Important Update Regarding Walmgate Stray Road Lighting Project

Dear students,

I want to provide you with the latest news on the Walmgate stray road lighting project. Since meeting the University estates team in November and January, I conducted a comprehensive student survey to get your feedback and views of the lighting and safety of the path running through Walmgate stray.

95% of students who completed the survey supported the project idea.  It was clear that many of you were particularly concerned about how dark the path can be, and have even witnessed collisions or near misses between pedestrians and cyclists.

First of all, I’d like to express my gratitude to you for your support for my project. I have been working hard to explore the feasibility of the project and to try and make it a reality.

In the end, the University was very supportive and engaged with the City of York Council (CYC) on behalf.  However, despite our best efforts,we have encountered a number of significant challenges that make this project impossible to achieve at this time.

Here are the key points:

Lighting

CYC sent a technical team to assess a similar installation at Bootham Stray in 2009 which has the same type of lighting that we were hoping to install.   However, they found that the lighting has not lasted well and has not been very effective.

The Main Financial Limitation:

The lighting construction for Walmgate Stray Road is estimated to cost around £100,000, a figure that is currently a struggle for both CYC and our University,we can’t achieve now. Although potential financing options have been explored, the parties do not have the resources to carry out such a project to date.

Environmental And Regulatory Issues:

There are significant regulatory hurdles to the area as it has green belt status – green belt land in the UK refers to areas of countryside that are protected from urban development.  This would complicate a planning application, restrict the type of lighting we could install, and would also be likely to attract opposition from various stakeholders.

We have spared no effort to explore every possible avenue to realise this project. However,it is clear that the challenges we face outweigh the feasibility of continuing with the Walmgate stray road lighting scheme at this time. But please know that the safety and health of our students remains our GSA Well-being and community’s top priority.We will continue to explore additional measures to enhance safety and traffic in the area and welcome any suggestions or feedback from student groups.We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work together to address these challenges. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at GSA.

Sincerely,

Aurora

GSA VP of Well-being and Community