A decision made on behalf of the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Michael Gove MP, has been met with fury by local Liberal Democrat councillors as well as the Labour administration.

The plans by Barratt David Wilson Homes for 300 homes in New Lane, Huntington, on the edge of York, had been delayed since 2021 when Mr Gove contacted the City of York Council about them.

But a decision was made by a minister for local government and building safety, Lee Rowley MP, on Tuesday (Oct 17).

A report explaining the controversial decision says: “The Secretary of State agrees that any encroachment into the countryside on this site would be contained by the permanent boundaries and the permanent development beyond it.”

“The proposed development would change the site’s appearance from a rural character to a suburban one. The visual harm would be very localised and not long range but that there would be some harm to the landscape character of the area.”

Despite concerns by local councillors that there is not infrastructure in place for the people who will move into the homes, the report says the government has “no substantive evidence that doctors’ surgeries or schools would be adversely affected by the additional numbers of residents as a result of the proposal.”

It also notes “the site has limited potential for sprawl within it and no reasonable risk of sprawl across the open countryside.”

Ward councillor for Huntington and New Earswick, Coun Keith Orrell, said: “This is devastating news for local residents who almost unanimously opposed this development. The Conservative government has ignored local residents, ignored local councillors, ignored the draft local plan and ignored the parish council’s neighbourhood plan when deciding to approve the 300 new houses.

“Mr Gove has also treated local residents with contempt. He could have made this decision over a year ago but has kept local residents waiting hoping for the correct decision.”

Another councillor in Huntington and New Earswick, Coun Carol Runciman, said: “Residents are not opposed to building new homes. The people of Huntington supported the building of 970 new homes on Monks Cross Link Road.

“The draft local plan allows us to manage the local infrastructure at the same time as delivering the homes York needs. These large applications that fall outside the local plan, without the support of the local community, only add to the pressures we see on school places, dentists and GP appointments.”

Coun Michael Pavlovic, executive member for housing, planning and safer communities, said: “The council is very disappointed by the judgement of the government in approving this application. It was argued robustly that this proposal was inappropriate, that it was not in the draft local plan and would impact negatively on the village setting of Huntington if approved.

“Speculative sites not in the local plan will continue to be recommended for refusal unless they demonstrate exceptional circumstances as outlined under national planning policy. The council’s brownfield first policy stands and the sooner we get a local plan adopted the sooner we will stop being at the mercy of surprise decisions by government ministers like this one.

“Had the local plan submitted over five years ago been sound, it would now be adopted and this decision on the New Lane development would not have been possible.”

Rural village in Yorkshire set to become suburban as 300 homes are to be built