As part of City of York Council’s vibrant arts and cultural festival, York: Be part of it, a York art gallery is encouraging visitors to the Tour de France to take home a visual reminder of Yorkshire
As part of City of York Council’s vibrant arts and cultural festival, York: Be part of it, a York art gallery is encouraging visitors to the Tour de France to take home a visual reminder of Yorkshire to be enjoyed in the home every day, and inspire a return visit.
Hard on the heels of the poppy planting project implemented by the Foxwood Residents Association, the
City of York Council has announced that it has secured cross-party support to help the First World War commemorative Poppy Road Poppy Project take root. The council is giving further assistance by providing two plots of land and support for volunteers.
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Newbury Avenue development layout. Click to enlarge
The York Council’s controversial plan to develop the garage area off Newbury Avenue has taken a step forward with layout plans having been published.
The plans show a 3 storey block, containing 9 flats, on the site.
The main criticism of the Councils plan had been its impact on the availability of parking spaces in the area, increased traffic, the dominating effect of an additional 3 storey building and its impact on the adjacent Hob Moor conservation area.
It now seems likely that the Council intends to hijack the private space to the rear of the existing blocks of flats on Newbury Avenue and Windsor Garth for joint use by the new tenants.
The plans do show an allocated parking space for each new flat although the provision for visitors is unclear. No measures to address the needs of drivers displaced from the garages have been announced.
On street parking space in the area is very limited. and the dropped kerb and layby provision programmes have both stalled recently.
A planning application is expected to be submitted and determined in May. Residents will be able to object to the proposals and are permitted to address the Planning Committee before a decision is made.
The issue has become more sensitive since the Council decided to approve the building of 55 houses on the site of the former Our Lady’s school.
Newbury Avenue development plans click to enlarge
Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Westfield Ward.
Full details can be found by clicking the application reference
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Location: We R Cards 8 Odsal House Front Street York YO24 3BL
Proposal: Display of 1no. internally illuminated fascia sign and 1no. non-illuminated projecting sign
Ref No: 14/00702/ADV
Applicant: Mrs Philippa McMullan Consultation Expiry Date 5 May 2014 Case Officer: Victoria Bell Expected Decision Level DEL
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The following application is located in the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward. The path in question links Foxwood to Acomb Park and Woodthorpe via Acomb Wood
Entrance to Acomb Wood footpath
Location: Acomb Wood Acomb Wood Drive York
Proposal: Siting of additional footpath from Ashbourne Way to Quaker Wood Pub and extension of existing path from Girvan Close to Lomond Ginnel
Ref No: 14/00790/GRG3
Applicant: Mrs Jennifer Cairns Consultation Expiry Date 5 May 2014 Case Officer: Heather Fairy (Mon – Wed) Expected Decision Level DEL
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/
NB. The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received.
Booksale on Saturday 19th April 2014
Acomb Library, Front Street
9:00am – 2:00pm
Fill a carrier bag for £5
The York Council has sneaked an additional report onto the agenda of its “Cabinet” meeting which is taking place on 24th April.
It will discuss the plans for the free City centre parking scheme – which was originally scheduled to be considered on 6th May.
The change to the agenda has not been formally publicised, so many residents will be unaware that they have very little time – over Easter – to make their views known.
The report says that any continuation of “free” parking – after the Vanguard section S106 monies have run out – will be funded by City centre businesses that will be expected to participate in a “Business Improvement District” (BID).
The last attempt to form a BID in York floundered as most businesses did not wish to subscribe.
The Council has admitted that the scheme will cost it £275,000 in income plus any reduced income resulting from those drivers who switch to the free period from other times of the day (or from those car parks on which charges wills till apply like Bootham Row).
Our estimate of £500,000 a year in lost income seems about right.
The Council seems to have no idea what the impact on the viability of park and ride services will be. No allocation for lost fare revenue is included in the costings.
No consultation with NCP and other private sector car park operators appears to have taken place.
The report is silent on how visitors will be reminded that, if they arrive during a “free” period, they may still need to purchase a pay and display ticket if they intend to continue their stay after 11:00am.
Some Council car parks will still charge £2 an hour during the “free” period. Quite why anyone would chose to pay when they can park for free nearby is not explained!
No assessment is made of the effect that the scheme will have on peak period traffic volumes. There is no acknowledgement of the impact that the change may have on deliveries which will be taking place in the Footstreets during these hours.
No attempt has been made to explain why the free period starts at 8:00am – before many businesses and most shops have opened.
We still believe that this scheme has not been fully thought through although the Council Leader James Al;exander asserts that he has spent 6 months working up the plan!
The Council has revealed that it is spending £200,000 filling potholes and resurfacing the roads over which Tour de France competitors will ride in July.
Vesper Drive residents pitch to have their cul de sac resurfaced
Competition for the funding is hotting up with some residents (right) spotting an opportunity to get much needed road repairs completed.
The Council has now cancelled the meeting which was to have considered how the supplementary highways resurfacing budget will be spent. No explanation has been given and no new date, for a replacement meeting, has been offered!
Meanwhile the Council has said, in response to a Freedom of Information request, that it still plans to accommodate 800 caravans and 2000 tents on Monk Stray over the tour weekend (5th/6th July).
There is some concern that the “slimmed down” City of York Council has agreed to a programme which is does not have the resources to organise properly.
Only a handful of Councillors have been briefed on the detail of what is happening (or not happening)
The York Council has finally published the presentation which apparently led to Labour Councillors abandoning the traffic restrictions on Lendal Bridge.
click to download full presentation
The papers have crept into the daylight following a vigorous campaign by Liberal Democrats and residents for a full scrutiny review of the fiasco.
The presentation is not the final report, which is still scheduled to be considered by the Cabinet on 6th May.
However there are some glaring anomalies in the claims made by officials.
In claiming that hotel and bus use had increased, they have failed to include benchmark comparisons; preferring just to assume that any favourable trend is a result of the Lendal Bridge restrictions.
In truth the economic recovery and good weather have played a part in attracting more visitors to the City over the last few months.
& First buses claimed in September that their new fare pricing and routing policies, would attract more passengers (as appears to be the case although robust bus reliability measures are missing).
Also missing are details of the number of PCNs issued during the period between the end of the trial and the decision to abort the traffic regulation order.
The York Council has issued a media release claiming to list the streets that will benefit from this years highway resurfacing programme.
The list is a supplement to the base programme which was agreed in March. It will add £2 million worth of work and bring expenditure back up to the level inherited by the Labour Council, in 2011. During the last 2 years the highways resurfacing budget had lost nearly £4 million in much needed investment.
Footpath and verge repair needed in Little Green Lane in Acomb
Interested residents who would like to know whether their roads is included on the list will be disappointed.
The list is missing from the Couincils web site!
It is the latest in a series of irregularities which has seen
The base highways resurfacing programme was first published last November and confirmed at a meeting held in March.
A copy can be read here.
