Agenda item - Public Places and Footstreets

This report seeks Member approval for a proposed review of the City’s footstreets as previously outlined in the council’s second Local Transport Plan (LTP2).

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member for City Strategy be advised to:

· Approve the proposals in options 1 and 4 as set out in paragraphs 22 and 25 of the report.

Decision of the Executive Leader for City Strategy

RESOLVED: That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON: So that the footstreets and public places provide the necessary quality environment to support the York economy and promote sustainable transport. Their proposed improvement will help to ensure continued success in this area.

Members considered a report that sought their approval for a proposed review of the City’s footstreets as previously outlined in the Council’s second Local Transport Plan. Possible changes to the footstreets may include varying the current use of the footstreet in Goodramgate, which could see this street being physically closed to all traffic during footstreet hours in the same way that some other footstreets such as Petergate operate, and an extension of the existing footstreets to include Fossgate.

The report also raises the issue of a review of the city centre public realm and in particular a proposal by the Dean and Chapter of York Minster to improve the area of Deangate adjacent to the South transept. The proposal if taken forward would create a significantly improved public space in the form of a public piazza and is currently included in a wider bid by the Minster for Heritage Lottery Fund.

The report therefore also seeks Member approval for support in principal for the Minster bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a number of linked improvement projects but in particular for the creation of a piazza outside the south transept.

The Director of City Strategy updated that he had now received a response from Yorkshire Forward which stated that they had added their support to the Minster’s bid for Heritage Lottery funding.

Members were presented with the following options:

Option 1 Reviewing the footstreets as proposed in paragraph 22 of the report

Option 2 Reviewing the footstreets in a different way to that proposed

Option 3 Not reviewing the footstreets

Option 4 Supporting the Minster’s Heritage Lottery Fund bid with the funding proposed in paragraph 25 of the report

Option 5 Supporting the Minster’s Heritage Lottery Fund bid with a different level of funding than that proposed.

Option 6 Not supporting the Minster’s Heritage Lottery Fund bid

Members discussed various points regarding public places and footstreets and the following were noted:

· Improvement of York’s public spaces was very important

· The opportunity for Heritage Lottery funding had to be taken as opportunities such as this did not present themselves very frequently

· Improvements around the Minster would increase the City’s income from tourism

· The improvement in the Minster area should not be at the detriment of other areas within York that were currently in line for improvement

· There were questions surrounding the source of the monies for the Minster projects and the amount of the contribution from City of York Council

· The need to improve and develop visitor attractions within the City of York Council

· The Heritage Lottery Fund bid for the development of a Piazza near the Minster is a one off opportunity

· The footstreets review should include consideration of the hours of operations and the prevailing speed limits.

It was proposed and seconded to amend the Officer’s recommendation to approve options 1 and 5 (to reduce the amount of City of York’s Council contribution to £250,000). When put to the vote the amendment was lost.