The decision to approve new plans to build affordable homes on council-owned sites in York has been called in for review.
City of York Council’s strategy, which aims to build 315 affordable homes on five sites but also ditches highly energy-efficient Passivhaus standards, is set to be reviewed on Tuesday (5 May).
A call-in request from the Liberal Democrat opposition claimed the council’s Labour executive had failed to take all relevant matters into account when approving the plans.
The call in meeting is set to see opposition councillors who made the request and Labour housing executive member Cllr Michael Pavlovic each questioned about the issue.
Councillors will then vote on whether the executive’s approval of the plans breached the council’s decision-making principles.
It comes as the approved strategy would see new affordable homes on council-owned built to Homes England’s Healthy Homes Standards going forward.
A council report on the plans stated current requirements to build homes to Passivhaus standards had struggled to attract interest from construction firms due to current market conditions.
The complexity of building Passivhaus homes designed to use up to 90 per cent less energy than a typical house was also behind the lack of interest from developers.
Castle Mills, Lowfield, Manor School, Ordnance Lane and Willow House are the five sites earmarked for the 315 affordable homes under council plans.
Recent efforts to procure works to build 101 homes at Ordnance Lane failed to award a contract almost two years after plans were approved in August 2024.
The council would appoint a commercial Strategic Delivery Partner in an effort to get homes on the sites built, under plans approved on Tuesday, April 14.
The model, which aims to reduce risk and uncertainty for developers, would see the council retain control the projects on each of the sites.
Estimated timescales for each of the affordable housing schemes would see prepatory works at Ordnance Lane, off Fulford Road, and Willow House, near Walmgate, start next spring.
Local elections for York Council are scheduled for May 2027.
Speaking at the executive meeting where the plans were approved, Labour council housing spokesperson Cllr Pavlovic said the new approach aimed to build affordable homes for hard-pressed residents.
Cllr Pavlovic said: “This isn’t just paying lip service to social housing, this is the biggest council house building programme for a generation.
“The best way of doing that is to have a strategic partner that works alongside us to deliver genuinely affordable, warm and healthy homes that meet the needs of York’s growing population.”
But Liberal Democrat opposition leader Cllr Nigel Ayre said the council was further away from building homes on the sites than it had been when Labour took power in 2023.
Cllr Ayre said: “This executive’s reverse Midas touch has brought delivery to a crushing halt.
“The shift away from Passivhaus to the weaker Healthy Homes standards is a direct result of the insistence on 100 per cent of homes of council-owned sites being affordable.”
