Councillors keep up the pressure on grass verge reinstatement

Local Lib Dem councillors are continuing to push for proper reinstatement of grass verges in Dringhouses following the completion of UFO cable laying.

Many verges on Leven Road have failed to recover due to the very poor quality soil used – in places there is more rubble than soil!

Following a joint TalkTalk / City of York Council walkout last week, it was agreed that additional topsoil was required, which will put down over the next few weeks.

 

Residents volunteer for street tidy-up

Residents of Gower Road joined local Lib Dem councillor Stephen Fenton for a ‘tidy-up’ session on the afternoon of Sunday 23 September.

City of York Council loaned some ‘half moon’ edging tools which were used to cut back grass verges which had started to grow over the footpath.

Any residents who would like to take part in similar tidy-up sessions on their street should contact Stephen to arrange for the loan of some tools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Views sought on Highmoor Road parking options

Over recent months local Lib Dem councillors have been working with council officers to try to come up with possible solutions to help ease parking issues on Highmoor Road.

Vehicles parked opposite the entrance to Highmoor Close can make it difficult for large vehicles to get in and out, which has led to damage being done to the grass verges on the corners.

An initial idea was to create a parking bay in the verge outside the flats, similar to the one outside the flats on Wains Road. There are however utilities in the verge which would need to be diverted if tarmac was laid on the verge, which would be prohibitively expensive.

Residents are now being asked to have their say about three possible options.

Option 1 

Option 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This would provide 10 parking spaces aligned parallel to the boundary wall. Because this uses most of the lawned area, it requires a large area to allow vehicles to manoeuvre and to exit in a forward direction. This whole area would need to be converted to the EcoGrid construction.

Example of EcoGrid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The proposal would also require the provision of 2 wide vehicular crossings from Highmoor Road to allow access and exit from the parking area. Due to the extensive area needing to be provided, and the wider crossings, the cost of this option would be around £40,000.

There are various options available, eg this could be reduced to 5 spaces thereby considerably reducing the area of EcoGrid and hence the overall cost. We have concerns about the feasibility of this option because the paths down to flats 10 & 12 and 26 & 28 would be removed.

Option 2

Option 2 (map should say 6, not 8, spaces)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This option allows for 6 spaces, requiring the installation of 275m² of EcoGrid and a 4.5m wide vehicle crossing off Highmoor Road into the parking area. The cost of this option is around £27,500.

The access path to the front door would need to be removed / relocated to a more suitable position, but a shorter section of the front boundary wall will need to be removed compared to Option 1.

The option does result in the need for only one vehicular access, at a more conventional width.

Option 3

Option 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This option allows for 4 spaces, requiring the installation of 140m² of EcoGrid and a 4.5m wide vehicle crossing off Highmoor Road into the parking area. The cost of this option is around £19,000.

The access path to the front door would need to be removed / relocated to a more suitable position and a short section of the front boundary wall removed.

The fourth option is to do nothing and leave the lawned area in front of the flats as it is.

Residents are invited to send comments on the options to Cllr Stephen Fenton at cllr.sfenton@york.gov.uk or call 01904 787988.

Latest planning applications for 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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97 Middlethorpe Grove York YO24 1JX

Pitched roof over existing flat roof two storey side extension.

Ref. No: 18/01711/FUL 

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5 Bracken Road York YO24 1JT

Two storey side extension, single storey rear extension and porch to front.

Ref. No: 18/01704/FUL 

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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/

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

Dog fouling concerns on North Lane

In response to concerns raised by residents about dog fouling, a sign has been installed on North Lane in Dringhouses reminding irresponsible owners of the penalties of not picking up after their dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sign has been funded from the Dringhouses & Woodthorpe Ward Committee budget.

Talks on UFO restoration work

On 8 May Cllr Ann Reid joined fellow Lib Dem councillor Andrew Waller to meet with representatives of TalkTalk and council officers. The meeting followed a letter sent by Cllr Waller to TalkTalk last month expressing concerns received from residents with respect to the work being conducted as part of the Ultra Fibre Optic roll out.

A summary of residents’ issues raised were:
• Verge conditions – stones and gravel prevent grass growing or safe cutting by machines
• Tarmac on concrete driveways –uncertainty as to when tarmac will be replaced with concrete
• Cutting of other cables in the highway
• Bus routes blocked
• Pedestrians put onto the road due to closed footpath

There are concerns about the state of verges across Dringhouses

On communications, a new leaflet has been developed to encourage residents to call the Careline if there are issues and to reinforce the message that the crews will be returning to streets after the initial engineering works. There have been instances of other utilities having cables in the ground where they are not meant to be and this has resulted in some residents having telecoms cut (there is a BT Openreach worker with the teams at all times)

It was accepted that there needs to be a clearer communication of plans to residents and ward councillors in relation to:
• Replace temporary tarmac in concrete driveways with concrete (on like for like basis)
• Restoration of verges with re-soiling (replacing the rubble) and grass seed (within the timeframe when it is not too warm/dry for seed to successfully germinate)
• Step up tool box talks to gangs to reinforce customer service requirements
• Review pinch points where there are so many crews and vehicles that it starts to impact on transport in an area
• Review locations where pedestrians needed to go onto the road due to the works

There will be a new inspection regime to respond to residents’ concerns and ward councillors will be asked to check that issues raised by residents have been addressed before final sign off.
It is planned to have a web page for updates, and Frequently Asked Questions, and a summary of the position with roads which have been completed through the process.

Representatives from TalkTalk will give an update at the joint Dringhouses & Woodthorpe and Westfield Ward Committee meeting on 5 June at 6.30pm at the indoor bowls club on Thanet Road.

Latest planning applications for 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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43 Swale Avenue York YO24 2PU

Proposal              Erection of single storey extension extending 3.5 metres beyond the rear wall of the original house, with a height to the eaves of 2.55 metres and a total height of 3.7 metres

Reference           18/00755/LHE

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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/

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