Good to see some of the Councils bus shelters getting a much needed coat of paint. In contrast to the advertising shelters – which are generally kept clean and safe – many of the Councils shelters are dirty and neglected.
Some are overgrown with weeds and hedges.
Shelters are an important factor in making public transport an attractive option for travellers. They should be cleaned and repaired regularly
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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The Beehive (Centre of Excellence for the Disabled) Ascot Way York YO24 4QZ
Condition 10 of 18/01467/GRG3
Ref. No: AOD/20/00240
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14 Wenham Road York YO24 3GH
Replacement of existing timber windows with UPVC at 14, 16 and 20 Wenham Road
Ref. No: 20/01743/FUL
1 Teal Drive York YO24 3GQ
Replacement of existing timber windows with UPVC at 1, 3 , 4, 6, 26 and 28 Teal Drive, YO24 3GQ
Ref. No: 20/01612/FUL
NB The above applications for new windows relate to blocks of FLATS. Planning permission is not normally required for a change of windows at HOUSES unless they are Listed or located in a Conservation Area.
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32 Rosemary Road York YO24 3FN
Erection of 1no. two storey detached dwelling (Plot 4 Former Lowfield School site)
Ref. No: 20/01573/FUL
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34 Rosemary Road York YO24 3FN
Erection of 1no detached dwelling (Plot 2 Former Lowfield School site)
Ref. No: 20/01697/FUL
NB. These Rosemary Road applications relate to “self-build” units which will be constructed to the rear of Tudor Road. Planning applications have now been submitted for 3 of the available 6 plots. While many may feel that the designs bring some welcome high-quality innovation to the site, the main problem with self build schemes can be the length of time it takes to complete work. If this can be overcome, then the allocation of additional self build plots, using the land which was reserved for Yorspace (communal housing), might be a useful step towards the early completion of building works across the site as a whole.
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Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning online web site. http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/
The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received
We are very much in favour of giving local communities the opportunity to influence how resources are used in their area.
Delegated ward budgets, therefore, were a step in the right direction.
The Council allocated £1 million to be spent at ward level. Typically the Westfield ward (which is larger than most wards) has nearly £40,000 a year to spend.
The expectation was that there would be an opportunity for residents to put forward schemes for consideration and – as has happened in the past – for a public vote on priorities to take place.
Obviously the health pandemic may have affected the ability of some ward Councillors to fully consult on a door to door basis. We would, however, expect much more use to be made, by the Council and ward councillors in particular, of social media and noticeboards to stay in touch with local communities.
A whole raft of new schemes using this budget have been authorised today click
A list of schemes approved for 2019/20 can be found by clicking here Several schemes, including action to prevent fly tipping, didn’t happen.
Planned expenditure for 2020/21 can be access here
While many of the schemes are uncontroversial, there will be some that may cause raised eyebrows. Mentoring services for young people seems to be the new catch all phrase used to access public funding.
That may be necessary, but taxpayers will legitimately want to know what are the objectives of each scheme and how success is being measured?
They will expect to be able to find out this information without fruitless searches of dozens of pages on the internet.
There was disappointment in west York earlier in the year when it emerged that they would not be getting a share of the delegated cycling and walking budget.
Promised road repairs have also not materialised.
The York Council needs to re-engage quickly
First York buses have announced a raft of changes to their services which will be implemented on Sunday.
Click here for new timetables
The changes will see the popular number 4 service revert to its old one way “loop” using Gale Lane, Front Street, Green Lane and Tudor Road.
The lack of a two way service on Green Lane and Tudor Road will disappoint some elderly residents who appreciated being able to travel easily to the village for shopping and other purposes.
Local Councillors promised to consult on the option of retaining the longer 2 way route via Acomb Green & Ridgeway which was introduced to accommodate the use of articulated buses. These former park and ride buses, are now being redeployed elsewhere.
We have heard nothing about the results of any consultation with passengers.
We asked 4 weeks ago what had happened to the promised replacement for the children’s games area on Kingsway West.
The area is currently being used as a building compound. The contractor was beginning tt remove storage containers from the area today although work on Lincoln Court and the new centre for the disabled won’t be completed for a few weeks at least (it is running behind schedule with COVID partly to blame according to the Council).
A response to a Freedom of Information request was due today but the Council now says that they can’t reply before 3rd Ocotober.
The enquiry resulted from a promise made on 18th March 2019 when the Council’s Executive agreed to provide a replacement for the Kingsway West Multi User Games Area (MUGA) which has been taken out of use as part of the project to extend Lincoln Court.
The minute read;
“a ii) To note that in approving Option 1 a commitment is made for alternative recreational facilities following community consultation including Sport England within Westfield Ward in mitigation for the loss of the Multi Use Games Area. The alternative facilities provided are to be agreed by Executive and will be subject to a further report and budget approval.”
18 months later and there has been no further word from the Council on how the replacement plan is going.
The Foxwood Community Centre volunteers are now distributing surplus food on Wednesday afternoons.
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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61A Gale Lane York YO24 3AD
Conditions 3, 14, 15 & 16 of 20/00494/FULM
Ref. No: AOD/20/00231
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9 Branton Place York YO26 5BQ
Erection of single storey extension extending 6.00 metres beyond the rear wall of the original house, with a height to the eaves of 2.40 metres and a total height of 3.40 metres
Ref. No: 20/01647/LHE
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119 Foxwood Lane York YO24 3LQ
Single and two storey side extension, porch to front, single storey rear extension
Ref. No: 20/01617/FUL
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6 The Green Acomb York YO26 5LR
Replacement roof to single storey rear projection, raising of roof to garage to create annex
Ref. No: 20/01553/FUL
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29 Bradley Drive York YO24 3NX
Two storey rear extension
Ref. No: 20/01565/FUL
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Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning online web site. http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/
The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received
Its good to see that the potholes on the Morrell Court access road have been patched. Earlier in the year the Council claimed that they were not deep enough to justify maintenance work.
No doubt the Kangaroo that jumped out of one last week managed to persuaded them otherwise!
It looks like the voluntary sector is struggling to cope with increases in the volumes of second hand goods on offer. Several second hand stores have declared a moratorium on new gifts.
That seems to be true of clothes as well with piles developing at the Acomb car park collection point
