Land-grab fears chill relations between old allies

The dispute between Hull and East Riding councils dates back to June when the city council’s planning committee removed a guideline guaranteeing “strategic gaps” between them, a decision later endorsed by its cabinet.

The level of concern at the East Riding emerged last month when council leader Stephen Parnaby issued a strongly worded statement vowing to “fight tooth and nail” to retain the gaps.

He said removing them could “open up these areas for wholesale development, effectively extending Hull’s urban area to take in the communities of Cottingham, Anlaby, Willerby, Kirkella and Hessle”.

Coun Parnaby also said “senior level” talks had failed to move the city council and he urged East Riding residents to contact the city council to let their views be known.

The temperature was raised further when a motion by Hessle Liberal Democrat councillor Brian Jefferies was carried unanimously by East Riding Council yesterday, saying it “deplores” the city council’s decision and would write to MPs to express its “strongly held view” that the areas remain undeveloped.

However, the escalating rhetoric is being viewed with a growing sense of bemusement at Hull Council, with a senior councillor saying he was “mystified” by the East Riding’s response.

Hull said it has not been formally approached by the East Riding to discuss the issue and has not received any correspondence from concerned residents.

Coun Steven Bayes, city council portfolio holder for strategic planning, said: “If they take a formal approach and say ‘We’d like you to reconsider’, we’ll reconsider, but if they create this big disturbance I don’t think it’s going to help their cause. I’m a bit mystified because they still haven’t approached us. I saw Stephen Parnaby last week and he didn’t raise it with me.

“I don’t want it getting out of hand because if they would maybe like us to reconsider they can’t do this huffing and puffing and then not talk to us about it.

“The more they make it a big issue the more entrenched people’s positions become and I don’t think that’s helpful. I’m at a loss as to what they’re up to.

“We’ve got to work with them on other things and I really don’t want a row. They still haven’t spoken to us and you would think that would be the first thing they would do.

“They have built up to our boundary; we haven’t built up to theirs.”

He added: “This is in the context of the Government relaxing rules about planning – we are trying to respond to the agenda the Government is setting, although we might not agree with it. We can’t have policies so far away from Government guidance.”

Coun Jefferies said his only concern was to protect the character and identities of those communities deemed to be under threat.

He said: “We’ve got to retain the gaps between the settlements – if we don’t the whole character of the area will change.

“Hull’s population is reducing and the East Riding’s is growing quite considerably.

“All the West Hull villages and Preston and Hedon (east of Hull); we don’t want them to be subsumed into an urban sprawl.

“There’s plenty of land in Hull to develop so why should they want to expand and fill the gaps with more concrete? We just don’t want that.”