A Plan for York

Should we the trust the plans of planners? Planners have a poor record. York avoided some of the planning horrors of the 20th Century, like the multi-storey flats and tower blocks of the 1960s that were demolished within a couple of decades. However, there have been several abandoned road schemes: the 1930s ring road (including Kingsways North and West), the Fishergate Loop and the 1966 Inner Ring Road and then the 1972 Inner Ring Road proposals.

The mood for 20th Century town planning in the UK was set by SIr Patrick Abbercrombie whose plans were used in the post-war building of Plymouth, Hull and Bath, amongst others. Of his post-war re-planning of Plymouth, Sir Simon Jenkins has written:

“Poor Plymouth. It was badly blitzed in the Second World War and then subjected to slash and burn by its city fathers. The modern visitor will find it a maze of concrete blocks, ill-sited towers and ruthless road schemes. Most of this damage was done by one man, Patrick Abercrombie, in the 1950s. The old Barbican district would, in France or Germany, have had its façades restored or rebuilt. Here new buildings were inserted with no feeling for the texture of the old lanes and alleys.”

In the 1960s the plans for multi-storey flats and tower blocks were turned into a dreadful reality for the less-affluent residents who were moved into them. However, York avoided the high-rise, multi-story horror blocks built in the 1960s. Council Leader Alderman Bill Burke successfully resisted the trend, famously declaring in a council meeting: “Over my dead body will we have bloody tower blocks in York”. This was despite substantial government subsidies to the tower blocks government that planners had recommended. But, as noted above, Alderman Burke dismissed the success of prefabs as noted earlier.

Are Local Plans necessary?

Local plans like the one York ratified last year had the disadvantage of giving up bargaining power by pre-allocating areas which will get planning permission for housing (and so handing enormous rewards to landowners). The inspectors for the York Plan also insisted that York’s approach to the green belt was strengthened, placing restrictions on the areas allowed for housing until 2038.

Planning applications are judged against the Local Plan. If a proposed development aligns with the plan, it usually gets approved; if it conflicts, it can be rejected. It is claimed that a local plan gives the planning authority more power to reject planning applications that are not in the plan. But conversely, once a site is included in a local plan it is much harder to refuse a planning application. This diminishes the bargaining power of the local authority to get more affordable or environmentally sound housing.