Councillors in Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward are appealing for information to help find a brass plaque that has been stolen from a much-loved statue.
Chalfonts, off Tadcaster Road, is home to a statue of a bear that was installed when the homes were built in the 1960s. Beneath the statue sat a brass plaque which marks the ‘Award for Good Design’ granted by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in 1969.
Image used with kind permission of Richard BurrowsImage used with kind permission of Richard Burrows
The plaque was stolen sometime on the evening of Tuesday 5 November. Local residents reported the theft to the Police, who were not interested and instead suggested that the residents contact Shepherds, who built the houses.
Cllr Stephen Fenton is appealing for information to help find the stolen plaque and have it reunited with the statue.
“It’s desperately sad to see an important and much-loved piece of local history ripped away like this. The plaque was small and so won’t be worth a lot, assuming that it was stolen by metal thieves hoping to make a few quid.
“The Police have said that they won’t be investigating this theft, which is disappointing but sadly not surprising. So it looks as though it will be up to the local community to try to track it down. If anyone has any information about who stole the plaque, or where it might have ended up, please contact me on 07751 963215 or email cllr.sfenton@york.gov.uk “
There is an interesting article about the statue and plaque on the York C20 website, which is an architectural gazetteer of 20th century York – https://www.yorkc20.york.ac.uk/vignette/one-of-the-finest-examples-of-speculative-housing-in-york-but-who-is-the-bear/
Lib Dem councillors are calling on council bosses and First Bus to reverse a decision which has left bus passengers in the west of York unable to easily get to York railway station.
First Bus posted a surprise message on X (formerly Twitter) on 15th October announcing that the number 4, which connects Acomb, Foxwood and Dringhouses with the city centre, and the number 3 Askham Bar Park & Ride service, would no longer stop at York station until further notice. The move is apparently an attempt to reduce the number of buses stopping at the station whilst the station frontage works are underway.
Many passengers getting the number 4 bus into town this morning (16th October) got an unwelcome surprise when the bus, rather than turning left from Blossom Street towards the station, turned right into Nunnery Lane. One resident contacted the Dringhouses & Woodthorpe Lib Dem councillors to tell of how he had to run to get his train, getting wet in the process. The councillors have asked officers for an explanation and also why there has been so little publicity other than on social media.
Dringhouses & Woodthorpe councillor Paula Widdowson commented: “We were as surprised as many local residents when we heard about this – the communications have been non-existent, with no information on the First York website or the council’s iTravel website. I hope that the council and First Bus reverse this decision.”
Tadcaster Road resident Glenn Sargent said “The decision to divert these very popular bus services away from the station makes no sense. We want more people to use the bus to get to the station, rather than use a car, so I don’t understand the logic behind this decision. It will just make it more difficult for people to get to where they need to be using public transport.”
Cllr Andrew Waller has highlighted the impact that the diversion will have on residents in his Westfield ward:
“For residents in the Foxwood and Cornlands Road areas of the ward, the number 4 bus is crucial in enabling them to access services and onward connections in the city centre. This diversion will cause real issues for many residents for whom the bus is their only means of getting around. There needs to be an urgent re-think.”
Local councillors have welcomed the start of works to make the paved area in front of a busy parade of shops in Woodthorpe a safer place for pedestrians.
Cllr Stephen Fenton has welcomed the work to make the area safer
In recent years a number of residents have tripped and fallen on rocking and uneven paving slabs in front of the shops on Moorcroft Road which prompted councillors to seek to persuade the current leasehold owners of the land – Morrisons supermarket – to take action to make the area safer.
The paved area presented a hazard for pedestrians
A petition signed by 60 concerned local residents was presented by Cllr Stephen Fenton to the previous Leaseholders – McColls – in October 2021, but this did not prompt the necessary repairs.
Then in September 2022 Cllr Fenton notified the leaseholder and freeholder of a particularly nasty incident where a lady had tripped and fallen, sustaining two swollen and badly bruised knees, bleeding hands, a fractured finger and bleeding lip. She was stranded on the ground until a passing motorist stopped and offered help. Councillors also requested that council officers write to the landowner to encourage them to take steps to make the area safer.
Cllr Fenton commented “It has taken a long time and lot of effort, but it is great to see work underway to make the paved area in front of the shops safer.
“There has recently been welcome investment to transform the interior of the nearby Dick Turpin pub, and we want to encourage people to shop locally and support the fantastic businesses that we have in Woodthorpe. If people feel safer when they are out and about, then that’ll be good for business.”
