York’s Chief Executive issued a statement on Friday which could be taken to give the impression that the last LibDem administration may have supported the sale of Union Terrace.
This simply isn’t true. We never even discussed the possibility.
Challenged to produce any evidence of our prior involvement with the project the Labour leadership have failed.
No minutes of meetings, no Emails, no correspondence.
Nothing.
There couldn’t be. The last administration simply didn’t commission a report on a possible sale of the car/coach park. It was all a smokescreen to cover up the Labour leaderships blunder.
What actually happened has been well chronicled in the local media and on this web site.
It was James Alexander’s statement to the media on 18th June which kicked off the furore.
Lest anyone forget over the next few days as Labour try to extricate themselves from this ludicrous muddle, this is what he said when announcing the sale 6 weeks ago.
………A MULTI-MILLION pound deal to sell off one of York’s main city centre car and coach parks could create more than 100 jobs and provide new facilities for students and the public. City of York Council is set to sell the Union Terrace coach and car park to York St John University, which plans to expand its existing campus across the road.
Council leader James Alexander has backed the scheme, which he says will commit at least £2 million to the council’s Reinvigorate York agenda to revitalise the city centre and install “pay on exit” car parking in its car parks. But traders in nearby Gillygate have broadly condemned the move, saying it would deprive them of much-needed passing tourist trade.
Count Alexander said that instead of using Union Terrace as a drop-off point for coaches, the council would look at multiple sites in the city centre to spread visitors across the city.
He said: “York St John plays an important role in the economic vitality of the city and the expansion will further help this by providing 100 new jobs at the university and providing capacity for 100 knock-on jobs, in addition to the impact of increased student numbers.
“As someone who used to work for York St John, I realise how important it is as an employer to local residents who are finding it very tough at the moment.
“The increased students, staff and visitor numbers should also help the business of traders along Gillygate, who often rely on the associated custom of the university.”
The university plans to expand its current numbers to 8,000 over the next four years, including an extra 1,000 international students.
Although detailed plans for the site are still being finalised, some of the options York St John is looking at include academic space, sport and recreational facilities for students and the public, event and exhibition space and student accommodation which it hopes will help inject an extra £45 million for the city’s economy.
No claims at that time then that he was inheriting a timetable from the previous administration. No hint of an officer’s report which might have presented facts about the implications of such a proposal. He clearly expected a rapturous reception for his scheme and wanted all the credit
As we reported on this web site on Wednesday, Labour now seem set to consult on other options which could involve the joint use of the Union Terrace site. This is what we – and many residents – have been suggesting for several weeks. Whether any consultation will be done properly and include other major proposals which will have a major impact on the City centre (and which are evolving as part of the Local Development Framework plan) remains to be seen.