Call for limits on greenfield housing (From Gazette & Herald)

Call for limits on greenfield housing

8:00am Saturday 15th September 2012 in News

VILLAGERS in Ryedale have called for limits to be set on the number of homes which can be built on greenfield sites in the area following a groundbreaking local vote.

The parish poll - the first referendum of its kind in the country - asked Ampleforth residents to decide whether they wanted a “maximum development limit” of four homes applied to such sites, with 822 people being given the chance to have their say.

Of those who voted, 228 said a limit should be set in the village and its parish, with 35 voting against the idea. The turnout for the poll was 32 per cent, and campaigners have previously said a ‘yes’ vote would put local and Government planning policy to the test.

The referendum was organised after Ampleforth residents said plans to build 29 houses in a field off Station Road in the village would pave the way for other large developments in the area.