A York park is to expand – and there’s money for new facilities too.
Plans to extend West Bank Park onto land which was formerly the home for its park keeper were approved by City of York Council yesterday.
It comes more than eight years after a devastating fire destroyed the park keeper’s lodge on New Lane. The building was later demolished and the area mothballed.
The plot was first separated from the rest of the park by a metal fence in the early 1990s following its acquisition by the council.
The property had been let to a social housing provider in 2007 after it fell out of use as park keeper accommodation.
A community plan to turn the old lodge into a visitor’s centre went up in smoke when the fire ripped through it on 8 November 2016.
Stables and a garage previously stood on the site, dating back to the West Bank Park’s earlier use as a family home after Sir James Hamilton bought it in 1921.
A council report to yesterday’s stated the security fence around 14 New Lane would be removed so it could be reconnected to the wider park.
It added £83,000 left over from an insurance payout could also be used to promote the park’s history and help maintain standards that helped it earn its Green Flag status.
Holgate ward’s Cllr Taylor said there had already been various requests to use the money to invest in the soon-to-be incorporated land.
The Labour councillor said: “I think this will breathe new life into a much-loved and well-used park and it will help relieve the squeeze on space in that area.
“I’m very supportive of thinking outside the box when it comes to how the money is spent.”
Chris Webb, of the Yorkshire Gardens Trust, who is also a Holgate resident, said the decision offered a rare opportunity to expand a local park.
He said: “This will show residents and park authorities elsewhere that York recognises that parks and gardens have been key components of cities throughout history.”