Kent Street coach park sold for £1.5 million?

Sports village pool - artists impression

The Press are reporting that the Council will receive £1.5 million for the sale of the Kent Street coach park. The site is to become a new Fire Station and a planning application has now been submitted which shows the station itself, a drill yard and a car park with 18 spaces, with a training tower also being built. The application is due to be determined in March.

The Council committed £3 million in June 2010 towards the £10 million cost of a new competition standard swimming pool which is under construction on land off the Hull Road. The Sports Village pool was originally opposed by Labour Councillors but they subsequently endorsed the project when they took office earlier in the year.

The receipt from the Fire service will mean that the Councils target valuation on Kent Street has been achieved. This will ease pressure on funding from the rest of its capital programme.
A contribution towards the Sport Village has also been received from the Sports Council although the facility is expect to break even on operating costs when it opens late in 2012.

The facilities to be provided at Hull Road include:
• A 25m x 17m 8-lane pool (including a deep end)
• Health and fitness facilities
• Dance / aerobics / martial arts studio
• Training Pool, 4 lane, 0.8m to 1.2m deep
• Externally, a 3G pitch

In addition a £2 million replacement athletics track will be provided as part of the Monks Cross Community Stadium development.

The Sports Village forms part of the expansion of the University of York. A 7 minute frequency bus service to the campus is already running. The Sports Village is located close to the Hull Road park and ride site.

Sports village taking shape

First have announced that the bus service will not be running on the evenings of Saturday 24th and 31st December. In both cases the last bus will run from the City centre at about 1900 hours (see right for full details)

This seems a little early to us given the campaign to stop drink driving and the fact that City Centre car parks are always full on Christmas Eve.

Church services will still be taking place and the traditional public carol concert in St Helens Square will only just be getting going when public transport stops running.

Taxis will be at a premium and, while we appreciate that bus drivers also deserve a rest over the festive season, one wonders whether the Council subsidy – which is being paid to run some park and ride services on Boxing Day – might have been better used to extend public transport provision on Christmas Eve?

Boxing Day in the City centre is traditionally a very quiet day with most attractions and employers closed. Only a limited number of shops will open their doors.

First aren’t running their normal bus services but the Council is underwriting the cost of providing 4 buses an hour on Park and Ride services 3, 7 & 9 between 0700 & 1830.

City centre car parks are rarely busy on Boxing Day and we wonder why residents would drive to an out of town car park simply to get on a park and ride bus?

Still the buses (and City centre car parks) will be “free” (meaning they will be subsidised by taxpayers!)

North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 21 December 2011 and 3 January 2012.

· A64 Malton by-pass Malton east and west-bound

· A64 Seamer by-pass, Scarborough

· A64 Seamer Road, Scarborough

· A1039 Filey Road at Flixton

· Stoney Haggs Road, Scarborough south-bound towards Seamer

· A64 Malton by-pass east-bound

· A64 west-bound carriageway, Bowbridge Farm, Tadcaster

· Northfield Farm, Cobcroft lane, Cridling Stubbs

· Brayton Lane, Brayton, Selby

· Barff Lane, Brayton, Selby

· A61, Green Lane, Brearton

· A59, Beamsley Hill, Harrogate

· Jennyfields Drive, Harrogate

· Skipton Road, Harrogate

· King Edwards Drive, Harrogate

· A61 Leeds Road, Harrogate

· A59, High Street, Starbeck

· Northfield Farm, Cobcroft Lane, Cridling Stubbs

· Skipwith Road, Escrick

· A63 Hemingbrough

· Church Lane, Wheldrake

· Silver Street, Barton

· Leeming Lane, Catterick Village

· A6108, Darlington Road, Richmond

· A66, Gilling West

· A684, Aysgarth

· A6108, Middleham

· Gatherley Road, Brompton

The mobile safety cameras will be in operation at the above sites at various times during the dates stated. Cameras will not be in use on the above routes all day, every day. The above locations were accurate when this news release was produced.

Council HQ office - artists impression

Following their decision to sell off the Guildhall, Labour councillors are expected to decide on 10th January who will get which office at the new Council HQ.

One new option being considered is not to have any individual offices at the new building.

Instead, as well as open plan accommodation, there would be a number of “hot desks” which would be used as and when an officer (or Councillor) needed to be in the building.

Additional flexible meeting room space would also be provided.

More staff would work from home utilising the high quality data links which are now in place across the City.

Some sub-urban offices could also provide the “hot desk” facility although the opportunity to provide a small extension at the Acomb Library to facilitate such a strategy was dumped by Labour earlier in the year. A short sighted and potentially expensive blunder.

If the modern office approach is rejected, then taxpayers can expect the undignified scramble for the “best view” to continue for several more weeks.

Separately taxpayers will view with anxiety a plan to set up a review of Councillors pay. The Council Leader gets around £30k a year and many will feel that this is enough in the present economic climate. Allowance/Pay levels were tied a few years ago to match any increase in Council staff wages. With Council workers facing another years pay freeze any attempt to renege on this link is likely to provoke a bitter reaction.

Blocked drainage gulley Front Street area

The Council employs street environment officers who are generally very effective in dealing with issues which affect many; but where the responsibility for action may be less clear.
Two examples are drainage problems caused by faulty or blocked gulleys and vandalism to boundary fences.
Council officials can only address issues, of course, if they know about them.
To report a problem ring the Council on York 551551 (open until 1900 hours, weekdays) or report “on line” 24/7 at http://www.york.gov.uk.

Damaged wall near York Road bus stop

Damaged fence near York Road bus stop

Askham Lane roadworks 18th December 2011

Work ongoing at the sewer repairs on Askham Lane at the Cornlands Road junction today.

Surprisingly Yorkshire Water don’t seem to provide updates on sewer repairs so residents are left in the dark. The Council will be using section 74 to charge the contractors for the road closure… but costs will enventually be passed on to customers.

When the contractors are on site some access is available via traffic signals but this does vary. Access was available down Askham Lane on Friday but not today (Sunday). So a bit of a lottery.

Altogether an unsatisfactory series of events.

The Home Heat Helpline was launched by the Energy Retail Association in October 2005. The helpline advises people worried about paying their fuel bills and keeping warm during the winter. It also gives advice to low-income households in urgent need of heating help and advice. It is free to call and is open 9am-6pm Monday to Friday.

Calls to the helpline are answered by one of our friendly expert advisors at our call centre. They can give you quick, clear information on the grants, benefits and payment schemes that you may be entitled to as well as basic steps that you can take to save money on heating bills by making your home more energy efficient.

After asking you a few questions the advisor may put your call through to an appropriate specialist team at your energy supplier or another advice or grant giving agency, for further assistance.

You don’t have to call the Home Heat Helpline yourself. Many people phone on behalf of their friends, relatives and neighbours. Since it began, the Home Heat Helpline has received over 200,000 calls from across Britain. Nearly half of callers said that they had reduced their energy bills after calling us and many more were able to access benefits and grants. The Home Heat Helpline is here to help, so make that call.

website: www.homeheathelpline.org.uk.

Most recent sale was for a 3 bed property in Tedder Road which fetched £180,000 at the end of October.
A 2 bedroomed semi in The Reeves went for £109,000.

There are some bargains around with the following properties having been reduced in asking price

Address Type Beds Price Listed On Reduction
• Otterwood Lane Semi-D 3 £157,995 13-07-2011 10%
• Huntsman’s Walk Detached 3 £175,000 22-09-2010 12%
• Westfield Place Terrace 3 £157,500 27-07-2011 6%
• St Stephens Road Terrace 3 £130,000 18-05-2011 5%
• Summerfield Road Semi-D 3 £185,000 30-07-2011 7%

You could walk straight into the following properties which have no onward chain

Address Type Beds Price Listed On
• Ridgeway, Acomb, YORK Flat 2 £112,500 23-11-2011
• Dijon Avenue, Acomb, Semi-D 3 £154,950 24-10-2011
• Ashford Place, YORK Semi-D 3 £124,950 20-10-2011
• Bramham Grove, Acomb, Semi-D 2 £129,500 01-11-2011
• Dijon Avenue, Acomb, YORK Terrace 2 £138,000 21-11-2011

Anyone wanting to rent privately could have a look at these properties.

Address Type Beds Rent (pcm) Listed on Implied value*
• Otterwood Lane Semi-D 3 £750 15-11-2011 £195,645
• Slessor Road 3 £695 26-08-2011 £181,298
• Beagle Ridge Drive 3 £795 14-11-2011 £207,384
• Tedder Road Detached 3 £775 30-09-2011 £202,166
• Huntsman’s Walk Detached 3 £675 04-10-2011 £176,080
*This is the current value estimate that is implied by the rental price and by typical rental yields in the area.

Detectives investigating a series of robberies in York are appealing for two potential witnesses to come forward.

In relation to the attempted robbery near Blockbusters on York Road in Acomb, police are seeking two people who may have vital information.

The victim ran away from the suspect along Front Street and as he ran, he passed two members of the public who were stood near to the Barnardo’s charity shop.

Police are appealing for these two people to contact them as they could have vital information which could help the investigation.

If you were on Front Street in Acomb at around 11pm on Friday night (16 December 2011), please contact York CID by calling 101, select option 2 and ask for Detective Constable Mike Avison by name.

Alternatively, you can give information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Detectives investigating a hand-bag robbery in York on Thursday (15 December 2011) have stepped up their appeal for information after receiving three more reports of robberies in the city.

At around 6.15pm on Friday 16 December, a 40-year-old man was threatened by a man with a baseball bat at the allotments on Fulford Road in York. He also threatened the man with a knife although he did not produce one. He stole the victim’s wallet.

Between 7.30 and 8.30pm on Friday 16 December, a 15-year-old boy was walking along the side of the River Ouse with a friend when he was approached by a man on a bike. The victim had just walked under Scarborough Bridge when the attacker shouted at him. He then threatened the boy with a knife and stole his wallet and mobile phone. The suspect is described as white, with short blonde hair and was wearing a black hoodie with the hood up and was riding a BMX type bike.

At around 11.pm, the same evening, a 24-year-old man was walking along York Road in Acomb and was passing the Blockbusters store when he was threatened by a man who claimed to have a knife. The victim ran off and nothing was stolen. The suspect in this incident is described as having blonde hair, aged in his early twenties and was wearing a black t-shirt with blue writing.

In the previous incident on Thursday 15 December, a 52-year-old woman had her handbag stolen by a man riding a bike on the railway footbridge between Leeman Road and Wilton Rise.

Detective Inspector Ian Dyer of York CID, said: “There are similarities in all of the incidents. However, a baseball bat was seen in just the one incident at Fulford Road allotments.

“We need to catch whoever is responsible for these robberies, they are frightening and cause great distress to the victims.

“Detectives are examining CCTV to try and trace the offender’s movements and identify him. But we also need the public’s help.

“If anyone saw a man matching the suspects description or knows who the offender may be, I urge you to contact us urgently.”

“If members of the public find any discarded wallets or handbags, please call the police straight away.

“Please help us to catch whoever is responsible before they strike again.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 – select option 2 – and ask for York CID.

Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.