Acomb aggravated burglary – appeal for information

Police in York are appealing for information following an aggravated burglary in the city.

It occurred at a flat in Gisburn House, Acomb, just after 7.30pm on Tuesday 6 December 2011. Two men broke into the flat and assaulted the 23-year-old man who lives there with a metal implement.

The man suffered a head injury which, although not life threatening, has required treatment as in patient at York District Hospital.

A 21-year-old man was arrested on Pateley Place and a 23-year-old man was arrested at a local address in connection with the incident.

DC Fionna McEwan, of York CID said: “I am particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have seen a man running along Front Street in the direction of Pateley Place between 7.30pm and 8pm.”

Anyone who can help the police with their enquiries is urged to contact DC Fionna McEwan at York police station on 0845 60 60 24 7. Press option 2 and ask for Fionna McEwan by name.

Or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference number 12110205870.

Speed camera location update. Wednesday 7 December and Tuesday 13 December 2011

North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 7 December and Tuesday 13 December 2011.
 A64 east-bound carriageway Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
 A64 west-bound carriageway, Bowbridge Farm, Tadcaster
 Northfield Farm, Cobcroft Lane, Cridling Stubbs
 Brayton Lane, Brayton, Selby
 Barff Lane, Brayton, Selby
 A19 Selby Road, Whitley
 Millfield Lane, Chappel Haddlesley
 Millfield Lane, Poppleton, York
 Beckfield Lane, York
 Green Lane, Acomb, York
 A1237 Monks Cross, York
 B1222 Naburn lane, York
 B1228 Main Street, Elvington, York
 B1228 Dunnington Lodge, Elvington, York
 A56, Thornton-in-Craven
 A65 Clapham
 A65 Settle by-pass
 A65, Hellifield
 A65, Coniston Cold
 A629, Low Bradley
 A65, Settle By-Pass
 A62, west-bound, Crosshills
 A629, Skipton by-pass
 A59, Beamsley Hill
 Westcroft Lane, Hambleton
 Northallerton Road, Brompton,
 Station Road, Thirsk,
 B6271, Great Langton,
 A61, Carlton Road, Carlton Miniott
 A6108, North Stainley
 B1257 Helmsley – Stokesley Road, Newgate Bank
 A19 Crathorne
 A170 at Scawton Moor
 A170 Eastgate Pickering
 A170 Wilton
 A64 Malton by-pass Malton east and westbound
 A64 Seamer by-pass Scarborough
 A64 Seamer Road, Scarborough
 A64 between Whitwell Hill and Barton Hill
 A64 between Barton-le-Willows and Jinnah
 A64 between Barton Hill and Whitwell Hill
 A1039, Filey Road at Flixton
 B1427 Queen Margarets Road, Scarborough
 B1249 at Staxton Wold near Staxton, Scarborough
 A165 Reighton by-pass between Sands Road and Hunmanby Road
 B1249 Foxholes to County Boundary
 Stoney Haggs Road, Scarborough, southband towards Seamer Road
 A170 Scarborough to Thirsk Road at Snainton
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.

Salt bins disappear from Foxwood

About 30% of salt bins scheduled by the Council to be sited in the Foxwood area have yet to be deployed. An audit conducted on 6th December suggests that the map displayed on the Councils web site is inaccurate.

This is a shame as we are now well into the time of year when icy roads and footpaths can become a problem.

It seems that local Councillors have not checked the salt bins this year so it will very much be up to local residents to ensure that the bins are where they should be, that they have been filled and that they remain topped up.

The bins that should be deployed in the Foxwood area are located at:
1. Pheasant Drive opposite number 14
2. Linnet Way opposite 14/16
3. Foxwood Community Centre, Bellhouse Way *
4. Bradley Drive near 25*
5. Saddlebrook Court (ELP) Herman Walk*
6. Fir Heath Close outside 5
7. Foxwood Shops
8. Beechwood Glade
9. Otterwood lane near 34
10. Askham Croft at junction with Waterman Court
11. Foxwood Lane junction with Askham Lane*
12. Foresters Walk/Foxwood Lane
*Missing @ 6th Dec
A full list of the bins which should be available in the Westfield area is reproduced below

click image to enlarge

Courses to support parents after Christmas

City of York Council will be providing a series of free New Year programmes to help support parents and carers after the Christmas period.

Christmas can be a fun time for families, but it can also be a time that places a great strain on relationships in families too.

The programmes are called Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities and are designed to support parents and provide them with fresh ideas on dealing with a range of children’s behaviour.

The programmes will take place in the New Year at the following locations:

• Hob Moor – at Hob Moor Children’s Centre, Green Lane, Acomb starting Tuesday 10 January, 9.30am – 12.30pm
• Haxby – at Oaken Grove Community Centre, Reid Park – starting Monday 9 January, 9.30am – 12.30pm

Over 600 parents in York have already enjoyed the programme, funded by the Department for Education (DfE), over the last five years and it is hoped that more will be able to take part before March 2012.

The ain emphasis of the programme is on:

• Enhancing relationships between parents and their children through anger management and solution building
• A range of techniques to get children to work with you, rather than against you
• Activities to help mothers and fathers understand how their own family backgrounds influence their behaviour
• Encouraging parents to access community resources

The programmes are free and run for a whole term. To find out more about this, and the range of other programmes available in York, parents can access the Parent’s Zone at www.yor-ok.org.uk

To contact the Family Information Service direct, phone: 01904 554628, text: ‘parent’ to 07624 802244 or email: fis@yor-ok.org.uk

Council fail to act as sewer repairs cripple Askham Lane area

Askham Lane road closure

Despite assuring residents that repairs to a failed sewer at the junction of Askham Lane and Cornlands Road would be completed by 29th November, nearly 10 days later the work is still going on. Diversions are in place which send traffic along Moor Lane from the A1237 and then by a circuitous route into Acomb and beyond.

But the normal “roadwork’s between” dates signs have never appeared and residents have been left in the dark about progress.

Emails to the Council produce no response.

Sewer repairs are important and this particular location has had more than its fair share of problems over the years. We understand that the sewer is located some distance down no doubt making working conditions difficult.

……..but that is no excuse for not keeping residents up to date on progress.

School improvements in Westfield area. Council progress update

Westfield Primary

A phased approach to dealing with –what the Council describes as a “myriad building issues” at Westfield Primary (including roof and ceiling replacements, electrical work and asbestos removal) has been agreed in principle with the school. Initial cost reports are due this month with work to be scheduled as soon as possible thereafter. Phase two of this programme remains scheduled to take place in 2012/13.

Our Lady’s and English Martyrs Primary School

This voluntary aided scheme costing £4.7 million has been developed with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough (which is contributing £1m to the scheme). Work commenced on site at the end of July 2011, and the completion of the new school is on schedule to be completed in early December 2011, with the landscaping, external works and the demolition of the old school due to be completed by mid-April 2012.

The Council says that tghe new buildings represent significant improvements to York’s primary school provision. They enable federated schools to be brought together on single sites in high quality buildings offering exciting new learning opportunities.

FOXWOOD COMMUNITY CENTRE. CRANFIELD PLACE – COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS FAYRE ON SATURDAY 10th.DECEMBER 1.00PM —4.00PM

Santa will be in attendance with goodies for the children. There will also be games, face painting, home made cake stall, refreshments and everything to ensure a fun day is had by all.

The event is organised by the Community Foundation and all monies raised will go to local charities.

Have a funday out and help local people to help the Community in these difficult times .
ENTRANCE FREE!!!

£365,000 to be spent on sports facilities – but no local consultation with residents

The York council has announced how it intends to spend nearly £365,000 of public money. The fund has accrued from Section 106 payments. These are payments are made by land owners who are unable – or unwilling – to provide open space, play or sports facilities on new developments.

In the main they are intended to boost the quality – and sometimes quantity – of publicly available open space and leisure facilities in a neighbourhood.

A meeting next week will decide how to allocate the funding that has accumulated over recent years.

Other schemes in the pipeline could add another £800,000 to the total mainly arising from major developments in the Guildhall, Fishergate and Clifton parts of the City.

Unfortunately, as is the developing trend with the present Council, no public consultation on local priorities has taken place.

Some of the money is being used to boost facilities at private membership clubs. In the past any such contribution would have been conditional on the asset being made available for public access.

There are some glaring omissions from the list. In Westfield the Cornlands Road Park misses out again with no sign of any progress on securing the area much less improving the basic play facilities which exist there.

Improvements to Acomb Green and conservation works on Bachelor Hill are welcome initiatives though.

Grant list by Ward - click image to enlarge

Football and the Civic Trust

This is the latest exchange from the Civic Trust & Oakgate – the potential developers of the Community Stadium at Monks Cross.

Clearly those leading members of the Trust, who have set their sights firmly on stopping the stadium development, have recognised the need to be accountable for their actions.

They also admit that they have no idea how to fulfil York’s need for modern stadium facilities.
Incredibly they now argue for John Lewis to be accommodate3d on a Piccadilly development. The Trust opposed the Piccadilly/Coppergate II development in the early part of the last decade.

Marks and Spencer home ware are set to leave the City centre (whatever happens at Monks Cross) at the (imminent) end of their current lease in Coppergate,

John Lewis is understood not to want to be isolated on the far side of the Foss, It would not be surprising – if the Monks Cross project is turned down – to see them refocus their plans into Leeds.

Civic Trust covering letter

click to enlarge

click image to enlarge