Upper floors of Spurriergate property to be converted into flats

The trend otwards providing living accomodation in the upper floors of shops in the City centre is gaining momentum.

A planning application has been submitted for Goldsmiths at 12-16 Spurriergate which would see a change of use of the upper floors from offices to 2 self-contained holiday lets with external alterations including a new shop front and entrance

The building is a four-storey Grade II listed building with a shop a ground floor and former offices at first, second and third floors,

According to a statement submitted by the developers,

“The proposed scheme involves changing the use of the upper floors to holiday apartments, introducing a new timber staircase and modifying the shop frontto create a new access.

Secondary glazing will be introduced and other associated internal alterations will be carried out to bring the apartments up to contemporary living standards. These proposed works have been thoughtfully considered to minimize any potential harm to the heritage significance of the listed building.

All floors will be refurbished, including the complete renewal of services and the introduction of Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR). Changes at ground floor level involve modifying the shop front to incorporate a new separate entrance for the upper floor apartments, removing a modern staircase and part of a suspended ceiling to accommodate a new timber staircase.

On the first floor, alterations will include the removal of the modern kitchen and WCs, and new partitions will create a one-bed apartment. On the second and third floors the proposed alterations will create a three-bed, duplex apartment.

Repairs will be made to the external fabric of the rear elevation and all historic windows

Partners meet to co-design York mental health hub

Mental health partners and residents who have experience of mental ill health have gathered to help co-design a vision for the first community mental health hub in York.

The York hub will be the first to be developed in North Yorkshire. Its co-production by a wide variety of interested and involved individuals and organisations, is part of the region’s Community Mental Health Transformation Programme, which aims to improve the lives of people living with serious mental illness and the way they are supported in the local community. 

By bringing local health, public, voluntary and community sector organisations together, and supporting them to work more closer with one another, the aim is to address people’s wider needs and support their overall wellbeing. Hubs are one of a number of ways of achieving this, as they allow people to meet a wide range of services, under one roof, without having to travel to different locations.

As part of the York Hub development, an online workshop was held with over 70 people attending. They looked at what a local Community Hub might look like and how it might fit into existing mental health provision.

Leading the conversations were the Innovation Unit, whose involvement in the Living Well UK mental health movement has put people’s lived experience at the centre of support and works to help people stay well as part of their community.

A small co-design team made up of staff from health, social care, the voluntary and community sector as well as people with direct experience of mental ill health and their carers will now take forward the advice and ideas from the workshop. They will begin to design the detail of York’s hub, ready for the ideas to be tested this summer.

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Residents invited to share their views on Haxby Station

Residents and businesses are being asked to share their thoughts on the proposed initial designs of the new railway station at Haxby in a consultation which runs until 15 May 2022.

Bringing a train station back to Haxby has been a long-held ambition locally, with the previous station having been closed some 92 years ago. In recent years significant progress has been made as part of this project, including the identification of a preferred location for the station, Towthorpe Road.

In early 2020, the Council engaged with the local community, identifying  significant support for a railway station in Haxby. Ahead of the Council submitting its funding bid to Government later this year, residents and businesses are being asked to share their thoughts on the initial design work being undertaken. The initial designs also give a broad outline of the proposed plans for the site, including, platforms, cycle storage, car parks, cycle/foot paths and waiting shelters

Survey questions include travel, use and access of the new station, and will ensure that any suggestions and local concerns are addressed; with results also feeding into the Government funding bid.

How to get involved

• More info on the plans can be found at york.gov.uk/HaxbyStation and residents can complete the survey online at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HaxbyStation
• Paper copies are being made available at libraries in Haxby and Wigginton, Strensall and New Earswick
• Residents will be able to speak to the project team and share their views at community engagement sessions on Tuesday 26 April at Strensall and Towthorpe Village Hall; and Wednesday 27 April at Haxby Oaken Grove Community Centre from 10am-7pm.

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