Agenda item

The Corporate Director of Economy & Place to present a report which seeks approval for the final alignment of the Western access route and a package of land transfers and compensation between the council and the Millennium Green Trust to ensure delivery of the route and the long term future of Millennium Green, and sets out proposals for undertaking the detailed design of the first phase of infrastructure for the scheme.

Resolved: (i) That the route of the York Central Access road, bridge and spine road be agreed as set out in Annex 3, and that detailed planning applications for these be submitted in the autumn.

(ii) That approval be given to repossess the land reserved in the Millennium Green lease, to facilitate the access road onto York Central.

(iii) That a long lease be granted of a plot of replacement land on the other side of the Holgate Beck, to provide long term replacement for the reserved land and to undertake minor improvement works to this land as agreed with the Millennium Green Trust (MGT).

(iv) That a licence be obtained from the MGT permitting use of the area of land required to facilitate the construction of the bridge and that this land be landscaped prior to returning it to the MGT on completion of the works.

(v) That approval be given to offer MGT temporary use of alternative City of York Council owned land adjacent to the Millennium Green during the period of the licence.

(vi) That a compensatory payment of £375k be made to the MGT, to reflect the disturbance to the Millennium Green and enable the trustees to provide for the long term maintenance to the Millennium Green, of which £300k will be conditional upon planning permission.

(vii) That further support to a maximum of £25k be provided to the MGT for their legal and technical support costs.

(viii) That embankment land to the west of Severus Bridge be appropriated for the use of the Highway, in order to provide an additional pedestrian and cycle deck across the railway.

(ix) That approval be given to undertake detailed design work for the key site infrastructure outlined in the report, including the access bridge and the spine road, and the National Railway Museum (NRM) rail link.

(x) That further funding be sought from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and York, North Yorkshire & East Riding (YNYER) Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to fund the detailed design of the first phase infrastructure through to construction commencement.

(xi) That a further £2,390k funding from the Economic Infrastructure Fund (EIF)be committed to fund the project through to March 2019.

(xii) That, in the eventuality that WCYA or YNYER grant funding is forthcoming, the grant be used to reduce the level of EIF support required.

(xiii) That a further report be received in November with a detailed financial plan for the delivery of York Central, including analysis of potential Enterprise Zone backed council borrowing, in order to establish a budget for delivery of York Central infrastructure.

(xiv) That a further report be received in January 2019 which will:

a) set out a partnership agreement with the York Central Partnership to formalise the relationship and the financial agreement between the partners and

b) seek approval to draw down funds and commence construction of the access road and bridge.

Reason: To ensure the early delivery of a new access route to York Central within the timescale of available grant funding and the long term maintenance of the Millennium Green.

The Assistant Director of Regeneration & Asset Management presented a report which sought approval for the final alignment of the Western access route to York Central and a package of land transfers and compensation between the council and the Millennium Green Trust.

The proposals were intended to minimise the impact of the Western route option on Millennium Green and ensure deliverability of the scheme, as agreed by Executive when they endorsed this option on 15 November 2017 (Minute 85 of that meeting refers). Details of the land ownership and proposed acquisitions, disposals and licences were set out in the plan at Annex 2. The report also included proposals for undertaking the detailed design of the first phase of infrastructure, in order to bring the scheme forward as soon as possible. Executive approval was sought as part of this report, since this aspect was intrinsically linked to the decisions needed to deliver the alignment. The plans at Annex 3 illustrated current draft proposals for the layout of the junction, spine road and bridge, including pedestrian and cycle routes.

With regard to issues raised under public participation, Officers confirmed that the details of the plans at Annex 3 were still being finalised and would be decided by the Planning Committee. Members commented that the proposals would help reduce traffic in the area and noted that they would expect the final design for the bridge to comply with the York Central Design Guide.