Bid to keep York's big wheel

9:17am Tuesday 22nd January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Mark Stead, Political Reporter

Bid to keep York's big wheel Bid to keep York's big wheel

YORK’S big wheel could stay at its current site for another eight months.

The new owners of the 53-metre high York Wheel have applied to keep it operating when its planning consent comes to an end.

The wheel, in the gardens of the Royal York Hotel, is currently scheduled to be dismantled by the start of next month under the terms of planning permission granted by City of York Council in November, 2011.

But Wheels Entertainments Ltd – which now operates the tourist attraction and other big wheels across the UK – has applied to keep it open until September 30.

It would then be taken down and the site restored to its former condition by the end of November.

The 42-pod York Wheel was owned by Great City Attractions Global (GCAG) at the time it opened in December 2011.

But the company went into administration last July, owing organisations in the city tens of thousands of pounds.

The structure, along with other British wheels previously operated by GCAG, has now been bought by Dubai-based Freij Entertainment International for an undisclosed sum, with Wheels Entertainments acting as the UK arm of its operation.

A planning application submitted to the council by Roger Etchells and Co, the agents for the scheme, said a “number of complaints” had been made since the wheel was erected in the Royal York grounds.

Residents in nearby Westgate Apartments – many of whom objected to the wheel being near their homes when the original proposals emerged – claimed it had interfered with their TV reception. A new aerial has now been installed to address this.

Freij director David Jones said: “We feel York is a viable place to maintain a big wheel and that the city is the right place for an attraction like this.

“We obviously did our homework before we bought the wheels and put forecasts together.

“These forecasts have been achieved and we are confident that will continue, subject to planning permission being granted.

“We have been very sensitive to issues raised by residents when the wheel was originally approved and we will continue to do this.”

In a statement sent to the council, the planning agents said: “The wheel has not had the adverse effects anticipated by many who objected to it at the outset.

“The arrangements for access to the wheel have proved successful and it continues to be an important leisure facility which is popular with visitors and local people alike.”

Tourism body Visit York has welcomed the prospect of the York Wheel operating until September.

Its chief executive, Gillian Cruddas, said: “The wheel has become a popular feature of York’s tourism offer, enjoyed by thousands of visitors and featured in countless publicity photographs.

“We believe the wheel has helped to enhance the international profile of York and has added a new dimension to the cityscape.”

Comments(19)

MouseHouse says...
10:09am Tue 22 Jan 13

"new" owners!

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yorkie71 says...
10:40am Tue 22 Jan 13

Council just make sure you get paid regularly and on time

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russeboy says...
10:58am Tue 22 Jan 13

Why? Its always empty!

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BL2 says...
11:01am Tue 22 Jan 13

Please get rid of this eyesore!

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MLewisW says...
11:44am Tue 22 Jan 13

Get rid, please! It is an eyesore and doesn't mix with the 'York feel'. The time and money spent on that by tourists surely detracts from the other unique and world-famous sites the city has to offer.

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Events politics Life says...
12:19pm Tue 22 Jan 13

Let's get rid and make the 20 staff on the wheel unemployed.

Let's get rid of an attraction the reason tourists come to our city

They are asking for 8 months not 8 years and have come and rescued people's jobs in a time when all we read about is people losing their jobs. Whenever I have walked past the wheel it does not cause any noise pollution and disruption so all you above comments shake your heads and get behind people having jobs and attractions bringing economy to the city.

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Jackanory2 says...
12:42pm Tue 22 Jan 13

Why do people want rid of this? Makes no sense, it fulfils something that some people want to do, why are people in York so miserable about everything.

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YorkJester says...
1:39pm Tue 22 Jan 13

I moved to york around six months ago and I have never seen such a massive bunch of NIMBYs in my entire life.

Every article that gets posted on this website about a new event or attraction gets a barrage of negative comments.

Residents should realise that York thrives due to its tourism, events and attractions. If people are up in arms all the time then organisers are going to withdraw because they can't be bothered with the headache of getting support from Yorks militant NIMBYs.

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BigJon says...
2:28pm Tue 22 Jan 13

Much as I like the wheel myself I think it is time to let it go. It has never caught on in York. I've been on it a couple of times in each of it's locations and I've never had to queue and each time I've had a capsule completely to myself. Every time I see it, the thing is rotating nearly empty. With power bills, wages, ground rent, advertising etc it can't be making money - and it's now lack of on-line presence (ie booking tickets) makes it seem as though it has already closed down.
As I say, I do like the wheel and have no complaints about it......but it is obviously an experiment that has had it's time......let it go....

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BigJon says...
2:45pm Tue 22 Jan 13

btw whatever happened to the idea someone had about having static balloon flights over the city (ie a tethered hot air or gas balloon).....that would be much more interesting and less obtrusive than the wheel.......

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BigJon says...
2:48pm Tue 22 Jan 13

BigJon wrote:
btw whatever happened to the idea someone had about having static balloon flights over the city (ie a tethered hot air or gas balloon).....that would be much more interesting and less obtrusive than the wheel.......
just looked online and found this....
http://www.bournemou
thballoon.com/

Now, this would be something interesting for York... :-)

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pedalling paul says...
3:39pm Tue 22 Jan 13

BigJon wrote:
BigJon wrote:
btw whatever happened to the idea someone had about having static balloon flights over the city (ie a tethered hot air or gas balloon).....that would be much more interesting and less obtrusive than the wheel.......
just looked online and found this....
http://www.bournemou

thballoon.com/

Now, this would be something interesting for York... :-)
If it was tethered over the Council Chamber, there would be no shortage of hot air to keep it up...............

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bob the builder says...
5:59pm Tue 22 Jan 13

MouseHouse wrote:
"new" owners!
Keep up, the last owners went bust owing the council and others money, so the 'new' (who allegedly were connected to the old) may need to run it longer to stave off the same fate as you never see anyone on it! If that happens it'll be up for sale again, and it gets cheaper every time, so eventually it will be worth less than it's scrap value as a going concern.

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Bridetobe2013 says...
6:51pm Tue 22 Jan 13

I am due to get married at The Royal York this July, when booking I was assured that the wheel would be gone at the end of January! This news upsets me greatly as I will have to re-think the style of the day as much of it (weather permitting) was going to take place in the gardens. It is never full and after a recent work's Christmas Do where we were giving free tickets, it doesn't seem to me to be doing very well! I work for a visitor attraction myself and fully understand the effect of tourism on York- but this is ridiculous!!

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Events politics Life says...
7:17pm Tue 22 Jan 13

Bridetobe2013 wrote:
I am due to get married at The Royal York this July, when booking I was assured that the wheel would be gone at the end of January! This news upsets me greatly as I will have to re-think the style of the day as much of it (weather permitting) was going to take place in the gardens. It is never full and after a recent work's Christmas Do where we were giving free tickets, it doesn't seem to me to be doing very well! I work for a visitor attraction myself and fully understand the effect of tourism on York- but this is ridiculous!!
so you want the wheel removing because you really want the Royal mail building in the back of your wedding photos !

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Even AndyD says...
7:31pm Tue 22 Jan 13

Westgate Appartments were always an eyesore - I remember the complaints at the time which were ignored. Wish they were temporary.

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ToniMyers93 says...
8:21pm Tue 22 Jan 13

Events politics Life wrote:
Let's get rid and make the 20 staff on the wheel unemployed.

Let's get rid of an attraction the reason tourists come to our city

They are asking for 8 months not 8 years and have come and rescued people's jobs in a time when all we read about is people losing their jobs. Whenever I have walked past the wheel it does not cause any noise pollution and disruption so all you above comments shake your heads and get behind people having jobs and attractions bringing economy to the city.
Over a year on and I still can't figure out all this negativity.
As someone has already pointed out there's no noise pollution, the apartments tv signal problem isn't an issue anymore so I can't see what's crawled up their arses? And how exactly is it an eyesore? I personally think it adds a modern twist to an otherwise pretty old fashioned city! ;)

I'd also say that unemployment rates are slightly more important than a tourist attraction that some people disapprove of. Coming from someone that works there I can tell you that the loss of the wheel would add 17 people to the already shocking figure that is our current unemployment rate.

Chill out, pull those poles out of your backsides and grab a Jack Daniels! Does nobody agree that there's bigger things to worry about than this?

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Malcolm says...
10:55pm Tue 22 Jan 13

There's something ironical about people living in Westgate Apartments complaining about an eyesore.

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Magicman! says...
3:47am Wed 23 Jan 13

^ - indeed... and to think there were probably some people living on the other side of the river who complained about Westgate Apartments being built as it'd obstruct views.


I can't believe it's been a year already since the wheel went up - it's just blended in really and become part of the norm... cycle past on the way home from the train and not even bat an eyelid at it.

Freij Entertainment

Isn't Freij a milkshake?!

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