The Romans are coming

It looks like the proposal to construct a Roman visitor attraction on Rougier Street is set to get planning permission next week.

The old Northern House 1960’s office block will be demolished and replaced with 211 apartments, new offices and the Roman history visitor attraction at ground floor level.

The proposed Roman attraction, which has a working title of Eboracum, would based on archaeological discoveries from a two-year dig on the site. It would be three times the size of the Jorvik attraction and is aiming to attract 500,000 visitors per year.

At its maximum height the new building will be of a similar height to the tallest point of the Aviva building and the Malmaison Hotel to either side.

There are a number of objections mainly relating to the size of the proposed building. There are also a large number (69) of letters of support.

Details of the application which will be determined on 24th February can be read by clicking here

The application is recommended for approval.

The development is expected to bring a major jobs boost the the City in the wake of the economic problems caused by the pandemic.

Haxby Hall

See the source image — Existing Haxby Hall building

The same meeting is expected to approve the replacement of the Haxby Hall care home with a new 65 bedroomed residential and dementia care facility.

The new care home would be managed by Yorkare Homes Ltd.

The application, which is recommended for approval, says that the existing ambulance station building will be retained.

The plans have been welcomed by social care professionals who comment,

” The proposal to develop a 65 bed care home on the Haxby Hall site is welcomed. The city has a shortage of care home accommodation and specifically for those living with dementia.

Based on national benchmarking York has a current shortage of almost 600 care bedrooms, this application will help to address this shortfall by not only providing an increased number of bedrooms but also by providing a modern, accessible facilities for residents.

I am particularly supportive of the fact that each bedroom in this proposal has an en-suite bathroom and corridors are wide enough to allow those with walking frames or wheelchair users to pass, which the existing care home does not provide.

The terraces on the upper floors will enable all residents to have access to outdoor space and nature. The way the building has been designed will allow natural light into bedrooms, corridors and communal spaces, which is a key feature in design for older person’s accommodation.

The specific provision for those living with dementia, with dementia friendly design elements and a focus on resident’s wellbeing is also strongly welcomed.

Details can be found by clicking here

Bus subsidies for hospital and Community Stadium services

A government subsidy of £83,000 is to be used to support to bus service links in the City

Rawcliffe Bar Park and Ride – Hospital

This service has run into financial difficulties as bus patronage fell during the pandemic. The service is used by staff and patients to access the Hospital, while avoiding congestion and parking charges, in the Wigginton Road area. The subsidy only lasts until the end of March 2021 so what happens to the service after that is unclear.

Originally it was hoped that the link would reduce car usage in and near the City centre.

Community Stadium

Tonight sees what may be the first game for York City at the Community Stadium.

It will be a behind closed doors event.

With the National League North likely to be abandoned before the end of the month, it may also prove to be the last football match there until late summer.

£63,000 has been allocated for new bus service links to the stadium. Although there would be little point in introducing such links while the ban on spectators remains, they would be a welcome addition when things return to “normal”.

Hopefully the government will extend the availability of the subsidy so it can be used during the 2021/22 financial year.

The first to benefit may be York Knights fans who hope that limited attendances might be permitted during the latter part of their campaign which starts in March.

FREE Online Bridge Classes for Beginners

Did you know that York Bridge Club are moving from Holgate to Acomb? They are currently building new purpose-built premises in the grounds of Acomb Sports Club. The new clubhouse is due to open in late 2021.

When the new building opens the Club aims to attract a new generation of bridge players who are interested in taking up the game. If you are interested the bridge club would like to get you started straight away with your learning.

To encourage new players to get involved York Bridge Club has launched an initiative to offer free online bridge beginner classes. This is a great way to get rid of the those “lockdown blues” by taking up a new hobby.

Online presentations will be delivered by qualified teachers. Ten weekly presentations each lasting around 45 minutes commence from 10am on Tuesday 23^rd February. They will follow up each presentation the following day by facilitating themed practice of set hands.

All learners need is access to either a desktop, laptop or I-Pad. Instructions and invitations will be provided to registered students on how to access the learning. The Club will issue zoom invitations each week. If necessary, assistance with managing the IT requirement can be provided.

This opportunity is “not too good to be true”. It really is completely free of charge. The Bridge Club just hope learners find bridge compulsive and have an appetite for more when the free 10 weeks programme has ended. Eventually the Club hope you come and join them when their new clubhouse opens.

For more information and to register your interest, please email Mark Dunkley at secretary@theyorkbridgeclub.com.

Bad news for taxpayers as another Community Stadium overspend of £1.2 million is revealed.

The Council has finally admitted that the £46.2 million budget for the York Community Stadium will be overspent by £1.2 million.

Taxpayers had already taken a hit late last year when a payment for the lease of the commercial element of the scheme was reduced by £1.4 million.

*How stadium budget has changed over the last 5 years*

It now looks like the final taxpayers bill will be £17 million.

When the scheme was originally conceived in 2010, it was expected that a contribution of £16.7 million from the developer of the neighbouring Vanguard shopping area, would cover the stadium construction costs. This has proved not to be the cases as costs escalated in the intervening years.

The Council says that part of the cost will be offset by lower management payments this year to the operator (GLL)

A report goes on to say that the opening of the facility has “added internal costs that were not originally budgeted. The facility was originally due to open in Summer 2019 so the council has needed to retain the project team”.

The Council also says that there were changes to the design during the course of construction (additional signage, site boundary issues and cladding) which also added costs totally £458k.

The Council is hoping to get some compensation for the construction delays.

The stadium was 18 months late and has still not, because of COVID-19 regulations – been brought into use,

…and another football scheme gets into £300,000 budget difficulties

The plan to provide football pitches and a clubhouse for use by the Bishopthorpe football team on land off Sim Balk Lane was approved in June 2019.

It was controversial as the Council agreed to contribute £850,000 towards the £1.5 million scheme, claiming that it would compensate for the loss of open space at Lowfields.

Residents were quick to point out the new pitches were 3 miles from Lowfields and that there wasn’t even a public transport link between the two areas.

Others commented that the clubhouse design seemed to be at the luxury end of the market.

One a more positive note, much improvements to the adjacent cycle path were promised as part of the project (they have not yet materialised)

It was agreed that the new facilities would be completed before the first homes at Lowfields were occupied.

Now a Council report says that the delayed Bishopthorpe scheme is running £303,000 over budget. The costs of providing services to the pavilion are blamed for the increase.

The Council is now showing a contribution towards the project of £1,052,000 in its revised budget for this year.

The report says that “£190k of additional funding has been identified to date, but this is not sufficient to cover the entire cost increase and the team is working to identify further funding to cover the remaining £113k overspend”.

No further details, an updated budget or completion timetable have been published.

Council heading for £3 million budget deficit. £800,000 cost of keeping sports facilities closed.

With only a few weeks to go until the end of the financial year, the York Council says it will overspend by £3.7 million. Any deficit would be a charge on the Council’s reserves (which currently stand at £7 million)

Most of the deficit is blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic. Details can be found here

Council income has dropped with car parking revenue severely affected.

There are major overspends on children’s social work services including safeguarding vulnerable children with 93 local children currently subject to proceedings.

Adult social care could also overspend by £2.7 million.

There are also major pressures to bail out the indoor sports centres which are managed by GLL.

The council continues to have discussions with GLL over the cost of managing the centres during the year. The council has been required to fund the net cost of the facilities whist closed and GLL have suffered from reduced revenues when the facilities have been open during the year. The likely additional cost to the council is currently forecast to be c.£800k but the council and GLL are seeking Government / Sport England funding to mitigate this cost.

The main problems with Council housing relate to a repairs backlog and the lengthening time to relet empty properties.

The report contains a highly selective report on public service quality standards. It talks about the – entirely unsurprising – drop in bus usage.

It pointedly fails to mention the appalling decline in the standard of highway surfaces. Despite being reported long before the icy weather – and lockdown – commenced, potholes were only given cursory attention. The result now is that many carriageways are dangerous particularly for users of two wheeled transport.

*Potholes on Askham Lane near the A1237 roundabout and others on Foxwood Lane*

& maybe part of the solution

Weather likely to add to repairs backlog

Looks like we are in for another period of icy weather. It will make repairs to leisure and other paths even more important.

Many off road paths are now very muddy, reducing the choices available for those seeking their daily exercise.

Some sports facilities are also looking neglected and will be needed when lockdown ends.

There will be a a lot of work to do this summer.

Football suspended

There will be no matches for York City or other clubs in the National League North today. The division has been suspended until at least 6^th February.

It means that the clubs first fixture at the Community Stadium may be on 13^th February against Farsley.

The Club have issued a brief statement.

However, there is a growing likelihood that the season will be abandoned altogether, with must clubs in the league very unhappy about the government’s decision not to underwrite the additional costs of playing games behind closed doors.

Grants were made to cover costs during the autumn period. The expectation at that time was that the virus would be under control by Christmas. For a time small crowds were allowed back into some grounds.

However soaring COVID-19 cases led to a further lockdown, with fans having to watch games via streaming services.

Most clubs at National North level exist on modest budgets and depend on the services of part time players. Most players have other jobs (York is a full-time outfit).

The government offered loans to clubs to cover lost revenue. Most indicated that they could not legally continue trading at a loss, which would have been one of the consequences of the loan idea.

Last week 12 clubs wrote to the National League saying that the season should be abandoned if the government did not change its approach.

*Chester City Chief Executive* on Twitter

One club chairman pointed out that if the season were halted – and players and staff put on furlough – then this would cost the government more than extending the grant system until grounds were able to reopen.

Money is not the only issue.

Some clubs are having difficulty accessing COVID testing facilities. That is something that the government could and should fix quickly.

Another club Chief Executive said,

“With the fact that there is no testing paid for, unlike higher in the pyramid, it was not fair to put players, staff & their families at risk.
Although a separate issue to the club funding it was equally important to get that resolved if by some miracle the season does continue.
Some players have pregnant wives, live with older parents etc… Putting them & their loved ones at risk. Plus of course interaction in players workplaces again adding to the chance of infection”.

While there may be some element of brinkmanship from the clubs as they seek to get the best deal possible, the government should recognise that it is their decisions that have caused the problem.

They should quickly agree to continue the grants system agreed last summer.

Ironically, if National League football is halted, then the first competitive game to be played at the new Community Stadium may feature the York Knights Rugby team! They are hoping to start their fixtures on 21^st March 2021.

Huge losses forecast on York’s leisure facilities?

The recent media focus in York about the new Community Stadium has tended to draw attention away from the City’s leisure centres. The future needs to be clarified as the pandemic seems likely to prevent their early reopening.

The centres have been managed by GLL “Better Leisure “ since 2017.

They took over the “Energise” facility on Cornlands Road, the Yearsley swimming pool and – more recently – the new Burnholme and Monks Cross centres. For a short time they had managed the “Waterworld” facility at Monks Cross but it had closed against a background of declining attendances.

The decision to outsource the Council owned facilities was a controversial one. Essentially what had been a Labour controlled Council wanted to minimise the financial risk for taxpayers. The deal that was set up gave the social enterprise provider ample scope to make profits from its new estate.

There have been continuing grumbles about the Energise/Better site with many feeling that charges are too high to be attractive in one of the less well off parts of the City.

In common with similar facilities elsewhere, GLL have been forced to close due to the lockdown (s).

This has presented them with the problem of ongoing expense but no customers. Most of their staff have been “furloughed” and buildings mothballed. The much-delayed opening of the Monks Cross Community Stadium site has added to their woes.

It remains to be seen whether compensation could be payable – and to whom – for the delayed building works.

The Council pays GLL a management fee. Sources within the Council have said that GLL are now seeking compensation for their ongoing losses.

Apparently, the Council have submitted a claim for £399,000 to Sport England who had offered to support leisure operators. This may not be enough to cover the deficit. The Council and GLL are currently undertaking an “open book” review.

Any decision to provide additional financial support from the Council would require a decision from Councillors. Several Councillors – as users of the leisure facilities – would be debarred from voting on any such decision.

There is another body of opinion which thinks that the local authority should bring the facilities back under its direct control.

It seems that the Community Stadium saga has allot further to run.

York Bridge Club new clubhouse

We understand that building works have started at the Acomb Cricket Club site which will see a new clubhouse erected for the York Bridge Club.

The Club says, “The dream of building purpose-built premises in now becoming a reality for York Bridge Club. Work has now commenced in January to build new premises in the grounds of Acomb Sports Club”.

The Club has been based in Holgate Road since 1999 but has outgrown its current premises. The Trustees have been looking to relocate the Club since 2014 but realistically could not compete on the commercial property market.

There are several examples of bridge clubs across the country that have gone into partnership with Sports and Recreational Clubs. In May 2019 the Club speculatively approached Acomb Sports Club to see if they may be interested in going into partnership by providing land to build a new Bridge Club. The response was positive and after lengthy and productive discussions, both the Sports Club and Bridge Club are pleased with the resulting outcome.

Both parties strongly believe the fit between the two clubs will benefit all current members and enlarge the opportunities in the local Acomb area and wider community. Stuart Kay, Chairman of the Bridge Club Charity, told us “new purpose-built premises provide a unique opportunity for the Bridge Club to extend its reach and promote the game of bridge. We welcome new members and will provide courses teaching bridge to encourage more people to learn to play bridge or improve their game”.

Acomb Sports Club, an affiliation of Acomb Cricket Club and Acomb Hockey Club, welcomes the build commencement of new premises for the York Bridge Club and their members to the Association. The York Bridge Club will become a third affiliation, furthering the long-term sustainability of the Sports Club.

It is the Sport’s Club’s 95^th and the Bridge Club’s 75^th anniversary year, so 2021 is an important year in the history of both clubs. Dave Sykes, Chairman of Acomb Sports Club told us “whilst there might be some short-term disruption during the works, the long-term gains for both club’s in the future will be significant”.

The Bridge Club expects completion of the works and to open the new Bridge Club premises in late 2021.

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