Local councillors are asking Dringhouses residents for their views on a possible funding bid to deliver improvements to the playgound on Leeside.
In December 2020 the council announced a £100,000 fund for play area improvements, through which communities can bid for up to £10,000 to be spent on replacing outdated equipment and refreshing play ideas with new kit. Any successful bid would need a 15% contribution from other sources, such as ward funding.
Cllr Paula Widdowson at the Leeside playground
In Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward, the council playgrounds at Nelsons Lane and Woodthorpe Green have benefited from significant investment in recent years, but the play area on Leeside (which is also owned and managed by the council) has not seen any investment. In winter months it is very boggy due to poor drainage on the site – councillors have tried to address this, but Yorkshire Water have refused to allow a drainage channel to be installed to flow into their pipes.
Ward councillors are now asking local residents for their views on whether and how the Leeside play area could be improved. Feedback will help to shape an application for funding, if residents feel that the play area would benefit from some investment.
These are the questions on which we would welcome feedback:
Do you think that the Leeside play area would benefit from some investment?
The play area is very boggy in the winter, making it difficult to use. Would you like to see astroturf (or a similar surface) laid on the kickabout area to make it more useable during wet weather?
Are there any pieces of equipment currently in the play area which need updating? If so, please tell us which ones.
Are there new pieces of kit which could be added? If so, please tell us what you would like to see installed.
Do you have any other ideas or suggestions to improve the play area?
Residents are asked to send their feedback by e-mail to cllr.sfenton@york.gov.uk by the end of January, to allow time for the feedback to be collated and for a funding bid to be potentially submitted by the end of February.
In response to requests from residents, local councillors have arranged for a bench to be installed outside the Woodthorpe Green playground, funded through the ward budget.
Since lockdown began, walking around Woodthorpe has become a more popular pastime, and for some residents the opportunity to take a rest is much appreciated. This led to calls for more benches to be installed, and the Woodthorpe Community Group is now consulting residents on other possible locations.
The bench outside the playground will also be a benefit for parents or carers whose children use the playground but who have had to stand outside if they have a dog. The bench will enable the parent or carer to have a sit down and keep an eye on the kids in the playgrounds.
The next local improvement being funded by the ward budget is the resurfacing of the uneven and badly potholed path across the Green between Summerfield Road and Glenridding.
York City Knights Foundation will be running some free outdoor activity sessions for local young people in west York over the half-term holiday. The dates and times are listed below.
Processes are in place to make the sessions Covid-compliant with spaces limited to meet current Government and RFL guidance, and as such booking is essential with limited availability. Once booked on, parents/ carers of participants are asked to download the Clubforce App which will help the Knights to follow Covid- 19 protocols.
The Dringhouses & Woodthorpe and Westfield Ward Committees are funding a number of outdoor activity sessions for young people from 27 August to 4 September.
York City Knights Foundation will be running the sessions at the following locations:
Thu 27 August – Revival estate
Fri 28 August – Acomb Green
Tue 1 September – Woodthorpe Green
Fri 4 September – Chesney Fields
There are two sessions on each date – 1.30 to 2.15 and 2.30 to 3.15. Children can book onto either session 1 or session 2 but unfortunately not onto both sessions.
Booking is essential in order to comply with track & trace requirements. To book a place, go to the York City Knights Foundation website HERE
Parents and carers wanting to keep their children busy and active this summer can click through to a rich listing of fun for the holidays.
The activities, events and ideas on the Shine website are for children and young people, including thosewith special education needs and disabilities. All have social distancing precautions in place or are based online, and many are free of charge.
Shine, a council-run hub, gives businesses and organisations an opportunity to upload their own events on the website for free.
There is also a section on the site for other sources of information. These include:
York Explore with e-books, the summer reading challenge and the new reading cafes
The current list features all sorts from a Fairy and Troll trail at Bishopthorpe Pre-school Playgroup to Crazy Golf and Foot Golf at York Golf range, to wildlife watching from The Wildlife Trusts and mindfulness session. The events and activities will be updated throughout the summer.
Organisations or businesses that would like to list an event in Shine, but haven’t yet done so, can list their activity at Get Listed in Shine
The Westfield and Dringhouses & Woodthorpe Ward Committees are once again funding free summer holiday activity sessions for local young people.
York City FC Foundation will be running kickabout sessions at Woodthorpe Green and Chesney Fields on Thursdays from 23 July to 3 September from 10am to 12.45pm. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, pre-booking is required so that social distancing can be maintained. Places can be booked online HERE
The council playgtounds at Woodthorpe Green, Nelsons Lane and Leeside were all re-opened on Saturday 11 July.
Signage has been put up encouraging the use of hand sanitiser and reminding users of the continued need for social distancing.
The two playgrounds on the Revival estate remain closed. Greenbelt, the facilities management company which is responsible for the playgrounds, has yet to confirm that they have undertaken the necessary checks before the play areas can be re-opened.
On the back of some queries about the history of the rock that sits at the centre of the recreation space off Girvan Close, former councillor Ann Reid has provided some helpful background information.
When the nearby housing was given planning permission, this piece of land was allocated as a play area and the developers were supposed to equip it. Nothing happened until the council managed to secure some money from them so that they could do the work.
Objections to the site being fitted with play equipment were raised by residents and so the funds were instead used to landscape the area, fence it off and provide features for imaginative play. Hence the bamboo, the mound and the rock. Originally there were more stones along the ridge that looked a bit like a serpent and provided some seating. It was intended to be a dog free area.
At some point after 2003 ‘the serpent’ was removed following complaints about young people gathering on the seats and causing nuisance. Attempts to remove the rock were resisted as it is a bit of a feature and is not causing any harm.
City of York Council has today (3 July) published details of its plans to re-open its playgrounds around the city.
Woodthorpe Green playground is soon to re-open
Following the Government announcement on 23 June that play areas can reopen from 4 July, the council is putting in place a rolling programme to re-open its play areas starting on 8 July, subject to the necessary signage and social distancing measures being in place.
In re-opening council play areas, consideration has been given to the latest Government guidance
All council play areas will be inspected by council staff prior to re-opening to ensure safety standards are met.
Users will be asked to follow social distancing guidance and make their own hand sanitising arrangements. Where practical, a one-way in / out system will be instigated for those play areas surrounded by a fence. This will be supported with appropriate signage and the impact monitored, with a review due to take place in mid-September.
In recent months it has been great to see more people cycling, with many trying new routes. Questions have been raised about the rationale for the current cycle barrier arrangements at some of the entrance points to Hob Moor and how changes might be made which could improve access for bicycles of all types.
Current position
Restricting barriers are in place at the following points on the moor – Railway underpass, Hob Moor Drive, Green Lane, Hob Stone Court (entrance onto the moor heading north), Hob Stone Court (on path from the Kingsway West entrance) and Kingsway West.
The barriers in use at these locations consist of:
a cattle grid leading to a raised ‘chain catcher’ plinth and shoulder-height guards
a kissing gate
a locked swing gate
A RADAR key which opens the swing gate can be purchased from City of York Council at a cost of £3, though on the council and i-Travel York websites there seems to be no explicit mention of the fact that these keys can be used to open these gates.
History
The current barrier arrangements were installed following planning permission being granted in August 2004. The issue was subject to coverage in The Press at that time.
From the information I have been able to gather, the barriers were installed in response to motorbikes using the moor, which was an issue that emerged in the 1990s. This behaviour caused nuisance to the residents whose properties are adjacent to the moor and posed a danger to grazing cattle. I also understand that easy access to the moor on motorbike was used by criminals to evade the Police. It was also considered safer to slow cyclists at the access points to the moor where sight lines are poor and a speeding cyclist could represent a threat to themselves, pedestrians and other cyclists.
There is a recognition by council officers that a review of barrier design across the city is needed, but this has not yet happened.
Analysis
The York Cycle Campaign (YCC) registered their objections to the barriers at the time they were installed. When considering changes to the current arrangements, I believe that views should be sought from a range of individuals and organisations with a legitimate interest, including:
Neighbouring residents
The farmer whose cattle graze the moor
The Police
Friends of Hob Moor
City of York Council planning, transport, ecology and legal officers
Ward councillors for Dringhouses & Woodthorpe, Westfield and Holgate wards
YCC and other cycling and access groups, eg Cycling UK York branch
It would be helpful to understand whether the threat posed by inappropriate use of motorbikes remains as great as when the barriers were installed. It would also be good to better understand from YCC members and access groups why the RADAR key option for securing access to the moor may not be a viable option. Is it due to the difficulty in getting hold of a key, or a (not unreasonable) wish to have barrier-free access without having to plan ahead for every trip?
There are a range of possible options, set out below. This is not an exhaustive list and some could be considered in conjunction.
Remove the plinths and shoulder-height guards
Pros – would facilitate easier access to the moor for more types of bicycles / trailers
Cons – would allow motorbikes onto the moor, may not allow sufficient width for some bicycles / trailers that would still need to use the swing gate, may require planning permission
Remove just the plinths
Pros – would facilitate easier access to the moor for bicycles, could be used as a ‘trial’ to see if the shoulder guards alone act as a deterrent for motorbikes
Cons – May allow motorbikes onto the moor, may not allow sufficient width for some bicycles / trailers that would still need to use the swing gate, may require planning permission
Promote awareness of the option to obtain a RADAR key and make it easier to obtain one
Pros – if successful, could make access to the moor more inclusive
Cons – does not facilitate easy access without forward planning
Replace the RADAR key with a technological solution, eg users are issued with a fob which triggers the gate to open when they ‘touch in’ and closes behind them
Pros – if successful, could make access to the moor more inclusive and may not require cyclists to dismount to open the gate with a key
Cons – possibly expensive, no ‘off the shelf’ product immediately available, would require maintenance, does not facilitate easy access without forward planning
Do nothing
Pros – it continues to be very difficult for motorbikes to access the moor
Cons – the current barrier arrangements continue to pose an awkward obstacle for many cyclists and do not permit access to the moor for non-standard bicycles or trailers which can only gain access via use of a RADAR key to open the swing gates
Next steps
A number of possible actions arise which may help to gather information to inform recommendations and decisions going forward.
Ask the Police whether the threat posed by inappropriate use of motorbikes remains as great as when the barriers were installed
Ask Dringhouses & Woodthorpe, Westfield and Holgate ward councillors whether their local knowledge indicates if the threat posed by inappropriate use of motorbikes remains as great as when the barriers were installed
Ask neighbouring residents for their views
Ask YCC and other cycling and access groups for their views
Ask council planning, transport and legal officers whether planning permission would be needed for any alterations to be made to the current barrier arrangements
Ask the council transport team about the likelihood of a city-wide review of barrier types starting sometime soon, and what residents can do to help, eg mapping barriers
Ask the council’s Ecology officer what issues, if any, have been encountered in recent years in relation to damage to habitat on the moor caused by motorbike incursions
Ask the farmer what issues, if any, have been encountered over recent years in relation to motorbike-related anti-social behaviour and the welfare of the cattle
Ask Friends of Hob Moor for their views
Explore options for a technological replacement for the RADAR keys
