Indymedia York

This image was uploaded with the post Double whammy for York Barbican Centre.

This image was uploaded with the post York Festival of Lost Sport.

This image was uploaded with the post Save Our Barbican lobbies York Council.

This image was uploaded with the post Launch of York Sport & Leisure Campaign.

This image was uploaded with the post Launch of York Sport & Leisure Campaign.

The City of York Council has launched a consultation into how it might spend £4 million from the conversion of the Barbican Centre into flats and hotels. The Council’s recent decision now means that none of the public sports and leisure facilities will be replaced on the Barbican site.

Survey options are either to refurbish Edmund Wilson Pool or build a new pool alongside the new sports centre at Oaklands. However, the Council surveys will only be sent to homes in Holgate, Rural West, Dringhouses & Woodthorpe, Acomb, and Westfield wards.

The important thing is now to vote on the 'Net if the Council didn't post you a survey form. Closes 5th December! Click here to say they should seek another site, in the city centre, er... like the Barbican site for instance. (Link opens in a new window.)

Today is a black day for the Save Our Barbican campaign.

Save Our Barbican and others had applied to Government Office for Yorkshire & Humber to have decisions not to replace the Barbican swimming pool, and the site turned into a giant drinking den reviewed by the Secretary of State.

This request has been refused.

Secondly, Save Our Barbican supporters had applied to the Court of Appeal to grant an appeal against the June 2005 Judicial Review decision. If granted, SoB was confident that such an appeal would go a long way to righting a great injustice.

York Sport and Leisure Campaign launchThe inaugural public meeting of the York Sport & Leisure campaign on Sat 15th July brought around fifty citizens together to talk about their experiences of York’s sport and leisure facilities on the decline.

Councillors from the Labour Party, Greens, and the Lib-Dems gave their time to listen to residents’ concerns and respond to questions.

John Wartho provided an older person’s perspective saying that a group of ninety people aged “over 50” who used to use York Barbican for sports and leisure activities had dwindled to an average of twelve since the Barbican closed and some activities were switched elsewhere. Other residents added that the cost of private facilities were often beyond the reach of older people, as was also the case for youngsters.