Council holds onto VIP tickets for Tour de France start event

 

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A Freedom of Information request has failed to force the Council to reveal who will get the 40 “VIP” tickets that it has reserved for the Tour de France start event at the racecourse.

In addition 200 “freebie” tickets are on offer  “for a specific viewing area” while  a further 5000 community tickets for the racecourse are being offered as “prizes in competitions”.

When tickets were put on offer to the general public they were all snapped up within hours.

The event is being paid for by Council taxpayers.

It will come from the Council’s £1.6 million budget for the event.

More Tour de France events announced for York

Tour de France WINNER

More and more events are joining in York and the UK’s first ever Fête du Tour to celebrate the Tour de France’s imminent arrival. The Fête du Tour (festival of the Tour) is a long-standing French tradition which involves communities along the route celebrating and building the excitement.

On Saturday, York city centre will have lots of French, cycling and yellow-themed activities to help residents and visitors get into the spirit of the Tour.

The fun takes place from 10am to 4pm and will include members of Riding Lights Theatre who will be performing on a rotating stage, powered by bikes, whilst dressed in French costume and accompanied by an organist.

Visitors to the city centre can also pose as Sir Bradley Wiggins with the help of a cut out and mask.

Information tents will have details about the Tour de France in York and the Made in Yorkshire market will be taking place from 29 May to 1 June, offering delicious treats for your Fête du Tour picnics and parties.

There will also be the opportunity to purchase York’s ‘Experience the Race’ merchandise.

York’s city centre will be dressed with yellow bunting in Parliament Street, St Sampson’s Square and Coney Street to bring a truly festive spirit to the centre of York.
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Monk Stray meeting confirms no caravans

The meeting held by the Council last night heard confirmation that camping and caravanning plans for Monk Stray had been abandoned.

The Council is now trying to find alternative sites (or refunds) for those visitors who had already booked places at the venue.

However the one day spectator hub event will go ahead and the Council is seeking planning permission to remove  8 metres of hedge-line (and install a gate and access road) to facilitate entry.

The Cabinet member with responsibility for the shambles (Cllr Crisp) has been noticeably quiet leaving Council officials to make the public announcement.

Huntington Stadium

Huntington Stadium

Huntington Stadium

Meanwhile residents only have until  5th June to record any objections to the plans to hold a 10,000 capacity concert at Huntington Stadium.

It is not yet clear whether the Council has changed the conditions – and not least the capacity – attached to Huntington Stadium’s safety certificate

St John’s University accepts responsibility for woman’s adultery

wagon Plays

This year the Mystery Plays, presented by the York Guilds and Companies, will be performed on Wagons in York on Sunday 13th and 20th July 2014.

Volunteers are needed to help sell programmes and see people to their seats.

The plays start at noon and are in two halves therefore a volunteer may work one half only or the full afternoon.

There is also a Music Festival from 17 to 19 July in the City Centre Churches where volunteers are needed to steward for about 2 hours.

If you are interested, contact 01904 481992 or e mail juneparker142@hotmail.com

Responsibility for producing the 12 individual Plays was allocated by the Lord Mayor of York earlier today

  1. Creation of the World to the Fifth Day – The Guild of Building
  2. The Fall of Man – The Gild of Freemen in partnership with Canon Lee School
  3. The Shepherds – The Guild of Scriveners
  4. Slaughter of the Innocents – Heslington Church
  5. The Baptism – A group under the directorship of Laura Rice
  6. The Woman taken in Adultery and The Raising of Lazarus combined into one play – York St John University
  7. Entry into Jerusalem – York Mystery Plays Supporter’s Trust.
  8. Christ before Annas and Caiaphas – The Company of Cordwainersin partnership with York Settlement Community Players
  9. The Crucifixion and The Death of Christ combined as one play – The Company of Butchers in partnership with Parish Church of St Chad on the Knavesmire
  10. The Harrowing of Hell – Parish Church of St Luke the Evangelist
  11. The Resurrection – The Company of Merchant Taylors who will put together a cast under the direction of Lindsay Ibbotson
  12. The Last Judgement – The Company of Merchant Adventurers in partnership with Pocklington School

 

Monk Stray camping officially abandoned

Monk Stray

Monk Stray

The Caravan Club have now officially told the local media that they w ill not be organising camping facilities on Monk Stray at the time of the Tour de France

As we predicted earlier in the week, the Club have pulled out of the event following local opposition.

The York Council has not responded officially to the news but they have arranged another public meeting at which they will presumably explain their actions to aggrieved local residents.

This will take place on Tuesday 27 May at Christ Church, Stockton Lane, Heworth Without from 6-8pm

 

Tour de France – Road closure list for York published

City of York Council is encouraging residents and visitors to plan ahead for the weekend of 5 and 6 July when the world’s largest “free”* sporting event, the Tour de France comes to York.

Cyclists and yellow flowers

Stage two of Le Grand Depart will see riders setting off from York Racecourse at approximately 11am. The peloton will then traverse the city’s historic streets, taking in landmarks such as Clifford’s Tower and the York Minster.

Residents and tourists are advised that the route will be closed from 4.30am on Sunday 6 July until approximately 1.30pm, or as soon as possible after the race has left York. During the time that the roads are closed their will be no access for vehicles to properties either adjacent to or on the race route itself. This will also include streets connected to the route that can not be accessed from elsewhere.

Anyone who is planning to travel on Sunday 6 July will need to ensure that they have parked their vehicle in an area where they can access the remaining open road network.

No vehicles will be allowed to drive on or across the race route after road closures are in place. Residents are also advised to pass this information to anyone intending to visit them during the weekend.

Roads closed along the route include:

Start: York Racecourse

  • Campleshon Road
  • Bishopthorpe Road
  • Bishopgate Street (Skeldergate Bridge)
  • Tower Street
  • Clifford Street
  • Nessgate
  • Spurriergate
  • Coney Street
  • St Helen’s Square
  • Davygate
  • St Sampson Square
  • Church Street
  • Goodramgate
  • Deangate
  • Minster Yard
  • Duncombe Place
  • St Leonards Place
  • Bootham A19
  • Clifton
  • Clifton Green
  • Water End
  • Boroughbrdge Road
  • A59 to Harrogate

The York Council has yet to confirm whether the A1237 northern by pass (western section) will be closed for all the restriction hours and what, if any, road closures will apply on the Saturday.

It also remains unclear whether all of the road works, in the area near the new Park and Ride site at Poppleton, will have been completed.

For further information about the Tour de France in York, please visit www.york.gov.uk/tourdefrance . To get help on travelling around York in advance, or on the day, use the online i-Travel York journey planner at http://www.itravelyork.info/ or follow the Goole Maps link (right)

*York taxpayers are being charged £1.6 million for the event.

Huntington Stadium concert – license application submitted

click to go to list of applications published by the York Council

click to go to list of applications published by the York Council

The application for a license, necessary before the Russell Watson concert can take place on 4th July, has now been published on the York Council’s web site

Residents have until 5th June to record any objections to the 10,000 capacity concert planned for the Huntington Stadium.

The Huntington Stadium usually has a 4000 capacity limit for Rugby League matches.

Quite why this application has been submitted by the Council so late in the proceedings – and after the commencement of ticket sales had been announced – is something of a mystery.

It is reminiscent of the plan to hi-jack Monk Stray for use as a campsite for the Tour event; a proposal which led to widespread public concern and eventually the imposition of addition restrictions by the licensing committee.

The main concerns at Huntington are likely to revolve around traffic management issues and public safety management both inside and outside the stadium.

The event is being held on a Friday which is one of the busiest days of the week in the shopping centre and on surrounding roads.

If the Licensing Committee turned down – or imposed a lower crowd limit – on the event then it is unlikely that any appeal against such a decision could be considered in the remaining time available before the event was scheduled to take place.