Shepherd Social Club in Holgate to become flats

Shepherd Social Club Holgate Road

Shepherd Social Club Holgate Road

The former Shepherds Social Club on Holgate Road is set to be converted into 12 one bedroomed flats.

A planning application will be considered at a meeting taking place on 9th January

The proposal involves the erection of a new side extension. The building is currently vacant.

The Council report says, “A financial contribution of £4080 is required for the provision of amenity space and sports pitches. The money would be used to improve a local site such as West Bank Park or Holgate allotments and to improve a sports facility within the West Zone of the Sport and Active Leisure Strategy”.

Access to an 8 vehicle car park is obtained from Hamilton Drive.

No objections have been received to the proposal.

If approved, the 12 additional accommodation units will further reduce the pressure to build on green field land in the City.

York Council asset sale

The York Council is planning to sell off property and land that it owns at Lower Darnborough Street, 17/21Piccadilly, the former Manor School and adjacent to the A59 roundabout.

It also intends to purchase the remaining freehold part of Stonebow House.

The scheme on Darnborough Street, would see a vacant former malting converted into 6 town houses, the existing machinery and fittings remaining in situ in the communal area and the creation of a “renewable energy heating centre” using the existing kiln and flue to heat the townhouses which will be let on long leases. The Council have not published details of the successful bid nor have they indicated if it was the highest bid received.

17/21 Piccadilly

17/21 Piccadilly

The Council have negotiated with the owners of the major development site next to Manor school (ABF who own the former British Sugar assets) to sell it. It will form part of the major access to the new housing development. Again the Council have not revealed details of the negotiated price. The site was not put on the open market.

The former aircraft works and (later) tram depot on Piccadilly is – as has been widely reported – set to become a hotel. Offers, which have not been revealed, are subject to the granting of planning permission.

An area of land next to the A59/A1237 roundabout is to be sold to the adjacent garage. The Council understands that a major redevelopment will then take place.

Finally the Council intend to buy out the North Yorkshire County Council, from its 50% ownership of the Stonebow site, for £62,250.

Generally the City has always benefited in the long term from land and property acquisitions so this move may be a good one. However the controversial building is let to property holding company which is currently in receivership, so rapid progress is unlikely.

NB. The York Council has been criticised in the past for selling off assets at the wrong time and in the wrong way. The Haymarket/Hungate car park – which generates over £100,000 a year in income – was sold to an insurance company at the low point in the recession, potentially losing taxpayers over £2 million.

Police warning as van drivers targeted by criminals in west York

VAN OWNERS

Vans are being targeted on our patch over the last week with 9 being broken into west York police advise. Try reversing up to your garage so you block the back doors and your garages. Also, remove all tools & valuables from your van at night. Report suspicious activity immediately.

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Witness appeal after York burglary

Detectives are appealing for witnesses after a sneak-in burglary in York.

Sometime between 7pm and 7.20pm on Thursday 26 December 2013, thieves entered a shared house on Watson Terrace, in Holgate, through an insecure patio door and took a television and a Play Station 3 games console.

More http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/12721

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Designer clothing stolen in York – can you help?

York police have released a CCTV image of two suspects after a theft of designer clothing from one of the city’s shopping centres.

It occurred at around 1.30pm on Sunday 22 December 2013, from the Hugo Boss store at McArthurGlen.

More http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/12720

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Police urge festive fun not drunken disorder this new year

North Yorkshire Police is hoping for a happy and enjoyable New Year’s Eve this year and wish the people of York and North Yorkshire a safe and peaceful 2014.

More http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/12717

Latest Planning application Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward

Below is the latest planning application received by the York Council for the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe ward.

Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

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Location:       24 White House Gardens York YO24 1EA

Proposal:       Increase height of roof

Ref No: 13/03838/FUL

Applicant:      Mr Paul Wright  Contact M T S Architectural Services    Consultation Expiry Date        17 January 2014 Case Officer:   Elizabeth Potter        Expected Decision Level DEL

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Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.  http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

NB. The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received.

Car parking chaos hits York City centre

As the sales get into full swing, angry motorists are demanding to know why York has stopped providing car parking space availability information?

Click to access "live" parking and travel information

Click to access “live” parking and travel information

Until 2011, anyone could access the Councils web site and see how many spaces were unoccupied at each car park.

That information has now disappeared although other Councils still provide the service.

The information isn’t even provided for York’s showcase Park and Ride sites

Today car parks like Castle were full but the Council’s travel service hasn’t bothered to use its “twitter” feed to update potential users.

Signs on the approach roads to the City centre, which indicate space availability, are also unreliable, so many motorists are driving round and round looking for spaces.

This increases pollution and congestion on City centre roads.

Sadly it is another example of new technology providing information that is less useful than what was available a decade ago.

More York businesses to get rate relief?

Cabinet to decide individual applications

The York Council is set to make available Business Rate reductions for “young” businesses. The businesses must be independent and less than 2 years old. They would enjoy a 50% reduction in rates payable during the first year.

Tax haven

They must be operating in one of the following sectors.

  1. Bio-medical/sciences
  2. Agritech
  3. Insurance & Professional Services
  4. Rail & related industries
  5. Business software innovation
  6. Creative medicine

The scheme will also apply to proposals to bring empty Listed buildings back into commercial use AND MAY BE EXTENDED TO COMPANIES WISHING TO RELOCATE TO THE CITY.

With the local economy in danger of overheating – early in the economic recovery we are already approaching full employment – the scheme is not targeted on depressed parts of the City.

Local shopping centres like Front Street have fared poorly in recent years. The last thing that businesses in locations like that need is subsidised competition.

The scheme has also been criticised as the plan is for decisions, on which companies will get the award, will be taken by a single party committee (the Councils “Cabinet”).

Companies that apply are not required to reveal what donations to political parties they have made or are planning to make.

The Council has not revealed how much the discounts will cost. The total amount of state aid to an individual company under EU regulations is limited to € 200,000.

York school set to lose rate relief application

The Steiner school in Fishergate is set to have an application for a reduction in its Business Rate liability turned down by the York Council.

The school is a registered charity and a non for profit organisation with any surplus made used for development. The school has recommended fees of ￡6,500 pa per child. The school was seeking a discretionary rebate of £3203 but this is set to be turned down by Labour Councillors apparently on the grounds that it is a fee paying schools.

The York Council currently discounts around £95,000 that charities in the City would otherwise pay in Business Rates. The scale of the relief was reduced when Labour took office in York.

Most charities, and other not for profit organisations, already receive what is known as “mandatory relief” which is paid for by central government.

In York the division of the Discretionary Rate relief is as follows

Category

DRR (total) £

CYC Share £

Not-for Profit

3340

1670

Charities

119931

59966

CASC’s

21925

10962

Rural Discretionary

40605

20303

Rural Top Up

5514

2757

Total Cost

191316

95658

The complete list of organisations recommended to receive Discretionary Rate Relief over the next year can be found by clicking here.

It includes the Tang Hall, Bell Farm and Foxwood Community Centres. Several Church aided schools are also included.

2/3 of the relief is paid by central government.

York Council hoarding £2.7 million intended for public service improvements?

Contributions made by developers for affordable housing, transport, leisure and schools improvements.

The vast majority of the payments made to the York Council by builders – to offset the impact that new developments have on the demand for public services – has not been spent by the Council.

Not only have projects which would increase public service capacity not been identified there is not record of the current administration having even discussed its plans for the cash mountain.

The amounts collected include several hundred thousand pounds as contributions towards the provision of ”affordable” housing. These are commuted sums paid when a developer is unable to provide cheaper accommodation “on site”.

House building, Norfolk

Quite why the Council has simply not bought properties on the open market with this money is a mystery. It would be the quickest way of accommodating several dozen people who are currently living in poor quality accommodation.

The unused ”receipts” have led some developers to call for a “refund”. They point out, with some justification, that if their developments had caused an increase in demand for public services, then such demand must have been satisfied when the properties were occupied.

Banking the money for over 5 years suggests that the S106 system is simply being used as an additional “tax” on development. In part it may explain the low house building numbers in the City over the last 3 years.

click to access source file

click to access source file

Now they plan to demand that the monies are returned to them.

The figures were obtained under a Freedom of Information request.

A spreadsheet showing what payments have been made and how (some) of the money has been used, can be found by clicking here.

The paper does not include some of the largest S106 payments such as that scheduled to be used to build the “Community Stadium” at Monks Cross.