Acomb Green development site

The planning application – to demolish a bungalow and garage at 42A The Green and replace it with 3 x 3 bedroomed houses and a block containing 3 x 1 bedroomed and 3 x 2 bedroomed flats, with 15 car parking spaces (currently 5 spaces exist) – has missed the 16th December deadline for determination.

This means that the Council will be under pressure to make a decision asap in the new year. The next West Area planning committee is scheduled to take place on 12th January.

There have been 2 objections to the development both listing traffic and parking concerns.

Details of this and other planning applications can be viewed on the Councils “web portal”. http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications

Recent applications in the Westfield Ward include:

• 42A The Green Acomb York YO26 5LR Demolition of bungalow and garages Ref. No: 11/02713/CAC | Received: Fri 07 Oct 2011 | Validated: Fri 21 Oct 2011 | Status: Pending Consideration

• 169 Askham Lane York YO24 3JA Fell Chestnut (T1) Tree protected by Tree Preservation Order No 60 Ref. No: 11/03080/TPO | Received: Mon 21 Nov 2011 | Validated: Mon 21 Nov 2011 | Status: Pending Consideration

• Quicksilver 7 Acomb Court Front Street York YO24 3BJ Change of use from gaming centre (sui generis) to Licensed Betting office (use class A2) Ref. No: 11/03076/FUL | Received: Tue 15 Nov 2011 | Validated: Wed 16 Nov 2011 | Status: Pending Consideration

• 40 St Stephens Square York YO24 3EJ Formation of off street parking area on land used for recreational purpose (resubmission) Ref. No: 11/02895/FUL | Received: Tue 25 Oct 2011 | Validated: Wed 26 Oct 2011 | Status: Pending Consideration (due for determination next week)

• Lidl Foodstore Thanet Road York YO24 4PE Display of non-illuminated free standing sign Ref. No: 11/02768/ADV | Received: Wed 12 Oct 2011 | Validated: Thu 13 Oct 2011 | Status: Application Refused

• 10 Invicta Court York YO24 3NN Conservatory to rear Ref. No: 11/02728/FUL | Received: Tue 11 Oct 2011 | Validated: Tue 25 Oct 2011 | Status: Householder Approval

2 City of York charities and groups are celebrating this week after they were chosen to receive an award from a pot of criminals’ cash.

The money has been seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) by North Yorkshire Police’s Financial Investigation Unit.

Head of the unit, Detective Inspector Ian Wills, said: “Once again, we are extremely impressed at the extent of the fantastic work going on in our communities to improve life for local people.

Last year, the Financial Investigation Unit took £1.3m off North Yorkshire criminals. A percentage of this is given back to the force, which enables North Yorkshire Police to fund the Why should they? campaign.

Members of the public can help the campaign by reporting anyone they suspect of living off illegal earnings. Either call North Yorkshire Police on 101 or you can pass information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111. You do not have to give your name and could qualify for a cash reward.

The winning organisations in York for 2011 are:

1. Joseph Trust Wood and Craft Workshop, York – £2,000

The Joseph Trust Wood and Craft Workshop have been awarded £2,000 to upgrade their woodwork shop. The charity, which is based in the village of Melbourne near York, provides training and support for disadvantaged young people.

The trust was established in 2005 after one of the founders, Joyce Dean, began fostering troubled 16-year-olds. She discovered that once they left her home at 8am, they had nothing to do and were left to their own devices until they returned home at 6pm.

The main aim of the project is to provide important life, work and social skills for young people who may find themselves in difficult circumstances. The charity also offers training towards NVQ qualifications.

Previous projects include working with young people from Future Prospects, York, and Leeds Youth Offending Teams, as well as a group of young people with learning difficulties from York. as it was at 2006

The project is currently working with the City of York Council’s Danesgate Student Support Unit in York which provides education for children permanently excluded from school, or unable to attend school. Some students from Fulford School are also benefiting from the trust.

Although a York-based charity, they were unable to find suitable premises for their work in the city.

Approximately four years ago they were offered five acres of land, on which they have built a craft and wood working workshop along with two poly tunnels, a stock of fowl and land for growing crops.

The trust is supported by the Home Office Youth Justice Board, Wetherby Young Offenders Institute and the Learning Skills Council.

The money will be put towards work benches, rewiring, dust extraction and ventilation units and tools.

2. Space 109 Homework and Cooking Club – Walmgate, York – £2,000

Space 109 was founded by a local, single mum to provide activities for residents of all ages in the Walmgate area of York. From toddler groups to music and craft groups, most of the activities are organised by 100 volunteers.

This invaluable community arts centre will receive £2,000 to help towards the expansion of their Homework and Cooking Club which is free to all children aged 8 to 16 in the local area.

A recent survey of community needs identified a demand for projects for young people which would help to steer them away from anti-social behaviour and any temptation to deviate into criminality. 92% of local residents said they would use the facilities, 98% believe young people should have somewhere to go and 88% believe more facilities are needed to keep anti-social behaviour and crime at bay.

By providing a positive and creative outlet, the club gives young people an opportunity to learn valuable life and social skills.

The homework club also means that children keep up with their school work, giving them a sense of achievement and reinforces the importance of doing well at school. The club also fosters skills in team working, self esteem, community pride and healthy eating with the youngsters obtaining a qualification in basic food hygiene.

The volunteers who work at the centre also benefit by developing their skills, leading to improved employment prospects.

We now understand that it could be Christmas before the work on repairing a damaged sewer on ASKHAM Lane near its junction with Cornlands Road will be completed.

The repair was originally scheduled to be completed 3 weeks ago.

Yorkshire Water have said that the job has proved to be more difficult than anticipated.

Lorry crash on A1M near York

Meanwhile a major accident, which closed the A1M today, has caused 1000’s of vehicles to seek alternative routes through York. The A1237 was almost gridlocked this afternoon.

The Press is reporting that when children at a York toddler group at the Gateway Church in Acomb sang the children’s favourite Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, they innocently made signs with their hands to indicate a twinkling star.

“But parents were startled when staff asked the toddlers to use a different gesture – because the one they were using had an unintended double meaning in sign language for deaf people”.

They asked the children to use a different sign.

We hope this is misunderstanding.

It’s just not the kind of publicity that the community needs at Christmas.

Police in York are offering free cycle marking in the run up to Christmas.

A team of officers from the York West Safer Neighbourhood Team will be at York College, Tadcaster Road between 10am and 4.30pm on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 December 2011. They will be marking cycles and registering their details on a national database.

York West Safer Neighbourhood Team Sergeant, Iain Sirrell, said: “As this is the last weekend before Christmas it is an ideal opportunity to drop in and have the bikes you have bought as gifts stamped.

“I would urge people to take advantage of one of these sessions as a deterrent to thieves.

“We would like to see as many people as possible come along to the event so that the bikes can be registered with the local police and on www.immobilise.co.uk, which covers the whole country.

“Having your bike marked allows the police to easily and quickly identify bikes that are lost or stolen.”

York Guildhall river frontage

The Council has issued a statement saying that it plans to leave its historic Guildhall home. It seems that Councillors are scrambling to get the best of the new facilities currently being constructed at the £20 million West Office site on Toft Green.

Sources put the cost of a new Leaders office at over £20,000 with meeting rooms likely to come in at around £100,000 each.

The plan had been to contain costs by continuing to use the existing meeting rooms at the Guildhall, with any spare space at the West Offices being leased to partner organisations such as the Police and Health services. Now it looks like some of this new accommodation is set to be grabbed by Labour Councillors.

The Guildhall is a listed building and has few obvious alternative uses.

Under Labours plan, only the Council Chamber would be retained for civic use and then only on the 6 occasions each year when the full Council meets.

There are 4 smaller meeting rooms at the Guildhall with 2 of the top Directors and their support staff also located there. Since Labour took control of the building, the Leader has acquired 2 support staff while each of the 3 major political Groups also each have a room.

Most of the rest of the building is occupied by staff who service various Council committees as well as some who provide legal advice or who supervise elections.

The Guildhall itself is in frequent use for antique fairs and other social and commercial activities. It is one of the top tourist destinations in the City.

It is unclear to what use the building – which cannot be demolished because of its listed status – could be put. There has been talk for some years for opening up the area to the rear of the Post Office but private investment us unlikely as the configuration of the Guildhall and offices is awkward.

It is unlikely to be practical to convert it into a hotel although some sort of leisure use might be possible. No doubt the Museums Trust could come up with a use while the City has benefited greatly over the years from organisation like the York Conservation Trust who invest heavily to purchase and maintain historic buildings.

The Guildhall is not cheap to maintain or run. However it occupies a prime site and, together with the adjacent Mansion House, it has a unique place in York’s civic history. It’s role and significance should not be underestimated nor should the difficulty of finding a non Council use for the building.

The last thing the City centre needs is for the shutters to go up on this unique part of the City’s fabric.

Guilhall entrance

……………….York Guildhall is located behind the York’s Mansion House and was built in the 15th century, it served as a meeting place for the guilds of York.

Because of damage sustained during an air raid in 1942, the present Guildhall is a rebuilt version of the 15th century building, and was opened by the Queen in 1960. The stone walls, however, escaped total destruction and now form the frame of the reconstructed hall. A single tree trunk was used for each oak pillar, the originals coming from the royal Forest of Galtres. The Inner Room survived the raid intact and has panelled walls, masons’ marks, two hidden stairways and a ceiling decorated with old bosses.

A history of the City of York can be seen within the stained glass window, and within the tracery are men and women who helped to put York on the historical map. The five lights in the tracery depict the different periods of York’s history. Grotesque faces can be seen on the ceiling in the Inner Room.

The Guildhall has served many purposes through its long history, and has even been the scene of many Royal social visits. York Guildhall was the venue for Margaret Clitherow’s trial, Richard III was entertained there in 1483 and Prince Albert, the Prince Consort to Queen Victoria was a guest of honour at a Royal banquet.

The Guildhall was the place where £200,000 was counted before being given to the Scots in payment for their part in helping Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War.

Since North Yorkshire Police launched this year’s drink and drug drive campaign on 1 December 2011, 43 motorists have been arrested on suspicion of getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

24 of those drivers have been charged and four people have already appeared before the courts and have been banned from the roads.

Officers have been out in force on the roads of North Yorkshire and the City of York throughout the campaign and have conducted 1164 roadside breath tests as they enforce the message that drink and drug driving is totally unacceptable.

Over the next two weeks as the party season gets into full swing in the build up to Christmas and New Year, North Yorkshire Police will be stepping up their efforts to prevent potential tragedies caused by drink and drug driving.

There will be an increased police presence on the county’s roads and more motorists will be breathalysed.

Anyone involved in a collision will be breath tested at the road side or subjected to a Field Impairment Test, if they are suspected to be under the influence of drugs.

Anyone going out over the weekend and in the next couple of weeks is urged to consider the dangers of drink and drug driving and get a taxi or public transport home if they are drinking.

Shoppers in Coney Street

Footfall figures in York city centre are up 26.8 per cent on the same period last year.
Cameras in Coney Street and Parliament Street show recorded a footfall of 867,067 from 1-12 December, compared to a figure of 683,703 during the same period in 2010.

The 2011 data is 0.7 per cent higher than the 2009 figure of 860,594.

According to ONS figures, nationally retail sales are also up (no doubt influenced by better weather this year)

• Value of retail sales in November 2011 showed an increase of 4.6 per cent compared with November 2010.

• Sales volumes in November 2011 increased by 0.7 per cent compared to November2010.

• Non-store retailing and automotive fuel sales volumes increased in November 2011 compared to November 2010 by 18.9 and 2.7 per cent respectively. The predominantly food and predominantly non-food sectors saw sales volumes decrease by 0.6 and 0.7 per cent respectively.

• Non-seasonally adjusted volume data shows that again small stores provided the most upward pressure increasing by 4.5 per cent, in comparison large stores decreased by 0.1 per cent over the same period.

• Non-seasonally adjusted value data shows that small stores value sales grew by 7.8 per cent, in comparison large stores increased by 3.6 per cent.

• The average weekly spend on online retailing has increased to £787.9 million up from £546.4 million in October 2011 and is now estimated to account for 12.2 per cent of all retail sales (excluding automotive fuel).

New figures released this week show there are now fewer empty shops in York compared to last year’s figures.

Statistics from the Local Data Company show a significant percentage decrease in how many empty shops there are across the city.

In December 2010 there were 105 vacant shops in York (6.38 per cent) but new data out this week shows that there are considerably fewer vacant shops across the city, with only 83 vacant shops now in York (5.04 per cent).

As of December 2011 there are a total of 1,647 shops in York.

The public backs the Coalition Government’s approach to cutting the deficit by a margin of three to one, according to a ComRes survey for The Independent. There is less support for Labour’s policy.

The poll, taken after the European Union summit, suggests the Conservatives have received a mini-bounce from David Cameron’s tough stance there. Labour and the Conservatives are neck and neck on 38 per cent, with the Liberal Democrats on 12 per cent.

The Conservatives have gained two points and Labour is down two points since a ComRes survey for The Independent on Sunday and Sunday Mirror taken just before the summit, which showed Labour on 40 per cent, the Tories on 36 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 10 per cent.

Asked whether the Government should not increase public borrowing any further and should pay off the nation’s deficit as soon as possible, 74 per cent agree and 18 per cent disagree. A majority of Labour voters (58 per cent) endorse this approach, as do 73 per cent of Lib Dem supporters and 87 per cent of Conservative supporters.

ComRes also asked people whether the Government should borrow more in the short term to increase economic growth even if it means reducing the deficit more slowly – broadly in line with Labour’s approach. Some 49 per cent agree but 40 per cent disagree and 11 per cent don’t know.

The poll found that the public are much more upbeat about their own prospects for 2012 than for the country as a whole. Some 68 per cent describe themselves as optimistic about their own prospects, while 28 per cent disagree. However, only 34 per cent of people are optimistic about the UK’s prospects for next year, while 60 per cent are not.