House prices in York

Shelter has issued another report claiming that there are not enough “affordable” homes for families to buy in York.

This is probably true but not to the extent that is claimed.

As with much other research data the figures are bedevilled by the use of average income figures.

It matters little what percentage of properties on the market are “affordable”. The key figure is the gross number available.

The key to whether there are “enough” affordable homes for sale rests with much more simple question.

What income would a family with 2 children need to be able to afford to buy a 2 or 3 bedroomed property in the City?

Foxwood Lane to rent

Foxwood Lane to rent

Terrington Court to rent

Terrington Court to rent

Front Street to rent

Front Street to rent

Crombie Avenue for sale

Crombie Avenue for sale

Hatfield Walk to buy

Hatfield Walk to buy

Bramham Avenue to buy

Bramham Avenue to buy

There are numerous properties currently advertised for under £100,000 in York. Most are, however, flats and are unlikely to appeal to families. (click images right and left for details)

• The cheapest 2 bedroomed house is advertised at £112,500 (Bramham Avenue)

• A similar 2 bed terrace in Kingsway West is advertised for £116,995.

• The cheapest 3 bedroomed house is available in Hatfield Walk for £124,950.

• A 3 bedroomed property in Barkston Close will cost £130,000

• The cheapest 4 bedroomed property can be found in Crombie Avenue for £165,000.

• A 4 bedroomed bungalow in Coniston Close in Rawcliffe is advertised at £177,000

• The cheapest 5 bedroomed property can be found in Osbaldwick Lane for £200,000.

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• On the rental market a 2 bed terrace on Front Street can be had for £495 pcm

• The cheapest 3 bedroomed property is in Terrington Court in Strensall

• The cheapest 4 bedroomed property available to rent can be found on Foxwood Lane at £750 pcm.

It is the price of (privately) rented property that is the biggest issue in York at present.

This is partly influenced by the boom in student lets.

A number of new student halls of residence have recently been given planning permission in the City including the Press site.

There has been a boom in planning applications this year with many brownfield sites set to produce many more homes than were included in the draft Local Plan assumptions.

Extra noise patrols in run up to November 5th

Bonfire night can be fun for all, but if it creates nuisance to neighbours, the council can take enforcement action. That’s the message from City of York Council this autumn.

Midsummer bonfire against a night sky, moon

The council is reminding residents that garden waste can be disposed of by composting, recycling or through the green bin rather than heaping it on a bonfire – especially if it’s damp. Gardeners can use a topical check list of bonfire night do’s and don’ts relevant at any time of year:

• It’s best to burn materials when they are dry

• Household rubbish, rubber tyres or anything containing plastic foam or paint should never be burned and should be disposed of at York’s household waste recycling centres

• Never use engine oil, meths or petrol to light the fire

• Try and light fires when light wind will carry smoke away from your neighbours

Thanks to funding from the Safer York Partnership, the council will be running extra noise patrols to help tackle the problems of excessive bonfire smoke and noise in the days surrounding the event.

The council has put together a helpful list of do’s and don’ts for bonfire night events, but it will also be happy to offer practical advice to those holding their own fireworks events, if require d.

We will be running extra patrols on 5 November to help tackle any potential problems. Residents can call the council’s environmental protection unit (EPU) on 01904 551555.

Extra noise patrols will run on:

Thursday 31 October, 10pm-1am

Friday 1 November, 9pm-3am

Saturday 2 November, 9pm-3am

Sunday 3 November, 6-11pm

Thursday 5 November, 10pm-1am

Residents can contact the EPU on: Environmental.protection@york.gov.uk

There is more information on bonfires at: http://www.york.gov.uk/info/200360/air_pollution/486/air_pollution/2

Details of Tour de France cycle race in York confirmed

There were no surprises when the route that the Tour de France will take though York was revealed today in Paris.

click for enteractive map

click for enteractive map

The route will start from the Racecourse on Sunday 6th July taking in the City centre before leaving the City via Bootham, Clifton Bridge and Boroughbridge Road and making its way to Harrogate and Sheffield.

York taxpayers are already set to get a bill for over £1.4 million for the stage two depart event.

There were no surprises either when it was revealed that another Labour Councillor jumped at the chance to visit Paris today for the, somewhat less than historic, announcement of “Le route”.

“Adopt a salt bin” scheme proposed in York

The names of the 5 Labour Councillors who voted on Monday to scrap most of the “self help” salt bins in the City have been published.

They include 3 Councillors who were parachuted in by the Labour Leadership to replace members who had refused to take part in the highly unpopular decision.

The five Councillors were:

• S Burton (Westfield) Substitute
• N McIlveen (Rawcliffe)
• R Potter (Heworth)
• J Riches (Holgate) Substitute
• N Barnes (Hull Road) Substitute

They endorsed the cuts which were originally proposed by Cllr Levene (Heslington)

The Council have now said that residents groups may “adopt a salt bin” if they feel that it serves a particular need in their area.

As the salt bins (which cost £300) to provide) already exist, the residents groups would “only” need to find around £50 a time to have each filled.

Contact the following Email address if you want to “adopt a salt bin” andy.binner@york.gov.uk

Mini_Grit_Bin

If it is a mild winter, then one fill might be enough.

Another alternative might be to use a private contractor to keep the bins filled.

We have mixed feeling about the scheme which could discriminate against deprived areas.

However it has the advantage of keeping the bins on the streets so that, after Labour inevitably lose control of the Council in 2015, normal winter maintenance services can be resumed quickly by the new Council.

These are the 15 salt bins in the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward that the Council propose to remove. They are:
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Man charged with Leeman Road murder

Detectives investigating the death of Nicole Selena Waterhouse in York have charged a 25-year-old man with her murder.

The man has also been charged with the attempted murder of Karen Browne.

He was arrested in the early hours of Monday 21 October 2013 following an incident at Phoenix Boulevard in the Leeman Road area of the city during the evening of Sunday 20 October 2013.

He has been remanded in police custody and is due to appear at York Magistrates’ Court this morning (Wednesday 23 October 2013).

Secondary school places deadline looms in York

City of York Council is reminding parents of all year 6 pupils that the deadline for applications for secondary school places for September 2014 is the end of the month (31 October).

Applications for children born between 01.09.02 and 31.08.03 can be made at www.york.gov.uk/schooladmissions, by contacting the School Services team on 01904 551554 or by emailing education@york.gov.uk

Information about schools, the allocation process and admission policies can all be found in the Guide for Parents available at www.york.gov.uk/guideforparents

Parent/carers will find out which secondary school their child has been allocated on the 1 March 2014.

The closing date for Primary School places is 15 January 2014.

For regular updates follow the school services team on twitter @School_Services