13th July 2005, 06:00 PM
would be nice to find out if the public could attend council meetings on planning issues and have a say...I would move in...
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York
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13th July 2005, 09:15 PM
As I understand it, we are only allowed to sit quietly at council meetings while the grown-ups talk about the real issues, which usually involves trying to communicate with the deaf old geezer in the corner about which biscuits he would like. Once the discussion is over everyone votes along party lines and then they all go home to fill out their expenses claims. At least, that's how it works round here.
There is the opportunity to present objections and discuss them, but in my experience, this is not particularly productive. Still, we keep trying. Cheers, Eggbasket Eggy by name, eggy by nature
13th July 2005, 10:32 PM
Very interesting Eggbasket.
Many of the comments on the Beverley council would equally apply to the York council. Witness the farce that is the York Barbican re-development. I regularly attend a forum whose mandate is to advise the council on archaeological matters. As far as I can tell the forum has been spectacularly unsuccessful in this regard for its entire history, despite having an ex archaeologist on the council. I'd like to radicalise it and make it more of a lobby group rather than an inneffectual talking shop, but I'm not optimistic. The lip service paid to heritage issues in a City that derives much of its wealth from its archaeology and history is staggering. 
14th July 2005, 03:44 PM
I have dug in York and have heard some terrible horror stories about work being done on the south side of the river with little or no archaeological conditions. Apparently there is some extremely deep Roman strat, in the river bank muds if I remember correctly. The digger who told me about it said there was intact glassware and surgical tools being dragged up by a pile-driving rig, heart-breaking stuff. It seems that areas of the city are being sadly neglected due to some archaeological post-code lottery. Great place to dig though.
14th July 2005, 03:54 PM
Right on both counts there Sea Surg. York.. like many great cities is now home to the great archaeology swindle... Piling!
I still remember one site in York where the piling started and god the ammount of ROamn that came pouring out was horrifying.. in a curatorial role I look at piling causing damage of up to 1m radius around the pile... and vibrocompaction... don't get me started! http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/publicatio...ch/14.html read it and weep [xx(] 6.3.8 Based on practical demonstrations and observations of the damage caused to archaeological layers by piling, the Norwegian authorities introduced a policy of refusing permission for pile-constructions unless the site was totally excavated (Biddle 1994, 8-10, especially fig. 2 and fig. 5). While this general policy exists, it is not inflexible and, where deemed appropriate for a specific site, piling is permitted (ibid. 10). Biddle (ibid. 10-12) also outlined the damage caused by piling observed at Farrier Street, Worcester, where about 3% of the development area was disturbed by piling. Although the percentage may seem small, 'the dislocation of the deposits and the consequent mixing of the artefacts and ecofacts has had a serious effect on the integrity of the archaeological evidence left in situ' (Biddle 1994, 13-14). Fearon O'Neill Riordan (1996, :face-thinks: suggested typical perforation values of 2-2.5% for piled foundations in Cork city. Another day another WSI?
25th July 2005, 01:01 PM
I'm just thankful that the plans for a "York Eye", slap next to Clifford's Tower, has been kicked into touch (permanently I hope). I find my walk through the city on my way to work in the morning a fascinating trip through the diseased imaginations of generations of planning commitees and other official lunatics.
Still, at least they've stopped the buses going through Walmgate Bar, so it might rmain standing for a few hundred years. Im suprised that they did't suggest replacing it with something modern and eyecatching though. Sith
25th July 2005, 07:05 PM
What can be done about piling? It clearly does bugger a load of surrounding strat: concrete injections etc.
I think York has a lot to answer to, it was the academics there who championed deposit modelling that informed areas suitable for piling and those unsuitable. This has always seemed to me like a big mistake. Im sure someone like Kevin can correct me... Gumbo |
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