Newbury Avenue development – new layout proposed. Contamination and drainage concerns

New Newbury development site layout, Click for large maps

New Newbury development site layout, Click for large maps

A new layout plan for the controversial 9 flat development on the garage area off Newbury Avenue has been published.

It is unlikely that many residents will have seen the plan as objectors have not been alerted to the changes.

The new layout increases the number of parking spaces to be provided to 16 with an additional 5 to be located on vacant land at the Newbury Drive/Windsor Garth junction.

This is the junction which is subject to ponding after heavy rain.

Unfortunately at the same time the Council has said that it won’t be acting quickly to deal with the lack of proper parking opposite Carlton House. Vehicles parking on the bend have caused the bus to mount the footpath on several occasions.  It had been hoped that individual driveways for the house would have been provided across the green area with more parking for residents being constructed to the rear of the flats.

Flooding problems on Windsor Garth

Flooding problems on Windsor Garth

There is no news on where the occupants of the garages will park in future. It had been suggested that the Council should provide dropped kerbs/verge crossovers where the 24 garage occupants wanted to construct an alternative parking space in their  gardens. This idea has not yet been taken forward.

The background papers for the development can be accessed by clicking here

The 3 storey buildings will prove eight 2 bedroomed flats and one single bedroomed unit. Access to each will be by an external walkway.

There are some big questions on drainage arrangements which are yet to be satisfactorily answered.

A report from the Councils protection unit concluded “Therefore, there is a plausible possibility that residual contaminants may be present onsite”. This arises from its former use as a waste disposal site in the 1950’s.

In a later objection the Unit expresses concern about methane gas levels in the area and says,

The soil sampling results identified elevated levels of lead, PAHs, arsenic and vanadium. Remedial work is therefore required, in order to ensure that the site is safe and suitable for its proposed use, and a remediation scheme must be submitted for our approval in due course”.

The ground conditions mean that piling will be required in the construction process.

It is expected that the application will be determined at a meeting which is scheduled to take place on 8th October.

Garden maintenance answers demanded

Westfield Liberal Democrat campaigner Andrew Waller is demanding answers to questions on garden support provided to elderly and disabled tenants in the area.

 

Lowfields Garden

Lowfields Garden

Lawn and hedge cutting is provided to tenants who are not in a position to do the work themselves – with the funds coming from the rental accounts.

Earlier in the year dissatisfaction levels increased as work was not done at the right time, and the contract was taken off the company, but tenants had no say in the replacement.

Gardens had become so overgrown that the catch up work was immense but residents were asking why the council had let the situation become so bad.

Andrew said

“Elderly residents have been left wondering what on earth is going on and then given conflicting advice. As their rent money is paying for the service it was disappointing that they were not consulted on the replacement contract. There are already concerns about the current service.

There should be more involvement with the people who are receiving the service. Not all of these people are on email or twitter and yet this it is not clear how they can register their concerns. 

One resident in Chapelfields was so concerned about the brambles growing out of her hedge that I cut back the branches to avoid injury.”

 
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House sales increasing in west York

Following the national pattern house sales have increased on the Acomb side of the City during the last 3 months. Sales have included:

Address Sold price Sold date Type
2, Beechwood Glade, YO24 3JT £245,000 21 May 2014 4 bed detached
19, Beagle Ridge Drive, YO24 3JH £179,500 25 Apr 2014 3 bed semi-D
2, Willoughby Way, YO24 3NS £160,000 25 Apr 2014 3 bed semi-D
119, Foxwood Lane, YO24 3LQ £173,000 04 Apr 2014 3 bed semi-D
42, The Reeves, YO24 3ES £135,000 30 Apr 2014 2 bed semi-D
13, The Reeves, YO24 3ES £125,000 02 May 2014 2 bed semi-D
8, Huntsmans Walk, YO24 3LE £160,000 15 May 2014 2 bed semi-D
170, St Stephens Road, YO24 3EF £160,000 14 Apr 2014 5 bed semi-D
27, Troutbeck, YO24 2RE £135,000 06 May 2014 2 bed semi-D
12 Ascot Court, Gale Lane, YO24 3AE £113,500 31 Mar 2014 1 bed flat

Property for sale The list below shows some of the properties for sale

Salmond Road £189,950 3 bed Terrace
Tedder Road £175,000 3 bed Semi-D
Tedder Road £159,950 2 bed Semi-D
Lydham Court £105,000 1 bed Terrace

 

Property for rent The list below shows properties for rent

Moor Lane £1,295 4 bed Detached
Dijon Avenue £400
Gladstone Street £650 2 bed
St Pauls Mews £725 2 bed Terrace

Chain-free sales Below are properties nearby that are available ‘chain free’. These include properties where the seller is not buying a new home or has already moved out and could also include repossessions.

Tedder Road, Acomb, York, YO24 £175,000 3 bed Semi-D
Lydham Court, Acomb, York £105,000 1 bed Terrace
Alness Drive, Woodthorpe, York £299,950 4 bed Detached
Lerecroft Road, York £165,000 2 bed Semi-D

Discounted sales Are you interested in snapping up a bargain? Below are properties for sale where the asking prices have been reduced

St Stephens Road £100,000 -13% 2 bed Flat
Collingwood Avenue £215,000 -6% 4 bed Semi-D
Farndale Street £200,000 -4% 3 bed Terrace
Highcliffe Court £150,000 -6% 2 bed Semi-D

Information from Mouseprice

 

 

 

Tenant satisfaction with Council estates in York tumbles

Dog fouling, lack of parking, rubbish and litter top concerns

Most York Council tenants continue to be satisfied with the quality of their home and the repairs and maintenance service.

Estates increasingly neglected

Estates increasingly neglected

However many remain dissatisfied with the opportunities available to influence management decisions.

And only 44% were satisfied with the final outcome of complaints that they had made.

However, the most significant result to be revealed, by the Councils annual survey of tenant’s views, comes on satisfaction levels with conditions on local estates.

The satisfaction level is down by 5%.

This comes as little surprise with many estates beginning to look neglected.

Weed growth, potholed bitmac, damaged verges and neglected communal areas all add up to an increasingly depressing environment.

The report on the survey results was taken to another behind closed doors meeting last week.
Behind closed doors logo

The report  candidly admits,

“Customers have delivered a clear message that their estate services require attention. As well as a decrease in those very satisfied or fairly satisfied, there has a 5% increase in those very dissatisfied or fairly dissatisfied (10% 2012: 15% 2013)”.

The Labour Councillor with responsibility for Housing (Simpson Laing) failed to order any action which might stop the decline.

Tenant satisfaction results click to enlarge

Tenant satisfaction results click to enlarge

 

 

Eight garages available to rent in Foxwood from £6-99 per week.

 

8 garages have become available for rent in the Foxwood area.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

They are available for £6-99 a week for tenants or £8-39 for other residents.

There are also vacant garages available in Ascot Way, Windsor Garth, Ridgeway, Thoresby Road and Bramham Road  as well as on many other estates across the whole City.

Rents for garages near the City centre are higher.

To express an interest in renting a garage tel 01904 552096

 

LibDems to change spare room subsidy/bedroom tax rules

In line with representations made by many in York, the government is being asked to change the rules on housing benefit.Empty bedroom

The proposed change would mean that tenants in existing social housing – who are under-occupying – would only lose entitlement to benefit if they had been offered smaller accommodation and turned it down.

In many areas a lack of 1 bedroomed properties is preventing people for downsizing (around 1000 single people are registered on the housing waiting/transfer list in York)

The party’s statement reads

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Community hub set to grow in Acomb

City of York Council is starting new drop-in sessions as part of its support for a very successful community-led project being run from a church in Acomb.

Lidget Grove

The sessions will be held at Lidgett Grove Methodist Church which is developing into a community hub. There, council officers will offer information and advice to local people on housing issues, anti-social behaviour or housing-related debt, as well as offering advice and information to anyone wanting to get more involved in the community. These will run on Wednesday mornings between 9.30 and 11.30am from Wednesday 9 July.

 

The church’s work started by setting up a very successful Community Café inspired by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s work on loneliness: what causes it and how to combat it. In Carr the main causes of loneliness were aging, family issues, not knowing neighbours, a lack of community facilities and chances to get involved with the community. Among the solutions identified were establishing a central location where people can find information, meet others and get support and services.

In summer 2013, a community café offering company and activities started up as a pilot scheme. It was so well-supported and popular that it carried on and now runs every Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:30am.
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Holgate community centre business plan queried

Behind closed doors logo

The Council opened a new community centre (“Space 217”) serving the Lindsey Avenue area last year.

The initiative seemed to signal a welcome reversal of the current Council Leaderships policy of cutting all funding support from local community facilities.

However more information has become available which suggests that there is no ongoing business plan to support the facility.

At present all costs are being born by Council tenants (rent payments)  through the housing account.

Ironically the two community centres most likely to close, as a result of Labour’s cut’s programme (Foxwood and Chapelfields), were also built on Housing Department owned land.

The Council says that it has had to spend around £31,000 bringing the former shop up to a standard that would allow it to be used as a community “hub”. This cost included the provision of disabled access and the removal of asbestos

The Council says that ongoing costs will also be paid for from within existing ring fenced “housing maintenance budgets”.

Strangely the Council is not offering financial support to other community centres from its housing maintenance budgets despite them being used by estate management officers, and other Council staff, as local meeting points.

NB. Lindsey Avenue is currently represented by Council Leader James Alexander. He will be under a lot of pressure if he is to retain his seat in next years local elections. The decision to open the new centre was taken behind closed doors.

Space 217 costs