Andy D'Agorne

York has a very special feel as a historic city, partly created by the massive visitor numbers that enable local residents to enjoy shops cafes and such facilities commensurate with a far bigger city, but have the space and green infrastructure more in keeping with a small market town. All that could change soon, especially if Labour and house building developers get their way. A couple of weeks ago it was revealed at full council that a proposal has gone into the government, (without any consultation with the council) for 5000 houses to be build in a new estate just in the northern Green Belt next to the outer ring road. Cynically this is dubbed a proposed 'Eco Town', in spite of the fact that virtually all residents would drive by car to out-of-town supermarkets at Clifton Moor for their weekly supplies. So a couple of weeks later Labour 'call-in' the decision on projected housing numbers with a proposal that would virtually ensure the city's Green Belt became ancient history.  

PS This proposal seems to follow on from the precedent set by the outcome of the Germany Beck  and University Inquiries where the minister in her wisdom decided that there were 'very special circumstances' for these going ahead in the Green Belt. This, combined with a view that we need to build 850 houses a year in the city is the green light to see York's unique character plundered by get rich quick developers creating new car based communities on the Green Belt surrounding the historic city. 2007 could go donw in history as the year in which we lost our fight to 'keep York special', in spite of Ron Cooke having adopted this theme for the revamped Without Walls LSP and the newly formed York Environment Partnership.

Protesters from all over the country including York braved the rain on Saturday to get the message over in London - that we cant carry on building runways if we want to have a fighting chance of dealing with climate change. Thought provoking speeches from Caroline Lucas and George Monbiot stressed that global capitalism is up against the future of the planet - we are as much at a cross roads as the people of Russia in 1917 or UK in 1940. The time for a light bulb here and switching off something there is over - its get rid of the car and cancelling all non essential flights. It happened at a stroke after 9-11, governments have got to bite the bullet and tell their people that the scientists are right and we have got to make drastic cuts now. If you want to do your part, join York CRAG (Carbon Reduction Action Group) or find out about Transition Towns. We might go all out for wind power, but the quickest way of getting CO2 down is to cut air travel, scrap 4X4's stop selling coal fired power equipment to China, choose local vegan food insulate our houses and REDUCE the energy we need in the first place! Monbiot sais on Saturday that there is a new fantastic carbon capture technology now available - leave it in the ground!!

Can you guess what is under this ivy?? Some residents told us there was a street light which needed ivy cutting back - it had been reported several times but no action. Well it took us a little time to find it (look very carefully you can just see the lamp head) !! So if you want some yuletide ivy, take your snippers to Belle Vue Terrace!!