Issue - meetings

The Assistant Director for Regeneration and Asset Management to present a report which outlines the progress to date and sets out the council’s commitment to developing a formal partnership agreement and the programme of work to take the scheme through to the submission of Planning Applications.

Resolved:  That the Executive:

                                i.       Notes the plan for the York Central Partnership to undertake public consultation on access options and the master plan which will lead to the submission of outline and detailed planning applications;

                               ii.       Agrees to receive a further report in October setting out the York Central Partnership proposed master plan including a recommended access option and presenting the formal YCP partnership agreement for Executive to consider; and

                             iii.       Recommends to Council that a budget of £37.4m be approved for the York Central Transport improvements funded from the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund grant.

Reason:    To ensure the delivery of York Central and to ensure that a range of access options have been considered.

[See also Part B Minutes]

Members considered a report which outlined progress to date on the York Central scheme and set out the Council’s commitment to developing a formal partnership agreement and the programme of work to take the scheme through to the submission of Planning Applications.

It was noted that the York Central project was a partnership project, led largely by the major landowners, namely Network Rail, the Homes and Communities Agency and National Railway Museum in conjunction with City of York Council. 

It was outlined that prior to finalising the partnership agreement and bringing forward a Masterplan for consultation, the York Central Partnership needed to conclude discussions around access options.  A further study had been commissioned, which had examined deliverability, ease of construction, transport implications and costs etc, but a detailed understanding of the community impact of the options available was still required as part of this work.  Evidence around deliverability and funding had been considered and the consultation would be based on the 3 deliverable access options outlined.  It was clarified that no decision had been made and the consultation was an essential part of determining the preferred route.

It was confirmed that the consultation would come from the Partnership, as the developing body for the scheme, not the Council.

With regards to the rejected access options, it was clarified that the decision taken to dispose of the 5 acre site to Network Rail was taken to enable them to clear York Central for the scheme to go ahead.  Options B, C and D crossed the site at various points onto an area of land designated by Department of Transport for operational rail land until 2023.  Other engineering challenges were also highlighted.

Referring to requests to publish the weighting behind officer judgements on access options, it was stated that it would not be possible to do this in an empirical way, but officers would look to provide a qualitative rather than a quantitative assessment, with an assurance that decisions would not be based solely on economic factors.

Resolved:  That the Executive:

                                i.       Notes the plan for the York Central Partnership to undertake public consultation on access options and the master plan which will lead to the submission of outline and detailed planning applications; and

                               ii.       Agrees to receive a further report in October setting out the York Central Partnership proposed master plan including a recommended access option and presenting the formal YCP partnership agreement for Executive to consider.

Reason:    To ensure the delivery of York Central and to ensure that a range of access options have been considered.