Westfield Ward Committee has joined up with Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward Committee to commission activities for young people. In partnership with York City Knights Foundation there will be a number of activities in the area in the poster below. These are free events and are being funded via the Ward Committee Budgets. Please spread the word.
On 15th March the Council will be asked to approve a £1.7 million investment to modernise and expand the council run Sheltered Housing (soon to be called Independent Living) scheme on Ascot Way (off Kingsway West). This follows the decision on Windsor House. The deferred modernisation of Lincoln Court can now take place, and the Executive is being recommended to approve funding to expand the provision to give it new life. Westfield Ward Liberal Democrat Councillors have been pressing for this work to be done in response to concerns from residents about the state of the building, in particular the windows.
£1.4 million expansion to Lincoln Court –
• 8 new one bed apartments which will be dementia friendly
• Upgrading 4 bedsits into one bed apartments
• Improving the entrance lobby, communal facilities including a community lounge, assisted bathing, buggy store, offices for care and other staff, improve gardens and parking
• new room for communal boiler and plant
In addition the set aside £361,500 of housing modernisation work (excluding the boiler room work which will be covered in the £1.4 million) which had been put on hold can be released. Constructed in 1966 Lincoln Court was last modernised in 1991 and it was showing a need for maintenance.
This aspect of the work will include; modernisation of individual flats, new kitchen, bathroom, heating and wiring, new front doors, windows, a new entry system, roof works, external and internal decoration.
There will be a review of energy efficiency and renewable energy linked to the new centre for Disabled Children which will be built on the site of Windsor House as part of the council’s commitment to One Planet York.
Residents living in Lincoln Court have had some initial consultation and there will be a planning application in May 2018 to which residents will be able to see the plans and the Ward Councillors will ensure that information is shared.
Subject to planning consent being given work would start on site in Winter 2018 to be completed in Autumn 2019.
The full report is available via http://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=733&MId=10189&Ver=4
Below are photos of the boiler room in Windsor House which flooded in the Boxing Day Floods in 2015, new boilers were installed with pumps to transfer the water which comes in from Hob Moor. This had been an inherent weakness for both buildings and will be addressed with the new Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children and improved Lincoln Court.
Boilers
Boiler room in Windsor House is below ground level leading to ingress of surface water.
Pumps
Many residents will have become interested in the prospect of fracking or shale gas extraction coming close to York. The Government have divided the areas of the country where the geology is appropriate into licence areas (PEDL).
As there have been a large number of questions put to Cllr Andrew Waller as Executive Member for Environment for this subject a meeting was held with INEOS on 28th February with Tom Pickering (Operations Director) and Gordon Grant (Regional Stakeholder Engagement Manager) with a council officer present. There is currently an Inspector reviewing the Minerals and Waste Strategy for York and North Yorkshire which will partly govern the operation of this activity – although the Government has legislated for this to be “permitted development” and so only limited powers exist for local authorities in terms of Planning.
PEDL Licence areas
The meeting was a follow up to one in November 2016 at which the programme for activities were discussed, and the way in which the public would see planning applications, and activities on the ground.
In the draft Minerals and Waste Strategy (as part of the Local Plan) a buffer of 500m between fracking and housing has been proposed the discussions indicated that this is going to be a subject of discussion at the Inquiry. Some residents have asked for a greater distance.
As York’s surrounding countryside is relatively flat there are concerns that in the Green Belt that fracking construction would be more visible. The response was that in the lifetime of a well the rig would be present for 3 months or so, the longer lasting equipment would be less intrusive. There will be a debate at the inquiry about what is acceptable on the skyline.
Some residents have asked what the gas will be used for, with some suggestion that this will be linked to plastic production – the answer was until the test drilling is done the composition of the gas is uncertain. A methane only gas supply would be most often used for electricity generation, with only ethane and butane being potential for plastics.
Residents are concerned about water use and outputs. The response was that the initial uses would be for cooling and lubrication and so would be carried away by tanker. It would only be in the long term future that it might be carried by underground pipework for treatment. The need for additional treatment plants to the existing one in Leeds would be driven by the scale of the operation.
In terms of the length of time after the test drilling that the public would see an application for the next stages the processing of data, and baseline monitoring before activity there might be a period of 6 months to a year before a full application was made into the local authority planning process. This may be for an application for vertical and horizontal drilling at the same time to prevent the need for a subsequent application.
There have been questions raised about the number of fracking pads in a 10 km square, and the proposed limit of 10 pads in this area will be something which will be a subject of discussion during the inspection.
In terms of the PEDL area which includes Strensall it was agreed that a statement will be prepared by Gordon Grant. The area which includes the Minster and large built up areas is not being progressed.
Work continues with the old Coal Board Surveys which will be supplemented where necessary with seismic surveys to gain an evidence base. The public applications are expected to be applied for before August 2018 depending on other work around the country which is being done at the same time.
Letter from INEOS
There are free events, advice and refreshments at Sanderson House each Thursday Morning as part of the Hub. Come along and join in, all welcome and come and meet new friends.
Parking provision has been an increasing issue around the ward as areas where car ownership was very low has recently seen an increase, however, many parts of our area were not built with this in mind.
There is a mix of Ward Committee Funded Schemes (which have been through the ballot) and HEIP (Housing Environmental Improvement Programme) which replaced the former Estate Improvement Grants.
Subject to investigation of underground utilities (see note at the end of the article) the proposed timetable is as below using previously allocated resources (more could come from the 2018/19 ward committee funds ballot which is currently being voted on by residents)
Spurr Court – August 2018
Danesfort Avenue near junction with Middleton Road outside flats – August 2018
Thoresby Road outside 12-24 (62 metres in length) September 2018
Askham Lane (outside 198/200 and 206/8) September/October 2018
Bramham Avenue (outside flats 49-55) October 2018 – this is part of a wider programme to improve access to buses to the estate on the number 1 route.
There will be a number developed in the Kingsway West and Windsor Garth area for November 2018 – detailed locations will be developed in light of the investigation for utilities (the presence of these can make a parking bay prohibitively expensive)
The relevant statutory undertakers’ equipment details for all of the above schemes before the end of May 2018. Once the position and depth of any services in the areas concerned have been identified, this will ultimately determine whether parking pays can feasibly be delivered. Should this process reveal any services that prevent the required depth for parking bay construction being achieved, this is likely to render a scheme as not being feasible.
Spurr Court
Danesfort Avenue
Thoresby Road
Askham Lane
Bramham Avenue
As part of the proposals to redevelop the footprint of the Lowfield School site with a Care Home there has been an inclusion on council designs for a police station. However, there has not been any detailed plans as to how the activities from the current Acomb Police Station would relocate. Cllr Andrew Waller has written to the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Julia Mulligan to get a definitive view from the police as to what is actually going on and will be meeting her on April 12th to discuss this and other local issues.
Acomb Police Station
In the meantime the official response from the police via the PCC is that they were invited to be part of the new proposed Lowfield Development in 2016, and whilst there were initial soundings, in a ‘statement of intent’ letter, it has not gone any further. Cllr Waller was assured that any change would need to involve councillors and the local community in full consultation before any such change could be brought forward. The police service also say that they would only progress this proposal if it provided them with a fit for purpose operational facility and also met the needs of the community.
The current police station is on a main road and has received a number of upgrades in recent years most recently in 2014 and therefore the need to relocate has not been explained, nor how the move from a location which fits the transport and parking needs for the local police team would be better served in the middle of the Lowfields Estate. Regrettably the council has not tackled the parking problems in Lowfields Drive and Dijon Avenue highlighted by Westfield Councillors following up complaints from residents. The issue of how a new building would be paid for has not produced any figures or business plan.
There is however, a general need to have a public desk available for use which would be most appropriate at Acomb Explore Library which already hosts the Police Volunteer sessions on Fridays. This was proposed as part of the council’s consultation on Library Services by Cllr Waller.
The Lowfield site has been controversial due to the loss of the playing fields and the lack of recognition that the open space in the development needs to take account of the shortage of space in the surrounding community – ironically this policy is now contained within the policies of the Local Plan which is being consulted on until 4th April. The shortage of open space could start to be addressed by clarification of this aspect to start with.
Outline for planning designs on Lowfields site
A campaign to alert drivers to the risks of dangerous parking, and to attract a new crossing patrol person has been launched today in a joint effort between York Council and Westfield Primary. Key Stage 2 pupils were joined in the assembly by council staff involved with safe transport to schools, and Cllr Andrew Waller who has been pressing for action on behalf of residents who live near the school, and parents who are concerned about the safety of pupils.
There will also be the opportunity for residents to raise concerns about parking at the Westfield Ward Committee Meeting on 14th March at Gateway Centre on Front Street at 6:30pm.
A drive to get applicants for the school crossing patrol has been assisted with leaflets being handed out at school dropping off times today, and an advert was included in the Ward Committee Newsletter.
A booklet “Should you sack your chauffeur” has been distributed to pupils to encourage discussion at home about how changes in parking can help the situation which can become fraught at the Askham Lane and Grange Lane entrances.
The signs below will be making an appearance at both entrances to the school between now and Easter. Enforcement will be monitored to see how this changes behaviour.
The ballot for ward committee fund schemes is being delivered to houses in the Westfield Ward. The newsletter also promotes the Ward Committee Meeting on 14th March at the Gateway Centre. There will be the opportunity for residents to find out more about the proposed Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children, Parking issues around schools, regeneration of Front Street, Cable Work by UFO/Talk Talk and other issues that residents want to raise. (If you are a Westfield Resident and you have not received your newsletter then please let us know and we can follow this up).
The Westfield Liberal Democrat team have been visiting roads around the ward where potholes have been reported to check that they have been sorted. Today’s focus was Gale Lane and Foxwood Lane. New ones are appearing all the time due to the length of the winter, being colder than recent ones, and the wetter weather mixed with frost leading to more freeze-thaw action. We will be vigilant, and have recently reported one on Foxwood Lane near the field which has suddenly opened up a deep hole (please watch out for this especially in the dark).
Gale Lane Cornlands Road junction filled in
Before situation
Watch out on Foxwood Lane
UFO (Talk Talk) have announced the latest areas where there will be work
From Week commencing the 19th February proposed works begin in the following streets:
FIRST PHASE: installing street ports and in some streets cabinets too, road crossings
Grange Lane, Parker Avenue, Ridgeway, Vesper Drive, Westfield Place
SECOND PHASE: narrow trenching
Gale Lane, Otterwood Bank, Otterwood Lane, Cornlands Road, The Knoll
More information is available via https://www.facebook.com/TalkTalkUFOYork/
With the Network Build moving forward they have a dedicated careline phone number and email address. If you would like to know more about the build or have any concerns please contact them on:
☎️ 0800 542 8073
? carelineyork@talktalkplc.com
