The Conservative candidate for Mayor of York & North Yorkshire has announced a "brownfield first" plan for new homes in an effort to protect the countryside.

Keane Duncan praised Chancellor Rishi Sunak's commitment to building homes in appropriate locations and vowed to unlock 900 new homes on brownfield sites within his first two years as mayor, using £12.7 million of devolved funding.

Conservative candidate Mr Duncan said: “I want more young people and families in York and North Yorkshire to achieve the dream of owning their own home.

“Ensuring our area is affordable for everyone, especially the next generation, inevitably
means we must build more - but it is important we get the location right.

“I would unlock responsible development on brownfield sites and deliver 900 new homes
in my first two years as mayor."

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister emphasised the government's commitment not to "concrete over the countryside." 

Housing Secretary Michael Gove and Rishi Sunak added that the Conservative Westminster government was on track to meet its target of building one million homes between 2019 and 2024.

Mr Duncan emphasised the significance of selecting the right locations for new developments.

He added: "The York Central site earmarked for 2,500 homes shows the scale of our ambition, but
there are many other parcels of abandoned or underutilised land prime for regeneration.

“We should prioritise building the next generation of family homes on these sites first to
ease the pressure on our beautiful green spaces.”