Agenda and draft minutes

Residents have the opportunity to talk to ward Cllrs and Council Officers

Local residents were given the opportunity to speak informally with Councillor Warters, Councillor D’Agorne and the Head of Highways and Transport prior to the main meeting.

University related parking issues, hear from Cllr Andy D’Agorne the Executive member for transport and Dave Atkinson who is head of Highways from City of York Council

There followed a lively discussion on local parking issues. 

There was a general consensus that significant parking issues had been caused by students & staff from the University of York (particularly since the introduction of the Badger Hill parking restrictions) to the consternation of local residents. It was also noted that these problems were less of an issue during the summer recess (when the students were not attending university).

From the outset, residents were disappointed to note that no one from the university was present at the meeting and wondered whether a representative had been invited (and, if so, what their response had been).

Councillor Warters confirmed that he had been in contact with the university in the past but, to his frustration, he had been informed that the parking issues were not the university’s problem.  Another resident stated that she had also written to the university and had received a similar response.  Councillor Warters considered that the university should apply some common sense and either increase parking capacity or reduce charges.  It was agreed that the situation had been entirely avoidable and should have been flagged up and addressed when the Badger Hill parking restrictions had been implemented.

Councillor D’Agorne explained that it was the responsibility of the university to inform and educate both staff and students regarding appropriate and considerate parking. However, without a residents’ parking scheme in place, City of York Council had no authority to take enforcement action as the regulations needed to be in place first.

Councillor Warters explained that there were approximately 30 cars causing problems in Osbaldwick and that the university should not be permitted to extend its building programme on campus unless robust parking provision was included (preferably a multi-storey car park).  He further remarked that there seemed to be no end to the planned expansion. The University had initially been required under the 2007 Planning conditions for Heslington East expansion to restrict the developed footprint of the site to 23% with 77% left undeveloped as parkland.  That restriction has recently been swept away at the recent Local Plan Inquiry and the University Estate is to be more intensively developed with potential increases in displaced parking. However, that had been swept aside following a local planning enquiry.  Councillor Warters pointed out that increased parking provision was being overlooked, which had negative ramifications for local residents.  He also drew attention to the significant annual revenue which was generated by the university as a result of its parking charges (which he believed to be in the region of £100,000).

The Head of Highways and Transport advised that his department had been carrying out an analysis following the recent completion of the university’s (five yearly) Travel Plan and had been in discussions with the university regarding parking displacement and capacity.

Councillor Warters pointed out that there did not seem to be as much displaced parking arising from Archbishop Holgate’s School and suggested that the school may have increased its parking provision (and/or fewer students were choosing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

An update from Dave Atkinson from City Of York Council on the road conditions in the area

The Head of Highways and Transport was then invited to provide an update regarding highways issues.

When residents raised concerns regarding the state of certain sections of Farndale Avenue and Thirkleby Way, the Head of Highways and Transport advised that specific formulas were devised to prioritise work carried out on the highways.  However, Thirkleby Way and Farndale Close did not meet the hierarchy for intervention.  Nevertheless, he was happy to provide further information to residents and confirmed that he would work with their ward councillors to address their concerns.

Another resident flagged up the danger to cyclists travelling along Thirkleby Way due to the presence of very large potholes.

Regarding the condition of road surfaces, Councillor Warters expressed disappointed that there wasn’t a policy that dealt with concrete sectional surfacing.  He explained that when the tarmac had been scraped off the road in High Field, the underlying concrete sectional surface appeared to be in very good condition. 

He considered it absurd that as long as potholes were less than the CYC intervention depth of an inch and a half (40mm) the road would receive no attention despite there being barely an inch (25mm) of tarmac overlay on the road as it stands, meaning there would never technically be breaches of the intervention levels despite the state of the road. He also added that a previous experimental resurfacing technique called ‘crack and seat’  which had been adopted on Tranby Road had been disastrous and cost an additional £500,000 to rectify.

The Head of Highways and Transport noted Councillor Warters’ comments and acknowledged that there had been some structural issues regarding concrete bases. He confirmed that the Highways Department was looking at using different materials on highways which, he hoped, would remedy the issues raised as soon as possible.

There then ensued a discussion regarding poor and obsolete signage which was  considered unsightly and could also be confusing.  Councillor D’Agorne acknowledged that some redundant signs were not removed in a timely manner (and he cited an obsolete sign on Heslington Road as an example).

Councillor Warters commented that each new road layout sign had a date on the back and that although funding was provided to erect them, there was no funding available for removing them.  He added that even on obsolete signs, staff were still employed to apply weedkiller around pole bases (which he considered to be a waste of public funds).

The Head of Highways and Transport advised that the Highways Department did not have the capacity to deal with signage but noted the comments raised and confirmed that he would address the issue if and when more staff became available.

Question

A resident wanted to know where the junction at Hull Road and Tang Hall Lane was within the hierarchy.

Answer

The Head of Highways and Transport confirmed that arterial routes were generally regarded as a higher priority.  However, he confirmed that the junction in question was due to be dealt with in the near future.

Question

A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Your opportunity to raise any local issues with Ward Cllrs and Council Officers

A resident then expressed gratitude for the provision of barrel planters which had been placed on the specific grass verges on Tranby Avenue as they not only improved the appearance of the area but also had prevented drivers from parking on the grass verges.

Another resident also asked whether future meetings could be more widely publicised.

Finally, Councillor Warters drew the meeting to a close and thanked everyone for their contributions.