The York Council has awarded contracts of over £1.5 million to modernise the cremators at the York crematorium on Bishopthorpe Road.

Local company William Birch will undertake the installation contract for a sum of £471,370.

The 2 new incinerators are to be supplied by ACI at a cost of £1.095 million.

The new facilities will meet the latest mercury emission standards.

The Crematorium produces a substantial operating surplus each year for the Council. Each cremation is charged at £699 (per adult).

http://tinyurl.com/York-cremation

95 on-the-spot fines were issued by the York Council in the financial year April 2011-March 2012.

The vast majority were issued for littering offences. Despite the continuing problems with graffiti not a single fixed penalty notice (FPN) was issued by Council staff for this offence during the last financial year.

In total the Council received £4,675 in fines for the littering offences plus £250 for dog fouling.

The detailed figures are:
• Litter – 90 FPNs (+ 36 Stopped for Littering Notices & Warnings issued to under 18s)
• Dogs Fouling – 5 FPNs
• Graffiti – 0
• Fly Posting – 0
• Dog Control – 0
• Distribution of Literature – 0
• Waste Receptacles – 0

Fixed penalty notices can be issued by the Council’s 7 Street environment Officers. In addition 4 other officers are authorised to issue notices for dog fouling.

Our Lady's school

We understand that a Developer has now expressd an interest is purchasing the former Our Lady’s school site off Windsor Garth.

Although their detailed intentions and timetable are unclear, we understand that discussions with the owners (the Diocese of Middlesbrough) are continuing.

Residents had expressed concern about the vulnerability of the building to vandalism and the possible theft of building materials and scrap.

We will provide more details as they become available.

City of York Council is adding extra pilates classes for the over 50s, due to popular demand. Sessions run every Tuesday 1pm-2pm at the York RI Sports Ground in Acomb and cost £4.50 a class

The rise in popularity is partly due to the success of the Eng-AGE 50+ Activity day in February. The day allowed people to try a range of sports that are available specifically for the over 50s in York, which include pilates. (more…)

Detectives investigating three robberies at the same shop in York still require witnesses to help with their enquiries.

Earlier in the week a 14-year-old youth was arrested and charged with the latest robbery at the Goldmine Convenience Store on Haxby Road at around 6.30pm on Sunday 13 May.

Officers are still actively seeking a second person they believe was involved in the incident and are appealing to anyone with information to come forward. (more…)

City of York Council is starting work on installing photovoltaic panels on suitable council homes to reduce carbon emissions and provide free daytime electricity for tenants.

Working with Empower Community Solar, the panels will be fitted on homes which have already been identified as potentially suitable in terms of size, orientation and pitch. The work will be carried out over the next six weeks at no cost to the council or to tenants to generate low cost, sustainable energy from daylight and could continue beyond that time, depending on an imminent announcement on Feed-in Tariff rules. (more…)

North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 23 and Tuesday 29 May 2012.

•A64 east-bound Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•A64 west-bound Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•Millfield Lane, Poppleton, York
•Beckfield Lane, Acomb, York
•Green Lane, Acomb, York
•Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe, York
•A1036 Tadcaster Road, Acomb, York
(more…)

The Planning committee is being recommended today to approve the erection of a new garage and showroom for Audi cars in York.

Audi York comprises a single storey profile steel clad unit dating to the 1980s lying in close proximity to a number of other car dealerships at the eastern edge of the Clifton Moor Business Park.

Planning permission is being sought for the redevelopment of the site to provide expanded sales and office space and to facilitate the relocation of servicing and maintenance functions to the adjacent former DHL site.

Planning permission has already been granted for the relocation of the service functions.

Application site

Planning permission is being sought for Network Rail facilities on a site near the Railway Station (see left) opposite Railway Terrace.

The Rail Operations Centre (ROC) will eventually replace the existing signalling centre at York (which is to the northeast of the application site), and would become the operating centre for the East Coast mainline between London and Scotland and would incorporate a training centre which would include a welding centre and external track facilities.

The training centre would replace existing facilities in the city and consolidate facilities in the region. The proposed building is T-shaped with the 3-storey (though with plant room on the roof) ROC and 2-storey workforce development buildings running parallel to the York to London line, linked by a hub (arrival point, cafe etc) to the single storey welding centre building which would travel northwest towards the Cinder Lane footbridge. The track would be to the southeast of the site (parallel with the line which runs to Skelton) and car parking spaces on the northern side of the buildings. A direct footpath from the train station will also be provided into the site.

The application is recommended by officials for approval – with conditions – and will be considered by the local planning committee on Wednesday. More details can be found on the Councils web site.