Crime update for York

Click heading for link to full information

High-value mountain bike stolen in York:

£500 reward on offer for information that leads to arrests and charges.
Police in York are investigating the theft of a mountain bike valued in excess of £6,500.
The grey Cielo bike with orange lettering on the frame, custom built in the USA by Chris King, was taken from outside a property on Gladstone Street, off Huntington Road, at about 3pm on Friday 27 September 2013.
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Help beat doorstep crime on Older People’s Day (TODAY)

North Yorkshire Police are urging people to support UK Older People’s Day by helping to raise awareness of doorstep crime amongst their elderly relatives and neighbours.
Elderly people are particular vulnerable to the risk of doorstep crime. This can be people tricking their way into their homes by posing as officials such as police officers, council workers or gas meter readers with the intention of stealing their possessions.
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Witnesses sought after two women assaulted in York

Detectives are appealing for witnesses after two women were assaulted in York.
The women aged 18 and 19-years-old, were walking home along Percy Lane at around 11pm on Monday 23 September 2013, when they were attacked by a man near the bridge over the River Foss.
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Students urged to follow basic crime prevention advice following sneak-in campus burglaries

North Yorkshire Police is investigating two burglaries at student accommodation at York St John University.
The incidents at the campus, which is in the Hungate area of the city, occurred between 10pm on Sunday and 12.45am on Monday (29-30 September 2013).
In one room, which was left unlocked, a Apple MacBook laptop was stolen.
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Chance to quiz top police officer about what matters most to you TODAY

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy will host a live webchat on Tuesday 1 October to mark his first month in the job.
The webchat will take place between 5pm and 6pm To join the live webchat and to ask Mr Kennedy a question, please visit our website www.northyorkshire.police.uk

Twitter @snayorkwest

• There have been 2 damage to vehicles reported in the Woodthorpe area on Sat night (28th). Have you seen/heard anything? Please ring 101.

• There has also been a stolen moped taken from the Dringhouses area. Any sightings of YJ11FZN white Piaggio Zip then please ring 101

Latest Planning applications – Former Knavesmire Nursing home (The Green) site plans published

Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Acomb and Westfield wards. Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

The long awaited proposals for the former Knavesmire Nursing home site on The Green have been submitted to the Council. They show the main building being retained and converted into 4 flats.

Elsewhere on the site the extension will be demolished and 4 bungalows will be built. Some significant works to the trees on the site are also proposed.

The application will be welcomed by many as the building has been empty for around 4 years while the overgrown trees have blocked out much of the light in the area.

Westfield

Reference 13/03033/FUL

The Green development site plan. Click for larger drawing

Address Knavesmire Nursing Home 76 The Green Acomb York YO26 5LS

Proposal Conversion and partial demolition of nursing home to create 4no. apartments and 4no. bungalows with associated parking

Status Pending Consideration Application Received Mon 09 Sep 2013

Reference 13/03193/TCA

Address Knavesmire Nursing Home 76 The Green Acomb York YO26 5LS

Proposal Various tree works including fell 20 trees, Trees in the Conservation Area

Status Pending Consideration Application Received Wed 25 Sep 2013

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Reference 13/03074/FUL

Address Quicksilver 7 Acomb Court Front Street York YO24 3BJ

Proposal Change of use of first floor from retail (use Class A1) to sports facility (use Class D2)

Application Received Mon 09 Sep 2013 Status Pending Consideration
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Reference 13/03082/FUL MT26J0SJ0B800

Address 70 Gale Lane York YO24 3AA

Proposal Increasing height of roof to accommodate loft conversion (revised scheme)

Status Pending Consideration Application Received Fri 13 Sep 2013
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Acomb

Reference 13/03172/LHE http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/weeklyListResults.do?action=firstPage

Address 10 Albion Avenue York YO26 5RA

Proposal Erection of single storey extension extending 4 metres beyond the rear wall of the original house, with a height to the eaves of 2.5 metres and a total height of 3 metres

Application Received Fri 20 Sep 2013 Status Pending Consideration
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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.

Waste bin emptying problems getting larger – Dringhouses, Micklegate and Bishopthorpe miss out

Today (Monday) the Council is reporting that both grey and green bins haven’t been emptied in parts of York.

Some of the roads listed on the Councils web site as “Micklegate Ward ” are actually in the Dringhouses Ward.

The web site is also a little vague about when the grey bins will actually be collected, although it seems that the green bins in Bishopthorpe will be emptied tomorrow (Tuesday)

Monday 30th September some properties in the following area(s ) did not have their waste collected as scheduled:

Grey Bin: (Micklegate Ward)

◦ Chalfonts

◦ Pulleyn Drive

◦ White House Gardens

◦ White House Rise

◦ White House Drive

◦ White House Dale

◦ St Georges Place

◦ Newington Court

◦ Mount Vale Drive

◦ Towton Avenue

◦ Moorgarth Avenue

Green Bin: (Bishopthorpe)

◦ Copmanthorpe Lane

◦ The Coppice
◦ Kirkwell
◦ New Lane
◦ Temple Road

“Green waste will be collected on Tuesday 1st October, please remember to present your garden waste bins by 7am”.

Schools closed or disrupted in York tomorrow (Tuesday)

Many local schools including York High and Westfield may be affected by strike action tomorrow (Tuesday)

Click list for the up to date position

click for up to date comprehensive list

Only 53 new “affordable rent” properties in pipeline for York

The Council have admitted that only 53 new properties with “affordable rents” are likely to be constructed in the City during the next 3 years.

Of these, 35 are currently under construction

YMCA building site

They are located at
• YWCA site, currently under construction: 23
• Elvington rural exception site, currently under construction: 12
• White Swan, to be started 2013-4, 18.

These will be the first affordable rent homes constructed since 2010.

This compares to the (cheaper) “social housing” rent programme which has seen 297 properties completed since 2010.

This total includes the additional Council houses which were given the go ahead by the last LibDem Council administration.

NB. The Council have been criticised for not publishing its Annual Monitor Report. Some data on the Council web site is now nearly 2 years out of date. Particular interest focuses around the progress being made by the Council in providing “affordable” homes against its targets. The lack of progress is likely to be raised at the Council meeting which is taking place on 10th October

Foxwood residents aiming for crocus record

click to enlarge

Jobs fair for York residents tomorrow

Jobseekers and residents wanting to improve their skills and qualifications are being encouraged to visit a jobs fair at the Barbican, Paragon St, York on 1 October from 10am to 3pm.

The event, which has been organised through partnerships between the council, Learning City York, Job Centre Plus and York Learning aims to bring together local employers and will offer advice as well as employment opportunities.

There will be several employers present along with learning providers and other agencies offering free help and advice for people to improve their skills and help them in their search for employment.

The council and its partners have lined up over 50 businesses, with many currently recruiting, including Royal York Hotel, Wilf Ward and Marks and Spencer. The 300-400 opportunities that will soon be available at the new John Lewis store at Monks Cross will also be featured at the event.

The fair will have a designated quiet area to enable residents to fill in application forms with the help of some excellent local skills and training providers.

York Local Plan – Save the Green Belt campaign gets another boost

The Council are now saying that they hope to have read all the representations made by residents about the draft Local Plan by the end of October.

How long it will be, before meetings start to take place at which residents will have the chance to challenge Labour’s Plan assumptions, is anyone’s guess.

Residents protest against Local Plan

However the Plan’s assumptions about the number of homes that could be built on brownfield sites continue to be eroded.

The latest planning application – for the Brecks Lane site at Strensall – is for 104 homes. That compares to an assumed capacity for the site, listed in the draft Local Plan, of 82.

Last week we learned that the British Sugar site will accommodate 1300 homes. The Local Plan forecast only 998.

In addition, around 20 planning applications for new homes have been submitted to the Council over the last 4 months, for sites where either zero residential units had been assumed in the Local Plan or where the number now planned is over 20% higher than the Local Plan estimate.

These include proposals for The Press office building in Walmgate, the Burnholme Club site and Our Lady’s school on Windsor Garth.

They do not include new “windfall” sites like the Bonding Warehouse, Ashbourne House, the Yearsley Pub not to mention Oliver House where we now understand that negotiations about the buildings future have recommenced (some 18 months after it became empty).

It is now clear that there is sufficient brownfield (previously developed) land to satisfy York’s reasonable housing needs for the foreseeable future.

What is also clear is that Labours Local Plan is discredited. They will have to re-write large sections of it.

The sooner that they start the better.

Revised York bus timetables start today

click for larger image

New timetables for First York bus services have been introduced today.

They can be found by clicking here

Click to download a larger scale bus map

Return fares* have been scrapped although “single journeys start from £1”.

No information has so far been published on how far you can travel for £1!

The cheapest “return” generally available now is the Firstday at £3-70 (which allows unlimited use of all First bus services in the City)

* On service 4, return tickets cost just £2 between the University of York and the City Centre/Rail Station.

* On Park & Ride services, return fares continue to be available at £2.60, for journeys from Park & Ride sites