Recent wet weather has resulted in accelerated weeds and hedge growth. In turn, more paths are now obstructed by over and undergrowth.
Wet weather prompts weed and hedge growth problems
Acomb Moor update
The local residents association have added their weight to calls for access to Acomb Moor to be made safer.
They have written to local Councillors making the following points.
- The tree trunk blocking the access needs to be moved by about 1 foot to allow pedestrian access. We understand that Andrew has this in hand. If the field tenants won’t do it then 2 or 3 fit people should be able to roll the log. The stile then needs to be reinstated
- The route across the field could then be re-established. Pragmatically a line down the side of the field – parallel to Foxwood Lane – could be established to link with the desire line path which is now clearly marked at the bottom of the field. (It will be for the owners to apply for a formal PROW diversion order if they wish to discourage people for walking through, what will presumably by the spring be, a cropped field). Obviously the current practice of people climbing over a 1.5 metre high metal gate is potentially hazardous and precludes some less ambient residents (who ironically are perhaps those most needing access to informal walking options) from using the paths.
- The stile at the bottom corner needs to be repaired and hardcore put on the approaches.
- Neither of the access points to the Council owned section of the path near Osprey Close have had the promised hardcore put down. Both these paths are narrow and on a gradient, They will become increasingly slippery in poor winter weather. So some action needs to be taken now.
- Further along the path near and in Acomb Wood there are sections which are subject to flooding and which would also benefit from having hardcore put down.
Giant phone mast refused planning permission
Residents have won their battle to prevent a huge 5G phone mast being erected on Bellhouse Way.
The 20 metre high mast would have been located next to the Foxwood Community Centre.
The proposal from Hutchinson/Clarke Telecom was heavily criticised by the residents association, ward Councillors and neighbours. They were concerned that the mast would dominate the residential streetscape, affect footpath widths, impede sight lines and could have facilitated criminals to use the cabinets to gain access to nearby properties.
The Council gives the impact on visual amenity as its main reason for refusing the application. The full decision notice can be read by clicking here
While the Telecoms Company could appeal against the decision we hope that they will now stand back and reflect.
A more obvious location for their mast would be on Foxwood Lane next to the Thanet Road sports area.This is well away from the nearest dwelling.
The existing mast cabinets could be moved there as could those which are currently located at the entrance to the Rugby Club car park (which also cause sight line problems for drivers).
Still, at least in this case, the Council seems to have heeded the views of the local community.
Playground tidy up call
Local residents have asked the Council to deal with maintenance issues at the Grange Lane park.
Complaints have been raised about littering but some of the equipment is unusable as a result of vandalism, graffiti, muddy entrances and missing safety surfaces under the swings.
The Council also promised to put hardcore down on parts of the footpath link from Grange Lane to Westfield Place where it is subject to flooding. This work hasn’t been done yet. It needs to be completed before the wetter winter months arrive.
The path is now being used occasionally by cyclists as a short cut. Some arrangements for them could be made at relatively little cost.
Use by walkers has also increased since lock-down started.
Too much graffiti on utility boxes in York
As we have said before, these It seems that both utility companies and volunteers have given up on removing graffiti from utility boxes around the City. Several instances have been reported over the last couple of months without a response.
Often local volunteers and Councillors would make cleaning up graffiti a top priority. Environmental crimes like these as it can damage the image of a local neighbourhood. There has been little evidence of that recently.
The real key though is for the authorities to identify and take action against those who are responsible. That also isn’t happening.
The graffiti removal service launched last year – which cleans publicly owned street furniture – has been much more successful.
The annual – pandemic delayed – Great British Spring Clean starts on 11th September. We hope that the Council will include “tag” removal from these utility boxes as part of that campaign.
Ascot Way building work closer to completion
It looks like work on the new Children’s Disabled centre and the renovation and extension of Lincoln Court sheltered housing could be completed by the October target date. The internal road system has been surfaced over the last few days. This is usually a sign that work is well advanced.
At a minimum it should mean that there will be less mud on local roads
Neighbours will be looking forward to getting the new bus lay-by into operation following 12 months of disruption.
However there is still a lot to do. The public noticeboard was damaged by contractors needs to be replaced. What is left of the noticeboard is currently attached to a perimeter fence.
…and the long saga of providing a replacement games area for local children still seems to be stalled.
On the 18th March 2019 the Council’s Executive agreed to provide a replacement for the Kingsway West “Multi User Games Area” (MUGA) which has been closed as part of the project to extend Lincoln Court.
The minute of the meeting read;
“a ii) To note that in approving Option 1 a commitment is made for alternative recreational facilities following community consultation including Sport England within Westfield Ward in mitigation for the loss of the Multi Use Games Area. The alternative facilities provided are to be agreed by Executive and will be subject to a further report and budget approval.”
Nothing more has been heard about the plan. Residents hoped that an all weather area might be provided on Thanet Road but nothing seems to have come of this as yet.
Now a Freedom of Information request has been submitted in an attempt to find out what progress has been made.
Footnote
The Council has today announced the name of the new centre
Innonvative new facility for children with disabilities buzzes with a new name
An innovative facility for children with disabilities in York has got a new name, thanks to the young people who will use it.
‘The Beehive’, as the Centre of Excellence for disabled children will now be known, will provide short overnight breaks for children with complex disabilities in the city. Young people and their families will be able to receive specialist support from a wide range of professionals, including clinical psychologists, all in one building for the first time.
The ‘bee theme’ will flow throughout the new facility, including bee-friendly names for the bedroom areas and honeycomb-like hexagons incorporated into the decorative features. Children and young people using the facility will also be given a fluffy bee toy to take home with them as a visual reminder of their ‘home away from home’.
It’s hoped that this attention to detail will help the children settle into the new building more easily, something which is particularly important for young people with learning disabilities or autism.
Thought to be one of the first facilities of its kind in the country, the innovative building is a partnership between City of York Council and NHS England.
The new centre is due to open this year and includes:
- spacious bedrooms with state of the art hoist and bathing facilities for children who have complex health needs and wheelchair users
- a larger, open-spaced area and bedrooms for children with learning disabilities or autism
- quieter self-contained areas that can be used for children who may struggle in a more open, busier environment and where their parents can accompany them so that their needs can be fully assessed
- an activity area, sensory room and quiet rooms
- a large outdoor play space with a variety of equipment suitable for children of all abilities
Council confirm Acomb Moor footpath routes
The background papers for last weeks meeting which supported the designation of a public right of way across Acomb Moor have been published.
They can be found by clicking here
The papers contain one surprise as an additional leg (B – D) has been added to the route covered by the application. It now also includes a path located to the rear of existing houses in the area.
More details can be found on the Foxwood Residents Association Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FoxwoodResidentsAssociation
There is an urgent need to get a safe access to the path restored as quickly as possible.
Foxwood Lane to Osprey Close footpath application gains Council support
According to the Foxwood Residents Association Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FoxwoodResidentsAssociation the Council has approved the making of an order which should – eventually – see the footpath added to local maps.
“Acomb Moor public right of way – decision
Our application to have the route from Foxwood Lane to Osprey Close – across Acomb Moor – recognised has passed another hurdle.
We understand that at a private meeting held on Tuesday Council officials decided to make a definitive map modification order (DMMO). The order should be made and published within the next few months. This would mean that the Public Right of Way route would be added to footpath maps.
The meeting was held behind closed doors and no agenda was published. This meant that interested parties were not able to make (further) representations. We understand that the background papers may not be published on the Councils website until next week.
We understand that initial consultation and review of the available evidence was completed and it was apparent that there is sufficient evidence to “reasonably allege that a public right of way subsists over the application route”. Under these circumstances the Council is required to make a DMMO by section 53 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
There will be a period of time during which objections to the designation can be made. If any objections are not subsequently withdrawn then the matter is referred to the Secretary of State for determination. This sometimes results in a Public Inquiry.
So it could be several months before the issue is entirely resolved.
In the meantime we have asked the Council to take steps to ensure that public access to the path is available for the point on Foxwood Lane where the stile used to be located (currently blocked by a tree trunk).
NB. We hope that the promised extension of the York Strays will include at least part of Acomb Moor. It is already used as an informal “country park”, is an important leisure area for the neighbourhood, it falls within the Green Belt and is on the most accessible side of the A1237. There is considerable scope for promoting conservation of flora and fauna in the area not least through re-establishing hedgerows where they have disappeared”.
York Council to buy 150 acres of agricultural land for new forest.
Refuses to reveal location but cost will be £1.65 million!
In one of the most bizarre proposals to come before the York Council, officials are recommending buying agricultural land “within the York boundary” which will subsequently be planted with trees. It says only that it is located in the Green Belt.
The forest scheme is intended to offset a proportion of the CO2 emissions generated within the City.
The Council says it can’t reveal the location of the new forest “for commercial reasons”.
While many residents will support the objective of the initiative, the lack of background information on the scheme is extraordinary.
There is no indication of the grade of the agricultural land in question. At a time when greater food self sufficiency is a high priority for the country, relative priorities must surely be fully evaluated before productive land is lost?
The report also says that the new forest – which might be designated as a “stray” – will provide new accessible paths and trails for York residents.
Officials point to the health benefits of greater exercise.
They are right, of course, as we have seen during lock-down. But the Council’s position lacks credibility as it has failed to maintain existing paths and trails, some of which are now inaccessible because of neglect.
The absence of any maintenance and management strategy for any new wood is one of the major omissions from the report.
The Council also quotes (rightly) the need to encourage pollinators (bees and other insects) but again fails to evaluate the effect that planting more woodland would have against providing – for example – wildflower meadows on the land.
In total the Council expects to spend £3 million on establishing new woodland and strays around the City.
It will need to do a lot more work, if taxpayers are to be convinced that this is an effective, and thoroughly thought through, reaction to the global conservation challenge.
NB. In the Westfield area, local Councillors promised 12 months ago to promote the adoption of “stray” status for Acomb Moor. There has been no recent update on the progress that they have made.
More problems with cycle paths
We’ve pointed out before, that the York Council is failing to properly maintain existing cycle paths.
Instead it seems preoccupied with launching new initiatives. Recently many of these have been ill considered and subsequently little used (e.g. the Marygate car park route)
The cycle path from Thanet Road to Foxwood is a case in point.
It has been impeded by a “lego” style barrier near Sherringham Drive for over two years. Despite pleas from the local residents association (who want the traditional style barriers restoring as the current set up allows access by motorcycles) there has been no response from the Council.
Nearby the cycle path itself is now cracking while a few metres away the white line markings have all but worn away.
There still doesn’t seem to be any systematic attempt to identify and repair defects.
