A scheme which will better protect properties in the Marygate area by improving defences in Museum Gardens has been approved by City of York Council planning officers today (Thursday 26 November).

Due to the impact of climate change there is a need to raise the existing flood defences between Scarborough Bridge and Lendal Bridge and provide an improved continuous line of defence.

This scheme will better protect 42 homes and 15 businesses within the Marygate community of York.

The Museum Gardens embankment is within an area designated as Scheduled Monument and a Grade II listed park and garden and next to one of the rarest trees in the country. It is also within an area of archaeological importance. Improvements to the embankment are part of the wider Marygate flood scheme, which also includes other works that do not need planning permission.

Emma Beever, project manager from the Environment Agency, said:

We are delighted to have been given planning approval to take us a step closer to constructing this section of the York Flood Alleviation Scheme, which will protect 2,000 properties in the city.

By strengthening and raising existing flood defences in the area we can make York more resilient to climate change.

We have worked closely with York Museum Trust, City of York Council and Historic England to come up with a design that not only acts as a viable flood defence, but also fits in with this much used and well-loved public space in the heart of our City. We have also been able to protect the true service tree, which is very rare and was a key concern for local people.

Work in the Museum Gardens will start next August when the weather is more likely to be dry to minimise its impact. The Gardens will stay open throughout the four month project, but access will be restricted near the embankment and the footpaths behind the Hospitum will be closed.

The project team has been working with partners to develop a design which minimises the impact on the gardens and Hospitium. The construction area in the gardens will be as small as possible within safety limits. The site compound located at Marygate and the work to raise the defences from Scarborough Bridge to Marygate is expected to start prior to the works in Museum Gardens.

A virtual public event was held in July to outline the design of the flood defence improvements and the realignment of the embankment to protect one of rarest trees in the country following feedback from the community.

The project includes:- • raising the flood wall from Scarborough Bridge to Earlsborough Terrace and replace the existing flood gate with a taller one which will be altered to improve access for cyclists . • raising existing defences on Earlsborough Terrace by 40cm by installing glass panels on top of the existing brick walls and replacing the 10 existing flood gates. This will help the community adapt to climate change while maintaining their connection with the river. • raising and extending the existing flood embankment in Museum Gardens between 30 and 60cm. The design of the embankment has been developed to not only act as a viable flood defence, but to also to fit in with this much used and well loved public space. • raising the existing flood wall from Earlsborough Terrace to Marygate by 45cm and the existing flood gate on Marygate.

To allow the embankment to be raised, its footprint will need to be increased so up to 15 trees will have to be removed. For every tree removed, five will be replanted and where possible this will be in Museum Gardens.

This work forms part of £45 million York Flood Alleviation Scheme, which will better protect 2,000 homes in the city from flooding.

Since 2015, the Government has invested £496m on flood defences in Yorkshire – more than any other region – better protecting more than 66,000 properties. Across the country Environment Agency flood schemes protected almost 130,000 properties during the winter 2019/20 flooding.

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Towns and villages across England, which were left isolated when their railways were closed, are one step closer to having their connections restored and transformed, as 15 projects are awarded up to £50,000 each to progress plans to reinstate historic stations and restore passenger services, as announced in the Spending Review.

More than 50 years since the railways were radically reshaped, including thousands of lines and stations closed during the infamous Beeching cuts of the 1960s, this latest investment will kick-start work on schemes that reconnect previously cut-off communities, with the potential to reinvigorate local economies and level up opportunity across the country.

Restoring our railway

Schemes awarded funding include:

• restoring Ferryhill station in Sedgefield, demolished alongside Mainsforth Colliery in 1969
• returning services to Consett in the North East
• bringing back a station close to the medieval Beeston Castle in Cheshire
• reinstating services for communities around Ashfield on the Maid Marian Line

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

For towns and villages left isolated and forgotten by Beeching cuts, restoring a rail line or a station has the potential to revitalise a community. It breathes new life into our high streets, drives investment in businesses and housing, and opens new opportunities for work and education.

By building back with a real focus on better connections and supporting left-behind communities, we’re delivering our promise to level up this country.

These latest projects to receive a share of the second round of the Restoring Your Railway ‘Ideas Fund’ will progress plans to deliver new routes and improved connectivity, as well as developing plans for new stations to areas poorly served by public transport.

Entries have been specifically judged on their ability to deliver real economic benefits and support left-behind communities, with investment targeted at regenerating local economies by:

• supporting new house developments
• opening up access to jobs and education
• boosting tourism

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said:

From restoring historic stations at Ferryhill and Langport, to reinstating passenger services on the Maid Marian Line and transforming rail connections around Bolton, Bury and Consett, our investment will provide the vital links that people depend on.

Among the winning bids is a scheme to reinstate passenger services from Bolton to Manchester through Radcliffe with a radial Metrolink – running through some of the most economically deprived parts of the UK.

A proposal for a Mid-Cornwall Metro has also been awarded development funding which would create a coast to coast through-service connecting the biggest towns in Cornwall – Newquay, Par, St Austell, Truro, Penryn and Falmouth – reducing journey times and easing road congestion.

Today’s news comes as the government provides £32 million of funding to deliver 3new stations in England and Wales, including Edginswell in Torquay, Thanet Parkway in Kent and St Clears in Carmarthenshire, with additional funding being invested to develop a further 2 in Haxby and Deeside.

The Beeching cuts saw tracks ripped up or grassed over, iconic viaducts and bridges left without a purpose and communities set adrift. Initially proposed by British Rail chief Dr Richard Beeching in 1963, passenger services were ended on around a third of the rail network, with more than 2,300 stations closed and up to 5,000 miles of track axed across the UK.

Over the summer, proposals from MPs and local authorities for the second round of the ‘Ideas Fund’ were considered by an expert panel, including Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris and Network Rail Chair Sir Peter Hendy, after 51 bids were received earlier this year.

A further 28 bids will receive further guidance to help develop and refine their ideas for assessment in future funding rounds.

The money will help build on steps already in place to deal with the unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic.

Crucially, £337 million extra funding will support the government’s crime agenda – delivering swift and effective justice to convict offenders, support victims, and protect the wider public.

This includes £275 million to manage the impact of 20,000 additional police officers and reduce backlogs caused by the pandemic by increasing capacity in courts, particularly the Crown Court. The announcement is an important milestone in efforts to bring down outstanding cases, which have already seen the number of those being resolved in the Crown Court nearly treble since April.

It comes on top of existing spending on courts, including £142 million for modernising buildings and improving technology as well as £83 million committed in September to make the estate covid-secure, support remote hearings, recruit 1,600 additional staff and create new Nightingale courts – 16 of which are up and running.

An extra £4 billion will be provided over the next four years to make significant progress in delivering 18,000 additional prison places. This will create modern efficient jails, including 4 new prisons in the next 6 years, boosting the government’s efforts to cut crime.

Maintenance will also be carried out – with £315 million to enhance the condition of the existing prison estate and £105 million for improvements to courts.

On top of £337 million for the criminal justice system, £76 million will further increase capacity in the Family Court and Employment Tribunal, giving families, businesses and employees confidence that their cases will continue to be dealt with effectively.

An additional £43 million will go towards measures to reduce COVID transmission in courts and prisons.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC MP said:

We are seeing positive signs thanks to our efforts to keep the justice system running, including a big increase in the number of jury trials.

This funding will help us speed up justice in our courts and continue to deliver modern prison places that keep criminals off the streets and cut reoffending.

Official statistics published today (26 November 2020) show more homes were delivered last year than in any year since 1987, making this the 7th year in a row the number homes delivered has increased.

The new figures show 243,770 homes were delivered in 2019 to 2020. The development of new build homes has contributed significantly to this number – accounting for 90% of the homes delivered.

Today’s statistics also show that an additional 2,130 communal dwellings were added to the housing stock, including more than 1,700 student accommodation units, and that the government’s ‘change of use’ reforms have made available almost 27,000 new homes.

Since 2010 more than 1.8 million homes have been delivered across England, supported by government investment including the £3.9 billion allocated through the Housing Infrastructure Fund, our existing £9 billion Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes programme, and the government’s Help to Buy schemes which have provided confidence and certainty to the sector

The government has been working is closely with industry to support home building during the pandemic.

In June, the Housing Secretary announced the extension of planning permissions to ensure work temporarily disrupted by Covid restrictions could continue where possible.

Measures were also introduced to speed up planning appeals and to allow more flexible working hours for builders on site, helping them to continue building much-needed new homes in a safe environment.

Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:

Nearly a quarter of a million homes were delivered during the last year – more than at any point in the last 33 years, helping families across the country get the keys to their first home.

The pandemic has posed significant challenges for home building but this government will continue to support the industry and the £20 billion investment announced at the Spending Review will ensure we deliver the homes this country needs.

In the longer term, our overhaul of the planning system will deliver even more high-quality, sustainable homes in the communities which need them most.

The government continues to support home building and this week in the Spending Review announced nearly £20 billion of investment in housing – the single biggest investment in new homes in England’s history.

This includes a National Home Building Fund, investing £7.1 billion over four years to shake up the housing market by backing smaller developers, unlocking brownfield land, and supporting innovative construction techniques such as modular housing. This will unlock up to 860,000 new homes.

And more than £12 billion in affordable housing will be invested over the next five years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade, which will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country and unlock a further £38 billion in public and private investment in affordable housing.

In August the government published Planning for The Future, setting out reforms to the country’s outdated planning system to deliver the high-quality, sustainable homes that communities need.

Executive Chairman of the Home Builders Federation, Stewart Baseley said;

Today’s numbers show the continued progress being made by the industry to deliver more homes. Home builders have delivered more homes seven years in a row, increasing the number of homes built by 42% in 5 years.

Alongside these benefits, the industry is also creating tens of thousands of new jobs each year and boosting economies across the country. Delivering new homes generates huge investment in infrastructure and amenities in communities, benefiting both new and existing residents.

Looking ahead, building more high quality, environmentally friendly homes can play a major part in supporting the economy as the country recovers from the impacts of coronavirus.

The ‘Housing Supply: Net Additional Dwellings’ statistics show the net number of homes available in 2020/21 from 1 April and 31 March against the previous year, including through new build homes and conversions.

The Statistical Release presents National Statistics on net additional dwellings in England up to 2019-20. The figures show the net change in dwelling stock in England between 1 April and 31 March the following year.

The ‘net additional dwelling’ figures are based on local authority estimates of gains and losses of dwellings during each year and are calculated using the most comprehensive list of sources available. This includes council tax base, building control, site visits and any other management information available to the authority.

The statistics track changes in the size of dwelling stock due to:

• new builds
• conversions
• changes of use
• demolitions

Thank you, Minister Singh for that introduction.

Prime Minister Modi has often said that, “the world is one family”.

There is no clearer example of this than climate change.

No one nation or sector can tackle the problem alone.

The world will succeed or fail as one.

We all have a part to play: countries, companies, investors, cities, regions and individuals.

To avoid the worst effects of climate change, we must decarbonise the global economy five times faster in the next ten years than we have done over the past twenty.

We all know that the power sector accounts for a quarter of global emissions.

Decarbonising is absolutely vital. Not only to reduce emissions.

But to boost access to power, and to support clean growth and development.

And this is why, as COP26 President, energy is one of five key areas that I am urging all countries to focus on.

And there is no doubt for us that India is a key partner.

Because, here, you are a global leader.

With pioneering international initiatives like the International Solar Alliance.

One Sun One World One Grid.

The World Solar Bank.

And the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

Which the UK is very pleased to support.

India is home to a renewable energy revolution.

The scale and pace of change is absolutely remarkable.

With solar capacity increasing around thirteen times in five years.

And with some of the lowest solar prices in the world.

You have already connected 700 million people to power since the year 2000.

And thanks to Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to generate 450 gigawatts of renewable power within a decade. There will be much much more to come.

It is our experience in the UK, that setting such targets provide investors with confidence and clarity.

In the UK our emissions reduction targets have helped us to grow our economy by 75% over the last 30 years whilst at the same time reducing our emissions by 43%.

And this has helped us to develop the world’s largest offshore wind sector.

We will accelerate that success with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, which we announced last week.

And this includes a commitment to quadruple our offshore wind capacity within a decade, supporting many thousands of jobs .

I know India has also enjoyed a surge of investment in renewables.

This is vital.

To make the global green energy transition a reality. We need investors to keep seizing the opportunities presented by the renewables revolution. In India and of course around the world.

And these opportunities are enormous.

A study by Imperial College London and the International Energy Agency found that investments in renewables have repeatedly outperformed those in fossil fuels:

Over the past ten years, the past five years, and in 2020.

Solar and wind are already cheaper than coal power in two thirds of countries.

Momentum is building globally behind net zero. With China, Japan and South Korea all recently setting targets.

Colleagues and friends will know And on 12th December, the UK will co-host a summit, with the UN and France, and our partners Italy and Chile, to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement.

This will be the moment for global leaders to show that we can make a step change on climate action.

By focussing our efforts internationally, we can drive down costs and increase uptake.

Every time the global deployment of solar power doubles, its price has fallen by around a third.

That is why the UK is committed to working in partnership to drive the renewables revolution.

We have established the COP26 Energy Transition Council. Bringing global leaders together.

We work with India on Mission Innovation. Accelerating clean energy innovation globally.

And we are partnering with the Government of India.

To help mobilise private capital into its green investments.

Our new UK-India Sustainable Finance Forum will increase the flow of sustainable finance.

And we are both anchor investors in the Green Growth Equity fund.

Catalysing private sector investments, through the City of London, to infrastructure projects in India.

Through international partnerships like these.

The insight of investors.

And the ambition countries like India have shown.

Together, we will continue to usher in the green global future of energy.

Protecting our planet for future generations.