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York Council announces public consultation arrangements for the Castle Gateway project

A consultation to shape a masterplan and vision for the Castle Gateway area of York has been launched.

In response to resident feedback on previous public consultations, City of York Council has teamed up with a local group called My Future York to develop a new form of public engagement.

The ‘My Castle Gateway’ consultation will be supported with events, talks and walks and residents will be able to contribute to the debate via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Residents can sign up now for the first in a series of guided walks around the area on July 22.

The open conversation will promote new ideas and explore the current high-level vision which proposes a major development of that area that includes Piccadilly, the Coppergate Shopping Centre, The Eye of York, St George’s Field and the Foss Basin. Initial ideas include the closure of Castle Car Park to create new public spaces, buildings, riverside walkways and a pedestrian/cycle bridge.

In collaboration with the council, My Future York through Helen Graham (University of Leeds) and Phil Bixby (local architect specialising in public engagement) are offering their time to deliver the ‘My Castle Gateway’ project.

My Future York have developed a ‘three step approach’ to public engagement, which aims to develop a preferred masterplan option for the Castle Gateway by the end of the year.

Step 1: Creative community-led events to establish what is important about the area.
Step 2: Community-led ‘action inquiries’ to resolve any disagreements or uncertainty about the area’s use.
Step 3: Community action throughout the decision-making, delivery and handover phases of the project.

Residents can sign up now for the ‘Opening Up Castle Gateway’ walks on 22 July via http://mycastlegateway.org/events/.

They can also join the conversation on:

twitter @MyCastlGateway

instagram @mycastlegateway

facebook.com/mycastlegateway

Sky Ride York road closures on Sunday

On Sunday 11 September Sky Ride York will once again take to the city’s historic streets in partnership with City of York Council, British Cycling and Sky.

Click to view

In 2015 Sky Ride York saw over 8,500 cyclists take to a 7km route taking in famous York landmarks including Clifford’s Tower and York Minster

Due to the size and scale of the event there will be a number of temporary traffic and transport changes to ensure the safety of everyone taking part.

The Route (more…)

York Council to ramp up buying and selling plans

Castlegate

It looks like the Council will be selling its premises at 29 Castlegate later in the year. The building has been in use as a youth drop in centre for several years and before that housed a photographic gallery.

Closure of the youth centre provoked a strong reaction and the Council abandoned its plans to sell the building in 2015. However, a new home for youth activities has now been found at Sycamore House and it seems that the Council will resurrect is plan to sell the building to the York Civic Trust (who run the adjacent Fairfax House and which needs the space to expand).

A meeting on 24^th November will discuss how to ensure that taxpayers get the best possible deal out of the change.

Leeman Road

Elsewhere the Council is expected to discuss in October whether it can buy the Unipart Rail site on Leeman Road. The site is one that will eventually be redeveloped as part of the York Central project.

The Council has so far failed to identify an investment model to drive forward land acquisition in the area. It has allocated £10 million in its capital programme to fund an access route into the site but many taxpayers are unhappy that this risk is not being born by commercial partners – or government agencies – who stand to profit from the development.

Piccadilly

Castle Mills car park

It seems likely that the Council will fund the demolition of its Castle Mills car park on Piccadilly which is described as being in “poor condition”. It is likely to be replaced by a surface level car park until such time as the regeneration of the area actually moves forward.

Regeneration of the Coppergate/Piccadilly area has been stalled for over 15 years.

£1.5 million cut from York children’s centres as eleven set to close

Westfield axed, Hob Moor retained

The Childrens Centre at Hob Moor school is being retained

The Council is planning to replace most of its children’s centres with mobile support staff following a survey of residents views. The results of the survey – which attracted 981 responses, can be viewed here

A report to a Council committee meeting next week gives more details of the plans

The report says, “These new Local Area Teams would bring together a range of existing services to form a new set of preventative arrangements for families from pregnancy through to adult hood. By working in a more coordinated way with partners and communities, the new arrangements will deliver more effective and efficient ways of whole family and community based working”.

The teams will be based at the three retained children’s centres which will be located at:

Hob Moor
Clifton &
Tang Hall

However, the report does not detail what will happen to the space freed up by the closure of the other centres

The Council faces a dilemma as the government may choose to “claw back” £4.4 million of the grant which was used to establish the centres in the first place.

The Council has also announced that it will close the Castlegate young people’s drop in centre and move it to Sycamore House on Clarence Street

Advice on apprenticeships available at York drop-in session

Young people will be able to find out more about apprenticeships, vacancies and alternative routes to higher education at an event on Thursday 11 February.

Advisers will be on hand to speak to young people, parents and carers at the Castlegate Centre between 4pm and 7pm and offer careers advice, including information on apprenticeships.

In York there are currently a wide variety of Apprenticeship vacancies being advertised covering; business and finance, hospitality, lab technicians, construction, creative and cultural, digital marketing and social media, engineering, I.T, health and many more.
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York Floods latest update: Confusion over which businesses are open. Merchant Adventurers Hall appeals for help

Organisations representing the commercial sector in York have been asked to coordinate and publicise a list of businesses that are currently closed because of the flooding.

Merchant Adventures Hall

They are being asked to use social media to produce a real time list, indicating likely reopening dates, contact details and a list of clean up materials (if any) required by the business.

While the vast majority of businesses in the City are operating as normal, others face a difficult few days as the flood waters recede. It is an important trading period for many visitor attractions, restaurants, pubs and shops.

Merchant Adventurers Hall appeal

The Hall has suffered serious flooding following failure of the Foss Barrier on Boxing Day. Fortunately they had sufficient notice to enable them to remove valuables from the Undercroft prior to the water coming in.

The record level experienced in 1982 was exceeded by a couple of inches!

The waters around the Hall have now receded but there remains around a foot of water in the Undercroft and that will require pumping out. The clean up in the kitchens, cloakrooms and reception area can now begin. They have some power issues because of the uncertain state of the Emergency Lighting Battery Inverter Unit which was submerged.

If anyone has an hour or two to spare over the next couple of days and is prepared to risk becoming very dirty than we would be grateful for help (please ring 01904 654818 first ). If anyone has a pump, of what ever capacity, that they could lend to the Hall for a couple of days that would be most useful.

Separately the Council has been asked to confirm that the arrangements set up in 2002 to provide a flood relief fund continue to apply.

While some spontaneous appeals have appeared on “just giving” and “go fund me“, proper audit arrangements need to be put in place to ensure funds get quickly to victims with the greatest need.

How to help

At the moment an assessment is being made of the types of help and materials that are needed. Until this has been completed, residents are being asked not add to the huge mountain of materials that has already been collected.

The Council issued the following update at 10:30am

“The River Ouse levels are at 4.6.m asl today. Main flood defences have held. River levels will fall slowly but we are expecting further rain for Wednesday so the advice is to be #floodaware.

Four of the eight pumps on the Foss Barrier are working and river levels are dropping. As a consequence roads are clearing, as they do we are looking to direct road sweepers to them throughout this morning to ensure road safety.

The Castlegate sewage pumping station is being repaired at around 10am today and the inner ring road which has just been opened, heading towards Skeldergate bridge may be temporarily closed sometime today as new pumps are delivered.

For the latest traffic and travel information please visit: www.itravelyork.info/journey-planning/roadworks-and-road-closures

Communication channels are restored and the council’s customer contact centre is running as normal These details have been shared with residents via social media and traditional media and the number to call is 01904 551550 the email address is flood@york.gov.uk.

Archbishop Holgate School continues to be operational as a rest centre but all residents who were using the centre have been placed into emergency housing (15-20 families).

The situation is improving but there is still a lot of work to be done and all agencies continue to work hard to get the city moving and working as normally as can be expected. Around 650 homes and businesses have been directly affected by flooding in the city centre.

Both Household Waste and Recycling Centres are now open/operational.

Flood safety

Please avoid entering flood waters as there may be hidden dangers like sharp objects, raised manhole covers and pollution.

Road closures and travel information

For the latest on road closures and travel information during the floods please visit the iTravel website which will be updated regularly”.

What’s small, green and could help you survive York?

The latest edition of the Young People’s Survival Guide to York has just been published ready for the academic year ahead.

This pocket-sized guide – also available online at http://www.yorksurvivalguide.co.uk/ – lists places to go to and people to contact for help and advice, and is aimed at people aged 16-25 in York although it could help anyone.

It’s got clear and up-to-date facts and hints from how old a babysitter should be to where to go if you are have to leave home. Who to talk to about feeling anxious? How to claim Universal Credit? Where to look for volunteering opportunities? How to open a bank account? Find out about local courses or the minimum wage – the Young People’s Survival Guide to York has it covered.

Split into different sections covering rights, health – including mental health – relationships, parenting, housing, money, learning and working and so on, it has a directory at the back of local and national agencies.

The guide is published by a local charity, York Action on Young Homeless, and produced in partnership with Castlegate, part of City of York Council’s support and advice services for young people.

“It is given out free to young people in York each year through lots of local organisations including schools, housing workers, youth workers and GP surgeries. Do pick up yours.”

To pick up a free copy, call in to Castlegate, 29 Castlegate, York YO1 9RN on Monday to Thursday 1- 5pm and Friday 1- 4.30pm.

Bigger Sky Ride for York on 13th September

The York Council has announced that on Sunday 13 September 2015 Sky Ride York will take to the city’s historic streets in partnership with British Cycling.

Due to the size and scale of the event there will be a number of temporary traffic and transport changes to ensure the safety of everyone taking part.

To view the 2015 Sky Ride York route go to www.goskyride.com/Yorkskyride

The Route

The traffic free route has been extended for 2015 to allow residents and visitors to see more of York whilst taking in some of the city’s most historic landmarks such as Clifford’s Tower and The Minster.

The 7km route starts at Clifford’s Tower and will see cyclists head up Castlegate and Coppergate before joining onto Pavement and passing York’s most famous street, The Shambles.

Riders will then turn left onto Colliergate and briefly see King’s Square before turning right onto St Andrewgate. They will then head onto Aldwark, Goodramgate, and Deansgate when York Minster will come into view. Riders will then head across the Minster Piazza and onto Duncombe Place before passing over Lendal Bridge onto Leeman Road.

The route will then see cyclists turn right past Memorial Gardens and along Wellington Row, Skeldergate and Terry Avenue where they will follow the Ouse until Rowntree Park.

Cyclists will then head along Butcher Terrace and turn left onto Bishopthorpe Road before turning left on the cycle path to bring them back down to the river and over Millennium Bridge. They will then follow the riverside cycle path back to Clifford’s Tower.

Traffic and Travel

The Sky Ride York route will be closed to all traffic from 10.30am until approximately 5pm, or as soon as possible after the event has finished to ensure the safety of everyone taking part. The inner ring road will be closed at Lendal Bridge for general traffic for the duration of the ride.

Residents and visitors are urged to make use of the city’s extensive Park&Ride network on the day, particularly by using the Park&Pedal facilities at any of York’s six Park&Ride sites.
Bus travel

Bus routes will be altered to ensure that access into and out of the city centre is maintained, whilst avoiding those roads closed as part of the route. Revised timetables will be put into place to ensure the smooth running of bus services. Residents and visitors are being encouraged to check their travel plans in advance and allow extra time for their journeys on the day. A complete list of bus route diversions will be available to download from: http://www.itravelyork.info/events/sky-ride-york-2015

Car Parks

Castle car park will continue to be open on the day, however there will be reduced capacity to allow for one of the Sky Ride ‘activation zones’ featuring activities for residents and visitors to enjoy. A traffic management stop/go process will be in place here to assist the smooth flow of traffic. Esplanande car park will also be open and will have a traffic management stop/go system in place. St George’s Field car park will be open but will have a reduced amount of spaces during the day.

Rowntree Park car park will be closed on both Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September due to the Festival of Cycling taking place, as in previous years. For safety reasons there will be no access to parking inside the route.

For more information on Sky Ride York, or to register for the ride visit www.goskyride.com/York

Guildhall future – coalition under pressure?

It appears that one of the first acts of the new coalition led Council was to submit (on 22^nd 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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Clearing up the mess – where to start?

York Guildhall

The new York Council’s ruling coalition moved quickly a few days ago to publish a list of policy initiatives that it will take.

In the main they concentrated on reassuring residents that the mistakes of the past would not be repeated. So now know that

The Castlegate centre (or the services that it provides) will be continued – the fifth announcement of a reprieve made during the last 6 months!
The Yearsley Swimming pool would remain open (the fourth reprieve announcement)
There would be no additional green bin emptying charges and grey bin emptying frequencies will remain as they are.
The will be no more “wide area” 20 mph speed limits imposed. (although what happens to the existing ones remains a mystery)
Government money will be used to freeze Council Tax levels (if it is offered)

In other areas the general intent is known but the targets and timetables remain unclear.

We know there will be a new Local Plan but no one has yet set down the preferred economic growth assumptions (if any) or related the latest ONS population forecasts to land use demand.
We know more will be spent on road repairs, “streetlights” (presumably repairs), gulley cleaning and litter bins. But we don’t know how much, where and when.
Ward Committees will (rightly) be reinstated but with how much funding and when?
We know that the Guildhall DMC centre scheme will be revised to “minimise the risk to taxpayers”. But we don’t know how much taxpayer’s money has already been committed to the project. The Arts Barge will get no more public money. It was incorrectly labelled a “vanity” project – the criticism was that it was a low priority project for the use of taxpayers money and that the business case was rocky to say the least.

There is no mention of the “in year” budget deficit which the Council faces. It’s so called “rewiring” project looks fanciful in the extreme, while rescinding Labour’s cuts to key services will require compensatory savings elsewhere.

So, over the next few days, residents will expect to see a proper statement of intent on a range of issues. These should include:

The way that the Council is structured and the way that it interacts with residents
What a revamped 2015/16 budget will look like
Confirmation that the Council has reached an accommodation on the York Knights RLFC participation in the Community Stadium (together with a solution to their interim match day and training requirements)
Confirmation of a start date and milestones for the Council estate regeneration project
Details of a sub-urban shopping area regeneration project
Practical help for those Community Centres in the City which had their Council funding removed by Labour
Coppergate – York Council failure, to win their appeal against unlawful fines issue, could plunge it into a financial crisis
Confirmation that the Coppergate fines will be repaid and the method for so doing
The future of transport in the City
Our relationships with the WestYorkshire combined authority
The future of empty buildings and sites like Oliver House, Lowfields school etc.
Relationships with Trusts like those now running the libraries, museums, tourism, economic development etc
Management structures and appointments.

The clock is ticking

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