Housebuilder will pay for repairs to road in York after years of lorry traffic

A NATIONAL housebuilder will pay for repairs to a York road after years of use by construction traffic.

David Wilson Homes will contribute £120,000 to City of York Council for repairs to Fifth Avenue, Tang Hall, which provides access the Derwenthorpe development, managed by Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT), according to council documents.

The papers, dated May 3, relate to a decision made by the council’s director of transport, environment and planning.

READ NEXT:

• North Yorkshire restaurant and wedding venue shortlisted for two awards

• ‘Pay-what-you-feel’ prices included in week-long York film festival

• Special events planned for award-winning gardens near York to celebrate anniversary

Other options rejected by the council were to 'undertake the repairs without a contribution from developers', or 'reject the offer and require a higher contribution'. The latter option was not pursued 'as any increase in the compensation received would likely be modest and the council would have to pay for its legal costs'.

Work is likely to take place during school holidays in the first half of 2025, to reduce the impact of the works on school access, the documents add.

Work is already planned at the junction of Fifth Avenue and Tang Hall Lane for this summer, the council papers say.

Google Maps shows where Fifth Avenue accesses Derwent Way and the Derwenthorpe development.

The Press reported in 2015 that Fifth Avenue residents claimed to have blocked the road to prevent deliveries to the Derwenthorpe site before 8am, as lorries were accessing it outside of the terms of the planning conditions.

One resident of Fifth Avenue, who has lived in the same house for more than 50 years, this week said: “It’s been patched up in places and the traffic remains heavy with a lot of lorries, sometimes three or four at once."

Rob, a resident of Penyghent Avenue, off Fifth Avenue, said: “I’d chatted to my ward councillor Claire Douglas via Facebook about this, about how dangerous it was getting for cyclists using the road.”

Fifth Avenue becomes Derwent Way just before the Derwenthorpe housing development (Image: Kevin Glenton)

Another member of the public, who did not wish to be named but regularly uses Fifth Avenue, said: “The surface is particularly bad for any children who might use the road, particularly those using their bikes to go to and from school.”

A spokesperson for David Wilson Homes confirmed the news.

Four-hundred and eighty one homes in total will be delivered on the award-winning Derwenthorpe development, with the final 40 homes on the site being awarded by JRHT to Leeds-based Canstead Homes last year.

Permission for the Derwenthorpe development was granted in 2007 and work on the first phase began in 2011.