The pavements on three busy streets in York city centre are set to be repaved early next year.
City of York Council plans to resurface the entire footway on Stonegate, and sections of the pavement on Colliergate and Church Street.
The work will cost about £350,000 and start on 3 January.
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The council spent £500K repaving the Stonegate carriageway in 2020. Now it is the footpaths that are being upgraded.
The council says there are “significant defects” in the surface of the pavements where the surface is broken and uneven, “which can potentially make them unsafe for pedestrians as well as looking unsightly.
“These works will enhance the street’s appearance and character, creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment, attracting more people into the area and improving access for pedestrians.”
The works will be split into three separate schemes, with each phase taking around seven to nine weeks to complete and will start from 3 January.
Stonegate: 3 January 2022 for up to 9 weeks
Colliergate: 3 January 2022 for up to 7 weeks
Church Street: 21 February 2022 for up to 9 weeks
The council will aim to complete the works (weather permitting) before the Easter break.
Retailers and businesses were given the opportunity to feed back at a drop-in session in November.
This feedback has all been taken on board and works will stop before the Easter holidays start and if necessary the council will come back to fully complete the schemes after Easter.
Steeped in history
Colliergate in York. Photograph: YorkMix
Cllr Andy D’Agorne, executive member for transport, said: “Stonegate, Colliergate and Church Street are steeped in history. Stonegate was one of the first paved-roads in York, which was a direct route to transport the Minster stone whilst it was being built.
“These are some of the most loved streets in our city centre so this investment will ensure these routes keep their special character whilst being more resilient to heavy use.”
Although loved for its paving, Stonegate wasn’t always a paved-road/footway. Photographs sourced from the Explore York Archives show Stonegate’s surface was made up of sets/cobbles in the 1890s and in the 1940s was a Tarmac surface.
Questions and answers
City of York Council has put together a list of questions and answers about the repaving work. See below for the full Q&A, or read more on the council website.
When are the schemes starting? Stonegate: 3 January 2022 Colliergate: 3 January 2022 Church Street: 21 February 2022
What is happening? Further to the repaving of Stonegate’s carriageway in early 2020, City of York Council will be repaving Stonegate’s footways. We will also be repaving footways on Colliergate and Church Street. On Stonegate, the works will be split into phases to ensure safe pedestrian access to all shops and businesses is maintained throughout works. Doorways will be predominantly resurfaced outside business hours. Our hoarding will be covered so that businesses and members of the public are protected from dust or debris caused by the works as much as possible. This will also enable the workforce to progress as efficiently as possible. We will be using an on-site cutting station to minimise dust and to reduce sound from cutting activities. On Colliergate and Church Street, signs and guards will make sure pedestrians are separate from works. Doorways will be predominantly resurfaced outside business hours.
Why are you doing this work? The works will enhance the street appearance and character, creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment, attracting more people into the area and improving access for pedestrians. There are significant defects in the surface of the footways to be replaced, where paving slabs are broken and uneven, which make it unsafe for pedestrians. Existing paving that is taken up and in fair condition, will be taken back to our yard and re-used for future maintenance. As part of the ongoing Footways Renewals Programme similar works are also planned to be undertaken on Lendal, Coppergate and Blake Street next financial year.
Will you be introducing more dropped kerbs? Yes, we will include more drop kerbs where appropriate and possible to do (there are some restrictions due to the locations of existing cellars).
How are you supporting the ‘businesses open as usual’ message? We are holding an engagement session for businesses/residents on 11 November 2021 between 12noon and 3pm at Kennedy’s Bar and Restaurant to gain feedback prior to works starting. We will install signage onto our hoarding on Stonegate explaining what we are doing, and also, if any business is affected by the hoarding at any point, we would be happy to install signage showing the business name/logo. Please e-mail a logo/design to [email protected] if you would like us to do this. On Church Street and Colliergate, we will install ‘businesses open as usual signage’.
What is the impact on deliveries/vehicles during the works? Deliveries will be permitted on as normal, during their allocated hours (5am to 10.30am). This will be managed by our traffic marshals on Stonegate, but vehicle access will only be possible up to our works area at any one time. Please note that when we are working outside a business any deliveries may require lifting aids (trollies, sack barrows etc) to take goods from the vehicle to the business.
Will I still be able to walk down Stonegate, Colliergate and Church Street? Yes – but pedestrian access will be altered to allow works to the footways to take place. Signage will be in place to divert pedestrians to the opposite footpath to use. Ramps will also be put in place too. Access to business entrances will be maintained, but at a reduced width and occasionally with some temporary surfaces. Traffic marshals will be on site on Stonegate between 5am and 5pm seven days a week to assist.
Will I still be able to access shops, cafe/restaurants in the area? Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times and we would be happy to consider business signage and ‘open as usual’ messages as required.
What if I live or work in the area? Access to all properties and businesses will be retained at all times by foot. We would like to apologise for any disruption that the works cause, but restrictions are in place to keep residents and visitors safe. If anyone has any issues during the working hours, please speak to the staff on site and we’ll try to correct any issues straight away if we can. Contact details for the project manager are listed below.
Who is carrying out the works? City of York Council will be carrying out the works with support from Framework Contractors. There is likely to be a certain amount of disruption and inconvenience, but everything will be done to keep this to a minimum.
