Agenda and minutes

 Drop-in surgery, 6.30pm

The drop-in surgery gives you the opportunity to talk to your councillors, street environment officer, safer neighbourhood team, neighbourhood management officer and visiting speak­ers in an informal setting.

Started 6.30pm

Councillors Neil Barnes and Fiona Fitzpatrick

Safer Neighbourhood Team, PC Paul Fenwick and PCSO Les Place

Angus Young, Street Environment Officer

Cindy Benton, Neighbourhood Manager

Ted Schofield, Neighbourhood Management Support Officer

Carolyn Perry, Neighbourhood Management Officer

Jo Gilliland, Head of Active Sport and Leisure

Allen Marsh, Head Coach Street Sport York

Robin Lavin, Young People’s Activity Officer

Portia Simpson, Arts and Festivals Officer

The above-mentioned people all attended the surgery, and discussed local issues with members of the public.  Tea, coffee and biscuits were served.

 Main meeting, 7.00pm     

Councillor Neil Barnes welcomed everyone and opened the meeting.

The minutes for the last Hull Road Ward Committee Meeting were approved and signed by councillors.

 Update on the work and issues within the ward.

Safer Neighbourhood Police Team – update by  PC Paul Fenwick

PC Paul Fenwick and four PCSOs patrol the ward on foot and bicycle. 

Crime figures are good – no peaks.

Two priorities in ward – anti-social behaviour and cycle crime. 

Anti-social behaviour – there has been trouble in Olympian Court and Etty Avenue.  The police tactic is to engage with young people and take them to their parents, which generally works.

Cycle crime – as a result of the Ocala initiative in the city, three people are now in prison.  Cycle crime in the ward is no longer an issue – police are looking for a new target and would welcome suggestions from the public.

Tickets are given out for cycling on footpaths and/or cycling without lights after dark – these amount to a £30 fine.  A resident pointed out he tells people not to cycle on footpaths.  The question was raised – what about young children cycling on footpaths?  PC Paul Fenwick said there was no hard and fast rule about this.

Police are keen to set up new Neighbourhood Watch Schemes; public are encouraged to contact them if they would like one set up in their area.

The ward now covers James Street and all retail outlets on Foss Islands Road; police are introducing themselves to all businesses there and trying to create a community of businesses.

Q – cars are often travelling too fast on Hull Road, as the speed-sensitive light flashes up at about every third car – what do we do about it?

Cllr Fiona Fitzpatrick – we are keen to get the Speed Van onto Hull Road, and encourage sensible driving.  Those that are caught have the option of going on a course.  Cllr Fiona Fitzpatrick will be going out on patrol with PCSOs.

Q – people make a fuss about parking on footpaths.  What are the rules?

PC Paul Fenwick – it isn’t an offence to park on the kerb as long as there is still enough space for a double buggy to be pushed along the footpath.  Parking is a council issue, and council officers will issue tickets, not police; obstruction is a police issue.

Q – what is to be done about parking near Co-op? 

Dropping the kerb was suggested as a possibility.

The idea of putting boulders on Melrosegate to prevent people parking on the verge was put forward; PC Paul Fenwick thought that this was not a simple solution, as for one thing this could damage cars.

Cllr Fiona Fitzpatrick asked people to keep in touch with her on this issue.

 Update on the work the planning panel has been carrying

out and the annual planning panel election.

Vicky Gladders

The Hull Road Planning Panel meet every three weeks, look at planning applications in the ward (which are mainly extensions and conversions), and make recommendations to the council planning department.  They have also been concerned with larger issues such as the new mosque and developments at York University.

New members would be very welcome.

Caroline Suckling thanked Vicky Gladders for being an excellent clerk, and went on to give a brief description of the planning panel, which is the equivalent of a parish council on planning matters.  It is made up of residents, looking at planning issues and advising the council. 

 Jonathan Carr, head of development management at

City of York Council, will present an update on the article 4 future direction.

Jonathan Carr, Head of Development Management

Jonathan Carr started by saying that the planning department do value the comments of the planning panel, though they do not always follow their recommendations.

He then went through a Powerpoint presentation, explaining that in areas where there is a high proportion of HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupation) littering and anti-social behaviour are more common.

The council are considering what policy they should adopt concerning HMOs, which could include licensing.  This would require further consultation and this might well be included at a  future Ward Committee Meeting.

Q –  HMOs are defined as houses in which occupants are “unrelated”.  How is this defined – what forms of relationship are recognised?

Jonathan Carr replied that the 2004 Housing Act is quite clear in its definitions.  The resident responded that on websites he has consulted, people were taking these definitions to task.

Q – It isn’t always the students, it can be the landlords who cause trouble, not cutting grass and dumping furniture outside.

Cllr Fiona Fitzpatrick replied that she has been working with letting agencies and the have responded to pressure, cutting their grass etc.  She is introducing herself to them and making them aware of their responsibilities. 

It was established there is a register of landlords, so we do know who they are.

Q – I am a landlord and proud of my properties.

Cllr Neil Barnes responded that he was very aware there were responsible landlords in Hull Road. 

Q – If the directive is confirmed, will there be an upper limit on a given area for the number of HMOs?

Jonathan Carr replied that there would.

Q – would council allow 100% saturation?  I live in an area that is 80% HMO, and if I want to sell my house, no-on will want to buy it unless they can turn it into a HMO – so unless the council allow 100% saturation the value of my house will go down.

Jonathan Carr  – these issues need to be considered.

Cllr Fiona Fitzpatrick – the question needs to be considered from both sides.

Q – what is the density of students?

Jonathan Carr – about 20% across York

Q – is the council going to insist that the six colleges planned by the University of York will be built?

Cllr Neil Barnes – the cabinet is working on this issue but needs to consider it carefully because of the complexity of the issue.

Jonathan Carr – but the implementation date of Article 4 Direction will not be changed.

Q – who is responsible for the decision?

Jonathan Carr – the members.

Q – there is considerable damage to houses in the area.  The Dairy has gone over to student housing, and our young people are not able to buy homes.  We are suffering from late night student parties

Cllr Neil Barnes - please let me know of any issues – we are keen not to stigmatise students or landlords.

 Come along to find out more about the schemes

on the ballot list. If you have made one of the suggestions on the list, come along to tell people more about it.

Cllr Neil Barnes announced that the safety issue at the corner of Lilac Avenue and Millfield Lane would be resolved by the installation of bollards.  A questioner pointed out that this had been tried before, and the bollards knocked down by delivery drivers. 

Cllr Neil Barnes asked if everyone had received their copy of Your Ward, with the list of Local Improvement Schemes.  (Several people had not, and gave details to council officers at the end of the meeting).

Several of those who have submitted schemes, or want to support a particular scheme, then stood up and gave a talk in support of their scheme

Fiona Chapman (scheme 17 – music in care homes)

George Vickers (scheme 19 - York CAB outreach)

Peter Robinson (scheme 7 - Safe and Sound homes)

John Burgess (scheme 20 - Older Citizens Advocacy (OCAY))

Jonathan Dent (scheme 18 - St Nicholas Fields Environment Centre Give and Take Day)

Dave Fleming, CYC Arts and Culture (Upfaders)

Harry Telfer (scheme 11, Badger Hill Community and Residents Group)

Allen Marsh (scheme 23, Street Sport York)

Rachel Smith, CYC, Locality manager Young People’s Services – (scheme 24, outreach work for young people)

Simon Moss (scheme 12 - Tang Hall Residents’ Association holiday scheme)

Jo Gilliland, CYC, Head of Active Sport and Leisure (scheme 21 – fund for gifted sports players)

John Cossham, (scheme 4, Sustrans)

 Your chance to ask questions about local issues and concerns not

covered by the agenda.

A resident spoke about the new Snow Warden initiative, to which he has volunteered, and encouraged others to do the same.

A resident said he was disgusted at the state of Hull Road being blocked with traffic lights and delivery vehicles.

Cllr Neil Barnes said that the budget proposal to cut funds for Hull Road Park Fields had been reversed, and Cllr Fiona Fitzpatrick added that they would like to keep the park open longer.  A resident opposed the idea of keeping the park gates open 24 hours a day, and thought that PCSOs should decide the issue.  Cllr Fiona Fitzpatrick mentioned that they had received a letter from the University of York saying how much students appreciated the park.  There was general agreement about the poor state of the beck, with rubbish being left in it, but also that the cost of clearing it out would be high.

Dave Fleming suggested a dialogue with Friends of Rowntree Park, and the benefits of a project like the Mosaic Bench in Tang Hall.  Cllr Fiona Fitzpatrick supported this idea.

Chair: Councillor Neil Barnes