Feedback invited on designs detailing a new community for North Yorkshire

Feedback is being invited on Escrick Park Estate’s draft designs for a sustainable new community in North Yorkshire at a site between York and Selby.

An exhibition of proposals for a new settlement called Heronby was held at the Escrick & Deighton Club this week. The proposals and draft masterplan are also published on the project website www.heronby.co.uk along with a feedback questionnaire.  

Heronby has been designed in response to Selby District Council’s draft Local Plan which will provide a template for how the district will grow up until 2040. The council suggests one or more new settlements could go a long way to meeting the need for new homes and employment space in the district, rather than a significant number of town or village extensions.

If Heronby is adopted as part of the Local Plan, preparations could be made for planning applications in summer 2023, with work on the first phase getting underway in 2024 or 2025. Around 1300 new homes would be built by 2040, with a longer-term plan for up to 4000 homes by 2065.

The masterplan for Heronby shows that green, public open space will account for around 35percent of the new settlement, with a large country park also being proposed. Alongside the new homes will be employment space, schools, shops, sports and community facilities. Cycling and walking will be prioritised and the existing woodland and wildlife habitats will be retained, enhanced and increased.

Inspired by the character and function of the very best North Yorkshire settlements, the masterplan has been prepared by Brooks Murray Architects who are UK-based specialists in the design of new communities, working alongside planning and development consultants Turnberry who are supporting the delivery of other landowner-led settlements in England and Scotland.

Proposals for Heronby were launched earlier this year but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not possible to hold a public event.

Beilby Forbes Adam, of Escrick Park Estate, said: “We introduced our vision for Heronby earlier this year and now we are sharing the updated masterplan and welcoming feedback and new ideas.

“We’ve welcomed nearly 200 people to our ticketed event this week and the feedback we’ve received has been really useful with many constructive ideas being discussed.”

Mr Forbes Adam added: “We want to gather as much local feedback as possible to help inform the next stage of the design process so we are inviting people to view the proposals on the Heronby website and submit their ideas. We are particularly keen to understand what services and facilities people would value most in a new community.”

The Heronby masterplan can be viewed on www.heronby.co.uk where there is also a link to an online feedback form. All feedback on this set of proposals is gratefully received by Friday, October 8, 2021, although the project team will continue to welcome conversations and ideas over the coming months and years. To contact the project team, please email enquiries@heronby.co.uk