Empty garages costing York Council £25,500 a year in lost rent

489 registered on waiting list for garages in west York

Figures released by the York Council confirm that there is a high level of demand for Council garages in west York.

There are waiting lists at most blocks with the most popular being at (little) Green Lane where 24 residents are seeking a garage. Ironically this is a garage area which the Council have badly neglected. It suffers from an uneven forecourt, overgrown boundaries and occasional fly tipping.

One applicant for a garage in Dijon Avenue has been waiting since 2009! 

Waiting list

Waiting list

Despite this the Council records that there are 67 garages currently vacant.

One garage in The Wandle has been unused since 2005!

empty-garages-jan-2017

Part of the problem has been a moratorium on the letting of garages in blocks which may be redeveloped.

This has affected 15 garages in Chaloners Road, which have been empty since 2014, while 21 garages in Newbury Avenue have suffered a similar fate with most empty since 2012. The development plans for Newbury Avenue are still in a state of flux so the Council is losing £500 a month in rent from that block alone.

Proposed new charges for garages have also been announced by the Council (see below)

garage-rents

We think that the Council should be much more proactive in trying to let empty garages. In many areas “on street” parking space is very limited and some residents resort to parking on verges. In turn this causes damage which is both unsightly and expensive to remedy.

The Council web site should be updated regularly with a list of garages that are empty, while Councillors should ensure that a list of garages, which are available, is displayed on local noticeboards

NB. The figures provided cover the Westfield, Acomb, Dringhouses and Holgate Wards. There are a similar number of Council garages on the east of the City

 

 

 

House prices up by 5.7% in York over last year

According to Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures published this week, house prices in York rose by 5.7% in the year to October 2016.

This is less than the national increase of 7.4%.

The most recent figure for sales volumes was for August when there were 283 sales.

Average house prices in York are now comparable with most of the rest of North Yorkshire.

Only Harrogate has higher prices.

house-prices-oct-2016

York homelessness services win gold standard award

 City of York Council’s services for preventing and managing homelessness are in the country’s top three and have been given the gold service standard.

funny_homeless_signs_32

The award was confirmed by the national governing body this week and York is the third local authority in England to ever win it.

The National Practitioner Support Service (NPSS) – funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government – has confirmed that the council has achieved the standard required. The Gold Standard can only be achieved by demonstrating that the service has a focus on early intervention and prevention of homelessness at its core.
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Lowfields battle goes on

The Council’s Executive has tonight endorsed plans to build on the Lowfields playing fields.

The decision was not unexpected.

Many residents were angered by a Council announcement that they intended to build on the Lowfields playing fields - braking a promise given when the school was closed 8 years ago. A petition is being collected and representations to the government are planned.

Petition sent to Council

However, it represents only the opening shots in what is likely to be a long war.

No Councillor attempted to explain why the proposal is being brought forward before objections to the draft Local Plan have been considered.

In reality it is a pre-emptive stike aimed at maximising the sale price of the site.

The meeting also heard that officials had been negotiating for some time with the communal building group although they omitted to include this development option in papers circulated to residents in the autumn.

Council officials continue to pretend that the majority of local residents support their plans. They have so far refused to respond to the views set by respondents to a survey collected by local Councillors in September

A residents group has been set up and they will be lobbying both local planners and central government in the fight to conserve the playing fields.

The issue will be discussed again at a Council meeting taking place on 15th December.

Any building project outside the old-school building footprint will need central government approval and that is likely to be the next battlefield.

Nuisance neighbour’s York council tenancy ends

eviction

City of York Council has evicted a council tenant yesterday (Tuesday 6 December) for breaching the terms of his tenancy and after being successfully prosecuted for noise nuisance.

This follows a County Court Possession Order being granted to the council which stemmed from the conviction for breaching a noise abatement notice and the seizure of a CD player and speakers from the address.

The possession order and the prosecution of the breached abatement notice followed months of noise nuisance by the tenant Sean Harman (aged 37, of Bishophill Junior) who, the court heard, had been involved in other anti-social and criminal behaviour in the area.

Harman was served a noise abatement notice on 21May 2016 by council officers from the Community Safety Hub while on the weekend, late-night Noise Patrol. From a neighbouring home they witnessed ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ played so loudly it caused the floor to vibrate. The CD player used was seized from Harman’s home by officers on 24 May with support from North Yorkshire Police. On 27 July 2016, Harman was convicted in his absence at York Magistrates Court of breaching the notice and was fined a total £1,486.

The possession order allowed the council to end Harman’s council tenancy for having breached its terms by engaging in anti-social behaviour, nuisance and criminal activity.
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Hob Stones homes occupied

Families have finally been able to move into the new Hob Stones development on Windsor Garth. The development was over 18 months behind schedule. 

There is still a lot of tidying up to do and people living in nearby flats have complained about damage to grassed areas and inadequate road repairs.

These issues are being followed up by local Councillors.

The building compound area will need major remedial worki

The building compound area will need major remedial work

There has been a lot of damage to grassed areas although this one opposite the new development could provide additional car parking spaces

There has been a lot of damage to grassed areas although this one opposite the new development could provide additional car parking spaces

Some carrigeways have now been resurfaced

Some carriageways have now been resurfaced

Although we have reported a ,lot of detritus in the gutters

Although we have reported a lot of detritus in the gutters

On Hob Stones itself the new play area has not been completed.

On Hob Stones itself, the new play area has not been completed.

....but it appears that the developers have pulled back for their threat to remove the security railings from the northern boundary. The railings are still there and in need of a coat of paint. They should make life more difficult for criminals

….but it appears that the developers have pulled back from their threat to remove the security railings from the northern boundary. The railings are still there albeit in need of a coat of paint. The railings will make life more difficult for criminals

York backs national homelessness campaign

 City of York Council is supporting national Homelessness Awareness Week (30 November to 8 December 2016) to highlight the support and advice available to people to help them into secure homes.

This annual week of social, educational and awareness-raising events across the country, aims to highlight homelessness and the continued efforts of organisations and staff to support people at risk of homelessness or who are homeless.

Here in York, a multi-agency partnership continues to call for people to support the city’s homeless charities who tirelessly support people off the street all year round. The partnership asks people not to give direct to anyone on the streets but to please donate direct to the expert charities.

For the campaign, an easy and safe way of giving to local homeless charities is being promoted and people who wish to help are asked to give £3 by texting ‘York33£3’ to ‘70070’.
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New partnership aims to return more long-term empty homes into use in York and Selby

Work to bring empty, unused homes back into use is being carried out by a new partnership of City of York Council, Selby District Council and Hunters Property Group.

empty-homeDuring Empty Homes Week 2016 which runs from today (28 November) to 2 December, the partnership is encouraging local property owners to get free advice and information on bringing a home which has been empty for six months or more back into use.

This advice is not only being offered to property owners in York but also to owners in Selby because City of York Council is now supporting the District Council’s empty property strategy.

Hunters Property Group has also joined the initiative with the offer of free market advice and auction valuations for the owners of empty property across York and Selby. Owners wanting to understand the market for their property, whatever its condition, and how best to realise its value can call the estate agent’s auction office.

In the past 12 months City of York Council has helped bring 23 homes back into use in the city, by offering owners advice and information, and in some cases by taking enforcement action. According to Council Tax records[1], in October/November 2016 there were 122 long-term empty properties in the city, which represents 0.5 percent of York’s total housing stock of 86,000 homes. This figure is below the regional and national average.

Since the launch of York’s empty property strategy and action plan there has been a 67 percent reduction in the number of long-term empty homes in the city. There are currently 387 long-term empty properties in Selby District, representing around one percent of the total housing stock.

 

For information and advice on bringing an empty home back to use, please contact:

Controversial Clementhorpe houses now on sale

Houses concerted for am old maltings business have been placed on the market for sale.

clementhorpe-maltings

The project sees buildings in Lower Ebor Street, that were dis-used for most of the last 50 years, being brought back into use.

The project attracted some local opposition in 2013 with opponents claiming that the internal fittings were part of the City’s heritage.

Later legal action was threatened

The entrance is a three-storey open atrium housing the conserved industrial artefacts.

There is a mix of two and three bedroom homes with three storeys and many original features. All have lower ground floor utility rooms on the former barley-growing floor.

The homes are on sale from £320,000 with Hudson Moody, York

The Clementhorpe Maltings are a grade two listed building. The building was listed for the following reasons;

* It survives as a highly legible example of a small, urban late C19 maltings, both in external appearance and the retention of all the key components of the process, namely barley and malt storage, steep, growing floors, and kiln
* It retains rare machinery relating to the malting process, principally an early C20 H J H King kiln furnace, and a cistern steep, and also related machinery such as a dressing machine by Nalder and Nalder, and a double bucket elevator.

Financial statement bans letting agent fees

letting-agents-feesIt’s not often that a petition achieves 100% success but today’s financial statement by the government confirms that letting agents will no longer be able to charge fees to tenants.

Instead their costs will be born by landlords.

In an article posted in April we asked York residents to support a petition opposing high fees. 

Nationally over 1/4 million signed the petition which was handed to the government a month ago.

Today’s announcement brings English regulations in line with those that have applied in Scotland for some years.