York News

Changes planned at busy York junctions

2012-11-13T07:59:00.001+00:00

SAFETY improvements are set to be carried out at two of York’s busiest junctions, which have been identified as accident blackspots.

City transport bosses plan to make changes at the Fishergate Gyratory, where a woman was killed five years ago, and at the junction of St Leonard’s Place, Bootham and Gillygate.

The Fishergate work would cost about £200,000 and would involve improving pedestrian crossings at the Fishergate/Paragon Street and Paragon Street/Fawcett Street junctions as well as workingon local pavements. The work is also designed to make it safer for people walking to the Barbican centre, which reopened last year.

In 2007, 22-year-old Lucie Brabyn died after being struck by a taxi at the junction, leading to calls for safety upgrades on the route. The amount of money available for the work in 2011/12 was cut amid spending reductions and because council officers said more analysis was needed.

Coun Dave Merrett, City of York Council’s cabinet member for transport issues, will be asked to approve the plans at a meeting next Mondayand at the same meeting will also be asked to approve £4,000 of “interim” improvements to signs and markings at the junction next to Exhibition Square and Bootham Bar, where there have been nine injury accidents in the past three years.

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Guildhall councillors Janet Looker and Brian Watson say larger-scale works should be carried out, but the council has said wider improvements are planned in 2014 as part of its Reinvigorate York city-centre facelift.

A report on the Fishergate plans by council engineer Roger Webster said: “The proposed pedestrian crossing and footway improvements are intended to make it safer for pedestrians to access the reopened Barbican venue, particularly those using St George’s Field car park.

“There is a long-standing commitment to provide these improvements and the scheme seeks to address specific safety concerns in the area.”

The St Leonard’s Place/Gillygate/Bootham proposals include more space for cyclists in an “advance stop-line box” on Bootham, removing “unnecessary” sections of guardrail, adding another set of St Leonard’s Place road markings which indicate destinations and also moving a direction sign which is often hidden by tree branches. Council engineer Louise Robinson said in a report:

“These proposals have been kept minor and low-cost, but will hopefully provide some improvement to the accident rate in the interim period [before any Reinvigorate York work].”

Away Team | Everton vs Mackems | Saturday 10th November 2012 | Blue Kipper

2012-11-09T09:05:00.001+00:00

Away Team | Everton vs Mackems | Saturday 10th November 2012 | Blue Kipper

Knavesmire chiefs unveil £5 million redevelopment plans for York Racecourse

2012-11-09T09:03:00.002+00:00

An artist’s impression of York Racecourse’s parade ring showing the new features of a proposed £5 million redevelopment scheme

A £5 MILLION development of the northern end of York Racecourse has been unveiled today.

As first reported last week, the project, which will be phased over several years subject to a successful consultation period and planning permissions, would transform the facilities for horses, jockeys and officials as well as providing new areas for racegoers to meet, drink and view the action.

The existing pre-parade ring would be moved to the area where the saddling boxes are currently situated. New boxes would be created around this pre-parade zone, along with a wash down area and a two storey weighing room overlooking the existing parade ring.

Racecourse chiefs said that following a “review of operations and consultation with racing professionals, there is a desire to further improve the facilities for the world-class horses that visit York as well as for those who look after them, ride them and come to see them”.

The racecourse have held discussions with City of York Council, their landlord, which have led to a proposal to vary their existing lease and realign the northern perimeter wall. The third of an acre of extra land this produces is key to accommodating the improved equine area.

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The extra space then created by moving the pre-parade ring would also allow the revamp of the track’s Moet Pavilion, Champagne lawn and existing weighing room – an early 20th Century listed building which is likely to be a new restaurant.

William Derby, chief executive and clerk of the course, said: “I hope these proposed plans demonstrate York wants to keep improving, to offer the best for horses, for horsemen and for fans of the sport. Wonderful though it was to be able to welcome Frankel, the best racehorse in the world, as well as the 30,000 people intent on seeing him, to York, it did reinforce to me we can improve things.

“We have recently invested in the track, the stables, the stands, facilities for racegoers and other areas of the racecourse so it feels right to turn our intention to areas that last saw a major change over 100 years ago. I’d hope that by keeping on improving we will keep attracting the best horses to York. That can only be a good thing for the profile and economy of both York Racecourse and the city.”

Drunken joyride of boy aged 15

2012-11-07T12:31:00.002+00:00

A 15-YEAR-OLD took his father’s car and went on a drunken joyride through York, leaving a father-of-two with life-changing injuries in a hit-and-run crash.

The teenager, who has now been locked up, downed six cans of lager and a bottle of another alcoholic drink one day in July and later admitted being “out of his head” when he took his father’s red Seat.

He knocked over chef Pawel Nahorniak, 39, who was cycling home along Bishopthorpe Road to his son and daughter.

The court heard the teenager was mourning the second anniversary of a family tragedy. Mr Nahorniak said in a statement read to the court: “I heard the roar of an engine. I turned my head and I felt the car hit me. I remember I fell on to the car. That is when I banged my head and I fell on to the road. The driver rammed me and did not even ask if I was dead or alive. He did not care.”

The accident happened near the junction with Charlton Street.

Witnesses reported seeing Mr Nahorniak fly through the air before landing in the road, the court heard.

The teenager then continued down Bishopthorpe Road before crashing into a parked transit van and flipping the car on to its roof, said Gill Sandall, prosecuting.

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A breath test showed he was three times the drink-drive limit. A taxi driver said that moments earlier the teenager overtook his taxi by driving on a footpath.

Mr Nahorniak suffered serious head, neck and wrist injuries, including a shattered vertebra which required surgery.

He had a disc at the bottom of his back removed and a metal plate inserted. He spent more than a week in hospital and was left with his arm in a cast and in a back brace.

Mr Nahorniak said his injuries also left him with numbness in his left hand, jeopardising his future as a chef at Strada Italian restaurant in Petergate.

He also suffered a broken tooth and injuries to his chin and said his family had suffered financial difficulty as he had been unable to work.

“My life has been put on hold through no fault of my own,” he said.

Pippa Carruthers, for the teenager, said the incident was a “cry for help” from someone “struggling to cope with a very emotional event”.

“It was highly reckless on his behalf. He showed a disregard for the safety of others but also a worrying disregard for his own safety,” she said.

She said the teenager did not know he had hit the cyclist, later confessing he was “out of his head” on alcohol.

The boy appeared before York magistrates on charges including dangerous driving, taking a car without the owner’s consent, drink driving, failing to stop after a collision and failing to provide a breath specimen test. He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

The teenager said in court: “I just want to apologise for what I have done. I just want life to go back to how it was.”

He was given a four-month sentence in a detention centre and a three-year driving ban. Magistrates said: “The accident has caused very serious and life-changing injuries for the victim.”

York's iconic Bile Beans sign gets facelift

2012-11-06T10:11:00.003+00:00

WORK has started to give a unique piece of York heritage a much-needed facelift.

Following an appeal for funds to pay for the repainting of the iconic Bile Beans sign on the side of a building on Lord Mayor's Walk, the money was raised within weeks and was yesterday underway.

The request for help was sent out through The Press by York Civic Trust chairman Sir Ron Cooke after the cost of repainting the peeling sign was estimated at £1,600.

His colleague, director at the civic trust, Peter Brown said: “We are delighted that the people of York have responded so positively. It puts a smile on your face when you go past it.

“It was absolutely right we should restore it and it proves to us the people of York care about their environment and are willing to put their hands in their pockets to support it.”

Famous clock at St Martin-le-Grand Church in Coney Street, York, back in place soon

2012-08-21T08:47:00.002+01:00

ONE of York’s most famous clocks should finally be back in place by the beginning of September – when it will chime the quarter hour for the first time since the war.
The distinctive timepiece which normally juts out from St Martin-le-Grand Church in Coney Street was removed with the help of a crane last November for its biggest overhaul since 1966.
It was originally hoped it would be back in place by the 70th anniversary of the church’s destruction in the “Baedeker” bombing raid of April 1942, and then by the time of The Queen’s visit to the city, but its restoration has been hit by a series of technical delays.
However, churchwarden Andrew Hingston revealed yesterday plans have now been drawn up for the huge bracket to be returned in the early hours of Sunday, September 2, all being well.
He said a street closure and a crane had been booked. The vehicle was so wide even pedestrians would have to squeeze past, so a time had been chosen when there were few people about.

It is planned for the Archdeacon of York, the Venerable Richard Seed, to give the clock a blessing at about 11.50am on Monday, September 3.
Mr Hingston said Andrew Carter had written the new quarter chimes for the clock, which had not chimed the quarter hour since the raid 70 years ago. He said it had briefly chimed the hour in 1966, but the nightwatchman at the then Yorkshire Evening Press, situated in those days in Coney Street, complained that the noise was keeping him awake and the chimes were switched off.
The latest repairs, costing tens of thousands of pounds, have been needed because of wear and tear, particularly following the harsh weather of December 2010.

The work has been more complex than originally expected and unforeseen problems have arisen, including sickness at the specialist firm carrying out the project, while a wooden representation of Father Time, which looked in good condition from the outside, turned out to be rotten within.

Lorry driver flown to hospital after bridge crash on A64 near Malton

2012-02-22T07:54:00.001+00:00

A LORRY driver whose 30-tonne HGV smashed into a bridge on the A64 was last night sitting up in hospital, having walked away from this devastating wreckage without serious injury. The vehicle, which was carrying grain, hit the Castle Howard flyover two miles from Malton at about 2.25pm yesterday, causing extensive damage and closing the westbound carriageway. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance was called and police said they feared the worst. But although the lorry was very badly damaged, its driver escaped life-threatening injury and was last night said by 999 sources to be sitting up in bed and talking. Chief Inspector Ian Thompson said: “The vehicles are very well made and are meant to take the impact and collapse to protect the driver. “From what we first saw we were expecting it to be much more serious which is why the air ambulance was sent. It’s a very happy ending.” The driver was out of the vehicle by the time firefighters arrived and was able to talk to police at the scene. The eastbound carriageway was temporarily closed to allow the air ambulance to land and to airlift the man to York Hospital, but quickly reopened. The westbound carriageway remained closed well into the evening. The lorry driver, whose vehicle was from Clive Warcup hauliers near Driffield, was treated for a cut to his head and abdominal pains, a police spokesman said. No other vehicles or people were involved in the crash. An engineer was sent to check for any structural damage to the bridge, which was found to be safe, a police spokesman said.

Fears growing for missing teenager Jordan Sullivan

2012-02-16T10:38:00.001+00:00

Fears were growing last night for a missing teenager after a huge search of the River Ouse in York and the area where he was last seen. Jordan Sullivan, 19, of Acomb was spotted by a woman walking her dog at about 9.30am on Tuesday as he ran along a dirt track off Acaster Lane towards the river. His clothes were found nearby. His distraught father, Gary, and family members, including his uncle, Graham, spent much of the day yesterday helping with the search until it was called off as darkness fell. Police teams, and mountain rescue search parties scoured the river banks for a second day as police divers searched the river around the old railway bridge, just north of York Marina, in Naburn. A police helicopter was also used to scour the surrounding countryside. The search was expected to resume again today. There appeared to be no clues for any motive for the popular youngster’s disappearance. Insp Jo Brooksbank said Mr Sullivan was understood to have removed his clothes on the Naburn side of the river before crossing the bridge towards Bishopthorpe. She said: “With it being the main river through York it’s quite a dangerous area to be in. The riverside itself is very slippy and muddy; they are quite slippy conditions down there. The search teams have found it difficult to search some of the areas. “There’s no explanation for what might have happened. We are keeping an open mind. The family are being kept informed, they are getting regular updates.” Mr Sullivan, who works as a travel consultant at Quartz Travel, worked on Monday, but did not arrive for his shift on Tuesday. His boss Paul Smith, who has described Mr Sullivan as a “rising superstar” said his colleagues were desperately worried about his disappearance. He said: “The police are doing all they can under the current circumstances. It’s horrendous. He is a part of our family. The support we have had has been phenomenal and it’s testament to Jordan and his family. He is a smashing lad and we need to find him. We are in disbelief.” Mr Sullivan’s clothes have been recovered along with his wallet from near to the river. On Tuesday, a mountain rescue team from RAF Leeming also searched the scene. Mr Sullivan is described as white, about 5ft 9ins tall with a slim build and short dark hair, and he has a tattoo of a crucifix running between his shoulder blades. PC Alex Dobson, of York Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “I am urging anyone who may have seen a naked man in the area to contact the police immediately. I am also appealing to anyone who may have seen any unusual activity near the River Ouse. Jordan, if you see or hear this appeal, please get in touch as I need to ensure that you are safe and well.”

York Del Monte closure looks certain, says union

2012-02-15T07:34:00.001+00:00

FEARS are growing for 140 food factory jobs in York, after union leaders warned its closure now looked inevitable. Staff at Del Monte at Skelton Park on Shipton Road have been told the factory will probably close on April 23, union representatives said tonight. Sam Vickers, regional organising secretary of the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union, met company management today, but he said the meeting was not constructive and brought little hope. He said: “I am negotiating for best terms but I do not think there is a cat in hell’s chance of saving it and I do not think they’re interested in saving it.” He said about 130 to 140 workers were employed at the factory, which makes salads and coleslaws for retailers. He said the firm also took on a lot of agency staff at busy times. The firm is understood to have lost a contract with Morrisons, and although it is pursuing new business with Asda, Mr Vickers said the future looked bleak. He said the factory was due to close on April 23 unless the firm could land a deal with Asda, but also said: “It looks as though Asda will still not make it viable.” Mr Vickers’s union represents around 11 members of staff at the factory, which was bought by Fresh Del Monte in 2003 after it went into administration under its previous owners, Fisher Foods. Closure under Del Monte was rumoured previously, in 2005, but management then vehemently denied the claims, and said they were planning further investment. The Press has tried to contact Del Monte this evening for comment, but has been unable to do so. When contacted previously in relation to the possible closure, the firm declined to comment.

Armed robbery at petrol station near Dunnington

2012-02-13T14:23:00.001+00:00

A KNIFEMAN has stolen a large amount of cash from a petrol station near York in an armed robbery today. The man went into the Gulf garage on Hull Road near Dunnington at 9.40am today and demanded cash from the female cashier. Police say he made off with a "large quantity" of money, but would not specify the amount. DC John Phillips from North Yorkshire Police said officers were viewing CCTV and appealed for any witnesses to contact them.

Jamie Oliver restaurant to create 100 new jobs

2012-02-13T12:04:00.001+00:00

ABOUT 100 new jobs are to be created in York when a restaurant owned by top TV chef Jamie Oliver opens later this year. The Jamie’s Italian branch will be next to Guildhall, over two floors in an unused part of the building that houses the Lendal Cellars pub. The pub will remain as part of the development. Construction work is currently taking place on the Grade II-listed building and the restaurant is scheduled to open in July. Jamie’s Italian Ltd has now begun the search for chefs and front-of-house staff ahead of its unveiling, and hopes to create 100 posts. Oliver, who made his name on his show The Naked Chef and as a campaigner for healthier school dinners, said he had been looking to open a branch in York for some time. He said: “York is such a beautiful city – I used to go there on holiday as a kid and I’ve wanted to find the right site there for a while. “We’re in a fantastic location and it’s really going to be a wonderful place to eat, one of the jewels of the Jamie’s Italian collection. “We’re now recruiting and starting to train the very best local waiting staff, chefs and front-of-house staff, so we hope people will come and join us.” A spokeswoman for the firm said the transformation of the building would ensure original features, including Tudor roof trusses and exposed brick walls, would be preserved, with the restaurant having an open kitchen allowing diners to watch the chefs at work. It will also boast an external dining area. The building dates back to the 17th century on the site of an earlier friary, and it became a wine cellar for the Lord Mayors of York. York restaurateur Michael Hjort, who is secretary of York Hospitality Association and who organises the annual York Food And Drink Festival, said: “York has a large number of chain operations, of which the Jamie’s Italian restaurant will be another one. “There is certainly no harm in competition and I think it will be a welcome addition to the offer York gives to its visitors.” The sections of the building where the restaurant is taking shape have previously been out of use for several years. The Jamie’s Italian chain currently has 26 restaurants across the UK, as well as branches in Sydney and Dubai. Its only other Yorkshire restaurant is in Leeds.

Pet hamster fried alive by flatmate

2012-02-13T07:34:00.001+00:00

A MAN has been arrested after a hamster was fried to death following a row between flatmates. Police found the dead pet – belonging to the flatmate of the arrested man – lying in a frying pan in the kitchen of one of the apartments at Pope’s Head Court, in Peter Lane, off Market Street, York. National animal welfare charity Blue Cross described the incident as “horrific and tragic”. Police sources told The Press that officers were called to the block of flats last Saturday following reports of a drunken disturbance and arrested a 20-year-old student for being drunk and disorderly. They conducted a spot-check around the flat and made the grim discovery. They then arrested the 20-year-old man on further suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. The Press understands police believe the creature was alive before it was placed in the flying pan. After questioning the man, officers learned that the hamster had belonged to his male flatmate, a foreign student who is studying in the city. The owner of the pet is said to have been distraught when he found out what had happened. Police said the hamster was now in a deep freezer in the evidence room at the Fulford Road police station as investigations continued into the incident. The RSPCA said it could not comment on an ongoing case but it would also looking into the investigation. Denise Young, the Blue Cross regional manager for the north, said: “This is an horrific and tragic incident for both the poor hamster and the owner concerned. At the Blue Cross, we sadly see animals who have been terribly neglected or deliberately mistreated, in desperate need of our care and loving new homes. “We hope that this case is taken as seriously as it deserves to be by the relevant authorities.” A police spokesman said: “A 20-year-old man was arrested at an address on Pope’s Head Court, Peter Lane, York, on Saturday, February 4, on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. He has been released on bail while police and RSPCA inquiries continue.” The man will answer bail on March 6.

Urban Outfitters to open in former Habitat store

2012-02-09T12:26:00.001+00:00

A MAJOR fashion chain is to move into the former city-centre home of one of York’s flagship stores. American clothing retailer Urban Outfitters, which says it has had its eye on the city for some time, has signed a 15-year lease to take over the “iconic” High Ousegate building which once housed home furnishings giant Habitat. The city’s Habitat branch was one of 30 stores which closed last September after the firm went into administration, with about 20 jobs being lost as all but three of its premises were sold off. The building covers 10,253 square feet in one of the city centre’s busiest shopping streets. The deal was signed by commercial property firm CBRE Retail, a division of the huge global real estate company CBRE Group, and its spokesman Tim Starling said today: “Urban Outfitters has had a long-standing requirement for York, and this iconic building fits the brand’s image extremely well.” The clothing chain sells men’s and women’s fashions as well as gifts and accessories and also has a boutique line. It has 21 stores in the UK, two in Dublin and seven throughout mainland Europe, but its arrival in York will give the company only its second Yorkshire branch, the other being in Leeds. Last year, Urban Outfitters announced expansion plans including nine new stores and two additional outlets for womenswear retailer Anthropologie, which it also owns, as well as enlarging its Free People brand which is sold on a wholesale basis through Harvey Nichols. It usually concentrates on two or three-storey buildings but said it would also be looking at smaller formats, adding that it could eventually grow to boast 50 British stores. More details about when work on the chain’s York store will begin and when it will open, as well as how many jobs may be created, are expected to be confirmed in due course.

York magician Alfie Whattam's hopes for Britain’s Got Talent fame

2012-02-09T12:25:00.001+00:00

A YOUNG magician from York is hoping to conjure up the support he needs to make his Britain’s Got Talent bid for fame. Alfie Whattam, from Rawcliffe, who has been astounding people with sleight-of-hand skills for years, is among 25 hopefuls whose videos have been posted on the talent show’s YouTube page in a public vote to decide who faces Simon Cowell and his judging team. The 15-year-old Canon Lee School pupil’s entry made the shortlist after more than 200,000 people entered. He said: “I probably want to make it through more than I’ve ever wanted anything, and if I get through, it’s for York. I don’t see myself as a magician, just a normal person who does amazing things.” The poll closes on Monday and you can vote at youtube.com/britainsgottalent

Innovation boosts Nestlé confectionery business

2011-08-10T12:49:00.001+01:00

INNOVATION in its confectionery products has helped Nestlé grow market share in the first half of the year, the business said.

The global business announced it had made sales of £33.8 billion, representing organic growth of 7.5 per cent, which Paul Bulcke, CEO, called “good progress” in a period characterised by political and economic instability, natural disasters and rising raw material prices.

Nestlé’s UK confectionery business increased market share from 15.5 per cent of the market in 2010 to 16.5 per cent, which Paul Grimwood, chairman and chief executive of Nestlé UK and Ireland, said was driven by innovation.

Aero, which is made in York and recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, was one of the strongest performers, the business said, launching three new products - Aero Biscuit, Aero Caramel and Aero Orange block – over the year. This follows the company’s £20 million investment in 2008 on a new Aero plant at its York factory to make Aero bars and Bubbles.

Product innovations have also been introduced in its Rowntree range, with new Sour Pastilles, Very Berry Jellies, and Jelly Aliens. Milky Bar and Rolo new sharing bags helped the brands achieve 13 per cent and 24 per cent growth respectively in the year to date.

Paul Grimwood said: “The first six months of 2011 was just as challenging as we expected, as household budgets across the country continue to be squeezed. However, we are pleased with the progress we have made as we continue to grow market share in nearly all of the categories we operate in. Our focus on driving innovation continues to pay off.”

Nespresso, which has its customer service centre in York, achieved double-digit organic growth, having continued to perform at a high level around the world despite intensified competition, the company said. The business has opened Nespresso boutiques in St Petersburg, Stockholm and Barcelona, and expects to exceed 250 boutiques by the end of the year.

2011-08-05T12:29:00.001+01:00

Antiques Roadshow comes to York

2011-07-29T10:02:00.001+01:00

THEY came in hope; one clutching granny’s old painting that she joked was by Gainsborough, others with boot sale finds they believed must surely be long-lost Ming vases.
For most though, it was a chance to learn the history of treasured family heirlooms as the Antiques Roadshow set up stall in York for the first time since 2003.
Back then, items included a masonic collection of porcelain and glass valued at £18,000 as well as a book signed by Beatrix Potter which was worth £5,000.
Yesterday, some of Britain’s leading antiques and fine arts specialists were in a scorching Museum Gardens offering free advice and valuations to hundreds of visitors who had raided their attics hoping to find their own household treasures.
For many, of course, there was the agony and ecstasy of the ‘what’s it worth’ moment.
Pat Shaw, from Monk Fryston, had a pleasant surprise with her postcard from George Bernard Shaw. Her father was named after the great man and her grandfather, an avid fan, wrote to ask George if that would be alright.
“He sent this card back which said it was a ‘shocking outrage on a defenceless infant’. They valued it at £400 which came as a bit of a shock. I just never thought about it really. The card lives on a mantlepiece at the moment, but I think it will have to go somewhere more secure now.”
Among the highlights was Nestlé’s iconic marketing character, Mr York of York, Yorks, which expert Hilary Kay valued at £5,000, while Cynthia Snioch, of Ripon, struggled with her print of World Religions.
She knew nothing about it, and like everyone else had to queue four hours in the sun to find out.
But fans hoping to see Fiona Bruce were as disappointed as the punters who discovered their “Georgian” chair was only worth a fiver. The show’s host had to pull out at the last minute due to a family illness.
Few, if any, experienced a life- changing moment courtesy of the antique experts, but at least someone will be able to tell their granny once and for all that her painting is more likely to come from the town called Gainsborough, than the artist.

John Lewis eyes York site

2011-07-27T08:57:00.000+01:00

YORK could be set to get a John Lewis store, as the company plans a major expansion across the country.
The retailer is in talks with a developer about a specific site on the city’s outskirts.
The firm wants to open ten “mini-stores” in cities where it has not been able to open full-sized stores. The new ones would be about half to two thirds the size of its regular branches.
In total, 3,000 extra jobs will be created as a result of the ten extra stores.
John Lewis declined to confirm or deny that it was examining a site in York, but The Press understands it has held talks with various parties about a number of sites, and is now in talks over a particular location.
The site is on the city’s outskirts, but The Press understands it is not at the new development accompanying the York Community Stadium project.
Andy Street, managing director for John Lewis, said: “There is a huge potential, and a clear demand from customers, for John Lewis to expand into more key locations in the UK.
“This new flexible approach to the size of our shops allows us to forge ahead with our growth plans to introduce John Lewis branches and our full-line assortment to cities and towns where we have long wanted to have a presence.”
Susie Cawood, head of York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce said the move would be a “fantastic boost for the city and an endorsement from an organisation that wants to do business here”.
She said: “It’s fantastic news. It’s very exciting. It’s a wonderful brand to have as a hook.”
But Adam Sinclair, owner of Mulberry Hall in Stonegate and chair of York Business Forum, said there was not a level playing field when it came to city-centre and out-of-town parking.
He said: “You have easy car access and free car parking outside York. Then you have an anti-car policy and expensive car parking (in the city centre) and a two-tier system which discriminates against people who are not from York.” John Lewis considers itself “under-represented” in Yorkshire, one source said, but the parent company John Lewis Partnership gained a foothold in York when its Waitrose arm opened in Foss Islands Road last year.
The scaled down stores will be about half to two-thirds the size of its normal shops, with shops averaging 65,000 to 100,000 sq ft.
John Lewis said they would offer shoppers the full range of homewares, fashion, toys and electrical goods because they would install computer terminals that could be used to order goods online.
The stores will also use television screens to broadcast catwalk shows and demonstrations of products that cannot be fitted into the store.

£19m upgrade plan for York Minster facilities

2011-07-27T08:54:00.001+01:00

FACILITIES for staff and visitors at York Minster could be in line for an upgrade as part of a multi-million-pound conservation project.
Plans to improve accommodation for the historic cathedral’s team of workers and volunteers in its Chapter House Yard, as well as providing better public toilets, have been handed in to City of York Council.
The proposals are part of the £19 million York Minster Revealed scheme, which is aiming to safeguard the future of the building’s East Front and Great East Window, as well as providing new “learning and interpretation” facilities and enhancing access to the building.
The Dean and Chapter of York have said one aspect of the project is to ensure the Minster can be managed “more effectively”, leading to the accommodation and toilet facilities in Chapter House Yard, which have been described as “inadequate”, also coming under the microscope.
“The successful administration of the Minster relies on a large team of staff and volunteers,” said the agents for the scheme, Arrol & Snell Ltd, in a planning statement submitted to the council.
“However, the back-of-house facilities provided within the Chapter House Yard extension are cramped and inadequate. The toilet facilities for visitors are also grossly inadequate.
“The aim of the Chapter House Yard project is to improve the facilities provided for staff, volunteers and visitors. This will be done by improving the provision of public toilets and for services and storage. Access into and out of the Chapter House Yard building will also be greatly improved.”
The firm said that, if the application is approved by planners, temporary accommodation for staff and volunteers and alternative parking arrangements will be put in place nearby.
The scheme would provide improved facilities for the Minster Police, the cathedral’s vestment keepers and its cleaners and flower arrangers, as well as for visitors and worshippers.
A decision on the proposals is expected to be made in September.

Body found in River Ouse search after York man jumps in

2011-07-25T11:00:00.001+01:00

Updated: A young man from York jumped into the River Ouse from a waterfront balcony and drowned.
Police say “a moment of misplaced exuberance” cost the 21-year-old his life yesterday morning.
Witnesses said they saw the man struggle in the water briefly before disappearing from view at about 6.35am.
Underwater search teams from West Yorkshire Police were at the scene for most of the day. A police spokesman confirmed that a body was recovered from the river in the afternoon, but said it was too early to formally identify the person.
It is understood the man had just finished work at a nearby bar and had jumped into the water from a walkway near the City Screen cinema and Revolution Vodka Bar, off Coney Street. Revolution remained closed throughout the day on Sunday.
Police said a man, who was part of a group of friends with the jumper, dived in in a desperate rescue attempt.
However, after getting into difficulties himself, he managed to pull himself out to safety.
Police confirmed the man’s death was not being treated as suspicious.
His family has been informed, but are understood to be out of the country at the moment.
The tragedy comes after three men were arrested after jumping into the river in the centre of York a week earlier.
Police and fire crews, including York’s rescue boat, were called to the same stretch of river by the Pitcher & Piano bar, off Coney Street early last Saturday evening. All three men, who are in their 20s, had got out of the river by the time emergency services arrived.
Inspector Mark Henderson, of the York City Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “York has been a very sombre place today knowing that a young man with everything to live for has paid the ultimate price for a moment of misplaced exuberance.
“It is a tragedy that his parents, family and friends will struggle to come to terms with. I personally do not wish to take away from their heartbreak and grief at this terrible time, however people need to wake up to the fact that rivers in general are extremely dangerous, and the Ouse itself is a particularly treacherous stretch of water.”
He said: “To avoid further tragic outcomes like this one, I urge people to take much greater care and respect the very real dangers that rivers pose.”
David Wade, 29, a freelance photographer from York, said he was close to the Park Inn Hotel when he saw the police diver in the water signal to colleagues at about 5pm yesterday before police officers moved people away from the area.
“I saw the divers and saw the police had cordoned off the area,” he said. He believed they had just found the body.

Acomb planker, 14, "could have caused untold grief"

2011-07-06T10:56:00.001+01:00

A BOY could have died an “horrendous” death as he lay down on the East Coast main railway line near York, magistrates have said.
Kathryn Reeves, prosecuting, told York Youth Court that a train thundered past on one track as the 14-year-old boy lay across a second line near Hob Moor.
The boy was taking part in the “planking” craze in which people lie flat in bizarre or dangerous places, and told magistrates he no longer regarded his actions as a joke. He was given a four-month referral order.
Francesca Horsfield, sitting with two magistrates, issued a stark warning against playing on railway lines, as thousands of children prepare to break up for the summer holidays.
She told the boy, from Acomb: “It could have caused untold grief not only to your family, but to others as well, such as the train driver who would have had the horrific experience of watching you being killed in a horrendous manner.
“You committed what can only be described as an act of total stupidity. It wasn’t brave at all.”
The bench gave the teenager a four-month referral order and ordered him to pay £85 prosecution costs after he admitted trespassing on the railway. He cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Ms Horsfield told him: “Your moment of fame is costing you dearly.”
The boy was prosecuted after The Press highlighted the dangers of “planking” by publishing the photo, which a friend had taken of him, on our front page.
Within hours, an anonymous caller identified him to police and he was arrested. Ms Reeves told the court: “This was done as a joke, but the consequences could have been fatal.”
The boy, who represented himself, told magistrates about his actions.
He said: “You don’t realise what you’re doing until you’ve done it.
“It’s not funny when you look at it again.”
He had told police he did it because he had nothing to do and wanted to have a picture of himself doing “something dangerous”.
His father said he was “appalled” by his son’s actions and claimed the people behind an online “planking” page were more concerned about the number of hits it got than their “duty to the public”. Both he and his son believed the “planking” craze was dying down.
Planking has previously been linked to the death of a man who fell from a balcony in Australia.

BBC News - York transport revamp 'vital for prosperity'

2011-05-24T18:39:00.000+01:00

BBC News - York transport revamp 'vital for prosperity'

Narrow escape for driver on Wigginton Road level crossing

2011-05-16T12:55:00.001+01:00

THIS driver had a lucky escape after becoming trapped on a York level crossing moments before a high-speed train sped past only feet from the vehicle.
The near-miss at the crossing in Wigginton Road near the Nestlé factory was captured on camera by Press reader Dave Welbeck.
Mr Welbeck said he believed the motorist stopped at the flashing light, but may not have realised he was on the wrong side of the barrier until it was too late.
The Wigginton Road crossing featured in The Press last year after the barrier came down on the roof of a lorry which had not stopped at the flashing lights.
Clifton councillors said it may now be time for Network Rail to assess safety at the site.
Mr Welbeck, of Heworth, who runs a haulage company in York, was heading in the direction of York city centre when he witnessed the incident.
He said: “I don’t know whether he didn’t see the lights or wasn’t concentrating.
“He went through, realised what had happened, obviously stopped and reversed but of course the barrier had come down.” He said he did not think the driver had done anything wrong. “I only saw an amber light on the level crossing then the barrier came down. The problem is clearly theirs and not the driver’s. There’s a problem at the site.”
In 2006 the crossing was highlighted as one of the worst in Yorkshire for drivers risking their lives by dodging the lights and driving over the tracks, although it is not known if this was the cause of Thursday night’s incident.
Clifton ward Councillor, Ken King, said when the lights were on amber, drivers must stop.
However, he said: “It’s no good them (the barriers) coming down when the lights are on amber. Maybe that’s something they should look at. There’s some safety issue there and it needs looking at.”
Fellow Clifton councillor David Scott said: “There’s a change of speed limit and there’s a bend and there’s Nestlé coming up in your sightline. Maybe it’s just too many distractions.”
It is understood the barrier gives drivers a maximum of 15 seconds from the lights beginning to flash amber, to the barriers coming down.
The incident comes as Network Rail is looking at ways of reducing the number of level crossings throughout the UK.
A Network Rail spokesman said the incident served as a “stark warning and reminder to all drivers they must observe the safety warnings at level crossings”. The company said it was aware some drivers were entering the “yellow box” before their exit was clear – risking becoming trapped if the barriers are activated. It also said the crossing, along with all others in the UK, were regularly safety checked by Network Rail and ORR, the independent rail regulator.
Vicki Smith, community safety manager for Network Rail, said: “Any misuse of level crossings is incredibly dangerous. “I hope this picture helps to remind people to use crossings safely. I understand that waiting can be frustrating, but warnings including lights and barriers are there to protect the public from an incredibly busy rail network. We urge people to obey the warnings and not risk their lives or cause costly delays to the network.”

Family of heart patient Emma Mallett, 13, fight to save Leeds heart unit

2011-05-10T10:45:00.002+01:00

A YOUNG heart surgery patient who underwent a life-saving operation will today celebrate becoming a teenager – as the service that saved her hangs in the balance.
As Emma Mallett, a chorister at York Minster, turns 13, her father, Simon, has joined other parents to demand that the NHS scraps a plan to move children’s heart surgery services from Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) to Newcastle.
Mr Mallett said: “I know from personal experience how important it is to have a unit close to where you live,” he said.
“To have to travel to an unfamiliar city, miles away from home would only have added to the stress.
“It would also have been impossible for family members to have supported Emma during her surgery.”
Emma, a pupil at the Minster School, was diagnosed with a serious defect of the aorta at the age of six and was rushed to LGI the next day for life-saving surgery to correct the problem. “It was definitely life-threatening,” said Mr Mallett.
“If it hadn’t been picked up, she probably wouldn’t be around.”
He said: “Her surgery was just procedure and she was out a day later.
“But if it’s an emergency, you are going to be in that ward a long time.
“Children should be able to be treated, in life saving situations, in a hospital close to their home.”
Mr Mallett, a barrister and former Conservative parliamentary candidate for York, said: “A five or six-hour round trip for family members to visit, either before or after surgery, would have been impracticable.”
The NHS Safe and Sustainable review proposes a major overhaul of paediatric heart surgery services in the UK, with more surgeons, expertise and facilities concentrated in fewer centres.
However, three out of four of the proposals for our region would see surgery services moved from LGI to Newcastle.

Seeking views over heart unit’s future

PUBLIC consultation meetings on the future of the region’s children’s heart unit at Leeds General Infirmary are to be held today.
The consultation has been organised by the Safe And Sustainable review, which has proposed moving children’s heart surgery services from Leeds to Newcastle, in a move it says will provide better quality standards. Two sessions will take place at Savile Hall, next to the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, at 3pm and 6pm.
Professor Roger Boyle, national director for heart disease and stroke, who is on the review panel, and Professor Martin Elliott, of the British Congenital Cardiac Association, who is also a consultant paediatric cardiac surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital, will both be present at the meetings.
A session for young people affected by heart illness to give their views on the future of surgery services in the region is due to take place at The Royal York Hotel, on Saturday, May 14 from 11am to 1pm.

Schools gripped by patriotic fervour ahead of royal wedding (From York Press)

2011-04-29T09:27:00.000+01:00

Schools gripped by patriotic fervour ahead of royal wedding (From York Press)

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