York Community Stadium – opening delayed

It will come as no surprise to many that the scheduled opening date for the York Community stadium has been put back.

We warned that the July opening date was highly optimistic.

The Council are staying tight lipped about when they hope that the stadium and associated leisure facilities will eventually open.

The Knights Rugby team are already rescheduling the venues for their fixtures against the Bradford Bulls (20th July) and Featherstone Rovers (18th August).

It seems unlikely that the stadium will be available for the start of the new football season on 3rd/10th August

Given that Spurs are now looking at a full 9 month delay on their new home no doubt the building contractors will be ultra cautious in saying when work will be completed.

At least poor weather can’t be blamed for any delays.

 

Planning updates – Lincoln Court and Lowfields

  • MUGA

    We understand that the Foxwood Residents Association have formally objected to the Councils plans to “replace” the children’s all-weather games area on Kingsway. The objection stems from the Councils proposal to build “fitness equipment” on Chesneys Field during the summer. The Association points out that no consultation has taken place over this proposal which could intensify the use of what is Public Open Space. When a similar idea was mooted 2 years ago, the preferred site for a fitness track was judged to be the Thanet Road Sports Area. The Association have suggested that the Council seek a partnership with the Acorn Rugby Club which could see a new 3G games area provided. Sport England have also objected to the Council’s plans

  • The Yorspace proposals for the Lowfields site have been criticised by the local Drainage Board. They are asking for further details of how surface water runoff will be handled. They point out the fact that – for the whole site –  water run off is likely to be more severe than occurs from the existing greenfield use. There are already some problems with flooding in the gardens of some properties in the Green Lane and Tudor Road area.
  • Separately the Lowfields Residents Group has objected to plans which would see the number of off street parking spaces reduced near 108 Tudor Road. They are also concerned about the traffic implications of building a new access road onto the Lowfields site

NB. The contract for “enabling works” at Lowfields was awarded to NMCN. It is valued at £260,000. The end date for the contract is 19th April 2019.

Council contracts and the Library service

Lots of new entries on the public contracts register for the city of York Council (https://procontract.due-north.com/ContractsRegister/Index)  but nothing for local Libraries other than repairs.

Register of York Council contracts 19th Feb 2019

The Council has, however, issued a media release saying that a new 15 year, £32 million value, contract has been awarded to the existing Library Service provider . That would be good news but still leaves a lot of unanswered questions.

Not least will be the reliance to be placed on “volunteers” helping to provide the service.

It appears that only two tenders were received to run the service. The other is believed to have been from GLL who currently run the Councils sports facilities.

The Council’s media release says,

“ The new contract, which will commence on the 1st April 2019, will ensure that the city’s existing libraries can remain open over the next 15 years, in line with the agreed vision.

The announcement follows a procurement process to decide which organisation would be best placed to deliver the city’s vision for its 14 libraries and world renowned archives service.

At a previous meeting, the Council’s Executive agreed to provide an additional £300,000 to support the new £32 million library services contract.  The additional funding follows feedback from both bidders involved in the procurement process, and will ensure that all the city’s existing libraries can remain open over the next 15 years of the contract. Full Council will be asked to agree the additional funding at a meeting later this month (28 February).

Plans for the future of the library and archive service in York were shaped by the results of a citywide consultation in 2017/18.

Key proposals for the future service include:

  • York Explore Library to continue as the flagship service centre, including the archives and local history centre
  • Explore Gateways offered at a variety of venues, preferably with cafe facilities, and co-located with other community activities where possible, with local communities invited to be involved in their operation.
  • Virtual libraries providing a 24/7 online service, involving e books and e magazines, with virtual spaces for people to share ideas.
  • Providing reading cafes, encouraging the joy of reading especially for those who may feel uncomfortable in a more traditional library.

What’s on in York: Explore a Story – Sunk! By Rob Biddulph

York Explore Library: The Marriott Room

February 21st

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

£2

A pirate hat.
A sunny day.
For Penguin Blue
A game to play…

Sail with us across an interactive storytelling exploration of a swashbuckling new adventure about pirates, treasure, and friendship written by the marvelous Rob Biddulph! While sailing the seven seas Captain Blue, his friends and us  are unexpectedly sunk! With a shipwreck to explore using props and unlimited imagination and a mysterious stranger on a desert island to meet, we might still find some treasure after all!

It’s going to be A GLORIOUS ESCAPADE!

For children between 2 and 5 (parents must remain with children at all times).

Details

Date: February 21

Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Cost: £2

Organiser York Explore

Phone: 01904 552828