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Additional parking restrictions are being introduced on Holgate Road.
They are intended to improve sight lines for those using the pedestrian crossing near the railway bridge.
Changes to parking arrangements in the Westfield area are also planned. They include additional restrictions on Grange Lane (see http://stevegalloway.mycouncillor.org.uk/2012/09/06/council-back-track-on-grange-lane-parking-restrictions/)
A film made by Khaoz Media, a youth-led voluntary community media project coordinated by City of York Council, has been nominated for an international award.
The short documentary has been put forward for an International Citizen Media Award and was created as part of Khaoz Media’s Accessible Broadcasting Community Project (ABC). The film details the ABC project through interviews with participants and includes examples of the audio-visual content produced in its workshops. (more…)
This weekend (8-9 September) will see the streets of York city centre come alive with dance tunes as the Annual Festival of Traditional Dance makes a welcome return.
Now in its 25th year and forming part of the York 800 celebrations, the festival will fill open spaces such as Parliament Street – including the new performance area – St Sampson’s Square and Kings Square. Over 200 dancers from Yorkshire to Sussex will be bringing their colourful costumes, music and dance styles to celebrate dancing in their regional traditions.
Watch performances from over a dozen dance troupes from the face-painted Flash Company from Otley, the Britannia Coconut Dancers from Bacup on their first visit to York and the host company, York’s very own Ebor Morris dancers. They’ll be bringing dances from the British border country and the America’s Appalachian mountains, as well as Longsword dances and the 200-year-old step clog tradition.
The festival steps out on Saturday, starting at 10.30am when the dancers will process from the Guildhall to Parliament Street before performing for everyone to enjoy across the city centre. The event will culminate in a spectacular showcase on St Sampson’s Square between 2.30pm and 3.30pm when all the dance troupes will perform for the Lord Mayor.
The dance will continue on Sunday at King’s Square between 10.30am and 13.30pm.
In another “behind closed doors” decision, the Council has decided to transfer all aspects of the design, building, management and maintenance of the new Community Stadium (Monks Cross) to a private contractor.
It is unclear who will undertake this contract although, in the past, the operators of the existing facility have expressed an interest in managing any new stadium.
The Council has now said that “a number of options have been considered and the preferred procurement option of Design Build Operate and Maintain (DBOM) provides the best opportunities for; (i) cost effective delivery of the overall project, (ii) achieving effective risk transfer and (iii) maximising commercial innovation”.
No consultation on the proposal took place before the meeting and it remains very unclear whether lumping all aspects of the community stadium project into one contract will optimise value for money for taxpayers.
This is now a big issue as Labour plan to contribute an additional £4 million of taxpayers money into the project – in addition to the value of the site. The latest decision could mean that there will be a reduced chance of that funding being recovered from rental income as was the original intention.
The Council will have to write up a very detailed – and financially watertight – tender specification before procurement starts. Taxpayers will expect this documentation to be published before the project goes to tender.
There is also mystery surrounding the Councils intentions for the management of its other leisure facilities such as the Yearsley Swimming pool and the “Energise” sports centre on Cornlands Road.
Labour have threatened to outsource the management of these facilities in one large contract in the past but now seem reluctant to confirm what they expect to happen and when.
Back by popular demand, the Festival of Cycling will once again be held in Rowntree Park this weekend (8-9 September).
Organisers are hoping for good weather so that everyone will be able to enjoy the ever-popular cycling ‘have-a-go’ sessions as well as watching daredevil cycling stunt shows from The Clan on Saturday and Savage Skills on Sunday. For thrill seekers the AirBag will be there too so BMX officianados can try their skills.
iTravel York aims to encourage and promote all forms of sustainable travel so at this year’s Festival of Cycling there will be information on walking, bus travel, journey planning, and car sharing. Also on show will be electric vehicles from Toyota, Mia and Smart .
The last two Festivals of Cycling were run as part of the Cycling City initiative to encourage more people to consider cycling as an everyday form of transport in and around York. The event is now part of iTravel York, an initiative funded from central governments’ Local Sustainable Transport Fund to encourage non-congesting modes of travel, to improve air quality and to help boost the local economy. Also appearing on Sunday will be the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Extrication team with a display of how a car crash victim is cut free from a vehicle wreck.
All kinds of pedal powered cycles from the everyday two wheeler to the highly unusual and specialised three and four wheelers, as well as mega bikes seating up to 8 people will be available for all ages and abilities to try out.
There will also be trade stands with many of the well known cycle shops in York being represented – there may be some Festival of Cycling special offers to take advantage of so it will be well worth a visit if a bicycle is on someone’s wish list! All in all the event promises to be a great, fun, family occasion.
The festival will run 10am-5pm on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 September and admission is free. For more details go to: www.yorkfestivalofcycling.org.uk and follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/YorkFestivalOfCycling
The Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 5 and Tuesday 11 September 2012.
•A64, east-bound Bowbridge Farm, Tadcaster
•A64, west-bound Bowbridge Farm, Tadcaster
•Millfield Lane, Poppleton, York
•Beckfield Lane, Acomb, York
•Green Lane, Acomb, York
•A64, east-bound Bowbridge Farm, Tadcaster
•A64, west-bound Bowbridge Farm, Tadcaster
•Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe, York
•A1036, Tadcaster Road, Acomb, York
•A64, between Whitwell Hill and Barton Hill
•A64, between Barton-le-Willows and Jinnah
•A64, between Barton Hill and Whitwell Hill
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Kings Square
The York Council’s Labour “Cabinet” is set to agree an additional £3.3 million increase in spending today. All of the money is to be spent in the City centre. http://tinyurl.com/3-million-York-plan
The programme is part of the Council’s so called “Reinvigorate York” programme which will eventually see the City’s debt increase by an estimated £20 million. Interest and repayments on this loan will leave residents with an extra £1.6 million a year to find. Much of it is expected to come from further cuts to front line services.
The decision comes at a time when the Council is facing a £6 million overspend on this years budget together with heavy criticism over its decision to cut home care support of 184 elderly residents. Ironically the Council will have to find £300,000 to pay for consultants to design the planned improvements. That is similar to the sum that is needed to continue the social care services which are set to be axed.
Graffiti display for tourist on river cruise
For a number of years the Council has (rightly) invested in a rolling programme of works aimed at improving the streetscape of the City. The last project to be completed was the paving of Library Square in 2011 and this was to be followed by improvements to Deangate, as part of the Minster Revealed project. The latter is running a little behind schedule but the next street to be pedestrianised and paved was due to be Fossgate.
Under the new plans Fossgate is pushed back and changes to Kings Square have been substituted. The 6 areas to be addressed over the next 2/3 years are:
1) Parliament Street (including Piccadilly/ Coppergate junction)
2) King’s Square
3) Exhibition Square/ St. Leonard’s Place/ Bootham Bar
4) Fossgate/ Pavement
5) Duncombe Place/ Blake Street
6) Micklegate
No figures have been provided for the costs of individual schemes. Officials acknowledge that work at the Parliament Street junction will be complex and no decision has yet been made on what will replace the old public toilet block (although the quality of street entertainment here has taken an upward step recently – http://youtu.be/s-_Ip_VJrLc)
The additional borrowing results from what should be a 4 or 5 year programme being compressed into just 30 months. An officer’s report on the project fails to produce a convincing business case for the investment. All that are quoted are case studies from wildly dissimilar towns and City’s which sought regeneration from a much lower base (and in most cases – because of unemployment levels – with the benefit of Regional and/or European funding).
With no measurable economic development targets identified, no one will ever know whether the investment was justified.
No money to repair verges in sub-urban York
What is clear is that sub-urban areas are being starved of resources with street level services in decline. Even the City centre environment is under pressure with graffiti on the increase – just the kind of image that will deter people from visiting the City.
So what should the Council do?
The improvement programme in the City centre should continue but at a pace that can be funded without recklessly increasing the City’s debt burden. Borrowing should be restricted to projects which generate a clear additional income stream for the Council and which can then be used to service debt charges.
The sub-urban areas should also receive investment with the aim being to generate pride in the whole of the City not just the area within the Bar Walls.
New guidance on what is acceptable in terms of extensions to properties in York has been published.
Many home extensions are completed under permitted development rights but the guidance will help those who are considering more major adaptations.
The final amended guidance agreed by a Council committee can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/York-Extensions
New rules regulating the sub-division of houses have been published by the Council.
The planning guidance says that sub-divided dwellings must:
* provide adequate internal space;
* are of a suitable layout;
* have acceptable amounts of internal and external storage space;
* have acceptable levels of facilities;
* do not have an adverse impact on the amenity of neighbouring residents;
* have acceptable access; and
* are designed and built to a high standard of sustainability.
The full document can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/sub-divide-York
Karen Maitland talks about her latest book, Falcon of Fire and Ice.
The best-selling author of the medieval thrillers, Company of Liars, Owl-Killers and The Gallows Curse. Karen also writes jointly with other authors for the Medieval Murderers novels. Join us to talk about her latest book Falcon of Fire and Ice amongst others. The medieval period was an age of power, passion, mischief and murder and Karen will be able to share with us some of its dark and wonderful secrets.
Cost £5.00 Book – http://tinyurl.com/Maitland-Evening