More Tour de France events announced for York

More and more events are joining in York and the UK’s first ever Fête du Tour to celebrate the Tour de France’s imminent arrival. The Fête du Tour (festival of the Tour) is a long-standing French tradition which involves communities along the route celebrating and building the excitement.

On Saturday, York city centre will have lots of French, cycling and yellow-themed activities to help residents and visitors get into the spirit of the Tour.

The fun takes place from 10am to 4pm and will include members of Riding Lights Theatre who will be performing on a rotating stage, powered by bikes, whilst dressed in French costume and accompanied by an organist.

Visitors to the city centre can also pose as Sir Bradley Wiggins with the help of a cut out and mask.

Information tents will have details about the Tour de France in York and the Made in Yorkshire market will be taking place from 29 May to 1 June, offering delicious treats for your Fête du Tour picnics and parties.

There will also be the opportunity to purchase York’s ‘Experience the Race’ merchandise.

York’s city centre will be dressed with yellow bunting in Parliament Street, St Sampson’s Square and Coney Street to bring a truly festive spirit to the centre of York.
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Monk Stray meeting confirms no caravans

The meeting held by the Council last night heard confirmation that camping and caravanning plans for Monk Stray had been abandoned.

The Council is now trying to find alternative sites (or refunds) for those visitors who had already booked places at the venue.

However the one day spectator hub event will go ahead and the Council is seeking planning permission to remove 8 metres of hedge-line (and install a gate and access road) to facilitate entry.

The Cabinet member with responsibility for the shambles (Cllr Crisp) has been noticeably quiet leaving Council officials to make the public announcement.

Huntington Stadium

Huntington Stadium

Meanwhile residents only have until 5^th June to record any objections to the plans to hold a 10,000 capacity concert at Huntington Stadium.

It is not yet clear whether the Council has changed the conditions – and not least the capacity – attached to Huntington Stadium’s safety certificate

Outdoor theatre show inspired by everyday stories of cycling to tour Yorkshire this summer

Yorkshire theatre company 509 Arts has announced the premier in York and tour dates for its free performances of Bike Story, a brand new outdoor theatre production based on stories from the public about cycling.

The show, commissioned by Yorkshire Festival 2014 and presented in association with City of York Council, will tour festivals and town centres throughout Yorkshire. During the run up to this year’s Grand Départ, it will be staged in venues including Rowntree Park in York, Hull, Doncaster, Leeds, Grassington, Saltaire, Ilkley, Harrogate, Halifax and Hebden Bridge and is free to the public.

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Celebrate with the Fête du Tour!

York is encouraging a weekend of activities called Fête du Tour

York is taking up the challenge issued to all communities in England and France on the route of the 2014 Tour de France, to celebrate the city’s involvement by encouraging a weekend of activities called Fête du Tour (festival of the Tour). Communities, groups and individuals are being asked to think French, yellow and cycling – and the chance to give this French tradition an English twist. This will be the first time the UK has been engaged with the Fête so it’s a great opportunity to be a part of history. (more…)

Monk Stray camping officially abandoned

Monk Stray

The Caravan Club have now officially told the local media that they w ill not be organising camping facilities on Monk Stray at the time of the Tour de France

As we predicted earlier in the week, the Club have pulled out of the event following local opposition.

The York Council has not responded officially to the news but they have arranged another public meeting at which they will presumably explain their actions to aggrieved local residents.

This will take place on Tuesday 27 May at Christ Church, Stockton Lane, Heworth Without from 6-8pm

Monk stray camping plan – mystery deepens

Monk Stray

We understand that the Caravan Club may pull out of the deal which would have seen them run a camping and caravan site on Monk Stray to coincide with the Tour de France coming to the City.

The plan formed a part of a last minute attempt by the Labour Leadership of the Council to get round a ban on camping introduced by the Licensing Committee.

The Council claimed that the Caravan Club did not need to observe licensing restrictions for short term events but it now seems that the deal is set to be abandoned.

Any change would mean that those who had already paid to book pitches would have to be refunded.

The Tour web site is no longer advertising the stray as a campsite.

As recently as 16th May the responsible Labour Councillor (Crisp) said in the media that the campsite would go ahead

Tour de France – Road closure list for York published

City of York Council is encouraging residents and visitors to plan ahead for the weekend of 5 and 6 July when the world’s largest “free”* sporting event, the Tour de France comes to York.

Stage two of Le Grand Depart will see riders setting off from York Racecourse at approximately 11am. The peloton will then traverse the city’s historic streets, taking in landmarks such as Clifford’s Tower and the York Minster.

Residents and tourists are advised that the route will be closed from 4.30am on Sunday 6 July until approximately 1.30pm, or as soon as possible after the race has left York. During the time that the roads are closed their will be no access for vehicles to properties either adjacent to or on the race route itself. This will also include streets connected to the route that can not be accessed from elsewhere.

Anyone who is planning to travel on Sunday 6 July will need to ensure that they have parked their vehicle in an area where they can access the remaining open road network.

No vehicles will be allowed to drive on or across the race route after road closures are in place. Residents are also advised to pass this information to anyone intending to visit them during the weekend.

Roads closed along the route include:

Start: York Racecourse

Campleshon Road
Bishopthorpe Road
Bishopgate Street (Skeldergate Bridge)
Tower Street
Clifford Street
Nessgate
Spurriergate
Coney Street
St Helen’s Square
Davygate
St Sampson Square
Church Street
Goodramgate
Deangate
Minster Yard
Duncombe Place
St Leonards Place
Bootham A19
Clifton
Clifton Green
Water End
Boroughbrdge Road
A59 to Harrogate

The York Council has yet to confirm whether the A1237 northern by pass (western section) will be closed for all the restriction hours and what, if any, road closures will apply on the Saturday.

It also remains unclear whether all of the road works, in the area near the new Park and Ride site at Poppleton, will have been completed.

For further information about the Tour de France in York, please visit www.york.gov.uk/tourdefrance . To get help on travelling around York in advance, or on the day, use the online i-Travel York journey planner at http://www.itravelyork.info/ or follow the Goole Maps link (right)

*York taxpayers are being charged £1.6 million for the event.

Fresh controversy over plans for Monk Stray

York Council is using a “planning loophole” from the 1960s to host camping on Monk Stray for July’s Tour De France just weeks after its original proposals for the site were rejected.

Monk Stray

In March Labour run York Council was forced to scale back its plans for Monk Stray. Nearly 300 residents had opposed proposals to stage events serving alcohol on the Stray on 14 days in any year. The council’s cross-party Licensing Committee decided to grant a one day only licence for July’s Tour De France and said that there could be no camping allowed on the licensable area as part of this.

However, council officers have confirmed that a deal has now been agreed withthe Caravan Club to manage camping on the site for the Tour De France. Planning legislation from the 1960s allows the Caravan Club to organise the camping without a planning application. York Council has also submitted a planning application for a new gate to access Monk Stray (from Stockton Lane) after the authority was told that it could not use an access gate on a nearby private road.

Local residents have consistently raised concerns over plans to turn Monk Stray into a ‘Spectator Hub’ for July’s Grand Départ amid worries over access to the site, parking, traffic, noise, litter, surface water and anti-social behaviour.

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York Council plans 10,000 capacity event at Huntington Stadium

Star-studded concert will launch a weekend of ‘Grand Départy!’ celebrations in York

Russell Watson

‘People’s Tenor’ Russell Watson, X Factor favourites Rough Copy and Union J, and Kian Egan of Westlife-fame are among the line-up for a star-studded concert that will kick off a weekend of ‘Grand Départy’ celebrations in York.

Planned for the evening of Friday July 4, the Grand Départy Concert will take place at York’s Huntington Stadium.

The size of the event has raised some serious questions about potential congestion, safety and security problems.

The Council has not yet started consultation with affected local residents and businesses in the Huntington area

The diverse line-up also includes York-based singer songwriter Alistair Griffin; British pop star Eylar Fox; The Loveable Rogues; 1980s bands Altered Images, Brother Beyond and the Blow Monkeys; and vocal harmony group The Overtones.

10,000 tickets are available for the event and demand is expected to be high. Priced at £29.50 for general admission, £35 for VIP seated tickets or £100 for a family ticket (for four people), they will be on sale from http://www.ticketline.co.uk/ from Friday 16 May.

The concert is just one element of an action-packed Grand Départy weekend planned for 4, 5 and 6 July. A host of other events and attractions will be taking place at locations across the city, including street theatre and live music.

Those who want to be at the heart of the action throughout the course of the weekend should head to City of York Council’s three Spectator Hubs at Monk Stray, the Designer Outlet and Millennium Bridge, where there will be family entertainment, big screens, refreshments, merchandise and much more.

For more information about the Spectator Hubs, visit: http://www.experiencetherace.com/

Tour de France local events brochure launched today

An new programme which outlines some of the many cycling opportunities and events in York this year will be launched by members of York’s cycling fraternity and cycling residents on Tuesday 29 April.

Brochures have been distributed through schools and can be picked up from leisure centres and libraries. Further information and a copy of the brochure to download is available from www.york.gov.uk/cycling
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