Agenda item

Cllr Myers passed on apologies from a representative of the Clifton Methodist Church who was going to give an update on the plans in relation to the church congregation and building. The Church has been active for over 100 years and will be closing towards the end of April, when the building will be marketed for sale.  This meeting is one of the last events to take place in the church building. There will be a final prayer at the end of April to which anyone is invited. A space has been offered in the community room at the Homestead Park for the congregation to use for gatherings following closure of the existing church building.

Q – Could continuation of the Inspire Youth mobile youth club session at Ashton Park be supported? Young people in that area really need it and it helps to divert young people from hanging out outside Crichton Avenue shops and instead be involved in a positive activity.

A – The ward has been supportive of Inspire Youth from the outset. They deliver quality youth outreach work; however they have faced some difficulties at Ashton Park and are now deciding if they can continue there. It is hoped that a link between Inspire Youth and AoP strengthens the offer for young people in the area.

Q – The existing bicycle store outside blocks of flats at the top of Burton Stone Lane is not secure. Could something similar to the external metal stores on Wains Road in Dringhouses be installed?

A – We are aware of residents’ concerns and have visited the location during the recent walkabout with the Neighbourhood Caretakers team – a new service dedicated to clearing up areas of adopted land, housing communal gardens, paths and alleyways. External lockable stores were installed on Rowntree Avenue previously and a possibility of similar solution for the blocks of flats needs to be investigated.

A comment was made about poor state of pavements in the area, especially at locations where there are large trees adjacent to the pavement, with roots lifting the tarmac/paving flag surface. Burton Stone Lane was named as one of the streets with pavements difficult for mobility scooters users to navigate. Uneven dropped kerbs can make the issue worse.

A – CYC can rectify issues where a tree root creates a hazard on the pavement. We can report specific locations for investigation. In respect of dropped kerbs the new Movement and Place Plan aims to improve accessibility by prioritizing pedestrians, cyclists, and wheelchair users by reducing traffic and improving infrastructure, including enhanced, continuous dropped kerb networks.

A comment was made about the communal garden at Marjorie Waite Court Independent Living Scheme, where extension of a patio adjacent to a ground floor flat is possible, however the cost has to be met by the resident. The person felt that this should be covered from the monthly rent payments.

Q – Could the alleyway leading from Lady Road, along the back of the school towards A19 be made more accessible?

A – The alleyway is on a regular cleaning schedule, however due to its location there is no room to make it wider. Improvements to lighting and surface condition can be investigated.

A comment was made that if everyone was cleaning outside their house the area would look much tidier. As it is there is a lot of litter on the pavements that no one takes responsibility for.

A – Unfortunately some people now feel less connected with where they live. One reason behind this is that people move houses more frequently comparing to few decades ago.  

At this point Cllr Myers mentioned the imminent consultation about moving from recycling boxes to wheeled recycling bins. The issue with recycling crews rushing and not emptying content of the recycling container entirely or dropping pieces of recycling while emptying the container is being addressed separately.

Q – Could the existing free parking time limit outside businesses by the Green, the old Boots side of the road be reduced to 1 hour? The current 1.5-hour free parking enables individuals to park their car and walk to visit the city centre, making it more attractive in comparison to paying for parking in the city centre. The café is adversely affected by this situation, as parking space for potential customers it taken by those who visit the city centre. Reduction of the free parking time limit to 1 hour would be sufficient for café and other local business visitors, bringing more turnover.

A – We will investigate that. There was a similar request few years ago, which was refused with justification that the change was not necessary. Based on your request we will raise this matter with CYC Parking Services.

A comment was made that parking restrictions on the other side of the road, outside the butchers were changed to 1-hour free parking.

Cllr Myers added that the recent underground utilities work resulting in a section of cobbled area being covered with tarmac was undertaken as a temporary fix to make the surface safe. The policy is to replace the surface like for like and we are expecting for the surface to be recobbled soon.

Q – When will the shelter be installed at the recently refurbished bus stop outside the old Boots pharmacy, and will there be a seat?

A – We are unsure what causes the delay with installation of the shelter but are being advised that it will be installed. If there is a shelter, a seat should also be installed. We will investigate that.

No further questions were raised, and Cllr Myers closed the meeting at 8pm