A new concept for the Crossroads area was launched over the weekend of 30th June at the Pinfold opening and at the Bishothorpe Gala. 

It features an integrated look and feel by creating a ‘village square’ of harmonious materials that highlight pedestrian crossing points. The whole area is raised to a common level, providing flat access to the shop and library premises. New hedging and grassed areas provide the necessary ‘greening’ with specimen trees to provide a vertical contrast. Footway and highway are paved in the same materials, with bollards to delineate the road lines, and information kiosks and other street furniture add to the scene.

More work will need to be done to establish the requirements for street signage (the area is seriously cluttered), and agreements will be required with landowners and statutory agencies in order to prepare detailed designs and costs. Nevertheless, the proposed concept gives a real vision of what can be achieved.

You can see the full display of the proposed concept in the Library from 16th July. 

Phase 3 will be a medium term project, probably split into individual components. The Millennium Trust is looking for all kinds of time and skills to make it happen. People are signing up for this now, so email

trust @ bishopthorpe.net

if you want to get involved. You can get a copy of the full scale drawing of the concept in pdf (4Mb) if you email mail @ bishopthorpe.net.

Photo: Simon Melton

Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Millennium Trust, the new Pinfold has been designed and built by local people. It has seating and planting, and a soon to be installed historical interpretation panel. It is proving popular with residents and visitors, and is particularly busy when the junior school is about to finish in the afternoons.

At a reception to mark the opening, Trust chair John Bettridge thanked all those involved, including Richard Parkin who manged the project, and local historians Linda Haywood and Liam Godfrey.

John also launched an exhibition showing how the Pinfold project was developed. The project completes phase 2 of the Crossroads project, and a panel shows a concept of how phase 3 may be developed further. The exhibition was then shown at the Bishopthorpe Gala. where great interest was shown in the pinfold and future projects.

The exhibition will be on display at the Library from 16th  July. 

More details here.

September 2002 Village Ideas day identifies need for environmental improvement

January – September 2003 Environment group looks at way forward

Autumn 2003 Bid for Ward Committee funds from Millennium Trust

March 2004 £1000 offered by Ward Committee

April 2004 Project commissioned through City council

June 2004 Joint Project meeting

July 2004 Joint Project meeting

August 2004 Trust bid for 2005 - 2006 Ward Committee funding

11th September Street Audit of Sim Balk Lane/Main St junction by local people

9th - 29th September Display in Bishopthorpe Library

24th-26th September Delivery of ward newsletter containg household questionnaire

5th October Bishopthorpe & Wheldrake Ward Committee meeting

21st October Joint Project meeting – collate ideas

29th October Brief for Design Study published

21st January Closing date for entries to Design Study competition

February 2005 Winning Design announced Public Display Article in ward newsletter

February 2005 Ward Committee meeting – presentation of Designs, £1000 grant for further feasibilty agreed

March 2005 Written report to Ward Committee as part of scheme monitoring requirements.

May - June 2005 Display of composite design drawn from Design Competition entries.

PHASE TWO 

June 2005 Discussions with Ward Committee and Council officers Fund raising strategy developed Awareness raising Start made on one aspect of the scheme...the sensory garden

July 2005 Display at Bishopthorpe Gala

September 2005 Brief for sensory garden drafted Preliminary discussions with City of York Council over proposed new road layout Bid for Ward Committee funding for sensory garden and for Pinfold project

October 2005 Preliminary ideas for Pinfold developed by Project group Funding bids for garden project made

November 2005 Garden design finalised

December 2005 Christmas fund-raising Garden project publicised and work planning started

February 2006 Ward Committee decisions (no funds allocated)

March 2006 Garden started Pinfold design finalised 

September 2006 Planning permission for Pinfold scheme. Grant awarded by Heritage Lottery Fund

October 2006 Garden scheme finished off

November 2006 Sensory Garden opened

January 2007 Contract for Pinfold let

March 2007 Work starts on Pinfold

29th June 2007 Pinfold opened

PHASE THREE 

January 2007 Brief for landscape design for Crossroads agreed

March 2007 Work on landscape design

30th June 2007 Landscape design concept launched at Gala

With the assistance of  landscape and planning experts from City of York Council, Mark Topping of Popplewells has surveyed the area with members of the Crossroads project group.

The design will produce an overall look for the area, with the detail of materials and street furniture. This then can form a template for any future work.

It is expected that the design will be ready soon. It is planned to show it off at the Bishopthorpe Gala on Saturday 30th June and subsequently in the Library.

On that same day, the new Pinfold will be officially opened.

If we get any rain! 

However during recent cold weather when the water feature was turned off to avoid icing, someone filled the water feed with stones and soil. This was cleared out yesterday morning by Richard Williams who keeps an eye on the electrical features, but by the afternoon more stones had been attempted to be put in the now running fountain.

This is dangerous and anti-social, and everyone is asked to keep a look out for any more instances, and ask whoever is responsible at the time to make sure it does not happen.

It's our space: a guide for community groups working to improve public space

has been published by CABE (The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment)

It is invaluable reading, and can be downloaded in pdf here. 

"The Sensory Garden - to all concerned

I felt I must express my appreciation for the tremendous amount of work, thought and care, that has gone into this project. It is a great asset to the village and should benefit and bring together all age groups.

Many thanks indeed."

It took a while to organise the garden. We agreed to lease the land from the Council in August 2005, but it took until March this year to get a legal agreement from them. Work thus started in April, and it took much longer to excavate the old soil - we found large amounts of the old air raid shelter, tree roots, tarmac and concrete to dig out. Sean Jones did a fantastic job of excavation helped by a fair number of volunteers, and 20 truck loads of soil were deposited at Acaster airfield.

However there were never enough volunteers with the time and skills to prepare and lay the paving, so we paid to have this done. It was during this time that local firms did us proud with the loan of equipment and time, helping move materials and so on. The Marcia provided tea and bacon sarnies, and stored the paving bricks at the back of their car park. The paving was largely finished by August.

The raised planters were designed and built by John Bettridge, and installed by workers from Brunswick - who had to dig down through the hardcore just laid beneath the paving! The Brunswick workers, lead by Geoff Freeston then dug out and prepared the beds, adding composted garden waste collected and re-cycled by the Council, with a weed suppressing membrane and mulch on top. Plants were then planted in to this. The sight raised planter was filled with pansies and tulip bulbs by the Gardening Club. This was complete by early October.

The water feature was brought from a Welsh quarry and a base plate added by Ian Jemison. It was installed on its sump with the combined efforts of Jim Davey, Richard Parkin and Martin Dudley. Richard Williams completed the electrical works started by Russell Turner, and installed the low voltage LED lights in the pavement, sold to us at cost by Howard Green. After a protracted delay, the electricity supply meter was installed and we were able to try out the lights and water pump.

Jenny Harris sourced and purchased two seats, and they were installed by Simon Sykes. Older residents at Vernon House completed a sunflower mosaic under the guidance of Art and About, and United Utilities gave the gas kiosk a makeover. The Library Service contributed too by paying for resurfacing in front of the library.

It was a long slog, but we got there in the end. You can read about progress in the stories written about the sensory garden on this web site, and there are more photos on the Photo File (see under Library).

The garden has been designed to allow people of all ages and abilities to access it. The flat hard surface allows wheeled vehicles (no bikes though!) easy access, and the raised beds allow easy access to the plants.

Thanks to the donation of funds, local people were able to add their time and skills to the project. Timber, fencing, railings, signing and materials were sourced locally wherever possible.

From this...
To this... 

Four years ago there was an Ideas Day about how the Mllennium Trust could work towards some longer term goals. Research, audits, campaigning and fund raising followed. A Design Competition was held, and a plan for a new garden was launched. In Spring 2006, work started on the garden.

Today, November 11th 2006 has started cold, with wind and showers forecast. At noon the garden will be formally opened. Let's hope the crowds turn out despite the calls of sports and christmas shopping.

Richard Williams installs the lighting 

The lighting is state of the art very low wattage LEDs

Thanks to the help and support of United Utilities, they have now painted the gas kiosk in a suitable green, and with the paving laid around it, the whole thing looks a lot smarter.

Meanwhile we have installed and tested the water feature that has been purchased by the family of Mrs Spooner, who lived in School Lane. This was quarried in Wales, and installed by the project group and Brunswick workers with the help of Stoneplan Landscapes.

The redoubtable Pete Trimble and his brother have used up spare paving to lay a path to the footway,around the gas kiosk and at the back of the garden, and the Library Service has agreed to re-tarmac the rest of the area in front of the library.

Are you 'aving a laugh Pete Trimble?

The two seats have been provided by the Bishopthorpe Gala Committee, and a third one has been donated by Gordon Watkins. The Parish Council has also bought a seat to replace the old one that stood in front of the Library, although this has yet to be installed. Thanks to Ian Jemison for the fittings and Simon Sykes for the installation.

The Brunswick Team take a well earned rest -

(l to r) Geoff Freeston Shane Overall Wayne Coultas  Peter Temple