Agenda item

This report requests that the Members of the LDF Working Group recommend to the Council’s Executive that they approve the emerging York City Centre Area Action Plan (AAP), subject to the recommendations of the Group, for consultation. The intention, subject to Members’ approval, is for the Issues and Options for the City Centre Area Action Plan DPD to be published for public consultation in July.

(PLEASE NOTE: The Issues and Options document attached at Annex A and Summary of Issues and Options document at Annex B are only available on the Council’s website or on request. A copy has been placed in the Member’s Library.)

Members considered a report which invited them to comment upon the draft Issues and Options document for the York City Area Action Plan (AAP) and to recommend that the Executive approve publication of the document for consultation in July.

The draft document, entitled ‘City Centre Area Action Plan – Issues and Options’’, was attached as Annex A to the report, with a summary of the issues and options attached as Annex B.  The AAP revolved around the three ‘key themes’ of economic vitality, historic environment and community life.  A vision for each key theme was set out at the start of the document, followed by a more detailed explanation of the issues and a series of questions posed along with options to deal with these issues.  Also included was a section outlining five proposed ‘Opportunity Areas’ that could help deliver key elements of the city centre vision; namely, Castle Piccadilly, The Cultural Quarter, Gateway Streets, City Spaces and Riversides. 

A presentation was received from the City Development Officer outlining the content and main issues in the AAP and progress made since consideration of the scoping report in December 2007, and detailing the key themes and their relationship to the 5 proposed ‘Opportunity Areas’ in the City.  In response to questions from Members, it was confirmed that the information in Appendix A to the draft AAP (brief descriptive summaries of Character Areas) was similar to that expected to be included in the Historic Core Conservation Area Appraisal, to be presented to the Planning Committee at a later stage.

Members recommended the following amendments to the draft AAP at Annex A:

a) Section 2 – Vision for the City Centre:

• Under ‘Vision for Community Life’, include reference to disabled people

b) Section 6 – Key Theme 1: Economic Vitality

• Amend Map 1 to include hotels and offices on Stonegate and Piccadilly
• In 6.2, 3^rd sentence, make it clear that the Future York Group report has not been adopted by the Council
• At the end of 6.8, remove the words ‘for certain goods’
• At the end of 6.26, remove the last phrase (from although to capacity) and replace with ‘although these could be more challenging to deliver’
• In Question 7, Option 1a), remove reference to the 5-7 pm period
• In 6.50, 2^nd sentence, amend to read ‘Toft Green / Blossom St area’
• In Question 8, Option 2, add reference to Blossom Street area
• Re-phrase 3^rd sentence of 6.64 (‘cross city journeys around the city’)
• Expand on 6.80 to clarify
• Re-phrase 2^nd sentence of 6.83 to clarify areas for improvement

c) Section 7 – Key Theme 2: Historic Environment

• Amend Map 5 to extend area and include more features
• In 7.15, change the picture illustrating ‘badly designed areas beside river’

d) Section 8 – Key Theme 3: Community Life

• In 8.10, re-phrase 3^rd bullet point to clarify that the Archbishop does not live in the City Centre

• Include reference to indoor sports and leisure facilities
• In 8.37, include reference to keeping walking routes safe at night
• Under ‘Issue: Housing types’, include families living in City Centre
• In 8.52, expand on reference to the ‘living above the shop’ scheme

e) Section 9 – The Opportunity Areas

• In 9.6, remove reference to individual properties
• Amend Gateway Streets so that they extend to key bus stops.  In particular, Micklegate should be amended to include Blossom Street as far as the Odeon and Piccadilly to encompass part of Fishergate (Map 11 to be amended accordingly)
• In 9.23, Table 3, amend entry for Stonebow / Peaseholme Green to include more buildings of interest in Peasholme Green
• In 9.27, Table 5, include separate entries for St Sampson’s Square and Parliament Street
• In 9.27, include the same text under the illustration of King’s Square as appears under the Exhibition Square illustration

d) Sections 6, 7 and 8 – Question boxes

• Insert the words ‘or mutually exclusive’ after ‘exhaustive’ in the italic text at the end in each box, where appropriate

e) Appendix A – Character Areas

• Include a question asking whether character areas reflect the current situation
• Remove typographical errors from the map.

RESOLVED: That the Executive be recommended to:

(i) Approve the draft Issues and Options document at Annex A and the Summary of Issues and Options at Annex B for public consultation, subject to the recommended changes as recorded above;¹

REASON:      So that the City Centre Area Action Plan DPS can be progressed to its next stage of development, as highlighted in the Council’s Local Development Scheme.

                        (ii)        Delegate authority to the Director of City Strategy, in consultation with the Executive Member and Shadow Executive Member for City Strategy, to make any incidental changes to the draft document and the Summary of Issues and Options document that are necessary as a result of the Working Group’s recommendations.

REASON:      So that the changes recommended as a result of discussions at this meeting can be made and the report progressed.

                        (iii)       Delegate authority to the Director of City Strategy, in consultation with the Executive Member and Shadow Executive Member for City Strategy, to approve the Sustainability Statement to accompany the Issues and Options document consultation, after the Statement has been circulated to Members.

REASON:      So that the report and accompanying document can be progressed.

                        (iv)       Delegate authority to the Director of City Strategy, in consultation with the Executive Member and Shadow Executive Member for City Strategy, to approve a Consultation Strategy and promotional material.

REASON:      To ensure that the proposed methods of consultation are satisfactory to Members.