Category: News

CWRA Open Meeting (please note the new date, 13 November)
It is approximately six months since we last had an opportunity for all members to meet. Therefore, the Committee would like to invite you all to an open meeting to be held on Wednesday 13 November at 19.30 in St Chad’s Church Hall. I hope to see as many of you as possible. Key items on the agenda are

• General update
• Resolution of outstanding snagging issues
• Handover/management company
• Parking
• Developing interaction between the Management Committee and CWRA members
• Update on meetings with Watson Property Management (Watson PM).

If you have any other issues that you wish to be discussed, please send them to chair@cwra.co.uk by the end of October. A formal agenda and papers will be sent out at the beginning of November.

————————————————————————

AGM 2024

• Chair (currently Gavin McBurnie)
• Vice-Chair (currently Peter Lees)
• Secretary (currently Peter Lees)
• Treasurer (currently Geoff Parker)
• ex -officio Green space Lead (currently Norma Rees)

AGM 2023
We would like to remind you that Watson and The Chocolate Works Residents’ Association will be holding their joint AGM on Wednesday 15 February 2023 at 7pm in St Chads Church Hall, Campleshon Road.
This is an open meeting and all residents are welcome to attend.

Parking (posted 30 November 2021)

We have just re-confirmed with the Racecourse that on race days, residents have permission to park their cars all day in car park ‘A’ off the Knavesmire Road. Simply show your parking permit to the parking steward and display it in your windscreen to gain access.

Great British Spring Clean (Posted 13 May 2021)

If you would like to get involved with The Great British Spring Clean please come and join us on 5th June at 10am. We can pick litter on the development, weed the boundary laurel hedge, or go further afield to show pride in our community.

Additional Information – This is a National Annual initiative involving KeepBritainTidy keepbritaintidy.org Local Authorities, and a range of partners to encourage individuals and groups to clear litter from our streets, parks and beaches. The aim is to help our environment as well as the physical and mental well being of those who volunteer.

It is NOT designed to replace the activities of Developers, Property Management companies or Councils, and nor should it be seen as such. Consequently, people can choose to volunteer or otherwise.

Happy New Year (31 December 2020)

We would like to wish all residents a Happy and Healthy New Year

DWH Christmas Working (17 December 2020)

David Wilson Homes have informed us that the site team will be working between Christmas and the New Year. Specifically, 27th, 28th and 29th December.

Little Yorkshire Coffee Company Operating from the Clock Tower Enclosure (24 November 2020)

Those people who walk, jog, cycle, dog walk on the Knavesmire might be interested to know that the Little Yorkshire Coffee Company have announced that they will be operating from The Clock Tower Enclosure during daylight hours, 7 days a week.

Successful complaint about Campleshon Road Electricity sub-station noise (03 November 2020)

As anyone who walks down the footpath to Campleshon Road will know, the noise from the Electricity sub-station can be very annoying, and even intolerable for those living in Neapolitan House, Hallmark House, Bayldon Court, and nearby.

CWRA have been engaged in a complaint process with City of York Council Environmental Protection team since June 2020 to take action about the noise. We have co-ordinated eight letters of complaint from affected residents to City of York Council Environmental Protection Team, and enlisted the support of Cllr P. Kilbane when needed.

At the same time, and separately, two residents of Carousel House, Cheryl & Rob Huddlestone, have engaged in a complaint process directly to to Northern PowerGrid.

Today we have formally been told the following –

“Northern PowerGrid will fully enclose the two 33/11kV transformers in bespoke built, high specification acoustic enclosures to mitigate noise. . . .

. . . the expected costs for the whole mitigation may easily be in the region of £200k, if not more”

This is not expected to take place immediately, but is, nonetheless, good news!

Winter Gritting (27 October 2020)

Watson are in the process of contracting with a firm to provide gritting throughout the development during this winter. This will take place, based upon weather forecasts, when the weather hits a particular minimum value.

This should be particularly welcome news to residents who have previously asked for this, particularly on the path down to the Zebra crossing on Campleshon Road, but also on the steps towards Bishopthorpe Road

Council Throws Out Application for 3 Apartment Blocks of 85 Apartments and 7 Town Houses at The Residence (11 October 2020)

Congratulations to Terry’s of York Planning Action group, and our local Ward Councilors Jonny Crawshaw and Pete Kilbane for their successful efforts to block this unsightly overdevelopment.

Also, many thanks to all the residents from the Chocolate Works who contributed to the 300+ letters of objection

Residents Association Committee AGM (10 September 2020)

Our joint AGM, with Watson, was due to take place in October. Current restrictions on meetings mean that this is currently not possible.

We have considered, and ruled out, an AGM via Zoom (or similar) because we felt, on balance, that this format limits the opportunity for healthy discussion and debate. Therefore, the decision has been taken to defer the AGM until Spring 2021.

Obviously, we will make a further decision if group meetings are still prohibited at that time.

Temporary Parking spaces ( 21st August 2020)

David Wilson Homes today unexpectedly labelled temporary parking spaces on Joseph Terry Grove and others within the Harlequin House courtyard, for specific properties in Harlequin House. Apparently this is due to unavailability of the permanent spaces which are within the works compound.
Clearly, it is important that residents have access to permanent parking spaces.
However, it is deeply disappointing that this change of use was not communicated in advance to residents.
At the same time, we have been promised additional temporary parking spaces outside Cocoa House, which will actually improve the situation.
Unfortunately, internal discussions within David Wilson Homes, have failed to resolve who will label the spaces and when they will become available.
We will continue to exert pressure to improve the situation and get better communication.