Looks like we are in for another period of icy weather. It will make repairs to leisure and other paths even more important.
Many off road paths are now very muddy, reducing the choices available for those seeking their daily exercise.
Some sports facilities are also looking neglected and will be needed when lockdown ends.
There will be a a lot of work to do this summer.
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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9 Front Street
9 Front Street York YO24 3BW
Proposal Conversion of 2no. retail units to form single retail unit with external alterations to include replacement shopfront, external seating area to front and replacement door and external condenser to rear at 7-9 Front Street
Reference 21/00073/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.
City of York Council says it is seeking a specialist to build and operate a new development at Lowfield Green. The council is planning a new independent living scheme with extra care. People who live there will have on-site support and, when and where it is needed, carers will be available to visit the residents in their own homes.
It is over 10 years since a similar proposal to construct a older persons village on the site of the former Lowfields school buildings was first discussed.
Since then, the Council has been hopelessly indecisive about how such an ambition might be fulfilled.
It remains to be seen whether any social landlords will have the ability to fund older persons accommodation as the effects of the pandemic remain unclear.
There is an area reserved for housing with extra care on the site. This will be in addition to Lowfield Green’s 18 apartments for people aged over 55 and its 26 bungalows.
The tender is proposing a development with a minimum of 40 one- and two-bedroom apartments where residents can access on-site 24-hour care if needed.
The Council says that the delivery of the scheme must be by a Registered Social Landlord (RSL). and that “a number have already expressed an interest in the opportunity”. The care provider will be registered with the Carer Quality Commission (CQC) as ‘Support in Your Own Home’ and graded as ‘Good’ or above.
The tender document is now live, and developers and operators are invited to consider and apply to construct and operate an extra care housing development.
For more detail, please go to www.yortender.co.uk and search for tender reference: DN518540. The closing date for selection questionnaire (SQ) submissions is 22 February 2021 at 12 noon.
Pleased to see that information screens, which indicate when the next bus will arrive, have finally reached Westfield.
They are common in other parts of the City
A screen has recently been installed at a stop on Tudor Road.
We hope that the programme will soon extend to cover busy stops like the ones on Green Lane and Foxwood Lane.
Still its some progress at a time when public transport services are facing huge pressures as a result of the pandemic
The York Council is reviewing how the £4.8 million budget, delegated to be spent pro rata in wards across the City, is being used. Those reading the report will be little the wiser.
Even before COVID struck, there was a marked lack of transparency on the budget process while prioritisation had become an almost mystic art.
In most parts of the City, resident involvement – the principal objective of devolution – has been almost completely missing.
Originally, the money was apportioned to be spent on
The precise division of the budget can be viewed by clicking here
In the autumn the budget was top sliced to provide funding for COVID relief. A list of the schemes benefiting can be seen by clicking here. £55,000 has gone to a limited number of organisations.
As with the rest of the report, there are few numbers detailing how many residents have actually benefited and in what way.
While responding to the pandemic will be viewed as a worthy initiative, the report fails to detail the Councils response to many other requests for help .
For example, the lockdown has meant that many more people are exercising on local off-road paths. The result is that many are now showing major signs of wear and tear.
It is a similar situation with the off-road cycle network.
“Ward spends are closely monitored and reported on, with all ward spending published as an online ‘Officer Decision Log’ and a regularly updated spreadsheet uploaded to the open data platform“
York Council report January 2021
No updates on highways, pedestrian, cycling or estate improvement schemes are provided on the Councils open data web site.
The format of most officer decisions is impenetrable click
All in all, the system has turned into a bureaucratic labyrinth which needs to be simplified and managed properly.
Transparency, proper performance management information and resident involvement would be good places to start.
There has been some persistent rain in York. This has brought some issues with flooding and surface water.
Please take the opportunity to report any blocked drains or other issues which may be a hazard for residents. Click here
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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1 Maplewood Paddock York YO24 3LB
Proposal Two storey side extension and new roof over front and garage doors
Reference 20/02091/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
The ice and snow has largely disappeared from York today.
In its place are a new – and not so new – crop of potholes.
Please help to make the City safer by reporting any that are a danger to road users.
The next problem we are likely to face is flooding. Three Flood Warnings are already in place for the City.
It will be two or three days before the snow melt in the Dales & Moors catchment areas reaches the City.
Progress can be viewed by clicking the image below.
Surface water drainage seems to be less of a problem at the moment.
The Knavesmire flood works seem to have reduced the standing water problem which was a feature of most winters until recently.
The Council have told us that they won’t be clearing the fly tipping and rubbish from the rear of the Front Street shops.
It is located on private land.
Nevertheless the Council does have a responsibility to make sure that the City is safe and tidy.
This may mean using enforcement powers.
Maybe not a top priority at the present time but this is an issue that has rumbled on for several years. It is now in the hands of local Councillors to follow up.
We were also disappointed to see that fly tipping on the snicket entrance to the Cornlands Park – reported before Christmas – has still not been removed.
This despite a message from the Council saying that the matter had been closed on 30th December.
Elsewhere we have reported fly tipping and litter on the snickets which link The Reeves, Tithe Close and Tedder Road
Given the pressures on Council services at present, we would ask everyone to ensure that no litter is dropped and that all waste is kept in a secure location
The current icy spell is taking its toll on poorly maintain road and path surfaces. The Council recently agred to undertake some repairs on teb potholed – and well used – section of Foxwood Lane near the sports area. The work has yet to be completed and the potholes continue to pose a hazard particularly for users of two wheeled transport.
The Council promised to repair damaged roads, paths and verges when the building works on Newbury Avenue and Ascot Way were completed. There is little sign of progress.
