Playground tidy up call

Local residents have asked the Council to deal with maintenance issues at the Grange Lane park.

Complaints have been raised about littering but some of the equipment is unusable as a result of vandalism, graffiti, muddy entrances and missing safety surfaces under the swings.

Safety surfaces have sunk
Signs have been vandalised
Play equipment needs cleaning
Litter reported earlier in the week

The Council also promised to put hardcore down on parts of the footpath link from Grange Lane to Westfield Place where it is subject to flooding. This work hasn’t been done yet. It needs to be completed before the wetter winter months arrive.

The path is now being used occasionally by cyclists as a short cut. Some arrangements for them could be made at relatively little cost.

Use by walkers has also increased since lock-down started.

Park footpath needs hardcore in some places to prevent flooding

That was the week that was in photos

Unusual to see full bottles dumped next to the bottle bank at Acomb Car park!
Sadly still some dumping next to the bins. it has been suggested that the larger amenity sites like Hazel Court should reopen to residents. They have remained open for the disposal of trade waste. With green and bulky waste collection suspended, this would make sense provided social distancing can be maintained. We think that use levels could be controlled if specific days were allocated to individual neighbourhoods – possibly using a colour codes system. Real time “on line” monitoring of queue lengths – also suggested for supermarkets – would also help.
We’ve reported the full litter bin (and dumping) at the Acomb Car park
On the other side of the City, local Councillor Mark Warters has brokered an agreement with B & Q (which has now re-opened) aimed at avoiding HGVs blocking the access road. They will in future move straight into the delivery yard.
Elsewhere the recent mix of rain and sunshine has resulted in a rapid growth in weeds and hedges. Some are now blocking paths
Snicket still accessible on Wetherby Road but has been a problem in the past
Nettle growth at the entrance to the Westfield park has caused problems in the past. It should be on the new weed control programme but there is no evidence of “die back”
Nettles can also be a hazard when they reduce the width of public footpaths
We’ve asked for detritus to be swept from the Chesney Field snicket …..
& from the drainage gulleys in The Green area
An accumulation of litter on this snicket in Foxwood. Generally, though, the estate has been much cleaner recently.
The section of Gale Lane from St Stephens Road to Foxwood Lane which will be resurfaced this year.
Unfortunately there are many potholed carriageways which don’t appear in the Councils programme. This one is in Foxwood.
….and still no action to repair the poor road surface on Lowfields Drive
Uneven footpaths in Chapelfields have also not made it into the Councils repair programme
There was some hope that the budget delegated to wards specifically for improvements for pedestrians would lead to hard core being put down on part of the Grange Lane park access path. No programme of work has been published by the Council although the funding has been available for nearly a year now.
Damaged fence on Lowfields Drive reported
Finally we hope that the local Councillors will get round to publishing a neighbourhood list of takeaways which are continuing to provide a delivery service for the local community. Many have gone to great lengths to observe “social distancing” guidelines. We need these local businesses to survive the current lock-down difficulties. They deserve the support of the Council and local residents. At the very least the Council should maintain an up to date list of the food delivery services available within each local community. The list should be publicised on local noticeboards and on social media. Ideally it should be included on a leaflet delivered to each home. (The leaflet that the Council recently delivered only included about 20% of the suppliers still operating in the Acomb/Foxwood/Woodthorpe area).
We are compiling our own list which we hope to publish here next week.

Lots to enjoy in Acomb sunshine today

One of the most peaceful places to visit on a Sunday afternoon. Surprisingly large and quiet St Stephen’s churchyard in central Acomb.

We should make more of this one of York’s best ,but least known, assets

Grange Lane park also looking tidy although as we will reveal tomorrow there is another side to this particular story