Agenda and minutes

Residents had the opportunity to talk to Councillor Keith Aspden; Oliver Collins and Richard Stratford from the Neighbourhood Management Unit; Clair Bailey-Lane, Street Environment Officer; PC Jo Brooke and PC Anna Daniels from the Safer Neighbourhoods Team; Chris Newsome, Community Planning Officer; Catherine Bamford from York Rotters; Trisha Matthews from York Credit Union; representatives from the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service and Gail Goodall and Claire Beech from City of York Council’s City Strategy Team.

2.1      Councillor Aspden welcomed residents to the meeting and offered apologies for Cllr Jamieson-Ball’s absence.

2.2       The minutes from the previous meeting were approved and signed.

Advice on how to get your new compost bin started

3.1      Catherine Bamford from York Rotters gave a presentation outlining how residents could use the compost bins which were available free at the meeting. The following points were noted.

• Compost bins are a good way to help the environment, reducing landfill.
• A mix of waste is necessary.  Do not just use kitchen waste, but also garden waste and cardboard, selotape, rubber gloves, cork, envelopes, jeans and much more. Creating a mix improves the quality of the compost significantly.
• Information leaflets were available at the meeting

Trisha Matthews will be giving a presentation on what services the credit union can offer to residents and how they can access the service

4.1 Trisha Matthews from York Credit Union gave a presentation outlining the work of North Yorkshire Credit Union. The following key points were made.

• North Yorkshire Credit Union is a partnership of public, private & third sectororganisations including County & District Councils, NHS PCTs, RSL housing associations, voluntary sector, banks & building societies and local businesses
• The Credit Union is owned and controlled by members. However staff are employed to manage the Union.
• York Credit Union has been operating successfully in the City of York for three years.During this time the credit union has grown to more than 1,100 members with around £350,000 of savings. Over the period the credit union has made loans totalling more than £650,000, mainly to people excluded from mainstream financial services. The majority of these loans have been in the region of £450 to £750. During 2009 York Credit Union will begin offering these same services to anyone who lives or works in North Yorkshire.
• In May 2009 the Credit Union will change its name from York Credit Union to North Yorkshire Credit Union.
• The Credit Union aims to create common bonds between members and challenge the ‘want-it’ mentality. APR for Union members is much lower than for other sources of credit. The Union can offer an alternative to store credit and any interest accumulated remains in the local economy.
• The Credit Union gives people access to basic services otherwise unavailable, attempting to build a credit history but also stability.  The more savers held by the Union, the more savers that are helped. 
• The Credit Union is working with the Citizens’ Advice Bureau to build a stronger relationship with communities in Heslington and Fulford.

4.2 Residents asked the following questions.

Q. What interest is given to savers?

A. It is a dividend. There is no interest like a bank, but this year there was a 3% return.

4.3 Cllr Aspden declared a personal interest as a member of the Credit Union.

Representatives from City of York Council’s City Development will give a presentation on York’s Local Development Framework.

5.1  Claire Beech from City of York Council’s City Strategy Team gave a presentation explaining the Council’s Core Strategy consultation document. Copies were available at the meeting.

  The following key points were outlined.

• The Core Strategy lies at the heart of the Local Development Framework and will set the overall direction of all future planning documents.  Creating a new development plan for York – a blueprint for the economic, social and environmental future.
• It will help us think about what housing, jobs, leisure facilities, shops and open spaces are needed in York over the next 20 years:
  • How much is needed
  • What type is needed
  • Where in the city it should go

It also considers what already exists , i.e. enough open space, nature conservation, etc.

• This consultation sets the tone for everything else. This is why residents should get involved.  All comments and feedback will feed into the next stage.

Residents can get involved by filling in the leaflet available at the meeting, visiting the website or contacting the City Development team.

• The team are trying to engage with as wide an audience as possible – workplaces, colleges, libraries, schools, etc.

5.2 Residents asked the following questions:

Q. Can you clarify when the deadline for submissions is?

A. It is formally set for august, but there is room for flexibility. Some late requests will be accepted with prior notice i.e. from Parish Councils.

Q. Answering the questionnaire doesn’t get us very far.

A. It is certainly worth filling in and expressing your views.

Q. The map [in the document] is very small scale

A. This is linked to another study. You can comment widely or narrowly. Perhaps we could deal with this area through a Parish Council Meeting. There is some leeway.

Chris Newsome, City of York Council will give an update on the Heslington East development

6.1 Chris Newsome from the City of York Council’s City Strategy Team gave a presentation explaining the latest developments with the University of York expansion. The following points were highlighted.

• It is now 2 years since consent was given. The Council’s role is to oversee planning applications from the University.  The Secretary of state has given consent.  The Heslington East forum has also had an input in how the site develops.
• Landscaping has always been a high priority for the development. Cluster one (on slide) is in an advanced stage of development. There needs to be room for 600 students by October this year.
• The question of linking the two campuses is answered by the Dean’s Acre link road.   This plan was in the Secretary of State’s original consent. It has been altered to mitigate residents concerns.
• The Council is taking out appraisals on the Heslington Conservation Area, which is nearly complete. Residents are invited to get in touch if they have any further enquiries.

Residents asked the following questions.

C. Coming into York from the A64, the buildings are very intrusive, damaging the impression of York. 

A. It is unfortunate if you think this is the case, but there are many other benefits that the University will bring to the city. The floor level has not raised the height of buildings beyond the original planning.  Hopefully landscaping will improve the appearance in time.

Q. It is obvious that there is a lot of water around.  Are there any flooding risks?

A. Water discharge has been taken into account.

Q. Are the trees that will be planted at Dean’s Acre going to be mature? Saplings take years to mature.

A. We will plant as many trees as possible. I will get back to you on whether or not they are mature trees. Dean’s Acre has been a difficult problem to solve, but there is a need to relieve traffic on Field Lane.

An opportunity for residents to discuss any additional local issues with the ward councillors

7.1 Residents at the Ward Committee expressed their wish that Councilor Aspden sends their best wishes to Councilor Jamieson-Ball.

7.2  A resident requested that Ward Councillors raised concerns about a property in The Crescent, Heslington, which Cllr Aspden agreed to do through City of York Council Housing Services.