Town expansion approved despite fears for cemetery

Plans to build up to 700 homes near York have been approved, despite hundreds of objections and fears the scheme could result in a cemetery running out of space for burials.

City of York Council's planning committee passed an application from Barratt and David Wilson Homes for the development in Haxby on Thursday.

A total of 339 objections were lodged against the scheme, and councillors were told provision for the expansion of Haxby and Wigginton Cemetery was no longer included.

The applicant's agent told councillors there was broad support for developing the site, which would provide "much-needed" homes.

Objections to the development, on land to the south of Moor Lane, included opposition to developing green belt land and concerns over sewer systems, which councillors heard often overflowed into the River Foss following heavy rain.

They also claimed existing health facilities, schools and roads were already under strain and would not be able to cope with extra demand from new residents.

Liberal Democrat councillor Terry Fisher said an expansion to the neighbouring burial ground, which was included in the plans before being dropped, was necessary.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Environment Agency had objected to the expansion over concerns about the potential contamination of groundwater.

Fisher said burials took place "about one metre above the groundwater".

He continued: "Ground conditions in the existing cemetery are the same and a detailed investigation hasn't been carried out.

"If the required expansion is not carried out, in approximately 15 years the people of Haxby and Wigginton will have nowhere to bury their dead."

The developer's agent, Stuart Natkus, said cemetery expansion had not been included in revised plans because of the Environment Agency's objection.

Addressing fears over the capacity of the sewage system, Mr Natkus said: "Sewage systems are not at capacity, this is a fully-compliant scheme that delivers a huge amount of public benefit."

Following the meeting a spokesperson for Barrett and David Wilson Homes said the development would play a "key role in providing a range of homes including affordable ones, to address York's housing crisis".

The scheme would also provide "a children's nursery, extensive open green space, and significant financial contributions to local facilities", they added.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.