Councillors will receive an update on plans to improve Front Street in Acomb at a meeting next week (18 July).
In October 2023, the council’s Executive approved £570,000 of UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) money for phase 2 improvements to Front Street. The spending deadline for this funding is 31 March 2025.
Earlier this year, residents, visitors, businesses and other stakeholders were invited to share their priorities and provide feedback on ideas for phase 2. This process received 900 responses and over 5,000 comments have now been analysed. Council officers also attended a number of events in the area to get as many views from key stakeholders, including businesses, as possible.
This feedback is key to understanding priorities and is being used alongside costing works to shape the emerging Phase 2 scheme subject to total budget.
The feedback shows the top 5 priorities are*:
- Events and activities (73% considered this high priority)
- Improvement to “Welcome Gateway” / entrance to main shopping area (69%)
- New central space (59%)
- Review bollards (57%)
- Feasibility study into the long-term aspiration to pedestrianise Front Street (51%)
Cllr Peter Kilbane, Executive Member for Economy & Culture at City of York Council, said:
“I would like to thank everybody who took part in the Front Street engagement programme earlier this year- it is great to see so many responses. All 5,000 comments have been taken into account as we plan how to deliver improvements that the community actually want.
“One thing that shines through is people’s passion and commitment to the area. We all want what is best for Acomb, Westfield and Holgate. I am grateful to officers who are working tirelessly to progress this project and meet the priorities we have heard clearly from the community.
“This includes finding a way to address the bollards challenge, with plans to significantly reduce their number while also finding other ways to prevent illegal parking, which we know remains of concern to people.
“We will continue to involve the community as this project progresses. We are also committed to exploring any further opportunities to attract more funding which would allow us to deliver on some of the longer-term ideas and aspirations that have been clearly fed back to us.”
As well as being presented with the engagement feedback, members will be asked to agree to a number of recommendations to further progress design work for improvements to the area, with the intention of designs for phase 2 being taken to a decision session in September. This is in order to deliver a scheme against the challenging UKSPF spend deadlines.
This includes agreeing to high-level principles that will be used as phase 2 designs are finalised. The high-level principles include creating a more people friendly accessible space which will enable the community to run community activities and events, and creating a new crossing point to better connect the new and old sections of Front Street.
The report also recommends that a feasibility study into pedestrianisation should be commissioned. This study will use the extensive engagement feedback and consider how to change the relationship with the existing road, ensuring residents and businesses have further input. This does not impact on the design of Phase 2 works but would help inform potential future phases.
The Executive meeting will take place on Thursday 18 July and will be webcast at www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.