York racetrack to take legal action against ‘cavalier’ council as stadium disruption drags on

A karting centre that has been based near Monks Cross for more than 20 years plans to take legal action against City of York Council over the new stadium.

York MotorSports Village staff say they have “put up with significant disruption” while work is carried out at the site – and that the council “clearly does not care” about the impact on businesses.

And a spokesman for the company says contractors at the stadium have now reduced access to the centre’s car park.

They said:

• We have had to put up with significant disruption to our business for more than three years, and it will be four years until the site is finished – if the current date from City of York Council is to be believed.

  City of York Council has a cavalier attitude to the impact on our business, despite the fact we have been here for more than 23 years, and this latest position from them is now par for the course from a council that clearly does not care.

They added that the council has a right to temporarily move the business’ car park – but the stand-in parking area is not marked out, has no lighting or CCTV and not enough spaces.

Essential works

But Ian Floyd, deputy chief executive at the council, said the temporary car park will only be in place for two weeks.

He added that council does not own the temporary site so is working with the contractor to resolve issues around lighting and spaces.

He said: “The plans and build for this site have been confirmed for five years. The business owner has been informed of these plans throughout the process and was fully aware of the works that are now taking place.

“These works are essential in finalising the road layouts for the new stadium and leisure site.

“The council has the right to remove the parking area permanently but has, in agreement with the business owner, decided to not only maintain it but give exclusive parking rights to it to YMSV and improve it for the benefit of the business.

“We appreciate this stage of works will cause some minor disruption but feel the benefit to the YMSV long term is far greater than these few weeks of disruption. There is no loss of access to the site for customers or employees of YMSV nor has there been at any stage during the build, the car park area has, for a very short time, moved slightly.”

YSMV challenges a lot of these council assertions. You can read their response in full here.