YP Letters: Should a new town be built next to the A64 near York?

I REFER to your recent articles about city growth and possible ‘new town’ development.

During the 1980s, North Yorkshire County Council’s planning committee explored the possibility of a ‘new town’ to meet the growing expansion of the existing communities beyond what is, and was, acceptable.

The main area considered was the hinterland of York (when York was part of the county). Several sites were visited, predominantly those which had been used for airfields dating back to the 1940s, but the main requirement was that there should be easy access to the A64 for those working in Leeds, Tadcaster and the environs of York. The most relevant site was the former Acaster Malbis airfield – clearly fairly remote, although meeting the general location demands.

During the upgrading of parts of the A64, and especially the Bilborough Top four way intersection, the Acaster Malbis site becomes a far more acceptable possibility which could deliver access in most directions through the A64 link.

Living as I do in a more rural area of the county, but also served by the A64, such a new town development would meet a great deal of the Government’s needs as well as slowing down the irreversible ‘urbanisation’ of the small and historic market towns across Ryedale as well as spreading the economic development more evenly across the ‘Northern Powerhouse’. Is this not a possible and indeed a better way forward?

From: Malcolm Wright, Harrogate.

READER David Loxley expresses amazement at North Yorkshire County Council’s asking permission to build a council employees’ car park (The Yorkshire Post, September 3).

Presumably they are seeking that permission from themselves, so objections are futile. That this land is a valuable playing field is unlikely to change NYCC’s conviction that everyone and everything must defer to cars – even ‘driver only’ ones.

In Harrogate’s Grove Road, we have pavements often reduced to less than 18ins width by illegal parkers, forcing buggies and mobility scooters into the road. A few months back, as a neighbour was leaving her gate, she was almost run down by a driver using the pavement to pass oncoming traffic. E-mails and phone calls finally achieved promise of “an assessment” – this proved to be NYCC speak for doing absolutely nothing. When it comes to the health of people or the convenience of cars, NYCC’s position is very clear.