Annex 2

City of York Council

Equalities Impact Assessment

Who is submitting the proposal?

Directorate:		Environment, Transport and Planning
Service Area:		Environmental Services – Public Realm
Name of the proposal :		14 New Lane  and West Bank Park
Lead officer:		Dave Meigh ; Operations Manager
Date assessment completed:		07^th January 2024
Names of those who contributed to the assessment :
Name	Job title		Organisation	Area of expertise

Step 1 – Aims and intended outcomes 

1.1

What is the purpose of the proposal? Please explain your proposal in Plain English avoiding acronyms and jargon.

The report seeks approval to 1. Not to rebuild the park keepers house at 14 New Lane. This was severely damage by fire several years ago and is no longer needed as a condition of employment. 2. Expand the amount of publicly available land within West Bank Park. This will be done by the removal of a security fence which surrounds the old park keeper’s house at 14 New Lane. The building has since been demolished creating the opportunity to add the land back into the main park. The additional land is approximately the same the size a two tennis courts. 3. Allocate £83k towards improvements in West Bank Park.

1.2	Are there any external considerations? (Legislation/government directive/codes of practice etc.)
	The land on which the building was located is classified open space within the meaning of Section.122/123 of the Local Government Act 1972.

1.3	Who are the stakeholders and what are their interests?
	Local residents from the Holgate and surrounding areas are considered to be stakeholders together with the Friends of West Bank Park. Their interest is to have access to quality green space.

1.4

What results/outcomes do we want to achieve and for whom?  This section should explain what outcomes you want to achieve for service users, staff and/or the wider community. Demonstrate how the proposal links to the Council Plan (2019- 2023) and other corporate strategies and plans.

Providing more land and investing in West Bank Park contributes to the following Council Plan 2023-27 Priority f) Sustainability: Cutting carbon, enhancing the environment for our future. Specially Improve the physical environment · Make the most of our green and blue infrastructure, to increase biodiversity, improve health and wellbeing and support nature recovery, understanding the impact and the difference we make. · Increase investment in our natural assets and climate change projects. Incorporating 14 New Lane into the main body of the park will increase the amount is recreational space available to residents. How the space will be laid out has yet to be determined but may include grassland / meadows, expansion of adjoining orchard and woodland creation. The remaining insurance fund creates the opportunity to invest a range of projects. Early idea and options include improvements to the pavilion/toilet area, improved play opportunities and increasing biodiversity. Both aspects of this project will be developed with the assistance of the Friends of West Bank Park and local community, with assistance of Council officers as appropriate.

Step 2 – Gathering the information and feedback 

2.1	What sources of data, evidence and consultation feedback do we have to help us understand the impact of the proposal on equality rights and human rights? Please consider a range of sources, including: consultation exercises, surveys, feedback from staff, stakeholders, participants, research reports, the views of equality groups, as well your own experience of working in this area etc.
Source of data/supporting evidence		Reason for using
· Public Realm staff · Ward Cllrs and Friends of West Bank Park		· Long term knowledge of the site · Knowledge of community aspirations

Step 3 – Gaps in data and knowledge

3.1	What are the main gaps in information and understanding of the impact of your proposal?  Please indicate how any gaps will be dealt with.
Gaps in data or knowledge		Action to deal with this
n/a

Step 4 – Analysing the impacts or effects.

4.1	Please consider what the evidence tells you about the likely impact (positive or negative) on people sharing a protected characteristic, i.e. how significant could the impacts be if we did not make any adjustments? Remember the duty is also positive – so please identify where the proposal offers opportunities to promote equality and/or foster good relations.
Equality Groups and Human Rights.		Key Findings/Impacts	Positive (+) Negative (-) Neutral (0)	High (H) Medium (M) Low (L)
Age		The additional land is not landscaped and is not connected to the existing path network. As part of these proposals’ discussion will take place with the local community and ward councillors as to how the new land will be used, which in turn determine how it is laid out and how accessible it will be.  The same approach will be taken in the £83k As the next steps in this project develop, they will require their own EIA.	(0)
Disability		As above	(0)
Gender		n/a	(0)
Gender Reassignment		n/a	(0)
Marriage and civil partnership		n/a	(0)
Pregnancy and maternity		n/a	(0)
Race		n/a	(0)
Religion and belief		n/a	(0)
Sexual orientation		n/a	(0)
Other Socio-economic groups including :		Could other socio-economic groups be affected e.g. carers, ex-offenders, low incomes?
Carer		n/a	(0)
Low income groups		n/a	(0)
Veterans, Armed Forces Community		n/a	(0)
Other		n/a	(0)
Impact on human rights:
List any human rights impacted.		n/a	(0)

Use the following guidance to inform your responses:

Indicate:

- Where you think that the proposal could have a POSITIVE impact on any of the equality groups like promoting equality and equal opportunities or improving relations within equality groups

- Where you think that the proposal could have a NEGATIVE impact on any of the equality groups, i.e. it could disadvantage them

- Where you think that this proposal has a NEUTRAL effect on any of the equality groups listed below i.e. it has no effect currently on equality groups.

It is important to remember that a proposal may be highly relevant to one aspect of equality and not relevant to another.

.

High impact (The proposal or process is very equality relevant)	There is significant potential for or evidence of adverse impact The proposal is institution wide or public facing The proposal has consequences for or affects significant numbers of people The proposal has the potential to make a significant contribution to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights.
Medium impact (The proposal or process is somewhat equality relevant)	There is some evidence to suggest potential for or evidence of adverse impact The proposal is institution wide or across services, but mainly internal The proposal has consequences for or affects some people The proposal has the potential to make a contribution to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights
Low impact (The proposal or process might be equality relevant)	There is little evidence to suggest that the proposal could result in adverse impact The proposal operates in a limited way The proposal has consequences for or affects few people The proposal may have the potential to contribute to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights

Step 5 - Mitigating adverse impacts and maximising positive impacts

5.1	Based on your findings, explain ways you plan to mitigate any unlawful prohibited conduct or unwanted adverse impact. Where positive impacts have been identified, what is been done to optimise opportunities to advance equality or foster good relations?
N/a

Step 6 – Recommendations and conclusions of the assessment

6.1	Having considered the potential or actual impacts you should be in a position to make an informed judgement on what should be done. In all cases, document your reasoning that justifies your decision. There are four main options you can take:
- No major change to the proposal – the EIA demonstrates the proposal is robust.  There is no                         potential for unlawful discrimination or adverse impact and you have taken all opportunities to    advance equality and foster good relations, subject to continuing monitor and review.
- Adjust the proposal – the EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. This involves taking steps to remove any barriers, to better advance quality or to foster good relations. - Continue with the proposal (despite the potential for adverse impact) – you should clearly set out the justifications for doing this and how you believe the decision is compatible with our obligations under the duty - Stop and remove the proposal – if there are adverse effects that are not justified and cannot be mitigated, you should consider stopping the proposal altogether. If a proposal leads to unlawful discrimination it should be removed or changed. Important: If there are any adverse impacts you cannot mitigate, please provide a compelling reason in the justification column.
Option selected		Conclusions/justification
No major change to the proposal – the EIA demonstrates the proposal is robust.		The inclusion of 14 New Lane and the allocation of funding to park projects does not cause any detriment. The decision being made is one of principle and does not impact on any Equality Groups or Human Rights. As the various components of this project develop further EIA’s will be required.

Step 7 – Summary of agreed actions resulting from the assessment

7.1	What action, by whom, will be undertaken as a result of the impact assessment.
Impact/issue		Action to be taken	Person responsible	Timescale
Landscape Use of funds		EIA on design EIA’s on funded projects	Operations Manager Public Realm	3 – 24 months

Step 8 - Monitor, review and improve

8.1	How will the impact of your proposal be monitored and improved upon going forward?   Consider how will you identify the impact of activities on protected characteristics and other marginalised groups going forward? How will any learning and enhancements be capitalised on and embedded?
	· As the various components of this project develop further EIA’s will be required. · Many of the projects are likely to compatible with work in other parks and open spaces so the lessons learnt are transferable to other on-going projects across the Citys green spaces. This knowledge will be shared within the Public Realm and Environment and Community teams.