Local residents and businesses will be able to offer their views on the city's Local Development Plan (LDP) during an extensive consultation process planned by City of York Council for February and March 2003.

Proposals set out in the plan include the city's first ever long term Green Belt boundary and new site specific allocations for housing, employment and open space for the next ten years.

The council proposed revisions to the LDP in November, including changes to policies to increase the amount of affordable housing, to produce a more comprehensive approach to new development and community benefits, to student housing, to meet business's requirements for quality employment sites and to better the re-use of brownfield land, to strengthen policies on sustainability and to protect the Minster's domination of York's skyline. Residents and businesses in the city will be able to offer their views on the proposals at a number of city-wide workshops and exhibitions, or by completing consultation forms, which will be available from Monday 3 February: 9 St Leonard's Place The Guildhall All York libraries The council's website (www.york.gov.uk/environment) All the comments received through the consultation process will be collated and analysed, together with the comments already received. Comments are required by 5pm on Monday 17 March 2003. Residents' views will be reported back to the council in the summer (2003) for a final decision before going to a public inquiry, chaired by an independent government inspector. Councillor Dave Merrett, leader of City of York Council, said: "The consultation period offers an opportunity for all residents to have their say on how they would like to see York evolve. The plan is absolutely key to this - it sets both the overall framework and the specific policies against which individual planning applications will be judged in the future so it's critical to get it right. "The exhibitions and workshops have been organised for local people and organisations and are intended to help you to understand the Local Plan, and how you can have an effective input into the process"