A decision which has a direct impact on thousands of York residents is set to be made behind closed doors – to the anger of campaigners.
The Walkway Agreement – a legally binding document which will soon govern direct access into York city centre for thousands of residents once Leeman Road is closed – is not being published or scrutinised.
That’s according to the York Central Action group.
Leeman Road is set to close later this year to allow the National Railway Museum to build a new Central Hall across it.
The road closure was opposed by thousands of residents who argued that it removed a “well-used, direct and safe route” to the city centre.
An alternative route around the perimeter of the NRM is longer and less convenient.
However, the Walkway Agreement would compel the NRM to provide “freely and directly available access” through the museum during opening hours.
But the full text of the Walkway Agreement has never been published.
“Now we have discovered that the council is planning to sign off the Walkway Agreement and its route without any public scrutiny,” said Chris Barrett of York Central Action.
“We have written to the council’s planning department demanding that the Walkway Agreement and its route be published and be subject to public review and consultation but have been told that signing it off is a technical process and will be done behind closed doors by council officers.
“This is contrary to the views of the planning inspector who ran the public inquiry into the stopping up of Leeman Road, and undertakings previously given by the NRM.
“This is a key decision, which will affect the lives of thousands of people. It is unacceptable that the council is going to withhold it from public scrutiny. In its own constitution, the council is required to bring the views of communities into decision-making on key decisions.”
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‘Residents last’
Ward councillor Kallum Taylor agreed. He said: “This is the latest insight into the ‘residents last’ culture that runs from the top of York council and needs clearing out.
“The Walkway Agreement dictates how residents will be ‘allowed’ to travel through the railway museum’s new building across Leeman Road whenever it is open – yet it is riddled with gaps, wildly one sided in the museum’s favour, and has been drafted behind closed doors.
“As it stands, the document does not even guarantee what the museum’s opening hours are, it lets them shut the route ten times a year for events and on more occasions for maintenance, and – critically – it does not secure the ‘freely and directly available’ access it is supposed to give residents instead of them having to queue with museum visitors.
“It is disturbing that its related planning condition could be signed off without it receiving public scrutiny.”
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