The York Council says that discussions have been held with “Choose 2 Youth” whom are a charitable organisation which provides educational and social care services to young people with learning and physical disabilities, with a view of them occupying part of the Moor Lane Centre.
Moor Lane youth club
Choose 2 Youth are currently a Council tenant at the 68 Centre Youth Centre and after a review of alternative provision, Moor Lane Youth Centre has been selected as the most appropriate building to maintain and improve the provision of services for the young people with disabilities.
The Moor Lane Youth Centre is also used by the Councils Youth Justice Service during the day and hired out on an evening to other youth and community providers. Choose 2 Youth will occupy 106m2 of the building for a period of 3 years and pay the Council an initial rent of £8,500 per annum rising to £12,750 in year 2 and £17,000 in year 3.
A licence to document their occupation will be entered into which can be terminated by the council upon 6 month’s notice.
Car parking sign at Foxwood Lane bus shelter has disappearedWe’ve reported detritus build up on the highway in Osprey Close. The footpath link to Acomb Moor is now just about passable now although we’ve asked for some hardcore to be put down. Definitely “Wellingtons” needed if you plan to use the footpath link to Acomb Moor. This can be improved when the right of way is formally recognised. Ward Councillors have promised to follow this up Not sure that this advertising signs are authorised
The Co-op shop, on Beagle Ridge Drive, in Foxwood, will close on February 14th and reopen on February 20th following the refurbishment.
Foxwood Co-op
The new-look store, which runs on 100 per cent renewable electricity, will boast self-service tills, an improved in-store bakery, Costa Coffee point, National Lottery and PayPoint services, alongside a focus on fresh, healthy foods, meal ideas, food-to-go, wines, essentials and Co-op’s new exclusive plant-based range, GRO.
It will also bring a funding boost for local good causes through the Co-op’s membership scheme. Members receive a five per cent reward when they swipe their card when buying own-branded products, and the Co-op donates a further one per cent to local good causes.
Te Foxwood Residents Association has benefited in the past from a grant from the store.
Work is well underway in re-roofing Acomb Explore Library.
The Library is due to get a further makeover and extension in 2021 as part of the Councils modernisation programme.
Nearby the first of the new houses on the Acomb Bowling Green site on Front Street are nearing completion.
Hopefully completion of the development will allow for a more comprehensive plan for the use of the remaining land to be considered.
The land was purchased by the Council to facilitate an extension to the library in 2009. However successive Council leaders have chosen to allow the area to become increasingly derelict during the intervening period.
It was the start of “Containergate” with an outfit called Spark York persuading naive Councillors to give them the use of a prime site at 17/21 Piccadilly for a minimal rent.
As well as £13,333 a year in rent the Council was promised a 30% share of the profits which were forecast to total £213,085 over 3 years.
Business plan considered by York Council Executive Nov 2016
On that assurance, the Council spent £40,000 on installing new utility services to the site
The developers made a series of claims about what their (visually hideous) development would bring to the City. The small business growth figures strained everyone’s credulity but Councillors bought the line.
It subsequently transpired that the firm were unable to raise the £220,000 set up costs and had to resort to the commercial loans market. Although they had beneficial use of the site from September 2017, it was to be the following summer before Spark opened for business.
Further controversy followed the granting of planning
permission. Quite simply the owners chose to ignore a series of conditions –
including the need for a disabled access – and even now have failed to cover with
cladding the garish street art which dominates the Piccadilly frontage.
The original business model failed, and the scheme
concentrated on alcohol sales as its main form of income. It enjoyed a good
summer in 2018 but the high noise levels proved to be a major irritant for the
occupiers of nearby flats.
Thankfully the nightmare lease was due to come to an end in
June. We would be rid of the containers
and a start could be made on building something that would be a credit to the
city.
But now York Councillor Nigel Ayre is apparently considering extending the Spark lease (The original decision was taken by the Councils Executive). He is being promised footfall and “economic vibrance” on Piccadilly, although the rest of the street is likely to be a building site for much of the next two years.
Spark are good at some things. PR is one. They held a party
when they opened which was attended by the media and several Councillors and
officials. It appears to have been an insurance policy judging by the report
being considered next week.
Party time at Spark in 2018
The report fails to examine the performance of the company
against the claims that they made in 2016.
Where is the list of small businesses Spark claim to have “incubated” at the premises?
The operators claim to have had a turnover of £3 million across the whole site yet the Council has had a zero share of any “profit”. (The original plan was for an annual turnover of £272,000 a year yielding a profit of £64,620). Where is the updated business plan?
Who at the Council agreed that the repayment of loans should take precedence over the Council being recompensed for its investment?
Where can a full set of accounts be viewed? (there is little information at Company House)
Why are no other options considered? Parking revenue alone could be worth around £100,000 a year even if a start on the permanent redevelopment of the site is delayed for 2 years
Is the Council still the preferred creditor if the business goes bust? It was told in 2016 that it could sell the containers to fund any outstanding infrastructure costs.
Why is no independent up to date valuation of the site assets provided?
How much have the Directors received in remuneration from Spark (and any subsidiaries) since September 2017
How much has been paid in Business Rates and how much is outstanding?
Who at the Council has received hospitality from Spark? Has it all been properly registered?
Where can financial details of the container occupants’ businesses be found?
Are any of the Spark Directors potential beneficiaries of any of these businesses?
Until these, and other, questions are answered it would be irresponsible
for the Council to consider any extension of the lease.
In the meantime, the planning department should take enforcement action on outstanding breaches of the planning permission.
Other businesses in York deserve to be competing on a level playing field. They, and taxpayers, seem to be the losers in the current arrangement.
