100 hours community service for theft and unlicensed scrap dealing

As part of the council’s drive to prevent fly-tipping by ensuring waste carriers are licensed, on Tuesday (21 November) a scrap metal dealer was prosecuted for stealing two items from a house and for being unlicensed.

In May 2017, a council officer witnessed Christopher Smith, aged 48 of James Street, York, enter a garden, take a vacuum cleaner and a steam cleaner and put them into the back of the van he was driving. When challenged, he claimed it was his aunt’s home and became abusive. On checking it was found that his aunt did not live there.

In July 2017, Mr Smith was stopped by neighbourhood enforcement officers as he was using a vehicle loaded with scrap metal. The van had no scrap metal dealers licence on display and Mr Smith refused to answer questions at the time. Further investigation found that his licence with City of York Council had expired in March 2017 and he had failed to respond to reminders from the council’s licensing team.

Mr Smith failed to attend interview or respond to questions under caution about the offence of carrying waste without a scrap metal dealers licence or a waste carrier licence, both of which are legal requirements.

At York Magistrates Court on Tuesday 21 November 2017, Mr Smith pleaded guilty to one offence of theft, one offences of transporting controlled waste without a waste carrier licence, operating as an unlicensed scrap metal dealer, failing to provide information about business waste being carried and disposed of.

Mitigation offered to the court included a claim that the theft was opportunistic. Further mitigation offered was that at the time, Mr Smith was showing the ropes of the family business to his son to whom he was handing it over, and that it would be his son who would apply for a dealers licence in the future. Mr Smith claimed too that he was illiterate so could not keep records or read enforcement letters. He is now working for a delivery company.

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Carlton Tavern – re-run of planning meeting expected on 13th December

It looks like there will be a re-run of the debate and vote on the future of the Carlton Tavern. The Planning Committee (on the casting vote of the Chairman) agreed last month that the pub be demolished to make way for an elderly care home.

Various sources on social media are now claiming that the Council will look again at the proposal following threats of a Judicial Review by a national amenity society.

Council officials have, apparently, agreed to further clarify the planning advice that they gave the committee.

Quite whether this will make any difference remains to be seen. It is at least a possibility that different Councillors may attend the meeting making it possible that a different conclusion will be reached.

We will see.

It seems that the Council is caught between a rock and a hard place.

Now Drainage Board highlights Lowfields playing field development issues

click to view complete letter

According to the “Save Lowfields Playing Field Action Groups“ Facebook page the Ainsty Internal Drainage Board is unhappy with the Council’s plans to develop the playing field.

The Drainage Board comments come a few days after Sport England recorded a formal (holding) objection to the plans. Sport England say that the Council proposed alternative football pitch location (Sim Balk Lane) is unconvincing with any facility there likely to be used mainly by Bishopthorpe.

Lowfields Green – a candidate for the least imaginative architecture award?

Concerns about water run off rates, from what is currently a self draining grassed field, are not unexpected.

A glace at the Council unimaginative serried rows of new houses (see left) as well as offering little streetscape relief, have minimal green space provision.

Sport England objection

Hard surfaces increase water run off rates and neighbouring properties could be adversley affected.

Hopefully the Council will now withdraw its proposals and come with something that not only increases the availability of homes in the area but also addresses some endemic failings.

Not least amongst these are the lack of open space and sports pitches in the Westfield ward.

One of the consequences of poor leisure and other public services is that life expectancy in the area is significantly below the Citywide average

 

York braced for flood season

It’s that time of year again and thoughts of some York residents will focus back onto flood risks.

The first flooding of the season has occurred in Craven overnight. That water will be heading in York’s direction.

In tte main the rivers to keep an eye on are the Swale, the Ure, the Nidd and the Foss. All contribute to Ouse river levels in and near York

You can check real time river levels at this site Click 

River gauges in and around York as of now (am 23rd November) are still below flooding levels but there are concerns about the Swale and Ure. The Swale at Myton is now in flood range  as is the Ure at Boroughbridge.

It would be unusual for major flooding to occur in the City as a result of recent rainfall. Usually flooding happens when a combination of factors (sodden ground, snow melt, sustained rain) come together.

Better safe than sorry though so we recommend the Flood Warning Alert service Click

Castle/Piccadilly redevelopment – more meetings

New river walkways and public spaces, new uses for Castle car park, and alternative parking are among the exciting ideas to regenerate Castle Gateway being shared over the next month.

Guided walks across the weekend will introduce the range of ideas to regenerate the huge area of the city ― taking in Piccadilly, Fossgate, Castle, Eye of York and much more – at a special launch event taking place this weekend.

Planners have generated the ideas based on what people said during the first stage of My Castle Gateway, a unique and bold new consultation approach introduced earlier this year. You can also view and feed back all the ideas online at www.york.gov.uk/CastleGatewayIdeas .

City of York Council has joined forces with local engagement experts My Future York to run a series of guided walks, interactive events and online discussions to explore what people want to see and do in the area.

Instead of producing a single masterplan, the Castle Gateway team has created a series of options to allow York’s residents and businesses to keep shaping the future.

However, the consultation process has been criticised for being too ponderous and lacking any sense of urgency. Decisions on the sites are needed urgently to avoid piecemeal development and seize the opportunity to regenerate an area which has been run down for too long.
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