What’s on in York: Bingo at Foxwood Community Centre on Saturday
Westfield Councillors to debate what to do about building works at public meeting tomorrow
Bowling club building site not on the agenda?
The Westfield Councillors are right to insist on more information being provided on building works in the area, when they meet tomorrow (Wednesday)
However, they will be meeting only a few metres away from the spoil heaps and site compound which has been constructed on the Council owned land to the rear of the Library.
Some explanation for the decision to allow the contractors to use this Council owned site will be expected. It is an issue that is not likely to go away.
Some residents still hope that Council will offer some sort of compensation for the problems that have been caused by the use of the compound
Elsewhere, the Lowfields development saga continues.
There has still not been any explanation about how the York Council came to mislead residents about the inclusion of a “police station” and health centre/GP surgery in the original consultation plans.
Both these promises turned out to be bogus. It is unclear what will happen to what, otherwise, will be unused plots on the east of the site.
On Ascot Way, access arrangements, for the heavy plant needed to complete the demolition of Windsor House, remain unclear. It seems that access for the plant will be via Kingsway West and Ascot Way It is clear that the roads are too narrow in the area to avoid major damage to adjacent verges and paths. A “one way” system has been suggested but not confirmed.
There are real concerns that the bus route will be obstructed by the likely congestion
The original hope had been that more parking lay-bys would have been provided by now.
…..and the problem of the promised replacement for the all weather games area seems to be no closer to resolution. The existing MUGA has already been converted into a building compound.
There is no word about the proposed alternative site on the Thanet Road Sports Area although officials were asked to follow this up 3 months ago.
Residents will no doubt be hoping that some answers emerge from the meeting
What’s on in York: July events in west York
What’s on in York: Stride out on a Nordic Walk this July!
City of York Council is inviting residents to learn to Nordic Walk this July.
The council’s latest Nordic Walking course starts on 5 July and sessions will take place every Friday for four weeks from 10am until 11am, meeting at the Rowntree Park Reading Café.
Nordic Walking is a calm, social but vigorous walking style that burns about 50 per cent more calories than walking alone and tones the upper and lower body. Walking with the specialized Nordic Walking poles, residents also reduce impact on the knee joints.
Nordic walking is one of the fastest growing activities in the UK and at the end of the course participants will be given a Nordic Walking UK Freedom Card, which will enable them to attend Nordic Walking groups anywhere in the UK, including several in the York area.
The cost of the course is £30, and booking is essential at https://exercise-anywhere.com/ – places are limited.
Courses will be held from 10-11:00am on:
Friday 5 July
Friday 12 July
Friday 19 July
Friday 26 July
Courses are also held from 10-11:30am on:
Saturday 20 July
Saturday 27 July.
CFor any other queries, contact Donna Allan on telephone: 01904 554518 or contactwww.york.gov.uk/info/20244/sport_and_physical_activities/767/nordic_walking
What’s on in York: Gardening competition
Organised by the Foxwood Residents Association
Empty Monks Cross restaurants could cost taxpayers £1.4 million
The Community Stadium saga has taken a new turn, with the Council admitting that it may not get the full £3.8 million which the developer has promised to pay for land allocated for three restaurants.
The units are unlet and if they remain so on the opening date, then the Council could receive £1.4 million less for its interest.
The Council says that discussions are ongoing with several potential tenants.
A report the Councils Executive confirms that building work on the stadium should be completed in September. The buildings would then be handed over to the operators who will be responsible for obtaining a safety certificate. The Council claims that it still opens the stadium will be operational in October but that seems optimistic to many observers.
In the meantime, the Knights Rugby team continue to play their matches at Bootham Crescent. The Council plans to increase their subsidy to the club from £30,000 to £45,000 to compensate for the delays in moving to Monks Cross.
The stadium project cost £22.6 million during the 2018/19 financial year
£1.5 million cost for 3 football pitches
£850,000 to come from Lowfields project
The York Council courted controversy 2 years ago when it announced that the “replacement” football pitches – for those lost to the Lowfields development – would be provided on a site lying between Tadcaster Road and Bishopthorpe.
The site is nearly 3 miles from Lowfield and does not have a direct public transport link.
In December 2017, the Councils Executive approved a £400,000 contribution from the Lowfields budget towards the Bishopthorpe plan. The project will provide a new home for the Bishopthorpe White Rose Football Club.
The new pitches must be ready before the new homes, being built at Lowfields, are occupied. Work on building the homes is due to start in August with road and some other infrastructure already in place.
Now a report to a meeting taking place next week reveals that the Council is to make a substantially greater contribution to the pitch project than has hitherto been admitted.
The Council will now, additionally, contribute £110,000 from Section 106 developer payments intended to provide alternative open space.
A further £300,000 will come from a “Lowfields developer contribution”. (The Council is, of course, the developer at Lowfields).
In total, therefore, the Council plans to spend around £850,000 on the scheme which, although it includes a clubhouse, now looks to be a very expensive way of providing 3 football pitches.
The Bishopthorpe football club itself will contribute £80,000, with the balance of £1/2 million coming from the Football Foundation.
Residents are bound to be angry about this latest example of Council duplicity.
There is land available much nearer Lowfields which would benefit from open space investment. There is, for example, under-used land located between the built-up area and the ring road off Askham Lane.
…But this seems to have been overlooked as the local authority continues to snub the Westfield area.
NB. It also appears that Council officials have made no progress in finding an alternative location for the Kingsway games area. That facility is now being used as a building compound. The Council agreed 3 months ago to seek an alternative site on a nearby sports area and was to have opened negotiations with the current occupiers. Little progress seems to have been made
What’s on in York: City centre walking tour
Community Stadium opening date announcement needed.
The announcement earlier in the year, that the opening of the City’s new Community Stadium would be delayed until the autumn, surprised few people.
York City Football Club first learned in 2004 that it could face a move away from Bootham Crescent.
The future of the Knights Rugby team subsequently become inextricably intertwined with the stadiums future.
All seemed well in 2010 when a source of funding (S106 planning contributions) for a new stadium was obtained. Planning permission for the Vanguard development was subsequently granted.
Further delays occurred as the Council agonised about procurement polices and management arrangements.
After many false dawns, the stadium should have been opening this month.
The announcement of another 6 month delay came as a disappointment.
Such information as leaked out about the cause of the delay was neither confirmed nor denied by a Council embroiled in a local election process. The “purdah” period prevented any statements that might have influenced the election result.
It is now over 5 weeks after the election concluded – with another “no overall majority” result. The Green Party, which opposed the stadium development together with some Tories – now shares power with the LibDems who themselves have a long commitment to the stadium.
There is no suggestion that political interference is behind the reason for the delayed announcements.
The Council, Football and Rugby Clubs – together with the builders (Buckingham) and stadium complex managers (Better), have been strangely quiet over the last few weeks.
The “purdah” period is long over yet no explanation for the delay or, more importantly, a new opening date have been confirmed. The last official statement talked about an October opening date.
More realistically, the clubs may now be hoping that the stadium will be available for the lucrative Christmas /New Year fixture programme.
NB. York City’s National League North fixture list is due to be announced on 3rd July. The season will kick off on Saturday, August 3rd. The Football Club has already announced its season ticket prices.
What’s on in York: Spotlight on Health Archives
Friday June 14th
York Explore Library
10:00 am – 4:00 pm Free
Have you ever wondered what it was like to visit the school dentist in the early 20th century? Or what you could expect from a midwife in the 19th century?
Join us for a drop-in exhibition at York Explore, in partnership with the York Human Rights City, to find out. Uncover what level of healthcare you were (or were not!) entitled to, and what you could expect from the healthcare professionals of the past.
This event is part of the York Festival of Ideas 2019.