IN an unsurprising result the overwhelming majority of people who voted in East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Boundary Referendum backed two ‘NO’ votes. What did delight East Riding Councillors was the turnout – a thwacking 75 percent!
The results of the Boundary Referendum are as follows:
Q1. Should the boundaries of Hull City Council be extended to include Anlaby, with Anlaby Common, Bilton, Cottingham, Elloughton cum Brough, Hedon, Hessle, Kirk Ella, North Ferriby, Preston, Swanland, Welton and Willerby?
Yes: 1,887 (3.5%)
No: 51,312 (96.5%)
Q2. There are green open spaces separating Hull from the surrounding towns and villages in the East Riding which your council has sought for many years to protect from being built upon. This is now being opposed by Hull City Council which wants to develop land it owns in these areas. Do you think Hull City Council should be allowed to build upon land it owns in the green open spaces separating Hull and the towns and villages?
Yes: 2,167 (4%)
No: 50,981 (96%)
Total turnout was 75.27%
Attention will now turn to the response from Hull City Council who cannot very easily dismiss the Boundary Referendum results. Hull’s focus in the Hedon and Preston area may now divert to the planning process – particularly in regard to potential development of the land at the Hedon Aerodrome site owned by the City Council, but in the jurisdiction of the East Riding Council for planning purposes.
Hull City Council wishes to allocate land to the west of Hedon to be available for housing and mixed use development. They have given sole-negotiating rights for a limited time to Lateral Power to develop a proposal for that land. But any development there requires planning permission from the East Riding Council who in their own proposed Local Plan have declared the land not suitable for development because of the potential flood risks that might ensue.
The East Riding Local Plan allocations document is set to be challenged by Hull City Council who say that the level of co-operation it has received from the East Riding is insufficient and its stance on flood risk has been applied inconsistently across the county.
In short, what has been demonstrated in the Boundary Referendum; that “Hull City Council should NOT be allowed to build upon land it owns in the green open spaces separating Hull” from Hedon, will now be challenged again by the City Council through the public examination of the East Riding Local Plan.
Residents still need to remain vigilant on the issues regarding our green open spaces and ensure that their views are heard at every public opportunity.
Note: A Freedom of Information request has been issued to Hull City Council asking for a detailed progress report on their contract with Lateral Power to develop a proposal for the Hedon Aerodrome land.
