St Leonards Place

The media are reporting that the old Council offices in St Leonards Place may be restored for use as residential accommodation.

Ironically, if true, that would mean that the preferred use identified when the buildings were sold in 2007 would be implemented.

Labour views in 2012 click

Labour views in 2012 click

In the interim, there have been several options considered for the buildings but the impact of the recession prevented any progress.

For a time it seemed that a shared residential and hotel use would be the likely way forward but in 2012 the new Labour Council welcomed plans for what was described as a “prestige hotel”.

Labour Councillors were effusive in the Press when acclaiming the plan.

As we commented at the time, proposals to move the bus stops from outside the hotel seemed to be less than well thought through.

But the original idea to reintroduce residential accommodation into the area was right. The York Conservation Trust were one of the bidders for the property but lost out when the tenders were opened.  They had ambitious – but costly – plans to restore the properties.

The Council did well to sell the buildings at the peak of the pre recession property boom. The receipt helped to fund the move to a consolidated HQ in vacant buildings at West Offices.

The provision of residential accommodation in the Listed St Leonards Place buildings would be a bonus for the City.

There is a serious question to be answered about the change.

There are several sites earmarked for hotel developments in the City. Already a site on Holgate Road has been abandoned while the former Haymarket car park – sold off partly for hotel use at the low point in the recession by a less than erudite Council Leadership – is also stalled.

The Council needs to be realistic and focus its support on those hotel sites which are both commercially viable and which can contribute sustainable jobs to the local economy.

In that respect the key site must be that next to the Barbican which could help to sustain the important conference trade in the City.

Acomb toilets to reopen

The York Council has said that the public toilets in Acomb, closed for over 2 months, will be reopened shortly.Acomb toilets closed 2 1400 hours 25th July 2014

Apparently the refurbishment has been completed and they are now only waiting for a new lock to arrive and be fitted.

The Council has (rightly) been heavily criticised, first for not providing a replacement temporary facility, and more recently for not putting a notice on the toilets saying what progress was being made and when the facility would reopen.

The Council has however warned that repair work to the roof of the building is outstanding and that this may be done in September.

That could involve another closure period!

Speed limit at Rufforth extended

Cycle path to be investigated

A 40mph “buffer” speed limit on the B1224 approach to the east end of Rufforth village is to be established. The planned changes, aimed at helping cyclists,  have been opposed by the Police who describe them as “inappropriate”

An off-road cycle link between the village and the bridleway adjoining the B1224 to the east is also being investigated.

As we predicted in 2012, the Council has  failed to secure its original preferred route for part of the cycle track and cyclists currently use the busy B1224 for part of its length.

Behind closed doors logoThe decision on the cycle route  was a controversial one with an alternative (via current rights of way across part of the airfield and an established bridleway to link to Grange Lane) offering a shorter route for many journeys.

However both options failed to deal convincingly with access across the A1237 (northern by pass)

The speed limit plans were agreed at a behind closed doors decision session

A map showing the plans can be found by clicking here

Acomb Business Rates discount neighbourhood identified

Superdrug Front Street

The York Council has now identified the streets that will benefit from the empty property Rates discount scheme

Empty retail properties brought back into use on Front Street, Green Lane, The Green, Wetherby Road and part of York Road will benefit from a 50% reduction in Business Rates.

The government introduced a scheme which gave Rates discounts on commercial properties that were brought into use after being empty for over 12 months.

The Council has extended that scheme to any retail property that becomes empty.

Concerns have been raised that this will benefit national chains that could pay half the Rates of local independent competitors for as long as 18 months.

As a letter to the local newspaper explained, far from helping independent retailers this could signal their death knell.

Figures released last week show that there are now only a handful of properties currently empty in the Acomb Front Street area.

However, with leases now changing hands regularly as the economy improves, it seems that this well intentioned initiative may be both costly to taxpayers and harmful to many existing traders.