York Council publishes Fossgate pedestrianisation plans

The York Council has published its plans to pave Fossgate.

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The scheme is a long standing one. It was scheduled to be done after the Deangate project in 2011, but Labour changed priorities and allocated money to the Kings Square scheme instead. Only a limited amount of work is now planned at the northern end of Fossgate.

Nevertheless the scheme is likely to cost in excess of £300,000.

This is likely to inflame opinion in sub-urban areas.

Investment in the – much busier and arguably more run down – Front Street area was limited to £30,000 by the Council last year.

The Council says, “Following a city-wide consultation, proposals outlining the future look of Fossgate will be taken to a Cabinet meeting next week (Tuesday 1 April) for approval.

Over 600 individual responses were submitted during the latest consultation for three of the six priority Reinvigorate York schemes including Fossgate, which took place in January/February this year.

Other schemes include Exhibition Square / Theatre Interchange and the Duncombe Place/Blake Street junction, which will separately be taken to Cabinet in June.

The report provides an overview and detailed feedback of the consultation undertaken and outlines the preferred junction improvement option for the Fossgate scheme.

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City centre paving consultation

The York Council is delivering a leaflet to all households outlining its plans for resurfacing works in the City centre.

Exhibition Square plans

Exhibition Square plans

They are right to do so but, in pointing to improvements planned for Exhibition Square, Blake Street and Fossgate, they lamentably fail to answer the question that will be on every taxpayer’s lips.

How much will these paving schemes cost?

There is little new in the leaflet.  The Labour Council changed the Council’s forward programme in 2011 putting the modernisation of Kings Square ahead of the Fossgate pedestrianisation scheme which had been set to go ahead in 2012.

Next in line were to have been improvements to Duncombe Place, which could have provided a large and useful pedestrian precinct.

But the Councils increasing financial problems meant that progress would inevitably have slowed.

Residents might usefully have been asked when completing the “on line” survey whether they want any of these schemes to go ahead or whether the money might be better spent repairing the roads in sub-urban areas?

The danger in the Councils approach is that the improvement of the City centre may become politically toxic.

Against a background of plans for a further £1 million cut in road maintenance in sub-urban areas, residents are likely to demand of Council candidates – at the next local elections in 2015 – a commitment to improving public service standards in residential areas.

The City centre may find that its share of available resources is reduced.