Council officials are recommending approval of a planning application from the National Trust who own and currently occupy the Goddards site at 27 Tadcaster Road. The application is to open up part of the building as a visitor attraction. It is proposed to open up rooms on the ground and first floor to the public.

Opening hours to the public would be restricted to 9:30am and 4:30pm.

The gardens are already open to the public, for recreation, but potentially the permission could allow these to be used for events.

The house is grade 1 listed, it was built in 1926-27 by Walter Brierley* for Katherine and Noel Goddard Terry. It is recognised as the finest surviving work by the architect.

Access into the site is through the gatehouse, which fronts Tadcaster Road, the access road then leads to the main house and it’s gardens, and there is a car parking area to the north of the main house.

Planning permission was granted in 1983 for a change of use to convert the buildings on site from residential to office use. The permission was exclusive to the National Trust. Before 1983 the site was still resided at by the Terry family. The gatehouse reverted back to residential use from offices in 1999.

A public consultation event was held on site in Sept 2011 and attended by 87 persons. Officers report that, “All were in favour of the visitor attraction, and saw the proposed use as an important part of York’s history”.

The Planning Committee (West) will consider the officer recommendation at a meeting on Thursday.

Map of Goddards site. click to enlarge

*Walter Henry Brierley (1862–1926) was a York architect who practiced in the city for 40 years. (more…)

Click to enlarge

Although there has been some movement over the last few months in the housing market in Acomb, prices remain volatile.

Completed sale prices in one area ranged from £104,000 (flat) to £375,000 (house in Askham Lane).

A 5 bedroomed chain free property in Wordsworth Crescent is available for £229K.

A 3 bedroomed semi in Willoughby Way is advertised at £160K

In the rental market a 1 bedroomed property in Walker Drive is available for £495 pcm. In Vincent Way a 3 bedroomed house is available for £695 pcm

The latest House Price Index from Land Registry shows that house prices fell over the last year by -0.6 per cent. The number of property sales has increased slightly over the past 12 months, from an average of 57,334 sales per month from September to December 2010, to 60,392 in the same period a year later.

In Acomb the average price for a 3 bedroomed house is now £188K having increased over recent months.

Rentals for most properties have fallen although demand has pushed the average letting price for 4 bedroomed properties up to £977 pcm

click to enlarge

City of York Council’s Sport and Active Leisure team is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to train up to become Community Nordic Walking Instructors.

The one day training course is organised by Nordic Walking UK in partnership with the council, and takes place on 24 May. Through taking part in the course you will gain a recognised qualification, have first aid training and become a fully fledged Community Nordic Walking Instructor. (more…)

On April 20, the council’s Street Environment Service will be holding a litter awareness event at York College, giving away portable ashtrays and educating young people about the effects of litter on the local area.

In the afternoon of April 20, Westfield Primary School will be showing how they love where they live in a litter pick event at Grange Lane play area, which they have adopted to look after with the help of their street environment officer.

(more…)

It’s D-Day for York on Thursday 19 April when Yorkshire in Bloom Judges – arrive for their spring visit to assess the city for the regional Yorkshire in Bloom competition – part of the Royal Horticultural Society Britain in Bloom campaign.

The judges will tour the city to decide how York is doing this spring and whether it meets the Gold standard in terms of its floral displays, green spaces, the look of the local neighbourhoods and street environment, including community involvement.

They will visit a wider variety of sites across the city as well as the historic city centre, including Brunswick Organic Nursery, Bustardthorpe Allotments, Merchant Adventurers Garden, York St John University, Hazel Court Eco Depot, Glen Gardens, Dringhouses Primary School, Askham Bog to name but a few.

The judges will hear about all the work that is going on throughout the city and by local communities including schools, local residents and Edible York. They will already have had a flavour of this through York’s Britain in Bloom portfolio which will be posted on the York in Bloom website page – go to www.yorkinbloom.com and click on the Britain in Bloom link.

When last in power, Labour failed to even enter the “Bloom” contest.

Lets hope residents can make the difference this time against the background of cuts to the maintenance of the City’s parks and gardens

North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 11 April and Tuesday 17 April 2012

•A64 Seamer by-pass Scarborough
•B1249 Staxton Wold, Staxton, Scarborough (more…)

Millions of people could have their energy bills cut thanks to a landmark agreed between the Coalition and all major energy suppliers.

Nick Clegg has announced that the big six energy companies – EDF, E.On, British Gas, Southern, Scottish Power and NPower, who supply 99 per cent of British homes with energy – will now write to customers every year to specifically tell them what the best tariff is for them and how to get it.

‘Going Green has never made so much sense’
The Deputy Prime Minister made the announcement in a speech where he also hit out at people who believe you must dismiss the green agenda in order to deliver growth.
In his speech Nick Clegg said (more…)

Development site at The Green Acomb

The planning application to build 12 new homes on a vacant site on The Green, Acomb looks to have hit a barrier with officials blocking the issue of planning permission (see http://tinyurl.com/Green-Planning for previous story).

Although the details of the holdup haven’t been publicised, the planning application has been outstanding for over 3 months since formalities were concluded last autumn.

With only 2 objections registered during the consultation period, the granting of permission had been thought to be likely. Now it seems that talks are still continuing over the design issues.

Elsewhere, York’s longest running sub-urban planning saga is entering a second year of wrangling. The proposal to put car parking spaces on a site at the junction of St Stephen’s Road and St Stephen’s Square was first raised in 2010.

The most recent planning application has been with officials since early last year.

We understand that the delay is over the provision of acceptable drainage works for the site. Elsewhere, where drainage is an issue, matrix type surfaces have been installed allowing rainwater to soak away.

Given that the site is owned by the Council’s Housing Department, it seems surprising that two sets of Council officials have taken so long to sort out the issue.

The meeting to determine the future of the Beckfield Lane recycling centre has been put back to Tuesday 24th April. It will start at 6:30pm and will take place in the Guildhall.

Residents are able to register to speak at the meeting. The agenda for the meeting should be posted shortly on the Council’s web site.

tinyurl.com/Save-the-recycling-centre

A “training” visit by Councillors to the Foxwood Community Centre, which was scheduled to take place tomorrow, has been cancelled.
Apparently no Councillors registered to attend!