Contractions working on the new Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children on Ascot Way have demolished the local residents noticeboard. It has been left lying on the grass verge. No prior warning of the removal was given.
There are places where the noticeboard could be reinstated with a few minutes work.
The access arrangements for the site are also proving problematic A one way system for heavy plant was supposed to be in operation but this wasn’t working well today. Buses struggled to get by
One piece of good news is that the temporary bus stop is now accessible again
The bus stop on Ascot Way, which has already been moved once to facilitate building works at the new disabled centre, is currently unusable
It is unclear how long the stop will be out of use, although the final plans for the development show the bus stop returning to its original location
Centre Of Excellence for Disabled Children 26th February 2020
Meanwhile the disabled centre building is getting its first layer of insulation. We remain sceptical about whether it will be completed by the promised date in May.
York Council says good progress being made on the modernisation and extension of Lincoln Court
“City of York Council is celebrating a milestone with contractor Sewell Construction to mark the start of the final phase of the £1.9 million improvement and extension of its popular Lincoln Court Independent Living Scheme.
Lincoln Court expansion plans 2018
The accommodation is being extended from 26 accommodation units to 35 high quality apartments. Much-improved communal facilities and low-energy measures are being added too, with a view to the scheme reopening this summer.
This is the council’s first independent living scheme extension to be developed specifically to meet the needs of wheelchair users. With a better location identified for the energy efficient heating system for the apartments, tenants will also benefit from new double glazed windows and from photovoltaic cells on the roof which will reduce communal utility costs.
Disabled centre in foreground. Lincoln Court to rear
A larger, brighter and more central communal lounge area will bring together residents of the new and existing elements of the building. An extra meeting room and additional office space will enable the scheme to be used as a hub for more services to be provided in the local community. The addition of a guest suite for visiting family and friends of residents will help maintain family links.
Listening to feedback from former tenants, we broadened the extension project to include the full refurbishment and re-roofing of the existing properties. In addition, they told us they would prefer that the existing flats are modernised with new heating systems, rewiring, new kitchens and bathrooms at the same time as the construction to avoid further disruption. This is underway”.
In a report last week (above) the Council also claimed that the new Centre of Excellence for Disable Young People, which will occupy the site next to Lincoln Court on Ascot Way, would be “completed in May 2020” .
Areportwhich is being discussed on Thursday reveals that the Council has fallen behind with several major investment projects.
It means that funding is being slipped from 19/20 into future financial years.
The biggest embarrassment is the Community Stadium project which is between 8 and 1 year behind schedule depending on when you started counting.
A development for the homeless on James Street has also recently been revealed as lagging 12 months behind its target completion date (although it doesn’t rate a mention in the Council report).
Setting the scene for a major increase in investment (and consequent debt levels), the report makes some strange claims.
Centre of Excellence for Disabled children “opening in May?)
Foremost amongst them is a statement that the Centre of Excellence for the Disabled, currently being constructed on Ascot Way, will open for business in May of this year. Really?
Site for new football pavilion
Lowfields
We are assured that show homes at Lowfields will also be available in “late summer” while the waterlogged Ashfield football site – located off Tadcaster Road – will have a clubhouse open by September!
Perhaps more understandably, cautious officials now say that the Community Stadium will be opening to the public “during the year”. No more hostages to fortune then!
Children from York have left a lasting mark on an innovative new building.
Work progressing on Ascot Way centre
The Centre for Excellence will provide disabled children, young people and their families with community and overnight short breaks along with support from a wide range of professionals including clinical psychologists.
Children from the adjacent Hob Moor Primary Academy and Hob Moor Oaks school were asked to help with the construction by laying the first bricks and signing their names on the steel which forms the structure of the building.
The scheme – one of the first of its kind in the country – is a partnership between City of York Council and NHS England. It will enable many children and young people with complex needs to access the help and support they and their families need in York.
The brick laying and steel-signing marks a key stage of the project, which should be completed by summer 2020.
The project is being delivered by Sewell Construction.
Philippa Hughes, Housing Lead for the NHS Learning Disability and Autism Programme in Yorkshire and Humber, said: “The NHS is delighted to support this much needed development in the city of York. It’s heartening to see so many school children contributing to a build which will allow so many of their peers to live full and meaningful lives in their communities.”
Martin Standley, Sewell Construction Project Manager, said: “We feel it’s really important for the children to have as much insight as possible into what’s happening close to their school. This helps feed their curiosity but also helps them understand why it’s so important to stay safe near a building site.
“Building the Centre of Excellence and redeveloping Lincoln Court is a real honour for Sewell Construction so we knew that the children would be just as proud to get involved and make their mark on the site.”
Richard Ludlow, chief executive of Ebor Academy Trust, which operates the Hob Moor academies, said: “We are fully supportive of City of York Council’s forward thinking plans for this Centre of Excellence and I’m pleased they have allowed our children to be a part of it. True partnership working is always at the heart of successful collaborative ventures.”
Councillor Ian Cuthbertson, City of York Council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “The Centre of Excellence is a landmark building for York, providing a base where children and young people with complex needs and disabilities can receive help and support from a wide range of professionals within the city.
“I’m delighted that local school children have had the chance to put their mark on the building and to be involved at this point in the construction.”
The same report provides an update on the Lincoln Court redevelopment
Ascot Way building site
“The Older Persons’ Accommodation Programme is currently
working on site to refurbish and extend the Lincoln Court Independent Living
Community in the Westfield Ward.
Once complete the building will have 35 one bedroomed
apartments, communal lounges, laundry facilities, a salon and a communal
kitchen.
Work is progressing well on site, with the development
due for completion in late spring 2020.
The tenants who have expressed an interest in moving back
into the new development have now had the opportunity to choose their kitchen
and bathroom fittings, as the “tenants’ choice” works have been included in the
contract”.
Work on site is indeed progressing although whether Lincoln Court could be re-occupied before the development (on the adjacent Windsor House site) of a disabled centre is complete, is open to question.
It is likely to be 12 months before the Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children is commissioned for use.
The development has involved some noise, parking and traffic issues for nearby residents.
The cost of the Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children, currently being constructed on Ascot Way, has increased by £1.2 million.
Part of the additional funding is coming from the NHS
The “current timeline for the centre is for the main build
to be completed by January 2020 with opening scheduled for May 2020”.
A council report says that, during quarter 1 within the
Lincoln Court Scheme, the work to relocate all Lincoln Court tenants into
alternative accommodation was completed successfully, this has then allowed
Sewell’s to take possession of the site, undertake site set up and begin
enabling works.
This has included a full invasive asbestos survey and works
to build an access road and car parking for sub-contractors accessed via the
Hob Moor primary academy site.
All the remaining window replacement works have been completed
in this quarter as has the demolition of the single storey extension in
preparation for works to begin for the new build extension.
The Council says that “the Centre of Excellence and Lincoln
Court project teams have worked together to communicate with residents
neighbouring the site and also to keep Ward Councillors updated on project
progress. £750k budget has been transferred from 2019/20 into 2020/21”
There is still no update provided on the promised replacement children’s games area
will be provided
Council blames the “complexity” of the selected design for the
increase.
A Council report published today reveals that the cost of the Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children will increase from the originally budgeted figure of £4.3 million (January 2018) to an estimated £5.9 million.
Demolition works have started at Windsor House
This comes after the Council, In April 2018, had agreed to increase
the proportion of the costs which would be funded by borrowing
£1.1 million of the increased costs will come from a Health service
grant with the rest being transferred from the education budget.
It appears that some features of the building are being “value engineered” out of the design.
The centre is being built on the site of the Windsor House elderly
persons home. The neighbouring Lincoln Court independent living building is
also being modernised and extended at the same time.
While both projects have been welcomed, concerns have been expressed about traffic congestion and parking issues in the area.
The impact of the developments on open space and sports facilities in the neighbourhood have also been criticised.
Details of the new budget allocations are being kept secret by the Council. It is unclear whatpromised features in the building may now be omitted.
The meeting to consider the budget increase is taking place on 18th June.
Residents warned the York Council that local roads in the Ascot Way/Kingsway West area were too narrow to accommodate heavy construction traffic.
Windsor House construction site
Despite these warnings, the planning committee approved plans for the demolition of Windsor House but failed to specify any highway improvements.
The foolishness of that decision was highlighted on Friday when
two very large trucks made their way from the site onto Kingsway West.
They failed to observe the agreed one-way system forcing other vehicles to mount the footpath and verge.
The traffic plan – regarded by many residents as inadequate – was published on 8th May. (Click here to read).
It was clear yesterday that it will be impossible for
construction traffic and other larger vehicles, like buses, to pass each other
on the twisting roads.
Several other conditions were imposed on activities on the site (click here). Most have still to be implemented.
Car parking is now at an even greater premium with whole of the
Windsor House/Lincoln Court site cordoned off.
The problems have arisen only a few days before residents will
be given an opportunity to quiz contractors on their plans.
The “drop in” meeting will take place at the Hob Moor School Children’s Centre (Green Lane) at 3:30pm on Wednesday 5th June.
There is still no news on the Council’s plans to provide an alternative play facility to replace the Multi User Games Area which will be lost when construction work starts. It had been hoped that by now, permission would have been granted for a new pitch to be provided on the nearby Thanet Road Sports Area.
There is also a major question mark about the costs of the “Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children” which will be constructed on the Windsor House site. A Council meeting on 18th June(click) will hear that additional funds are required to sustain the project.
One way system odged on 28th May 2019Meeting on Wednesday
It looks like there are more problems ahead, as the York Council tries to let contracts to establish a new “Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children” (CEDC) and a major expansion of the Lincoln Court independent living building.
A year ago, the Council said that it would need to invest £4.3 million in the CEDC. They later revised their budgets and agreed to borrow an additional £330,000 to fund the centre.
Centre of Excellence layout proposals
A £4.7 million contract was awardedin February to Sewell’s. It was said to cover work at both Windsor House and Lincoln Court.
Now papers released
yesterday suggest that there may be a significant increase in the costs for the
project. Officials are expected to make a case for extra investment at a meeting
taking place on 18th June. A note in the
Councils Forward Programme says, “A
value engineered exercise has been undertaken and further funds are required to
ensure there is an adequate contingency. This needs to be done within this
timeframe in order to meet the requirements of external health funding”.
The meeting will take place after the local elections in May
so it is anyone’s guess what will now happen to the project.
A cost drift has also occurred on the Lincoln Court side of the project. Earlier this month officials admittedthat the cost had soared from £1.9 million to £4.8 million.
The Lincoln Court project is still mired in controversy. The planning approval is being referred to the Secretary of State for consideration for calling in. The move stems from objections from local sports organisations and residents who want to see the existing all-weather play area moved to Thanet Road. The play area would be lost under the Council’s current proposals.
There are also concerns about access arrangements for the buildings both during building works and afterwards. A case has been made for a private (pedestrian) access to be made available to the adjacent school car park. So far, the Council has turned a blind eye to the suggestion, reinforcing concerns about traffic congestion and parking problems on Ascot Way
Both the CEDC and Lincoln
Court modernisation have attracted widespread local support. It is a change
that lack of attention to detail and poor consultation arrangements seem to be hindering
progress.
