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Walmgate residents were not consulted on shipping container project

Residents living in flats overlooking the proposed shipping container development on Piccadilly have not been consulted on the plans by either the Council or local Ward Councillors it has emerged this morning.

reynardsOver 200 people live near or adjacent to the Reynard’s garage site and one occupier has told us that the first they knew of the proposals was an article in the local newspaper.

At yesterdays meeting the three Councillors, who are supposed to represent the interests of the Guildhall community, all spoke in favour of the container village.

It appears though that they failed to consult local taxpayers before making up their minds.

Part of the scheme involves the provision of “ a large event space and seating area on most of the site + a decking stage performance area“. This has prompted fears about noise in an area which has had its fair share of afternoon and night time disturbance over recent years.

Quite how the developers will square their ambitions with licensing and planning restrictions remains to be seen.

The Council was also criticised for not publicly inviting other organisations and businesses to pitch for use of the site.

One resident has said that they would have been happy to lease a car parking space at the location – suggesting that the Council have missed at least one revenue raising option (Connecting mains services to the container village will cost taxpayers £40,000).

Councillors have been challenged to justify their claims that “there is a lack of space for street food vendors and meeting space in the City“. It has been pointed out that many guildhalls are underused, several retail units are unoccupied and the recently established Shambles cafe area is lightly used. Several office and commercial blocks in the Piccadilly area are empty and have the benefit of existing mains services.

A relatively new small business start up centre in Clifton is rarely fully occupied.

Meanwhile more information has emerged about the project in Brixton (London) which has apparently inspired the York plans

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Taxpayers invited to view how their £12 million will be spent on York Guildhall complex

Residents are being invited to view the latest designs and plans outlining the potential for the Guildhall complex to become a “state of the art venue for business” at an event on Wednesday 3 August.

The Guildhall will open its doors between 11am and 2pm on Wednesday and will welcome views from residents on the latest designs. At the event

77% increase in Guildhall hire cost

residents will also be able to meet the Project Manager who will be on hand to provide more information about the scheme and answer any questions.

The event follows proposals for the riverside complex being approved by Executive last month. The plans look to transform the Guildhall complex and ensure the future viability of one of York’s most significant buildings through the creation of a vibrant business and civic venue, with supporting commercial development on the riverside, maximising its economic use, heritage appeal and public access.

Tory Councillor Chris Steward who has presided over the escalating costs of a project that he inherited from Labour, said:

“The Guildhall complex is one of York’s most iconic buildings and these plans look to transform it from an underused asset to a unique venue for business which will bring significant economic benefit to the city of over £66m in Gross Value Added.

“We welcome the views of residents on this scheme and hope they take the chance to see the proposals, meet the team and comment on detailed proposals outlining the future of York’s historic Guildhall.”

A detailed business case will be taken to Executive and Full Council in February 2017 and if approved the work is expected to start mid 2017 with a completion by autumn 2018. Plans will continue to see the council retaining the use of the council chamber for Full Council meetings and the Guildhall for key civic and public events.

Shock as Guildhall repair bill tops £2.5 million

As we forecast over three years ago the empty Guildhall is decaying and needs prompt repairs and an early start on renovation works.
York Guildhall

York Guildhall

The then Labour controlled Council had abandoned the buildings when they moved to West Offices. Incredibly no thought had been given to the future of the Grade 1 Listed building. The original intention – discussed in 2009 – had been for the Council to continue to occupy the historic part of the building (Guildhall, Council Chamber and some offices) while deriving an income from selling or leasing the modern annexes – which might have been redeveloped as residential accommodation.

This income would have paid for the upkeep of the historic buildings.

After much prevarication, the Council opted in 2013 for a £9 million scheme to provide a “digital media centre” at the complex.

The newly elected administration in 2015 had the opportunity to test the market at a time when residential land prices in the City centre were rocketing.  Inexplicably they chose to add £7 million to the Council debt burden as they opted to build a “serviced offices” complex. …..And this at a time when workshops were vacant at suburban locations while all over the City commercial and office space was being converted into residential units (because of lack of demand)

Now a report to a Council meeting says that more money will be needed.

Part of the problem is that the empty buildings have deteriorated.  The report says,

the existing condition of the Guildhall complex is poor. Historic England have advised that the complex could soon be considered at risk were no future use to be identified. The 2013 condition survey identified £2m (exclusive of fees) of necessary works to bring the complex up to a satisfactory standard – of which £1m were priority urgent works. With fees and inflation factors this equates to approx. £2.5m of works necessary to sustain the complex

In addition, the report says,

additional repair and remedial works are likely to be necessary to bring the complex back into use specifically relating to the structural movement in several locations across the complex, almost certainly linked to the ground conditions at this riverside location. …. On-going structural monitoring will also be used to gather further evidence of the movement occurring at various locations across the building complex (south range / Guildhall south wall / Victorian offices / north annex tower).

The latest design involves the provision of a larger restaurant. How many more restaurants the City Centre can accommodate may be an interesting question.

No provision is made for residential use despite continuing evidence of burgeoning demand.

The Council’s Executive will have to decide in July whether this expensive and out of control plan goes the way of the Community Stadium with more and more taxpayer’s money being thrown at a poorly specified and “ever changing” project

What seems increasingly clear is that York’s taxpayers cannot afford such a risky project which still looks to be three years away from completion.

 Time for an urgent re-think.
Revised Guildhall project layout plans

Revised Guildhall project layout plans

Guildhall future

A July deadline has been set for the publication of detailed design, project costs and lease / financing proposals for the Guildhall.

The complex has been largely unused for over 2 years now.

York Guildhall

York Guildhall

The current plans involve refurbishment and part redevelopment of the Guildhall complex.

Ongoing use of the Council chamber – by the Council – has been agreed, but the proposals also involve the “creation of a business club, serviced office venue and associated cafe / restaurant units”.

The retention of public access to the historic parts of the site has been generally welcomed.

However, the failure of the new coalition administration, 12 months ago, to seek open market interest in the modern part of the site has led to widespread concern.

An opportunity it to maximise income by providing residential accommodation on the site appears to have been lost.

 Taxpayers therefore still face a potential bill of up to £7 million.

Residents will be hoping that the final proposals will eliminate this subsidy and transfer any risk to commercial developers

Guildhall future – coalition under pressure?

Guildhall drawing

It appears that one of the first acts of the new coalition led Council was to submit (on 22nd May 2015) a Heritage Lottery Funding bid for the creation of a visitor attraction incorporating the Guildhall and Council Chamber together with Common Hall lane.

There was no consultation prior to the bid being submitted.

The bid is for £1.8 million.

A previous application for funding had been turned down by HLF on the grounds that the project was too “commercial”.

Who authorised the new bid is unclear.

It is claimed that it would create a “heritage” destination attracting 30,000 visitors a year and would “tell the story of York”. In that respect it has echoes of the “York Story” exhibition which was available for public view in St Mary’s Castlegate until about 25 years ago. That project collapsed due to reducing visitor numbers. St Mary’s currently is operated by the York Museums Trust and stages a variety of exhibitions.

The bid talks in glowing terms of the digital media hub. “The planned digital media arts hub based within the heritage complex provide a remarkable symmetry”. This despite the £9.2 million expenditure on the media centre having been clearly rejected by electors only 3 weeks previously.

The bid document fails to include any kind of business plan for the “heritage attraction”. The impact on Council taxpayers is unclear. Ongoing revenue costs are likely to be high.

It is unlikely that the HLF would grant any funding without being confident that they project could be sustained.

Although worthy of further development, it is unlikely that any responsible member would formally commit to the project on the basis of the figures so far made public.

A draft revenue account income and expenditure forecast should be made available to the meeting.

A report on the future of the Guildhall site more generally is being considered by the Council’s Executive next week.  
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Guildhall  future – early decision for new Council

The chronic under use of York’s’ iconic Guildhall is set to be considered by the new Council when it meets in June.

The building has been empty now for over 2 years.

How we reported the plans on 15th December 2011

How we reported the plans on 15th December 2011

A few months ago Labour – with Green party support – decided to go ahead with a £9.2 million project to turn the historic building and adjacent offices into a Digital Media Centre.

Anything other than a Lab/Green majority after the May 7th election is likely to see that decision rescinded.

Even if the project does go ahead, and funding can be found, any new use will not commence before 2017.

In the interim around £100,000 is to be spent on essential repairs to the buildings

Even an empty Guildhall costs taxpayers £120,000 a year with much if it going on Business Rates, heating and lighting.

In the interim the building has mostly been empty with limited public access. It appears that the renovation and increased public access at the adjacent Mansion House will not prompt a similar approach to the historic Guildhall itself.

According to the Council Leader most of the temporary uses for parts of the Guildhall buildings have been restricted to the provision of accommodation at taxpayers expense for partner organisations such as the “consultancy JMP who are delivering a council itravel contract, Adult Education who used the annex between Sept and Dec 2014, the Tour d Yorkshire team have an office there and space is used for theatre group rehearsals ahead of performances booked in the main hall / council chamber”. 

All in all, a highly unsatisfactory fate for such an important and ideally located asset.

At the moment officials are believed to be hawking the building around the City in the hope of finding a short term occupier.

Another blow for transparency as Greens back Labour’s £9.2 million Guildhall plan

The Green party representative voted with Labour Councillors last night in favour of the plan to turn the Guildhall into a Digital Arts and Media centre.

York Guildhall

York Guildhall

The scheme was passed by 6 votes to 5 with Tory, LibDem and Independent Councillors voting to require other uses for the complex to be more fully explored.

The project could eventually cost York taxpayers as much a £9.2 million.

The meeting became a farce when a presentation of key figures was made which could not be viewed by members of the public.

It will, therefore, remain a mystery to many why the Green party supported the extravagant plan – the latest of a series of “vanity” projects which have seen the Council plunge deep into debt.

 

 

 

Guildhall future – review meeting scheduled for 19th January

Labour’s plans to spend £9.2 million creating a “Digital Media Centre” (DMC) at the York Guildhall will be up for review on 19th January

York Guildhall

York Guildhall

The Guildhall has been largely unused for 2 years.

The Council first proposed to fund a DMC in July 2012  when “only” £1.4 million was earmarked for a partnership project. The figure has “grown like topsy” since then. The preferred site in 2012 was the Bonding Warehouse.

Labour have been pouring money into the scheme since the summer of 2013 – when they still enjoyed an overall majority on the Council. They failed to secure broad backing for their plans and a bid for Lottery Funding subsequently failed.

A hastily convened Cabinet meeting on 16th December 2014 agreed to spend another £500,000 on design work plus financial, procurement and legal support.

 Up to £100,000 is also to be spent on interim repairs to the Guildhall as it is clear that any new DMC use could not be operational for at least 3 years.

The argument for providing space for digital industries (which are a modest, but expanding, part of the local economy) is that the private sector will not fund offices where there is no guarantee of long term use. Some digital companies expand and contract the amount of space that they use on a regular basis.

Lack of a stable rental income is also the reason why the Council should not plunge further into debt to subsidise what would be a high risk venture.

It was presumably also the reason why no revenue budget for the DMC was published with the Council committee papers in December.  “Don’t know” is a poor basis on which to make an investment decision.

The original reports, which sought to forecast demand for this type of casual use, are out of date (DMZ report 2011 for Science City). There is a lot of office space available in the City not least that associated with Higher Education facilities. The workshops, established by the private sector, in partnership with the last Council, at Clifton Moor,  often have vacant spaces.

So what now?

The Council should not throw good money after bad. It needs to pause and ensure that other options are fully explored.

The Guildhall complex could be offered on the open market to see what interest is generated. It is a prime site and could accommodate a range of shopping, hotel and office uses.

The historic (listed) Guildhall itself must be properly conserved and accessible to the public. While this might inhibit some potential uses the approach can be similar to that which has seen the Assembly Rooms, De Grey Rooms and (most recently) the Theatre Royal building being successfully taken over by a local conservation charity.

Such an approach would not rule out small office space being provided which is suitable for digital media arts  use but the risk, and cost, to Council taxpayers would be reduced.

It is only when these avenues have been explored that the Council will know what viable options are available and an informed choice can then be made.

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It is unfortunate that, at a time when the DMC issue is coming to a head, the Councils involvement in the successful bid to become a UNESCO City of Media Arts is coming into question.  

The problems arise from an apparent lack of candor about the amount that the bid, and the subsequent programme of activities, will cost taxpayers. Freedom of information requests have revealed some surprisingly high consultancy fees and opaque appointment processes  while two years ago the cost of trips to south east Asia had raised eyebrows.

Time for some public accountability on this issue we think.

Guildhall

The future of the Guildhall and nearby buildings was last discussed in July 2013.

In a controversial decision the Labour Cabinet decided to allocate £400,000 towards developing a business case to create a “Digital Media Centre” on land to the side of the old Guildhall building.

The report at the time relied heavily on plans to get Lottery funding for the project. Such funding has never materialised and now a Council report to be considered next week reveals the costs and obstacles to the plans.

Proposed layout click for floor plan details

Proposed layout click for floor plan details

The Council has published details of how a new Guildhall might be reconfigured (right).

Apart from the small matter of hijacking the historic public building for use by a special interest group, an additional floor could be added to the south annex to form a restaurant and bar.

Just what that part of York doesn’t need!

There are no guarantees of continued casual access to the Guildhall which is an important part of the City’s heritage and tourist offer.

However it is the “business case” which will raise most eyebrows.

There isn’t one!

As previously reported, the council is being recommended to invest £9.2 million in the development. The capital costs break down like this:

Capital costs. click to enlarge

Capital costs. click to enlarge

Although the Council claims that £4.6 million could be repaid from rental income, no projected revenue budget has been provided.

There is no indication of the potential rental prices and no anchor tenants have been identified.

The complex wouldn’t even open until 2018.

All in all, the way that this has developed looks very similar to the muddled thinking that linked – in Council official’s minds – the need to lose the costs of running swimming pools by aggregating them into the Community Stadium contract.

The result was 2 years of delays, while a £12 million fully funded plan for a stadium ballooned into a £38 million – high risk – mega scheme, producing an additional £8 million bill for taxpayers.

York simply can’t afford this reckless approach to its economy or to the prioritisation of its limited resources.

The scheme should be scrapped before good money joins the hundreds of thousands of pounds already wasted.

Instead the Council should look to sell on the non listed parts of the site to the private sector and negotiate a zero risk option for taxpayers.

That might involve some provision for digital arts but it might also mean residential units in what is a prime site or failing that some retail/hotel use (or a combination of all of these).

The resultant capital receipt could then be used to maintain the Guildhall Listed buildings to a good standard, to ensure its continuing role as the civic centre of the City and provide a fulcrum point valued by all residents not just the techno elite.

York Council project failures

Calls for system overhaul

With yet another major York Council project falling behind schedule, and hopelessly over budget, there are growing calls for a review of project management processes in the City.

Poppleton Bar Roadworks delays

Poppleton Bar Roadworks delays

The latest budget overrun is reported on the A1237 Haxby – Wigginton cycle path. As well as major delays the project will now cost over £1.3 million compared to a budget of £700,000.

A Liberal Democrat spokesman said,

“It is time re-introduce regular project updates to the Councils monitoring committees.

Any significant delay – or cost overrun – of more than 10%  must trigger a formal report in future.

We’d also like to see more openness in reporting with regular updates being posted on the Council’s web site”

As well as the cycle path, projects which would be subject to review include:

The Press are reporting that the Green Council Group Leader has now decided that there are questions about the Lendal Bridge trial which do need to be answered publicly. Despite voting last week against an Inquiry, he is apparently now saying that the Council’s Chief Executive should be asked to account for the mistakes at a “governance” committee meeting.

NB. The Lendal Bridge situation is also likely to be discussed at the Council meeting which is scheduled to be held on 11th December.