Hutton Close dog fouling

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to deter dog fouling on Hutton Close. We were asked at our pioneering and trail-blazing mobile forum to address this issue – most dog owners take responsible action in the matter of their pets fouling the pavement or the verge but a minority do not. We have therefore arranged with the officers that “No Dog Fouling” signs, of which the Council has a number in store, will be put up here in the hope of deterring those who cannot or will not ensure their dogs, who are not of course at fault, are not left in a position of responsibility for being environmental nuisances.

Goddard Avenue and the City Plan again

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the support of Wyke Area Committee in opposing the zoning of open land behind Goddard Avenue for housing in the new City Plan. A report came to committee in December seeking the opinions of committee members on the city plan proposals as they then stood as part of the overall consultation process. As part of a useful general discussion which also involved most of us taking issue with the officers over the general importance of Newland Avenue and Princes Avenue, we made clear, with all party support, that under no circumstances were we prepared to see the land in question allocated for housing. Time will tell whether dark forces at the corporate centre take our collective comments as seriously as they should, but as for John and myself, our view on this matter will not waver.

Cropton Park crime and disorder

John Fareham and John Abbott have been working to help prevent break-ins and antisocial behaviour during the rebuilding of the Wyke rugby league clubhouse at Cropton Park. Reports were coming in of a series of attempted break-ins and various anti-social behaviour incidents on site. Arrangements have therefore been made for the area team and others to liaise with the rugby league club and with the Police in order to implement security measures and ensure the area is covered by patrols while the building work is in progress. It goes without saying that we will be prepared to assist further if necessary, not least because we know that this is a popular local community facility, with large numbers of children attending to learn how to play rugby league, and the last thing we want is for crime and disorder to rear their ugly heads and interfere with important enhancements to local recreational provision.

Loveridge Avenue traffic consultation

John Fareham and John Abbott are pleased to report that the consultation exercise on the Loveridge Avenue traffic proposals will now take place in January 2016. After all the various categories of delay imposed on us getting to this point, it is a great relief to inform you that an officer from the Highways Department of the Council present at the December meeting of Wyke Area Committee confirmed that the consultation exercise will now take place in January and that, with all the reservations, justified or otherwise, previously expressed by legal and other officers resolved and the wording of the questionnaire virtually finalized, it was now possible to give a firm date for when local residents will be asked to express an opinion on the proposals being put forward. Whatever those opinions might be, we look forward to hearing them at last.

Commonwealth Homes tree planting

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for funding to plant trees on the grassed area within the Commonwealth Homes site. The object of the exercise – apart, or course, from improving the view – is to reduce standing water from heavy rainfall. The recent heavy rain elsewhere in the country has of course concentrated many people’s minds on what might happen if future rainfall exceeded everybody’s worst expectations, and these trees, by having the arboricultural equivalent of a few drinks now and then, will lower the on-site standing water level and improve the chances of Commonwealth Homes being immune to future flood risks. We will of course let local residents know when the actual planting is to take place.

Cropton Park cleaning

John Fareham and John Abbott are arranging for community payback people to clean up the part of Cropton Park nearest to County Road North. This is not by any means the first attempt at using such people for such work, but in an age where litter and fly tipping are more or less endemic, and resources for clamping down on such irresponsible behaviour are in short supply, we feel it appropriate that persons making good their debt to society should specialise in making good the damage caused to residential and visual amenity by other less than wholly responsible elements. It goes without saying that, if other tasks of this character should become necessary, we will be only too ready to deploy such resources as these once again.

Huntley Drive parking

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve problems with parking on double yellow lines in Huntley Drive. We have been receiving a number of complaints from local residents to the effect that various vehicles have been parking on double yellow lines in considerable numbers at certain times of day. We have of course arranged for rocks to be placed at strategic points in the grass verge to prevent motor vehicles encroaching there, but the officers are now seeking to arrange for increased frequency of visits to Huntley Drive by traffic enforcement officers. If this is not sufficient we will of course revisit the issue in pursuit of a solution that will into practice be effective.

Barrington Avenue tenfoot lighting

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to secure improved lighting to the entrances to Barrington Avenue tenfoots. We have been discussing with the officers the possibility of installing additional additional lighting columns to ensure that those entering and leaving tenfoot entrances after dark can do so in safety without harm either to themselves or to their vehicles. This has involved arranging with the area team for those responsible for planning the installation to know where all the tenfoot entrances are. Provisional costs have been obtained and will be checked to ensure they are still current; however, these additional lamp standards may be the first in the ward, and among the first in the city, to have LED lightbulbs in them. It should be noted that this is a separate process from any proposal for full relighting of Barrington Avenue.

County Road North tree planting

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured undertakings from the Council’s officers that County Road North will be included in the list of streets to have trees planted or replanted early in the New Year. The matter was raised in the first instance by a local resident who came to see us about it at a recent mobile forum. We raised the matter then, and again later, with the officers and have now been informed that they are drawing up a list of streets that will have trees planted early in the New Year – in January and February to be exact. County Road North is already on the list as a place where trees need to be planted in order to replace trees that, for whatever reason, have already been lost.

Bricknell Primary School parking

John Fareham and John Abbott are continuing to take steps to resolve the problem of parking by Bricknell Primary School parents blocking the school’s front and rear entrances. Previous attempts to address this issue have been temporarily successful but we have been receiving reports that parents are dropping their children off in some numbers and are not responding as courteously as one might wish when asked to vacate local residents’ parking spaces. We therefore have been liaising with the school who say they have been in touch with the local Police and Community Support officers about this and will be writing again to parents to request that they park sensibly.

Appleton Road tree trimming

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the trimming of trees in front of the Appleton Road flats. We received a number of complaints from local residents to the effect that the trees were now very much in need of trimming. We therefore contacted the officers to remind them that the willow trees in particular were in conspicuous need of trimming. They have since sent a crew to carry out substantial removal of branches which should mean that concerns regarding the safety of children in the vicinity of low branches will cease to apply for some considerable time.

YPI floodlights

John Fareham and John Abbott are taking further steps to ensure that planning conditions related to the times when YPI floodlights can operate are adhered to. We continue to receive reports from local residents of the exact times – most of them beyond the hours permitted by the licensing conditions – when these floodlights are being switched off. Both of us are concerned, as well we might be, since we were given to understand some time ago that, as the result of the installation of new switching gear, compliance with planning restrictions on the use of these lights would henceforth be automatic. This would appear not to be the case and we have both therefore contacted the officers to ask that action be taken. They have replied to confirm that they have written to the YPI asking them in effect to behave themselves and that, if they do not receive a prompt reply to that effect, they will take enforcement action.

Goddard Avenue and the Council's Local Plan

John Fareham and John Abbott urged residents of Goddard Avenue to take part in the consultation process on the Council’s revised local plan. From a procedural standpoint, the Council has by law to revise the plan it uses as a yardstick for all planning applications from time to time and it also has to consult with residents and others on the revised version. What this has to do with Goddard Avenue is a great deal more simple and possibly more concerning. If you look at the maps and other documents which can be downloaded from the Council website, you will see that the land behind Goddard Avenue, currently allocated as greenspace, is reclassified as housing land. Leaving aside how much “land-banking” goes on – buying land, perhaps getting planning permission to build something and then sitting tight while you wait for doing something to become more lucrative – we feel that this change could have significant consequences for the character of the area.

Bishop Alcock Road litter removal

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for community payback persons to remove litter and fly tipping from land near the old Aneurin Bevan Lodge site on Bishop Alcock Road. Leaving to one side the merits of those who have committed criminal offences putting something back into the community as part of their punishment, this is work with obvious consequences for residential and visual amenity as far as local residents are concerned, and in a planning context, given that it may be some time before the proposed new buildings on this side begin to be constructed, it is as well to have a plan in place to keep this site tidy in the meantime. We do not regard this course of action as a complete answer to fly tipping or litter, but it is a considerable step in the right direction and we will of course revisit the matter as and when necessary.

Helperby Walk grittng

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured undertakings that, in the event of snow and ice this winter, Helperby Walk will be included in the council’s annual schedule of gritting works. At the October 2015 meeting of Wyke Area Committee, the list of streets scheduled for gritting was brought to Committee for consideration. We both noticed that we had had on occasion in the past to refer the question of whether Helperby Walk was to be gritted to the officers when the pathway was so encrusted with snow and ice as to be absolutely perilous to walk on. After some discussion it was agreed that the problem lay with Helperby Walk having been inadvertently left off the list of streets to be done in the past, and the officers agreed to make sure that it was on the list to be done in the future.

County Road North slurry sealing

John Fareham and John Abbott report that plans are afoot for slurry sealing of the south side of County Road North, possibly early in 2016. A report submitted to the October meeting of Wyke Area Committee listed these works as currently out to tender with the officers hoping that the work will commence in March next year. This is of course in addition to other projects which we are currently pursuing with the officers, but it goes without saying that as and when the tender process is complete and we have a start date for the works themselves, we will of course let you know.

Loveridge Avenue traffic consultation

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the official consultation exercise on the Loveridge Avenue traffic proposals is now nearing the point where it can take place. The consultation exercise will begin as soon as the final wording of the questionnaire has been settled - between, we should perhaps add, officers whose good intentions we are confident of - and will of course include full details of the scheme on offer. We hope that, after the various delays imposed by dark forces at the corporate centre, local residents will take full advantage of this opportunity to express an opinion for or against the proposal on offer. It is not, of course, for us to suggest that you should either support or oppose it; we, after all, are not the ones who will have to live with the proposals if they are implemented on a continuous day to day basis. The outcome of the consultation exercise is, in the last analysis, something which must reflect, as accurately as possible, the preferences of local residents.

Chanterlands Avenue fence repairs

John Fareham and John Abbott have made progress in securing repairs to a damaged fence on Chanterlands Avenue North. We received complaints that the fence at the end of a garden in Newland Park had collapsed and was now consequently an eyesore. We therefore referred the matter to the officers, giving them directions as to where to find the fence in question, and asked that they deal with the matter in the interests of visual and residential amenity. They have since replied to the effect that they have visited the site, identified the property to which the fence belongs, and will be contacting the residents concerned to ask that they take the necessary action to repair or replace the fence.

Allderidge Avenue pothole repairs

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured pothole reinstatement works on Allderidge Avenue. We had both been receiving complaints from local residents regarding the state of the pavements and both of us had referred the matter to the officers. We were therefore delighted to receive confirmation from local residents – before we received it or anything like it through official channels – that the work was in process of being carried out. Given the general level of resourcing allocated by dark forces at the corporate centre to carriageway and pavement maintenance, we will of course continue to take an interest in the standard of your carriageways and pavements as well of course as any others in the ward requiring attention.

Short term traveller pitches

John Fareham and John Abbott continue to work on means of eliminating the need for illegal traveller encampments. Not only is Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Grove pressing councils to do more to provide stop-over sites for travellers, but we are doing the same at our end. According to Council meeting papers there are, give or take, enough pitches on Council sites for travellers who want to stay for a while, but there isn’t provision for travellers such as those who “visited” Bricknell Ward for a few days while on their way to horse fairs and the like. We have therefore asked the officers to locate a suitable location or locations for short-term traveller pitches and to do so as rapidly as possible. We accept that finding a suitable site may not be easy, but we will continue to pursue this approach as a way of stopping the nuisance caused by illegal encampments.

Bakers Field greenhouse

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the installation of a polythene tunnel-type greenhouse on the Bakers Field allotments and have arranged for the planting of trees and shrubs elsewhere on the site. Naturally we hope the greenhouse will be found useful by allotment holders, but the planting of trees and shrubs has involved negotiating with a conservation group to arrange for 500 native broadleaf trees and shrubs which were to be planted in November, using funds already committed in the past for use on this site. In these times of financial stringency in local government it may also be of note that we managed, working hand in glove with the local area team, to secure a substantial discount on the cost that would normally have applied.

Chanterlands Avenue pigeons again

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the fitting of spikes to the Chanterlands Avenue railway bridge in a further attempt at keeping pigeons off it. Our original intention was to have replacement netting fitted, but on the advice of the officers we accepted an alternative proposal involving the fitting of spikes on the beams which pass over the carriageway and the pavement. This does not of course, as we have observed at first hand, preclude birds getting on to such beams as are not protected with spikes, but it does at least afford some protection for motorists and pedestrians whilst avoiding the problems previously encountered with netting whereby pigeons could and did get trapped inside it with fatal consequences for the birds themselves.

Appleton Road flats rubbish

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the collection of large surplus items from outside the Appleton Road flats. We received complaints from local residents to the effect that large items, of the sort referred to by the electrical trade as ‘white goods’, had been left outside for a period of time. We therefore referred the matter to the officers and asked for the items to be removed. We are now given to understand that this work has been carried out and we stand ready to assist with any problems which may occur in future relating to the collection of large objects. The Council remains prepared to visit any household in the city once a year in order to collect large objects, usually electrical goods or large items of furniture, free of charge. Any local resident wishing to avail themselves of this service need only telephone 300300 to make the necessary arrangements.

Hotham Road North-Bricknell Avenue bins

John Fareham and John Abbott continue to work to secure replacement litter bins for the junction of Hotham Road North and Bricknell Avenue. We were given to understand that one of the bins had already been replaced, but when we went to see for ourselves we found that the damaged bin adjacent to the bus stop was still in position, as was the burnt out bin further along. We therefore decided to refer the matter once again to the officers, who were labouring under the misapprehension that one of the bins had been replaced of and that all that remained to be done was to replace the other. We hope drawing this matter to their attention will enable them to replace both bins at the same time, but if it does not we will continue to press for the replacement of them both.

Cloughton Grove weeds

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured action to remove saplings growing in the gutters of Cloughton Grove. Given the problems that have been experienced elsewhere in the city with tree roots causing substantial damage to pavements and properties, this may not seem at first glance like a particularly urgent or important issue. The local residents who drew this matter to our attention did however suggest that in time the problem might become more serious, and we agreed with them. We therefore referred the matter to the officers who have told us they will be using brush wood killer to get rid of these saplings as ordinary weed killer is not sufficiently powerful. It appears likely, however, that the problem will recur at some stage and we stand ready to take further action in this connection if required.

Goddard Avenue pavement resurfacing

John Fareham and John Abbott welcome the resurfacing work that has been carried out on Goddard Avenue pavements. From our point of view, it might have been nice to have been told about it further in advance, but the work was brought forward in order to facilitate other work due to be carried out by Yorkshire Water. We are also given to understand that while work was being carried out attention was also paid to remedial work on potholes. The reconstruction work is covering the area, on the odd numbered side, from 141 Goddard Avenue to the roundabout at Chanterlands Avenue. We are also making representations that the even numbered side should receive similar treatment as soon as possible and have received indications that work there will follow later. If and when we have a start date for the other side we will of course pass that on.

Hotham Road North weeds

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the removal of weeds deleterious to visual amenity on Hotham Road North. We received complaints from local residents to the effect that these weeds had been allowed to become overgrown and were thus becoming an eyesore. We contacted the officers at once and they arranged for them to be removed as well as undertaking to arrange for regular mowing of the area concerned. They did sound a cautionary note regarding the impact of this work on the effectiveness of this grassed hump as a future obstacle to possible traveller incursions, but this is of course a matter on which both we and the local area team will remain continuously vigilant.

Goddard Avenue convenience store

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to ensure that, when Goddard News reopens as a convenience store, the hours during which they sell alcohol remain consistent with the existing licence. At present, the opening hours are 8.00 am to 11.00 pm from Monday to Saturday and 12.00 pm to 10.30 pm on Sundays. As yet, no application has been received from the prospective operators of the convenience store to vary these licensing hours. We have therefore arranged with the officers for an enforcement officer to go down to the premises as soon as they are open for business in order to confirm that they are indeed operating within the licensing hours currently applying. We will also check whether the changes we understand are being made to the building’s internal structure require planning permission, and if so, whether they have been granted it.

Chanterlands Avenue bridge pigeons

John Fareham and John Abbott continue to work to keep pigeons off the Chanterlands Avenue railway bridge. We noticed that the netting we expected to be there was not and that pigeons were moving around the bridge support structure with absolute impunity. We therefore referred the matter to the officers who told us that the experts they had been consulting thought that netting did not work properly and proposed instead to install spikes. We pointed out that the number of spikes currently in place was insufficient to keep the pigeons off and they are now preparing to install additional spikes in the hope those will be enough to do the job.

Bricknell Avenue litter bins

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the replacement of damaged litter bins on Bricknell Avenue. One of the bins in question looked to have been subject to fire damage and the other was just plain devastated. We therefore contacted the officers to see whether they had any suitable bins in storage to replace them; they discussed the matter between themselves and agreed to replace them. For all that these bins may still have functioned well enough as places to put rubbish, they looked bad enough to count as appalling and we felt it necessary to get new ones installed. We will of course keep our eyes open for further instances of such damage and take such steps as are practicable to repair or replace bins which have been vandalised or otherwise damaged.

Hotham Road bus service

John Fareham and John Abbott are continuing to campaign for the re-routing of Stagecoach Service 3 away from Hotham Road North. We have contacted senior officers of East Riding Council, with copies to the Leader of East Riding and the relevant portfolio holder, asking to reconsider their position on the necessary works at the West Bulls junction. Some of the “statistical evidence” they produced to our officers was precarious to put it mildly and we have set out the scenario we envisage, both in terms of potential public response and our hypothetical reaction to is, and asked them, in effect, whether that is what they really want. At the time of writing we have of course yet to receive a reply but we will of course report back if there are any fresh developments.

Bricknell Avenue bus map

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the replacement of the out of date bus map displayed at the stop at the junction of Hotham Road North and Bricknell Avenue. It could be argued that, with accurate and up to date timetable information displayed alongside, this was not a high priority. Nevertheless, we wanted it replaced, not least because some bus journeys involve the use of more than one service, and we didn’t want members of the public to be misled by a bus map so substantially out of date that it listed a number of services, both Stagecoach and East Yorkshire, that either haven’t run for several years or no longer run through the middle of the ward as they used to.

Bricknell Avenue broadband cabling

John Fareham and John Abbott confirm that an electronic sign showing forthcoming bus departures has been installed at the junction of Bricknell Avenue and Fairfax Avenue. After the considerable concern exhibited by local residents some time ago when preparations for electrical wiring to be installed led some to believe that the former bus shelter at this point, which had been highly controversial in its day, was due to make a return, we made inquiries, as we reported at the time, which confirmed that the sign now in place was on its way. We hope local residents will find it useful –we know we do – and it establishes a useful precedent for the possible installation of similar signage in other useful locations.

Cottingham Road broadband cabling

John Fareham and John Abbott report that excavations will take place on Cottingham Road for the installation of broadband cabling. We thought it best to inform local residents that this work was about to be undertaken, confident in the belief that whilst it might cause some small inconvenience in the short term, the long term benefit of having high speed Internet access would be worth it in the end for those who choose to take it up. Those who are acquainted with the Guildhall’s Internet access speeds may reflect wistfully that it might be nice to have some there as well, but it is more important that local residents should have the kind of speeds people elsewhere in the country are getting and you of course should get such speeds before we do.

Trees near Appleton Primary School

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the cutting down of damaged and potentially dangerous multi-stemmed poplar trees alongside Appleton Primary School. We received a number of complaints from local residents to the effect that someone – the officers knew who, but they had insufficient evidence to take action – had been damaging the trees by removing some of the bark. In addition, it was felt by local residents and by the school that the state of health of these trees after they had been damaged was such that they ought to be chopped down in the interests of public safety. We discussed the matter with the officers who arranged for the trees to be cut down and who will be arranging for the planting of new trees at a safer distance from the school fence.

Castleton Avenue rockery

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for rocks to be situated at the far end of Castleton Avenue so to prevent it being used as a shortcut in the event of any further traveller incursions. We have used rocks in other locations within the ward as a means of preventing motorists driving on grass verges. Finding ourselves in a few such rocks spare, we decided to locate them here as experience suggests that if we get any further visits from travellers, this would be the route which they would most probably use to get onto the land alongside Appleton Primary School. In the light of the trouble we had with them last time we came here, it seemed like a sensible precaution to make sure, as far as is possible, that nothing like that could happen again.

Southfield Road resurfacing

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured an undertaking that Southfield Road carriageways are due to be resurfaced in 2016. This evidences our continuing commitment to carriageway maintenance – nobody likes potholes and properly scheduled maintenance embodies the principle that a stitch in time saves nine. It isn’t that long since we ensured your pavements were done and here we are again. Other schemes than this have been larger in scale – notably the work done to restore Bricknell Avenue surfaces after they were dug up for cabling works – but this does not mean that we can sit back and expect it all to be free from difficulties. Rather we will let you know when we have specific dates for the work to be carried out and when the work starts we will be ready to work on any issues that may arise in connection with it.

Goddard Avenue traffic problems

John Fareham and John Abbott have met with a setback in their continuing pursuit of a solution to Goddard Avenue traffic problems. A report on the matter came to the May 2015 meeting of Wyke Area Committee. This suggested three options – do nothing, close off the street or repaint the 20mph markings on the carriageway at either side. We recommended either closing off Goddard Avenue, cutting it in half at Jack Kaye Walk, or a tidal route-based one-way system such as is commonly operated elsewhere in the county. The latter was not an option preferred by the authors of the report. The Chairman expressed strong opposition to closing off the street and the idea was shelved. We did, however, secure a recommendation that the design of the existing chicane be revisited and we will pass on further details of what comes of this as and when we get them.

Cropton Park changing facilities

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the Wyke Rugby League Club have left Cropton Park for about a year and are using temporary facilities at Kelvin Hall School while their new changing rooms are built. Obviously this is of interest to local residents as it means they are getting a year’s respite from overspill parking while the works are going on. We’ve noticed the level of parking at first hand – it’s one of the places we’ve used over the years to break for meals during election campaigns – and we thought you ought to know about it. We take the view that the state of the tarmac where parents park while their children play rugby is something that needs to be addressed and we will continue to press for action on that point.

Woodgate Lane litter and weeds

John Fareham and John Abbott have been collaborating with the Avenue Ward councillors to sort out litter and weed problems on Woodgate Lane off Perth Street West. The matter was referred to us by our Avenue Ward colleagues who pointed out that Woodgate Lane is just inside our ward. (It is, by a matter of a few yards.) Residents of Perth Street West had been complaining to them about litter and we jointly arranged with the officers that the Council’s Streetcare staff would attend to the litter issue. On visiting the site we also noticed that the weeds on either side were, to put it mildly, flourishing so we have also asked the officers to take action on that.