate as “characterless” and said she was concerned it would leave local roads overwhelmed.

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Both York Council and Persimmon Homes have stressed there is no conclusive proof to suggest the land was the location of the battle.

The director of Persimmon Homes Yorkshire, Simon Usher, was adamant English Heritage’s assessment was “thorough, comprehensive and conclusive” in its original recommendation not to include the site on the register.

The Germany Beck scheme is one of several key sites which are seen as vital to addressing York’s affordable housing crisis.

The council unveiled a draft city-wide strategy, called the Local Plan, last week to build more than 20,000 homes, while 20 sites have been identified for economic development.

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Mike Slater, assistant director of city and environmental services at York Council, said: “We are delighted with this decision.

“City of York Council is determined to kick-start stalled developments and increase the number of new homes built in York. Germany Beck is currently one of the largest developments in the city, which is going to provide around 650 much needed new homes.

“We look forward to working with Persimmon Homes in order to get house building moving on this site.”

Members of the planning committee also backed plans for a multi-million pound green energy plant on the site of a former North Yorkshire mining site in the face of huge opposition.

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Peel Environmental had asked for permission to turn the North Selby Mine, near Escrick, into a green energy plant that will generate heat and electricity from up to 600,000 tonnes of organic waste every year.