Oliver House – Council on brink of making correct decision!

After nearly two years of indecision, the York Council is being recommended next week to put Oliver House (the former elderly person’s home at the end of Priory Street) on the open market.

Oliver House York

The building has been empty since the home was closed in April 2012.

The prime site is expected to bring in substantial offers from residential developers. The Council has budgeted to receive £450,000 from the sale of the site.

In reality the sale is likely to produce a much higher figure.

Any new homes provided there would reduce the pressure to build on greenfield land and would provide the Council with a useful capital receipt. It would help to offset the huge increase in debts accumulated by the present Labour administration.

The Council had been dithering over proposals to lease Oliver House to voluntary groups which are currently located in Holgate Villas. The Council spent £15,000 on a feasibility study for the conversion of the building. It revealed that the costs of converting the building could be as much as £1 million.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge


Additionally it has been costing the Council £30,000 a year to keep the building empty.

Local residents – led by Liberal Democrats – had expressed increasing concerns about the buildings future

Many pointed out that the voluntary groups involved did not need a prime site location and that it would make more sense for the Council to ensure that they had alternative rented accommodation available.
There is still a lot of unoccupied office space in the City.

It was hoped that suitable buildings might be identified in sub-urban locations which were in need of regeneration. Acomb, for example, has never recovered from the Councils decision to close its office in the Front Street area.

However, it now seems that the Council is restricting its office search to the city centre. Two possible locations are being evaluated

The office building is likely to include other uses and will be dubbed a “Health and Social Care Hub”. The Council is looking to replace it in 2 or 3 years time with a purpose designed facility. The NHS will make a financial contribution to this new “one stop shop” style centre.

The costs of the commercial office lease are expected to be covered by the rents paid by the tenants.

Acomb is coming alive in run up to Christmas

Acomb Front Street is getting into the Christmas spirit with twenty five Christmas tree brackets for small trees above shop fronts being put into place as part of a wider package of investment by City of York Council.

£30,000 is being invested to support businesses in Acomb and to help act as a catalyst for community-led economic development in the area.

Acomb Alive

The move was stimulated by the formation of the “Acomb Alive” group last year.

The York Council had been heavily criticised by traders and local residents when it abandoned its Acomb Office base in 2012 and subsequently slashed the funds available for Ward Committees to invest in the area.

The investment will see £24,000 investment on Front Street to install electricity points, repair and replace flower tubs, remove damaged and unneeded street furniture as well as new signage and seating.

The remaining £6,000 has been granted to kick-start an events programme to encourage footfall to the shopping area and to hep bring a flavour of the city centre to the important local shopping area.

Double standards hit Acomb bus passengers.

Acomb Front Street information terminal. Out of order for over 2 years

Acomb Front Street information terminal. Out of order for over 2 years

As the Council starts its project to spend £500,000 on a city centre bus rank, residents of Acomb can be forgiven for thinking that they are the poor relations.

It is now 2 years since the public transport information point on Front Street ceased working.

The Council promise Rougier Street bus stop users “use of lighting and public art to make the facilities generally more attractive, and a better place to spend time waiting for a bus”

Meanwhile Acomb passengers must wait in the rain with no “next bus” displays.

The Council has said that it won’t even “grit” most of the number 24 bus route in winter.

The Council should either bring the information screen back into use or remove it.

It serves only as a memorial to the double standards of a Labour Council which has got its priorities so badly wrong.

Library attendances down in York

Overall use of York’s libraries fell by over 3000 last year.

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click to enlarge

However just over 1 million visits were recorded which is still above the average for City’s of a similar size.

Every Library in the City except Fulford showed a reduction.

The overall fall would have been even greater had it not been for the newly opened Rowntree Park library which attracted nearly 50,000 users. However the new library depended on a large number of special events to attract visitors and it is too early to judge its long term attractiveness.

Acomb Explore Library

Acomb Explore Library

It appears that the Council has taken its eye off the ball recently with the controversial plan to privatise the library service having apparently affected staff morale while at the same time monopolising senior management time.

Even Labour Party supporters are unhappy with this plan with one member taking the opportunity to speak against the proposals at the last Council meeting.

The concern is that Labour are trying to distance themselves from the library service before reducing the subsidy available (and thereby forcing closures).

The largest drop in numbers was at the Acomb Library. This may be because special events – such as evenings with prominent authors – have been fewer in number recently.

A plan to locate Council customer facing staff from the housing and neighbourhood teams at the library was scrapped by Labour when they took office in 2011. This made it more difficult for the building to become the “hub” for activities in the Acomb area.

Latest Planning applications – Former Knavesmire Nursing home (The Green) site plans published

Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Acomb and Westfield wards. Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

Care home on The Green Acomb

The long awaited proposals for the former Knavesmire Nursing home site on The Green have been submitted to the Council. They show the main building being retained and converted into 4 flats.

Elsewhere on the site the extension will be demolished and 4 bungalows will be built. Some significant works to the trees on the site are also proposed.

The application will be welcomed by many as the building has been empty for around 4 years while the overgrown trees have blocked out much of the light in the area.

Westfield

Reference 13/03033/FUL

The Green development site plan. Click for larger drawing

The Green development site plan. Click for larger drawing


Address Knavesmire Nursing Home 76 The Green Acomb York YO26 5LS

Proposal Conversion and partial demolition of nursing home to create 4no. apartments and 4no. bungalows with associated parking

Status Pending Consideration Application Received Mon 09 Sep 2013

Reference 13/03193/TCA

Address Knavesmire Nursing Home 76 The Green Acomb York YO26 5LS

Proposal Various tree works including fell 20 trees, Trees in the Conservation Area

Status Pending Consideration Application Received Wed 25 Sep 2013

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Reference 13/03074/FUL

Address Quicksilver 7 Acomb Court Front Street York YO24 3BJ

Proposal Change of use of first floor from retail (use Class A1) to sports facility (use Class D2)

Application Received Mon 09 Sep 2013 Status Pending Consideration
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Reference 13/03082/FUL MT26J0SJ0B800

Address 70 Gale Lane York YO24 3AA

Proposal Increasing height of roof to accommodate loft conversion (revised scheme)

Status Pending Consideration Application Received Fri 13 Sep 2013
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Acomb

Reference 13/03172/LHE http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/weeklyListResults.do?action=firstPage

Address 10 Albion Avenue York YO26 5RA

Proposal Erection of single storey extension extending 4 metres beyond the rear wall of the original house, with a height to the eaves of 2.5 metres and a total height of 3 metres

Application Received Fri 20 Sep 2013 Status Pending Consideration
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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.

Latest Planning applications

Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Acomb and Westfield wards. Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

Acomb Ward

Erection of two storey dwelling following demolition of existing garages

Site To The Rear Of 32 Carr Lane Rosedale Avenue York

Ref. No: 13/03101/FUL | Received: Tue 17 Sep 2013 | Validated: Wed 18 Sep 2013 | Status: Pending Consideration

Two storey side and rear extension

17 Melwood Grove York YO26 5RE

Ref. No: 13/03080/FUL | Received: Fri 13 Sep 2013 | Validated: Mon 16 Sep 2013 | Status: Pending Consideration

Westfield

Increasing height of roof to accommodate loft conversion (revised scheme)

70 Gale Lane York YO24 3AA

Ref. No: 13/03082/FUL | Received: Fri 13 Sep 2013 | Validated: Mon 16 Sep 2013 | Status: Pending Consideration

Variation of condition 2 of permitted application 12/03511/FUL to alter design of rear extension

157A Gale Lane York YO24 3AG

Ref. No: 13/02630/FUL | Received: Thu 01 Aug 2013 | Validated: Thu 19 Sep 2013 | Status: Pending Consideration

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.