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Time out from anger
Bus bureaucracy set to increase in York – meetings still behind closed doors
Minutes of the last meeting between the Council and bus operators reveal how decisions on the service may be taken in the future.
It looks like a 3 tier system of committees will be put in place.
There is no commitment to the meeting being open to the public. What information potential bus passenger will get remains unclear
The plans seem to rest heavily on York being designated as a “Better Bus Area”.
If it were then the coalition government would delegate some funding to a joint committee.
Meanwhile the Council is still refusing to release details of the reliability being achieved on bus services in York
New Hob Moor development plans submitted
Most of the metal railings and screen planting protecting the Our Lady’s development site will be retained under new proposals received by the Council.
click to access
Yorkshire Housing have submitted revised proposals for the development of the Our Ladys site following the deferral of their application at the last planning committee meeting.
They can be viewed on the “Planning on Line” web site under reference 13/02892/FULM
The plans involve the retention of most of the perimeter railings although in one key section on the northern boundary (where security and landscape appearance are sensitive issues) they propose to remove them. The new fencing is described as being at “a lower level”
No justification for removing the railings from this section is included in the papers.
This raises the concern that the developers hope to move plant onto the site via Hob Moor itself. This could result in damage which would take decades to repair.
The existing, and supplemented, shrubs and trees along the boundary would be protected by a post and rail fence.
click to access plans
The new proposals result in the loss of one housing unit meaning that 55 are now likely to be built on the site. This is still a lot more than the 29 units which were included in the draft Local Plan when it was published in April.
The appearance of the homes is little changed.
A small play ground aimed at young children, plus an area of Public Open Space, is now included towards the north west of the development.
There have been changes to the road layout
However no changes to the “sustainability” of the development are proposed.
The architect has written to the Council to say that “My client has carried out exhaustive viability appraisals on the site; however, the jump to Code level 4 on this development cannot be achieved.
As you are aware the site was purchased on the open market in competition with Private developers who would be delivering the minimum Affordable housing across the site at Code 3.
We are policy compliant at code 3 and offering a much improved level of affordable housing with the required 10% renewables”.
Have a higher “sustainability” rating would mean that the homes were cheaper to run.
Carol singers in Acomb Library on 12th December
#adventcalendar.Window 3 is opened & it's a carol singer,come and see our own carol singers on 12 December at 7pm! pic.twitter.com/YmrGmsGHwL
— Acomb Explore (@acombexplore) December 3, 2013
Books on prescription
Residents tackling mental health issues have a brand new route to free treatment in York.
In partnership with national health professionals, York’s Libraries are launching an innovative mental health self-help initiative.
The Books on Prescription scheme follows the opening of new reading café at a mental health treatment centre in the city, and enables GPs and mental health professionals to write a ‘book prescription’ as part of a patients’ cognitive behavioural therapy.
This recommends reading from a set of 30 self-help books approved by health professionals and designed to help people address or manage health problems such as anxiety or depression.
Christmas market in Acomb tomorrow (Wednesday)
More City centre cycle parking
The amount of parking spaces for bikes in the city centre has increased to over 1,000.
Throughout 2013 the council has added space for an extra 150 bikes within the city centre, which has been done by adding new cycle racks and extending some existing racks. This has grown the number of spaces by 18 per-cent compared to the beginning of the year.
The new spaces are located on:
- · Goodramgate
- · Piccadilly
- · King Street
- · North Street
- · Nunnery Lane car park
- · Micklegate
- · Lendal (outside the Post Office)
The existing racks that have been extended are:
- · Library Square
- · Castle Museum
- · Lendal (outside Zizzi’s)
- · Esplanade
- · Castle Car Park
Latest Planning application Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward
Below are the latest planning applications 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: 250 Tadcaster Road York YO24 1ES
Proposal: First floor extension to front and single storey side and rear extensions
Ref No: 13/03615/FUL
Applicant: Mr Simon Baynes Contact Mr Keith England Consultation Expiry Date 23 December 2013Case Officer: Elizabeth Potter Expected Decision Level DEL
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Location: 15 Helmsdale York YO24 2XW
Proposal: Single storey side and rear extension
Ref No: 13/03617/FUL
Applicant: Mr David Massey Contact Mr Sean Atkinson Consultation Expiry Date 23 December 2013Case Officer: Carolyn Howarth Expected Decision Level DEL
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Location: 10 White House Drive York YO24 1ED
Proposal: Single storey side and rear extension
Ref No: 13/03651/FUL
Applicant: Mr Richard Newton Consultation Expiry Date 23 December 2013 Case Officer: Carolyn Howarth 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.
More problems for York real time traffic information site
Click to visit site
The much publicised, and very expensive, ITravel web site – launched at the beginning of the year by the York Council – is still plagued by gremlins.
It was heavily criticised for not providing the kind of real time traffic congestion camera input which has been widely available elsewhere for over a decade.
The responsible Councillor promised in October that this feature would be available within days.
But now the interactive map has crashed altogether and does not provide any information at all about car parks, road works etc.
It is an embarrassing “fail” for the City in the busy run up to Christmas and may have contributed to the sometimes chaotic traffic scenes which arose during the St Nicholas Fayre period.
Many private cars were seen using Lendal Bridge during restricted hours over the weekend suggesting that some may pay more for their Christmas shopping trip than they were anticipating.
York £83 million transport bid
The government is consulting on a plan to establish a West Yorkshire and York “Super Council”.
The plan could “unlock” a £1 billion transport investment fund for the region as the coalition government pursues a policy of devolution. York might expect to get between £5 and £10 million a year from the devolved transport budget.
The York Council hopes to get £83.5 million in total for major infrastructure from a new “pot”.
Of this, £37.6 million would be spent on the northern by pass (not enough for dualling. Would just mean larger roundabouts).
York would be contributing up to £4 million a year into this “pot”. This is additional unbudgeted expenditure and would mean an increase in Council Tax levels and/or the introduction of new/additional charges
The report being considered tomorrow singularly fails to address the financial disadvantages of “pooling” transport income streams. Even the scale of the risk remains unclear.
Under the current proposals, drawn up by Labour Local Authority Leaders, York would not be a full member of the new authority and would not have voting rights.
The key question to be answered therefore is whether the new arrangements will be better for the people of York?
Or are they just a way of underpinning a “high growth” approach to the future of the City? That’s the 25% increase in size during the next 15 years advocated in the Local Plan published by Labour in April.
A West Riding, Labour, dominated super Council would not automatically be any more sensitive to the needs of a City like York than would the present decision taker who is bunkered in Whitehall.
The Authority would be ruled by a Quango. There is no mechanism for giving residents a say in the running of the new “Council”.
With local elections only 16 months away, there is a worrying absence of broad consensus across the political spectrum on whether, and on what terms, participation in the “Super Council” should be pursued.
Views must be sent to the government collaborate@communities.gsi.gov.uk by 2nd January 2014.