Green spaces – now government says they are important

Children’s ball games facility threatened

Not often that we agree with the Daily Mail and government Ministers but they’ve got this right.

 Click 

Communities need open spaces, outdoor sports facilities, green parks and amenity areas.

The York Council has a lamentable recent record in the Westfield area at least.

  • Our Lady’s school playing field – Gone
  • Lowfields sportsfield – Going
  • Acomb Bowling Green – Doomed
  • Kingsway kickabout area – Condemned
  • Hob Moor school playing field – Shrinking

….and that in the ward with the largest proportion of obese children in the City and the lowest life expectancy.

Latest planning applications for the Westfield Ward

 Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Westfield ward.

Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

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Windsor House 22 Ascot Way York YO24 4QZ

Erection of sub-station and associated parking.

Ref. No: 18/02177/FUL 

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71 Green Lane Acomb York YO24 3DJ

Conditions 5 and 6 of 17/02293/FUL

Ref. No: AOD/18/00298 

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126 Wetherby Road Acomb York YO26 5BY

Single storey rear extension.

Ref. No: 18/01906/FUL 

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Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.  http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

NB. The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received

Another strange decision by York planners as local bowling club doomed

Land near Acomb Library which could be improved.

York planning Councillors decided yesterday to permit the development of the Acomb Bowling Club

The applicants claimed that there were no longer enough people interested in bowling in York to sustain the green.

Ironically the Planning sub committee then went on the insist that the developers pay the York RI bowling club £20,000 to expand their greens. Why such an expansion should be necessary when many bowling clubs already have spare membership places remains a mystery.

The RI site is a mile away from Front Street and lies in the Holgate ward,. The opportunity to invest the £20,000 from the S106 contribution in green space in the Westfield ward has been lost.

Planning Councillors should have insisted that the payment be retained and earmarked for the improvement of the old allotments site (behind the Library car park) which would at least have secured the future of some green space in the Front Street area.

Council officials have also claimed that no discussions about the expansion of the library (onto the Council owned land nearby) have taken place “since it was acquired in 2008”. Ten years ago officials in the council’s estates department were instructed to acquire the bowling green and the allotments site at the same time. They failed to do so and the bowling club limped on for a few more years.

The Bowling Club trustees have yet tor reveal what will happen to the substantial receipt they will receive from the sale of the green.

Westfield residents will now get the worst of all worlds. A sports facility is being lost. Another green space is being built on, an opportunity to provide a small “pocket” park has gone  and the need for an expanded library – incorporating a “one stop shop” – seems further away than ever.

Another bad day for west York

 

Planning application for new electricity sub station on Ascot Way causes sparks.

Proposed sub station site

A planning application has just been received by the York Council which would see a sub station built on land next to garages on Ascot Way.

It is causing concern as it would mean that the adjacent rear entrance to Hob Moor school could become very narrow and dark.

There are safety issues that will have to be addressed if this does go ahead (it is required to service the nearby disabled children’s centre project)

The application can be viewed by clicking here 

 

Major York brownfield site gets development boost

City of York Council welcomes a decision by the Secretary of State to set new conditions which will help unlock the former British Sugar site and other unused brownfield sites in the city.

Taking into account York’s emerging Local Plan and the Upper and Nether Poppleton Neighbourhood Plan, the Minister of Housing, Communities and Local Government has said that allocating 20% affordable housing to the site off Boroughbridge Road is reasonable.

Because of the scale of the development, the Minister has recognised that delivering that percentage would not be viable in the initial phases of development. So the recommendation proposes that a minimum 3% provision would be made with additional affordable housing provided based on reassessment evidence for each phase.

Sparks container village – deadline for disabled access lift passes

Street “art” still dominates Piccadilly

Anyone expecting to see the disabled lift installed at the Sparks site on Piccadilly may be disappointed. Users say that it is still missing despite public promises made to the planning committee in August that it would be available for use by the end of September.

The same meeting was told that the project was highly successful. Others have,however, claimed that many of the original tenants have now quit the site, with only alcohol sales thriving.

Anyone expecting to see the street art graffiti removed from the Piccadilly frontage will also be disappointed. There is no sign of the cladding which should have been provided before the site opened in April.

Sparks have enjoyed beneficial occupation of the site since September 2017

Responses by Council officials to a series of Freedom of Information requests by local architect Matthew Laverack may give rise to even more concern.

The requests probe the role of the York Council as the landlord for the site. They agreed that the shipping containers could be put on the land despite pressure to advertise the site for permanent development. Many regarded the terms of the deal as generous with the Council pitching around £60,000 into the project.

Insurance requirements in the lease have apparently not been met and the Council’s building control section haven’t signed off the site as complete.

The mainstream media have been very quiet about these planning and lease breaches, while the Councils planning enforcement team has so far been wholly ineffective.

The contract allows for the Council to take back the site if, after 21 days, the tenants have failed to pay the rent or complied with their obligations under the Lease.

The Council will likely face an Ombudsman referral unless it gets its act together

NB Empty properties nearby are being offered free of charge on a short-term lease to voluntary organisations. There have been no takers.

Latest planning applications for the Westfield Ward

 Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Westfield ward.

Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

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Morrisons Front Street York YO24 3BZ (Proposed garden centre)

Condition 3 of 18/01030/FUL.

Ref. No: AOD/18/00284 

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Watermeadows Ltd 19 York Road Acomb York YO24 4LW

Demolition of existing garage and erection of two dwellings and associated works and infrastructure on Severus Street

Ref. No: 18/02006/FUL 

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Lincoln Court Ascot Way York

Three storey rear extension to accommodate 10no. new flats with communal facilities, single storey front extension to form new main entrance, erection of plant room to side, reconfiguration of parking provision and associated landscaping works including new boundary fencing

Ref. No: 18/01872/FULM 

NB. This may prove to be more controversial than expected as the application – together with one already submitted for the adjacent Windsor House site – would see more of the playing field (including the kick about area) lost than was anticipated.

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Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.  http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received

 

Acomb Bowling Club development plans recommended for approval

Westfield set to lose another area of green space

The report on this planning application has now been published (click)

It is recommended for approval.

The development, as it is presently proposed, is not in line with residents wishes as expressed in responses to a recent survey. They wanted to see a comprehensive plan for all the sites which lie to the rear of the Library.

There are two significant tissues.

  1. Planning officers claim that no discussions have taken place on the possible extension of the library. We don’t believe this is true The future of the “allotments” land, and also of that to the side of Chancery Court, must be determined together. They are inextricably linked.
  2. To offset the loss of open space on Front Street, officials are proposing a section 106 contribution to provide part of a bowling green at the York RI. This is located in the Holgate ward, about a mile from Front Street. While this may meet the need for bowling facilities (the site is already  green field sports pitch) it does nothing to help Westfield or to address the cumulative deficiency in green space provision in the ward. (It is almost as insensitive as the Councils decision to “relocate” the sports field from Lowfields to land near Bishopthorpe).

There is a very good argument to be made that the Front Street area needs more open space to accommodate the incremental increases in population that are occurring, not least as a result of commercial properties in the area being converted into residential accommodation.

This latest proposal just adds more pressures onto the rapidly diminishing areas of green space in the area.

The planning meeting is open to the public and takes place on Thursday 4th October at 4:30pm at West Offices. The planning committee will visit the site the previous day shortly after 10:00am.

Latest planning applications for the Westfield Ward

Front Street bungalow plan revived.

 Below is the latest planning application received by the York Council for the Westfield ward.

Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

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Address       43A Front Street York YO24 3BR

Proposal      Erection of one dwelling following demolition of existing garages.

Reference   18/01650/FUL

NB. An application to develop this site was lodged in 2016 but was later withdrawn following criticisms about the quality of the access lane and lack of street lighting

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Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.  http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received

Latest planning applications for the Westfield Ward

 Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Westfield ward.

Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

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22 Green Lane Acomb York YO24 3DL

Single storey rear extension, increase height of existing roof with hip to gable roof extensions, front porch and erection of detached garage to rear.

Ref. No: 18/01892/FUL 

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59 Westfield Place Acomb York YO24 3HL

Single storey rear extension including raised decked external seating area and external staircase to rear (amended scheme) (retrospective).

Ref. No: 18/01501/FUL 

——

Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.  http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

NB The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received