Christmas trial of new free Sunday service from Foxwood, Woodthorpe and Bishopthorpe to Askham Bar Park and Ride
Service 500 will launch on Sunday 13 November and will run free of charge
In the run-up to Christmas, First York are trialling a Sunday service which will take passengers from Foxwood, Woodthorpe and Bishopthorpe, direct to Askham Bar Park & Ride, where they can connect with a direct, frequent buses on Park & Ride service 3 to York City Centre.
The service will also serve stops at Askham Bar Tesco.
At the time of writing First haven’t published a timetable for the service on their web site
The company says that recent changes by City of York Council have meant that residents of Woodthorpe and Bishopthorpe have been without a Sunday bus service. “We’re now launching a free shuttle bus service to Askham Bar Park & Ride to help you travel into York, and enjoy the Christmas shopping opportunities and festivities”.
First York Managing Director, Marc Bichtemann, comments: “At First York, we’re dedicated to providing our customers with the best service possible. We wanted to ensure that our customers in Bishopthorpe, Woodthorpe and Foxwood who want to travel into York in the run-up to Christmas, have the opportunity to do so. We will therefore be offering a free shuttle bus service to the Askham Bar Park & Ride from this Sunday, and look forward to welcoming our customers on board.”
The service, numbered 500, will run with an electric bus, subject to availability, to reduce noise and emissions. The trial will end on Sunday 18 December. We’ll then assess demand for the service before deciding if it can be extended into 2017.
What’s on in York: Christmas Market in Foxwood on Sunday 4th December
What’s on in York: First meeting Foxwood Local History Group
Business rate valuations mostly up in Acomb
Community centre faces 50% hike in Rates
Sanderson House faces rates hike
Further detail has emerged of the new Business Rates that will be payable in Acomb and elsewhere in the City.
Generally, valuations have increased by around 10% although there are very wide variations.
This means that most shopkeepers in the area will pay more than they currently do when the valuations are introduced next year.
Examples of valuations – which can be found on the government web site by clicking here – are shown in the table below.
The figures quoted do not indicate the actual amount which is paid. A multiplier – which changes each year – is applied get the actual amount to be paid.
Still there are some shockers on the list not least the huge hikes in rates for the Community Centres in Chapelfields (+50%) and Foxwood (+17%). Charities do get relief on their rate payments but the changes are difficult to understand against a background where some businesses, like Ladbrokes bookmakers, will enjoy reductions of around 7%.
Elsewhere Liberal Democrat Councillor Sue Hunter has backed the idea of a new investment scheme for Front Street and called on the council “to give Acomb the support it deserves”.
A recommendation for a “wider renewal and reinvigoration scheme” was agreed by York’s Executive Member for Transport & Planning at a meeting yesterday in response to petitions presented by Lib Dem councillors in Acomb and Foxwood.
Over the summer, Cllr Sue Hunter organised a petition signed by over 800 residents calling for action to fix pavements in Front Street to help those who use wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and support the local shopping area. Meanwhile, Cllr Sheena Jackson organised a petition calling for improvements to the pavements around Foxwood Shops.
In response to the petitions, it was agreed that standard repairs will continue and that further work is carried out to appraise the possibilities for a wider renewal and reinvigoration scheme for both locations and a report prepared for the Executive Member for Economic Development and Community Engagement. (more…)
What’s on in York: Forthcoming events in Foxwood
New Foxwood Focus newsletter published
Stunner – £250,000 price tag for resurfacing Foxwood shops forecourts!
In response to petitions from local Councillors, York Council officials have reported on proposals to improve the Front Street and Foxwood shopping areas.
Foxwood Lane shops
The petitions had pointed at poor maintenance standards, with weeds and litter a constant problem.
The main criticism though was about the surface of the roads and footpaths some of which are badly rutted and uneven.
A meeting on the 13th October will hear that highways officials have examined the roads and paths in both areas and have ordered that potholes be filled in on sections which are a part of the adopted public highway.
Officials say that they have limited powers to require the owners of the private shop forecourts to undertake safety work.
They report that they have “undertaken additional inspections following receipt of the petitions and have identified any areas where the condition of the footway is approaching or exceeding intervention levels, works have been programmed and delivered where these have been identified within the adopted highway. Letters requesting works from frontagers have been issued to address any similar areas within the unadopted areas”.
Front Street
Regeneration needed
The report goes on to say that any further uplift works must form part of a larger regeneration project. They recommend that this option be referred to the responsible Executive member with a further report.
However, they also say that
“further improvements will require significant works to reinvigorate the two areas, initial estimates could be in the region of £500,000 for Acomb Front Street and £125,000 for Foxwood.
Additional complications arise with both locations where an additional financial burden would fall to the frontagers who would be expected to contribute significant sums of a similar magnitude to facilitate improvements of the adopted and unadopted areas”.
While we have long believed that a major investment is needed to regenerate the large, complex and neglected Front Street area, the suggestion that £1/4 million needs to be spent resurfacing the Foxwood shops forecourts is ridiculous.
What is needed is an overlay of flexible surfacing – similar perhaps to that used by the Council in Library Square – plus repainting or renewal of street furniture such as the cycle rack and bins.
We hope that Councillors won’t be hoodwinked by this very obvious example of “shroud waving”.
New Foxwood Residents Association newsletter being delivered this week
Foxwood wins gold award
Sue and Shirley receive the award at today’s ceremony
The Foxwood Residents Association is celebrating today after being awarded a gold certificate by Britain in Bloom judges.
Over the last year residents have transformed the area around the community centre and park on Bellhouse Way. Recently they started to plant a bluebell wood in the area.
Today, at an awards ceremony held at York Racecourse, their work was recognised when they received the highest gold award in the open space category.
The gold award is the highest level ever achieved by the Foxwood group. The certificates where received, on behalf of the Residents Association, by chair Shirley Gumley and Secretary Sue Galloway.
