Editing Selby (section)

==Geography==
Selby lies on the [[tide|tidal]] [[River Ouse, Yorkshire|River Ouse]] in a natural area of Yorkshire known as the [[Humberhead Levels]]. The main roads that cross at Selby are the [[A63 road|A63]] from [[Leeds]] to [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]] and the [[A19 road|A19]] from [[Doncaster]] to [[York]], though the A19 and A63 have no longer met in Selby itself since the opening of the Selby [[Bypass (road)|Bypass]] in 2004. The River Ouse is [[navigable]] upstream as far as York so the [[Selby toll bridge|old toll bridge]], by which the A63 crossed the river at Selby, had to allow for this. For many years the swing bridge in Selby was a notorious local [[traffic bottleneck|bottleneck]] but since the opening of the Selby bypass congestion in the town has been relieved.

The importance of Selby as a market town has declined in recent decades and its short-lived prominence as the centre of the [[Selby Coalfield]] has also waned. Selby is close to both [[York]] and [[Leeds]]. Its popularity as a tourist destination, owing to [[Selby Abbey]], has led to a large amount of development and renovation in the town and surrounding area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.selby.gov.uk/news_detail.asp?id=921&menuid=2 |title=- Renaissance Works On Track for Summer Finish |publisher=Selby District Council |access-date=21 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614113708/http://www.selby.gov.uk/news_detail.asp?id=921&menuid=2 |archive-date=14 June 2011 }}
</ref>

The [[residential]] areas of Selby have also been subject to expansion and development. A significant development called Staynor Hall continues to the south East of the town, with other developments in the Holmes Lane area and around the villages of Brayton, Barlby and Thorpe Willoughby. More have been built at various points along the riverfront, the result of an ongoing project to improve an area that had been largely derelict since the decline of the shipbuilding industry.

===Floods===
In recent years there have been serious flood problems in Selby and the adjoining village of [[Barlby]]. The threat in the Barlby area has been alleviated to some extent by work on improved flood barriers following the major flood of November 2000.<ref>
{{cite magazine
|url=http://www.nce.co.uk/selby-flood-defences-near-completion/489176.article
|title=Selby Flood Defences Near Completion |magazine= New Civil Engineer
|date=18 January 2008 |access-date=22 June 2009
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/57885.aspx?page=7&month=4&year=2008
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605025308/http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/57885.aspx?page=7&month=4&year=2008
|archive-date=5 June 2011
|title= Huge increase in flood defence spending for Yorkshire
|publisher=Environment Agency
|access-date=22 June 2009
}}
</ref>