A York Council manager has responded promptly to reports of Epicormic (lower trunk) growth on some trees in the Cornlands Road/Tudor Road area.
Such growth can cause sight line problems for drivers.
The manager says the branches will be trimmed.
Dumping is a problem at some empty properties.
We’ve reported a similar issue with a tree at the junction of Cornlands Road and Askham Lane.
We also received a prompt response from Cllr Demise Craghill who has executive responsibility for housing in the City.
She was sympathetic to our complaints about delays in bringing empty Council houses back into use and promised to pursue two long standing issues in the Foxwood Lane area.
Morrell Court
Lack of action to level potholes on the Morrell Court access road has now been registered as a formal complaint with the Council. The defects were first reported 6 months ago.
Elsewhere black bags have been left next to the recycling bins at the Acomb Wood Drive shopping area.
The government have published proposals which could see significant changes in the way that homes are planned and delivered in York. click
Government paper March 2020
The proposals include plans to make better use of brownfield (previously developed) land and a requirement for all local authorities to have an approved Local Plan.
One aspect, that has attracted local criticism, is the paragraph covering the introduction of “new rules to encourage building upwards, increasing density in line with local character and make the most of local infrastructure”. Permitted development rights (PDR) would be extended to allow residential blocks to be increased by up to two storeys. Some have claimed that this might affect views of The Minster. Indeed, it might, particularly if the proposals are applied to conservation areas and local PDRs have not already been restricted by the local Council.
That does need to be clarified before changes are published later in the year.
But the White Paper also includes some positive messages.
March 2020
Barbican development site
As well as plans to make better use of brownfield land, the paper says it will ensure land allocated for housing is built on. That will ring a bell with some who regularly walk past derelict sites like that next the Barbican. It has had planning permission for homes for over 5 years.
Many will also feel sympathy for the proposal to improve security for tenants by abolishing the use of ‘no fault evictions’. The papers says, “that tenants can put down roots in their communities and plan for their long-term future”.
Local amenity organisations will surely welcome proposals to revise the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to embed the principles of good design and placemaking – “this will make clear that high-quality buildings and places must be considered throughout the planning process”?
Another commitment is for urban tree planting and giving communities a greater opportunity to influence design standards in their area. “This will put tree lined streets at the centre of future plans, so that they become the norm not the exception”
The government plans to give local authorities the ability to ensure that new homes conform to “local residents’ ideas of beauty” through the planning system. “Using the National Model Design Code, we will set out clear parameters for promoting the design and style of homes and neighbourhoods local people want to see. We will ask local places to produce their own design guides and codes, informed by listening to local people and considering local context”.
There is more than a whiff of centralised control about the paper and, of course, the actual implementation of ideas often proves illusive.
The world and the City may in any event look very different in 6 months time.
But there is still something to be positive about in the White Paper
Council report on empty property avoids any comment on its own poor performance
The planning committee yesterday approved plans which would see the former Council offices at Ashbank on Shipton Road converted into apartments.
Ashbank has been empty since 2013.
The news comes a few days before a report on empty property in the City is due to be discussed by the Council’s Executive.
It follows claims in 2018 that the City had a relatively large number of empty properties. At the time that seemed – given local land and property prices – unlikely but the Council agreed to review the issue. The review wasn’t aimed at bringing unused space (e.g. floors above shops) into use but rather focused on those properties where empty property tax relief was being claimed.
Last September the Council increased the Council Tax liability on long term empty homes to 300%.
National statistics confirm that York has the second lowest level of empty homes in the country (after Oxford).
The Council claims that it has helped to bring back in to use 45 long term empty properties, through advice and assistance, since April 2017.
An audit of properties shown as empty on the Council tax database found that 43% of those visited so far are either occupied or about to be occupied.
Only 150 (27%) of properties visited were found to be empty. Nearly half of these empty homes were undergoing refurbishment, currently up for sale or let or awaiting site redevelopment.
In only 10% of the cases (15 properties) the owner appeared to have no immediate plans to bring the property back in to use.
One unintended consequence of the audit may be that some owners, who have been claiming empty property tax relief, may find that they now receive a substantial bill.
The report pointedly fails to mention the Councils own housing stock. Leaving aside delays in re-letting Council houses, the list of empty properties owned by the Council – which includes some residential homes – clearly merits further investigation.
Whether the Council’s Executive will order a probe into their own performance will become clear at next Thursday’s meeting
Proposals to develop two long term empty sites in York will be before the planning committee next week. Together the development of the sites could provide nearly 700 new homes in the City.
The proposal is for the erection of a maximum of 625 residential apartments, 130 sqm of retail or community use floorspace.
Two gas governor compounds will be retained, and the site will be remediated with the old gasholder removed and gas pipes relocated underground.
The plans cover associated access, car parking, amenity space and landscaping after demolition of existing pipework, structures and telephone mast.
The brownfield site is allocated for housing in the revised York Local Plan. The site is no longer classified as contaminated.
The plans would see 370 one bed, 194 two bed and 61 three bed apartments built.
The report suggests that 20 social rent houses will be provided (off site) as part of the plans. In addition around 130 of the on-site apartments will be available for private rent, discounted by 30%.
There have been concerns registered about inadequate car parking arrangements and the York Civic Trust has said that the plans are an “overdevelopment”.
The development will cost £154 million. It is recommended for approval by Council officials.
Ashbank – scheduled to be converted into flats since 2013
Another long term empty property badly in need of redevelopment are the former Council offices at Ashbank. The building has been empty for over 8 years and is still owned by the York Council.
The application involves the demolition of Barleyfields and erection of 54 assisted living apartments and communal facilities. The modern extensions to Ashbank would be demolished and the building converted into 4 assisted living apartments. There would be changes to parking and landscaping arrangements.
Planning permission was previously granted for four 2½ storey dwellings to the rear of Ashbank with conversion of the villa to 5 apartments. This permission has not been implemented.
12 of the new units will be “affordable”
There have been 12 objections registered some connected with the loss of tree cover (although replacement planting is proposed) and building height
Five new Council bungalows in Cheltenham Court (off Newbury Avenue) are ready for occupation.
The attractive homes have allocated disabled spaces and an electric vehicle charging point. Aimed at older or disabled tenants, they are also close to the number 4 bus route and the Lidl store. .
Completion was behind schedule so we hope that the York Council will get on and allocate the tenancies quickly
Council officials are recommending to a Planning committee meeting next week, that a flat in the Gale Farm Court sheltered accommodation building – which is provided for the use of elderly residents – be converted into a housing office.
Officials claim that it is the only “rent free” option available
them in Acomb. Currently they rent a room at the Gateway Centre (and the Foxwood
Community Centre).
Gale Farm Court. Plan to convert flat into office
Acomb lost its housing office about 8 years ago. That was a bad move, which prompted a divide between housing managers and the largest concentration of social tenants in the City.
It had been intended to
provide a replacement as part of a “one stop shop” extension to the Acomb library
but that project stalled. Land to the rear of the library had been purchased by
the Council but has remained derelict for over 10 years.
Officials have promised to revive the Acomb Library plan as part of a £2 million refurbishment project. However senior managers ion the housing department say they can’t wait for that work to be competed
At a time when the largest number of people on the housing waiting
list are those requiring one bedroomed accommodation, it seems illogical to
take an existing home out of use.
The office could be in use 12 hours a day and it could prove
to be a difficult neighbour for the several dozen elderly people who live on the
site.
There is also a concern about car parking. Official calm
that users will walk to the office but experience elsewhere suggests that this may
not be the case.
Cllr Andrew Waller is the local Councillor leading the call for
a rethink. He is right to do so.
There is empty property In the Front Street pedestrian area which
could be rented until a permanent new location for a Council office can be
found. Any increase in footfall in the main shopping area would be welcomed by
both traders and residents.
Appropriating scarce residential accommodation is not the
right solution for the Councils office problem.
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” .
The Council is writing to vulnerable tenants telling them that they will continue to get their hedges and lawns trimmed for at least another year.
Lawns will be cut and hedges trimmed
Earlier in the week, officials had told tenants that they would lose the long standing service, with some being offered £200 compensation in lieu.
Now the housing director has apologised to those affected and confirmed that a more considered review of the service will take place over the next few months. Any changes will be delayed until 2021 at the earliest.
The new letter to tenants still has a patronising tone. It talks about helping the elderly to “enjoy” their gardens. “Volunteers” are still seen as the solution to most problems although many will feel that that particular resource is in danger of becoming overwhelmed.
The letter rather confirms our view that the housing department needs new leadership and with it a commitment to be more open and to consult properly before making decisions.
The key first step is for executive councillors to exert more control over the department and for communication channels with residents associations to be restored.
The garden service is funded from Council house rents. The rent account has a large surplus.
Following on from yesterday’s revelation that the Council is abandoning its garden care scheme for vulnerable tenants, a Councillor has claimed that contractors were charging “£80” to cut a lawn.
Apparently it was this that led to the announcement that the most disabled tenants would instead be offered £200 as compensation for the loss of the service.
Letter to tenants circulated to Councillors yesterday
Lawns are cut 10 times a year so how far the £200 will go remains to be seen. In addition hedges are normally trimmed on three occasions.
No financial figures have been released by the Council and no equalities impact assessment has been published
It appears that options like tendering for the service in smaller packages (to minimise unnecessary travel) have not been considered nor has the employment of Council staff to undertake the work. (there are numerous other jobs that such staff could usefully do in the winter period).
The Councillor responsible for housing+ (Denise Craghill) has now tweeted “Nobody who needs support will be left without it. Contract was a hugely inefficient use of public money. Budget still same to improve support for tenants to enjoy their gardens. Everyone is being visited. Those conversations will feed into a decision session in April”.
This doesn’t explain how letters came to be sent to tenants ahead of any decision being taken.
Cllr Nigel Ayre claims on “twitter” that the “communications issue is unfortunate but errors happen “.
Copies of the draft letters to affected tenants (copied to Councillors yesterday) can be downloaded from these links
UPDATE The Council now seems to BE back tracking. It says that the communication it issued earlier today was “only the first step in consultation”. The following is an extract from that the earlier communication. Make you own mind up whether you think it sounds like consultation
The cost of the scheme was extremely high and unsustainable, so we are exploring other ways to provide a service to the most vulnerable in future, in partnership with charities and volunteers. Unfortunately, this won’t be in place this year so as an interim measure we will be providing the most vulnerable tenants with a payment of £200 that they can use to contribute towards the cost of maintaining the garden this year.
From information we have on Housing Management systems, we have filtered customers into those we believe would not meet the new criteria and those that would with the appropriate letter going to these customers. Housing Management Officers will be visiting all customers that as part of the Health and Wellbeing visits, to ensure that all tenants who genuinely have no option than that provided by The Council. Once HMO’s have confirmed eligibility the payment will be arrange to be made early in the new financial year.
The Council is now saying the proposal will go to a decision meeting in April
The Council has, however, admitted that it has already posted the letters to tenants!
EARLIER It looks like the Council will refuse to help elderly tenants who are unable to maintain their own gardens. Until this year elderly and disabled tenants had received help in cutting hedges and lawns through a garden help scheme.
Now a housing official has said that the garden help scheme has been abandoned.
In the past the Council has been criticised for the slowness of the garden care scheme which provided only a minimal service
The proposal to abandon the tenants has not yet been considered by the Councils’ Executive.
Only last week the Council announced that it would make a surplus of over £3 million on its council housing rent account this year. It holds an accumulated surplus on the account of over £20 million with a rent increase pending.
The garden care scheme has been in existence for several decades. It provides a basic gardening service for those on limited means who are unable to do heavy work themselves and who do not have anyone else that they can turn to for help.
Now the official has said that the scheme is being scrapped with immediate effect. The most seriously disabled will be offered a payment of £200 which the Council says can be used to employ someone to undertake gardening work.
The Council also talks loftily of setting up a scheme of “volunteer gardeners” to assist. They accept that this is not yet in place.
It is not the first time that the Council has eroded the garden help scheme. In 2016 over 100 pensioners lost access to the scheme.
Overgrown hedges are unsightly and block footpaths
As well as the welfare of sick and elderly people, another concern is the effect that overgrown hedges will have on local neighbourhoods. There are already complaints about lack of maintenance in some estates.
There has been no consultation with residents or tenants organisations in the City.
Whereas previous attempts to jettison the service were initiated by Tory Councillors, the latest proposal comes under the stewardship of Green Party Councillor Denise Craghill. To what extent she has been party to the plan is unclear.
Liberal Democrat Councillors in wards like Westfield, which has a high proportion of Council tenancies, are likely to be put under extreme pressure to block any changes until alternative arrangements can be put in place.
