The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has brought the region’s power company to the table to unlock developments and create jobs.
The York and North Yorkshire Development Forum has been held every six months since November last year, with planning and power raised as the top issues for developers.
North Yorkshire Council and the City of York Council have attended each forum, but representatives from Northern Powergrid joined for the first time this month.
Developers on the forum including Glentrool, Teakwood and Caddick raised concerns about the timescales of getting power, with delays of around 30 to 45 weeks.
David Wilkins, who is the head of external affairs at Northern Powergrid, talked to the group about challenges with policy commitment to secure investments in the service.
The Development Forum group will now be in regular contact with representatives from Northern Powergrid, which serves Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and the North East.
David Skaith, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, convened the meeting to bring the company to the table with developers. He said after the meeting:
“Challenges and prolonged waits to secure grid connections are holding development back and stopping York and North Yorkshire from getting on with building.
“I was pleased to get around the table with our Developers Forum and Northern Powergrid to talk about these challenges and how we can ensure development is not held back by bureaucracy and long waiting times.”
The next York and North Yorkshire Development Forum will be held on May 5, 2026.