Work on two house building sites in the Westfield area is continuing despite the problems with COVID and, more recently, wet weather.
On Gale Lane the much delayed redevelopment of a site opposite the end of Cornlands Road is now underway. The site had been the subject of several different planning applicationsover the years.
61A Gale Lane
Elsewhere a further infill development is underway on Green Lane
Green Lane
The Green Lane site is close to the location of the bungalows which are due to be built on the Lowfields Site
Work on building bungalows on the Lowfields site has started.The site reserved for “Yorspace” communal housing remains unoccupied.
Contractors working on the refurbished Lincoln Court development on Ascot Way, have dumped a public noticeboard on the nearby verge. It is now unusable.
The board had been upended last year when building work started and, for a while, it was fastened to the perimeter security fencing.
There was adequate room available to position the noticeboard well away from the work area, but this never happened
It’s very disappointing to see this example of poor contract management and civic vandalism.
Meanwhile work on the Lincoln Court building itself is complete and furniture has been delivered.
Lincoln Court work complete and awaiting tenants
Work on the adjacent centre for the disabled is still underway. It now seems unlikely that the target completion date of October will be achieved.
An article in The Guardian has highlighted some of the new housing schemes being progressed by the York Council. It praises new Passivhaus low-energy standard designs. Plans for low energy estates on the Duncombe Barracks and Burnholme sites are being discussed today by the Councils executive.
Unfortunately both the article, and today’s Council report, fail to recognise the downsides of this type of building programme.
Two years into the controversial development of the Lowfields site, fewer than half the homes being built in the first phase have been reserved. Not entirely surprising you might say, with an average size 3 bed semi priced at nearly £300,000. Sure, you can expect lower energy consumption bills but what good is that if you can’t afford a mortgage?
Being told that a communal “cargo bike” is available for hire is unlikely to provide much solace
Communications by the Council’s own “Shape” development company with neighbours are poor and promised regular bulletins have not materialised.
Lowfield building site slow progress
All six of the “self build” plots on the site have been allocated but we seem to be no closer to seeing the “Yorspace” communal housing group complete the purchase their allocated site. That process has dragged on for nearly 2 years now. Surely the time has come to use this plot for other purposes – most obviously to extend the space available for self-build units?
There is an element of urgency.
Neighbours were promised that the site would be fully developed within 3 years. The inevitable disruption, noise, dust and mud associated with building works would then come to an end and community cohesion could begin to re-establish itself.
The Council claimed that the neighbourhood in general would benefit from a new “health centre”. A police station was mentioned. A new playground would form part of a new “village green”. A care home would provide a boost for older people.
None of these seem likely to happen in the foreseeable future. None are mentioned in the Councils progress report, which limits itself to reporting on progress on Bishopthorpe FC’s expensive pavilion which is in part funded from sales at Lowfields. (The pavilion and football pitches are almost complete but the promised improvement work on the adjacent cycle track has not started)
Football club pavillion
The Council’s housing department is leaderless and lacking in direction. Like much of the rest of the authority, responsible Councillors seem to be focussed on the next “photo op”.
The hard work involved in forcing up public service standards seems to be of no interest to them.
If it was, then they would ensure that unused council houses – some of which have been empty for months and, in some cases, years – are brought back into use quickly.
But then “Council House Let” is unlikely to be a headline that you will see in The Guardian.
A development of 35 apartments on Ascot Way has now officially been completed by the council. It offers older residents “high-quality apartments where they can live independently and well”.
Nominations invited for new Lincoln Court apartments
Opening Lincoln Court is the latest phase of City of York Council’s Older Persons Accommodation Programme and the apartments are available for new and returning tenants. The council will be operating a local lettings system which will enable tenants in the west of the city to downsize into these bright modern homes.
The £3.4 million project offers 15 new build and 20 completely refurbished one-bedroomed apartments.
All the generously-sized homes are available for social rent by eligible people aged 60 and over or who have a specific need for this type of accommodation. This is the council’s first independent living community extension designed specifically to meet the needs of wheelchair users.
The development has a large communal lounge, meeting rooms and a salon which people living in or outside the scheme can use, and it has a communal kitchen where residents can prepare meals and enjoy them in company if they choose. A new guest suite for visiting family and friends of tenants will help maintain family links. All of these facilities will be available along with a range of social activities once restrictions on their use and socialising in groups are lifted.
Facilities include two on-site laundries and a buggy store, there is a good choice of shops, cafes, health facilities and parks nearby. Lincoln Court’s newly landscaped gardens are next to the open spaces of historic Hob Moor nature reserve which is overlooked by the new balconies on the first and second floors.
It seems that completion of work at both the new disabled centre and a remodelled Lincoln Court will shortly be competed. The builders equipment is being removed and the compound on the school land and the MUGA are almost clear.
New Lincoln Court entrance is imposingDespite being largely clear of equipment, it seems unlikely that public use of the games area will be allowed. This is the replacement site on Thanet Road slated to be the home of the new games area. However discussions about the project have dragged on for nearly 2 years.
Meanwhile at Lowfields work continues with several homes likely to be ready for occupation early next year.
The has been no recent update from the York Council on when they expect the communal housing, self build, health centre, older persons accommodation, public buildings and community facilities on their Lowfield development to be completed (or even in most cases started!)
Wrap up your home with a Green Homes Grant of up to £5000
Eligible homeowners and landlords can now apply for a grant to help pay for energy saving measures to keep homes warmer and reduce fuel bills.
The Government’s new Green Homes Grant scheme allows homeowners to apply for grants of up to £5,000 for making certain improvements including fitting insulation. Householders with lower incomes could receive up to £10,000. Home owners and private sector landlords can apply.
“Successful applicants for the Green Homes Grant will be sent a voucher of up to £5,000 to cover up to two-thirds of the cost of energy efficiency and low carbon heat improvements to homes. Bigger grants are available for homeowners if they or a member of their household receives one of the qualifying benefits, and the grant will cover 100% of the cost of the improvements up to £10,000.”
“As the winter months approach, people will be spending more time indoors which will impact both the cost of heating and the accompanying carbon emissions. I urge those eligible for the grant to apply and take this opportunity to transition to a cheaper and more sustainable home heating and insulation.
For queries about the scheme please call the Simple Energy Advice line on 0800 444202 from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and Saturday to Sunday 9am to 5pm or find out more at www.gov.uk/apply-green-homes-grant.
Private rental properties will be expected to meet a ‘C’ energy efficiency performance certification (EPC) by 2035. As such, now is the time for landlords to start improving their properties’ EPC rating and apply for a grant of up to £5,000 for energy efficiency improvements.
Green Homes Grant installers must be TrustMark accredited and customers can check installers at: www.trustmark.org.uk/ . The Green Homes Grant scheme will never send official representatives to your property uninvited or cold calling on the phone to encourage you to join the scheme.
As well as the much-publicised delays in re-letting empty Council homes, it seems that the pandemic has also resulted in delays in modernisation plans.
The “tenants’ choice” programme (bathrooms, kitchens etc.) was to have seen 294 properties upgraded this year. The Councils contractors were confident they could achieve that number.
Perhaps not surprisingly, a larger than expected number of tenants are currently declining to have the work done. According to a Council report tenants are declining the work due to” nervousness relating to the pandemic, ill health, or their inability to be able to cope with the disturbance such works would inevitably cause”.
Rooms at the refurbished Lincoln Court sheltered housing scheme are now ready for letting. 3 former residents are understood to be among those moving back into the building.
More worrying news; work on fire safety improvements has halted. £2.2 million scheduled to be invested this year is being slipped into next year.
On a more positive note, the Councils shared ownership programme is going well. 34 properties have been acquired with several now being occupied by “key workers”. This is the project where residents identify a property available for sale which is then jointly purchased. The occupants then pay rent on part of the property while it remains in Council ownership.
Building work has started on 79 of the 140 plots at Lowfields according to the Council
Some of the 79 homes on which work has started at Lowfields, have been taken up on a shared ownership basis.
Over £7 million which was to have been invested in social housing in the City during the current year is being slipped into 21/22.
The Council is considering making further help available to Council tenants who find themselves in financial difficulty as a result of the heath crisis.
A report to a meeting next week says, “Along with a sympathetic and supportive approach to rent and arrears collecting the hardship fund will enable substantial (up to £500 in most cases) help to individuals and families that most need it.
The cumulative impact of reduced public spending and welfare reform including the roll out of Universal Credit has seen an increase in rent arrears in York over the last few years.
The impact of the CV19 pandemic has exacerbated this with arrears rising at £20k per week.
As lockdown restrictions are lifted it is expected that many will return to work and obtain financial stability. There has been an increase in Universal Credit claims and delays of up to 8 weeks in processing these.
The hardship fund – which will be paid for out of the housing revenue account – will cost £80,000.
The council has already refunded the first 13 weeks of the annual rent increase for 2020 / 2021 to anyone who did not have this covered by increases in welfare benefit.
The report into homelessness in York – which slightly mysteriously disappeared from a recent meeting agenda – has finally been published.
The report covers the last financial year. It reveals that the number of rough sleepers had reduced from 9 to 7 when the annual census was completed last November. However, the new COVID measures meant that that number had reduced further to 2 by the end of March.
Housing performance and demands stats
The number of households leaving in temporary accommodation also reduced from 66 to 62 while none had been accommodated in Bed and Breakfast accommodation for over 6 weeks. The numbers presenting to the Council as homeless increased from 61 to 99.
There were 1597 households on the housing waiting list at the end of the year. The numbers have remained static for several years.
A copy of the full report can be read by clicking here
It markedly fails to mention the number of empty Council properties in the City or what is being done to reduce void times. 286 homes became available for re-letting last year compared to 284 the previous year.
The number of new build affordable houses also increased (see table)
Homelessness is likely to increase in the City as unemployment increases in the wake of the health crisis. This may be exacerbated as the rent freeze also comes to an end.
Last year the Council agreed to provide external lockers for the flats on Cornlands Road. The flats have limited internal storage and the lockers would provide an opportunity to safely leave bicycles etc.
Initially it had been expected that the lockers would be located to the side or rear of the properties.
Hard-standing has now been provided to the front of the flats but it remains unclear when the lockers will be fitted.
In the meantime the hard-surfacing is being used to accommodate wheelie bins at some blocks
