Lib Dems oppose blanket 20mph roll-out

Liberal Democrat councillors have opposed plans for a blanket 20mph roll-out in the north and east of York.

At a meeting tonight Labour’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Dave Merrett, approved spending £235,000 on the next stage of the controversial 20mph project despite public and political opposition. Labour’s plans will eventually see 20mph blanket limits across York.

York’s Liberal Democrat Group say the money should be targeted on accident blackspots and say residents want existing speed limits enforced. A council survey on Labour’s proposals for west York last year was sent to 13,000 homes with only 7 residents supporting the scheme. Labour Councillor Anna Semlyen said recently there was “little point” in consulting residents on proposals for blanket 20mph limits.

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Labour announce plans to build on more Green Belt land

Click to enlarge Boroughbridge Road

It has become clear which additional sections of Green Belt land are now under threat from Labours expansion plans.

They announced a year ago that they wanted to increase the size of the City by 25% over the next 15 years.

Now they want to go even further and have identified additional stretches of green belt land that could be developed.

This despite a number of “windfall” opportunities emerging over the last year which has seen planning permission granted in York for around 1500 additional homes on brownfield (previously developed) land.

Click to enlarge A1237

No community is safe from the expansion plans although the Boroughbridge Road (Acomb Ward) and Poppleton (Rural West) area fare particularly badly.

A whole series of residential developments will see virtually all the land lying between the existing built up area in east Acomb and the A1237 developed.

There will also be a huge expansion of the Northminster Business Park on the other side of the A1237. The garden centre site may also be developed.

click to enlarge Boroughbridge Road

Other communities facing additional development include

New Earswick,
Escrick,
Heworth Without,
Fulford,
Elvington,
Designer Centre (expansion and new Park and Ride location),
British Sugar site,
Osbaldwick,
Haxby,
Huntington,

Click to enlarge Manor school

Clifton Moor,
Winthorpe new town,
Dunnington,
Wheldrake,
Copmanthorpe,
Knapton Moor (new solar energy site),
Towthorpe (ditto),
University (further expansion),
Wigginton Road (Park and Ride site),
Askham Bryan (compressed natural gas depot and Freight Transhipment centre)

click to enlarge Boroughbridge Road

Details can be downloaded by clicking here

Breaking News – York Council abandons Traveller and Showman’s site proposals

The York Council is withdrawing its proposals to establish traveller sites at Dunnington and on Malton Road.

The Council is, therefore, still looking for sites for 59 pitches.

It has also confirmed that it will not allocate land on Wetherby Road (near Knapton) for use as a Travelling Showman’s Site.

It is still looking for a suitable Showman’s site but has reduced the requirement to 8 plots of which two would be accommodated by expanding an existing site at Elvington.

Details of the changes can be read by clicking here (Para 8)

Concerns still remain for the sites in question as their inclusion for development, in the first Draft of the Local Plan, has brought into question whether they will be retained in the formal “Green Belt” when it is adopted.

As the Council’s web site papers seem to be inaccessible at the moment a copy of the relevant report can be downloaded by clicking here

“Retain Minster Badge petition” – only 1 week left to sign

Residents only have until 18th April to “sign” a petition on the Councils web site asking for the retention of the Minster badge.

The badge entitles York taxpayers to discount car parking during the day and free parking in the evening.

It is due to be scrapped under a Labour proposal which would see a new badge introduced which anyone would be able to buy.
The petition can be accessed by clicking here

The petition reads,

We the undersigned petition the council to continue to supply Minster car parking badges to York residents free of charge. As one of the few councils in the country who have suffered council tax rises every year under the Labour council while the rest of the country hasn’t. We propose that residents have already paid for this right.

The many businesses that rely on local trade within the city centre are already dwindling. Also many businesses like restaurants and cafes rely on local trade throughout the winter months when there are few tourists. A further reduction in the number of residents visiting the town centre could prove fatal.

Skip locations on Saturday

Although the Council has cut back on the number of amenity skips it provides, several residents associations continue to run programmes aimed at making it easier for tenants to get rid of unwanted items.

The skips are only in place for a few minutes and residents must ensure that they put any rubbish into the skips and do not leave it on the path or highway.

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