Nature area on Bachelor Hill being neglected by York Council

Access footpaths and steps badly eroded.

Access footpaths and steps badly eroded.

The decline in the appearance of Bachelor Hill which started in 2012 seems to have accelerated recently.

3 years ago the Council promised a new abundance of wild grasses and flowers when they began transporting material from a development site in Poppleton.

Detritus pilled up at Tennent Road entrance

Detritus pilled up at Tennent Road entrance

For a while a local friends of Bachelor Hill group struggled to keep the area tidy, but now it is strewn with litter and cans.

The access gates at both the Tennent Road and Askham Lane entrances are broken and obstructed by vegetation.

Bottles cans and litter blight what was to have been a nature conservation area

Bottles cans and litter blight what was to have been a nature conservation area

Footpaths and access steps have been eroded.

In 2013 the Council said that wildflowers would start to germinate that spring. They promised to maintain the area and would continue to cut most of the grass.

In winter a pond usually develops on part of the site.

Askham Lane entrance gate broken

Askham Lane entrance gate broken

We don’t think that the Councils policy of benign neglect is working. There are still security issues on parts of the boundary which need to be addressed while the wildflower meadow is a bit of a let down.

They must do better than this

A cyclist was knocked off their bike on Gale Lane this morning.

North Yorkshire Police said a silver Volkswagen Golf collided with the cyclist at 7.45am today

A spokeswoman said the cyclist was knocked from his bike, but the driver of the car failed to stop at the scene.

The spokeswoman said the cyclist was uninjured in the incident, but his bike was badly damaged, and urged anyone who saw the collision or has information in connection with it to contact police on 101 quoting reference NYP-12102015-0072.

Latest planning applications for the Acomb and Westfield Wards

Acomb Methodist Church to add 72 square metres (10%) to hall on Front Street.

click to access

Acomb Methodist Church Hall click to access

Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Acomb and Westfield wards.

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Acomb

None

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Westfield

Location:       Acomb Methodist Church Front Street York YO24 3BX

Proposal:       Single storey extensions to sides and rear

Ref No: 15/02252/FUL

Applicant:      Acomb Methodist Church  Contact Mr David Chapman        Consultation Expiry Date        11 November 2015 Case Officer:   Elizabeth Potter        Expected Decision Level DEL

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 Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.  http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received

Road and footpath condition in York – questions asked

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

The York Council has been asked to reveal how many reports of problems with defective roads and footpaths it is receiving each month. The request for the publication of information comes in the wake of a Freedom of Information response which revealed that the Council believed that “5% of roads in the City require resurfacing”.

The new Council announced that it was increasing the amount available for maintenance by around £1 million this year.  So far no list of streets that might benefit has been published.

The background to the initiative is the absence of performance information which should be (but isn’t)  routinely published by the Council. Even scrutiny committees seem reluctant to monitor the number of defects that are being reported and the length of time taken to address issues.

This applies across a wide range of public services in the City.

What is clear is that the cuts on highways expenditure agreed by the last Labour Council have had a major impact on service quality.