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Big wheel set to return to York (From York Press)
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Big wheel set to return to York in the Museum Gardens
9:32am Thursday 2nd December 2010 in News
By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter
An artist’s impression of the new wheel behind the York Art Gallery in Exhibition Square
A BIG wheel is set to return to York after plans were announced to site the huge tourist attraction in the Museum Gardens.
The 60-metre high wheel would offer stunning views of York Minster, the city centre, the River Ouse and St Mary’s Abbey in the gardens.
It would also provide a huge boost to the city’s crucial tourism sector – particularly the evening economy, as the wheel is set to stay open until 10pm.
A planning application for a three-year stay will be submitted next week to City of York Council by York Museums Trust and wheel operators Great City Attractions (GCA). If permission is granted, the wheel should be carrying passengers by next Easter.
Some of the profits from the wheel will go to the Trust, which will put the money towards a proposed £6 million revamp and expansion of York Art Gallery. Those plans, which would probably require lottery funding, include an extension into adjacent rooms occupied by the City Archives, which are moving elsewhere.
The wheel is set to be sited on a hidden area of land behind York Art Gallery, where derelict former Canadian air force huts are currently situated and would need to be demolished.
It will be similar to the one which was sited at the National Railway Museum between 2006 and 2008, which attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The structure will be subtly lit with white lights and virtually silent in operation, and have 21 fully enclosed, air conditioned and heated capsules seating up to eight people each.
Visitors will be able to listen to a commentary about the views they can see and the history of the city, said trust chief executive Janet Barnes.
She said a new entrance would be created from Exhibition Square along the side of the gallery building, with access also provided from the abbey area.
She said the development was in line with the trust’s aims of connecting up the various buildings in the area to create what had been termed a “cultural quarter”.
A spokesman for GCA said it was the world’s leading owner and operator of giant observation wheels, and it was “really excited” about having one once again in York.
Comments(50)
Darren W
says...
10:26am Thu 2 Dec 10
Boatie
says...
10:41am Thu 2 Dec 10
This plan by the trust shows a total disregard for the City as they are proving with their plans for the Castle Museum, how long must their antics be put up with by the City Council? Enough is enough.
Maquis
says...
11:27am Thu 2 Dec 10
pedalling paul wrote:*****NEWSFLASH******
Sounds like an excellent compromise, which is deserving of Planning Consent. A useful income stream too, for the YMT which will benefit the Art Gallery.
*
He11 must have frozen over!,
I agree with Paul!
I need a sit down......
notmyrealname
says...
11:31am Thu 2 Dec 10
Planning must be refused ! IDIOTS
Ignatius Lumpopo
says...
11:32am Thu 2 Dec 10
Soothsayer17
says...
11:35am Thu 2 Dec 10
notmyrealname wrote:Fully agree.
Will ANY visitors come to York because of this - concentrate on Yorks history and beautiful buildings ( such as the classic St Leonards place which is starting to look very run down ) and not this theme park tat - just climb the Minster Tower if you want a view of York Planning must be refused ! IDIOTS
.
York should be trying to buck up its ideas and compete with places like Prague and Bruges - not Blackpool FFS.
.
Can the council provide ANY evidence to back up their theory that people will come to York just to go on the wheel?
terranova
says...
11:47am Thu 2 Dec 10
If It's as subtly lit as the last one it will again outshine the Minster.
Let's concentrate on what we have - be imaginitive - don't import this tat.
maybejustmaybe
says...
11:54am Thu 2 Dec 10
York Fox
says...
12:05pm Thu 2 Dec 10
maybejustmaybe wrote:There is loads of wasted space behind the gallery.
Can someone explain to me where exactly the wheel is going? Cross examining google maps with the photo and knowing the size of the wheel, it seems to suggest it is being sited on Marygate, as there is no room behind the Art Gallery!
http://maps.google.c
o.uk/maps?f=d&source
=s_d&saddr=53.963332
,-1.087046&daddr=&ge
ocode=&gl=uk&hl=en&m
ra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=19
&sll=53.963285,-1.08
6834&sspn=0.001166,0
.002406&ie=UTF8&t=h&
z=19
How can a free attraction like this be a bad thing when all it replaces are derelict prefab buildings? Even if it doesn't attract a single visitor then it is FREE and draws money for the Trust and to neighbouring businesses. Brilliant compromise.
Get it up!
York Fox
says...
12:06pm Thu 2 Dec 10
http://maps.google.c
o.uk/maps?f=d&source
=s_d&saddr=53.963332
,-1.087046&daddr=&ge
ocode=&gl=uk&hl=en&m
ra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=19
&sll=53.963285,-1.08
6834&sspn=0.001166,0
.002406&ie=UTF8&t=h&
z=19
How can a free attraction like this be a bad thing when all it replaces are derelict prefab buildings? Even if it doesn't attract a single visitor then it is FREE and draws money for the Trust and to neighbouring businesses. Brilliant compromise.
Get it up!
Soothsayer17
says...
12:09pm Thu 2 Dec 10
York Fox wrote:But it looks sh!t.
There is loads of wasted space behind the gallery. http://maps.google.c o.uk/maps?f=d&so
urce =s_d&saddr=53.96
3332 ,-1.087046&daddr
=&ge ocode=&gl=uk&
;hl=en&m ra=mift&mrsp=0&a
mp;sz=19 &sll=53.963285,-
1.08 6834&sspn=0.0011
66,0 .002406&ie=UTF8&
amp;t=h& z=19 How can a free attraction like this be a bad thing when all it replaces are derelict prefab buildings? Even if it doesn't attract a single visitor then it is FREE and draws money for the Trust and to neighbouring businesses. Brilliant compromise. Get it up!
whitehorse
says...
12:17pm Thu 2 Dec 10
Garrowby Turnoff
says...
12:26pm Thu 2 Dec 10
xpgold
says...
12:39pm Thu 2 Dec 10
11:31am Thu 2 Dec 10
Will ANY visitors come to York because of this - concentrate on Yorks history and beautiful buildings ( such as the classic St Leonards place which is starting to look very run down ) and not this theme park tat - just climb the Minster Tower if you want a view of York
Planning must be refused ! IDIOTS
the last time it was here more than a million tourists came to see it..over the years we missed the chance to have an IMAX,(armstrong oilers site),an airport(elvington) and an ice rink(forsselius garage) we would be foolish to miss this oppertunity!!
TooRelaxed
says...
12:57pm Thu 2 Dec 10
Personally I think it's a bit tacky.
I went on the other one and my capsule description of the experience? Meh.
Jazzper
says...
1:07pm Thu 2 Dec 10
meme
says...
1:53pm Thu 2 Dec 10
Plus some of the monies go to the Gardens trust etc which has to be good for them
However we need more and I agree what happened to the roundhouse theatre as that would be another great draw to York
Boatie
says...
2:50pm Thu 2 Dec 10
The Museum Trust should get on with what they were set up to do and manage the Museums and Art Gallery not become a Fair Ground Operator or would they be better at that rather than what they are currently doing? and planning to make a mess of the Castle Museum.
arg
says...
2:54pm Thu 2 Dec 10
arg
says...
2:55pm Thu 2 Dec 10
Kirksghost
says...
3:03pm Thu 2 Dec 10
yo30 dan
says...
3:05pm Thu 2 Dec 10
oldgoat
says...
4:03pm Thu 2 Dec 10
terranova wrote:Best place for it is floating down the river, slowly sinking, never to be seen again.
So the council supported uglification of York continues. Put it at the Designer Outlet like the skating Rink!
If It's as subtly lit as the last one it will again outshine the Minster.
Let's concentrate on what we have - be imaginitive - don't import this tat.
Please, it was a novelty while it was here, but you really couldn't see much compared to tthe London Eye.
Let Designer Outlet have the think. About the same level of tat and tack there....
Boatie
says...
4:11pm Thu 2 Dec 10
Kirksghost wrote:It seems to me that the Museum Trust have no sense of York's history and scant regard for Kirk's memory. What really should happen is for the trust to be wound up and management of our City's historic collections be given to York Archeological Trust who are an exemplor of what a trust in the history and collections business should do.
Is this smoke and mirrors... a new York Museum trust venture announced to hide what they plan to do to the Castle Museum (see mondays news) ... close the top floor and remove even more objects for the public to see... people go to a museum to see objects... nearly 2,500 objects were removed to make way for empty spaces in the cells... did any go back in! Will any of those removed objects ever see the light of day again... workshops like that no longer exist. What was Kirks vision, to show people a fast disappearing past. I know its a hard choice but York Castle Museum is known for its wonderful and vast collection... will anyone see it in the future if you close bits down. Oh isn't all lottery money going to the Olympics?
yorkandproud
says...
4:57pm Thu 2 Dec 10
euroinforitnow
says...
5:01pm Thu 2 Dec 10
notmyrealname wrote:Presumably St Leonard's Place looks the way it does because the council are waiting to move out and see little point in refurbishing something which they will vacate soon. As for the wheel, why not if it generates cash which will be used for the Art Gallery ?
Will ANY visitors come to York because of this - concentrate on Yorks history and beautiful buildings ( such as the classic St Leonards place which is starting to look very run down ) and not this theme park tat - just climb the Minster Tower if you want a view of York Planning must be refused ! IDIOTS
euroinforitnow
says...
5:06pm Thu 2 Dec 10
Boatie wrote:I believe that the Museums Trust actually do own the Gardens as successors to the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. They are responsible for the maintenance and planning of the gardens.
How will that work then? do the Trust own this most valuable site in Yorkl? a I don't think so. To give planning permission on this site would be crazy. This plan by the trust shows a total disregard for the City as they are proving with their plans for the Castle Museum, how long must their antics be put up with by the City Council? Enough is enough.
GBTYZ
says...
5:13pm Thu 2 Dec 10
euroinforitnow
says...
5:23pm Thu 2 Dec 10
Soothsayer17 wrote:Bruges has a funfair between the station and city centre. Anyway, York can't compete with it, nor should it try. It's twice the size of York, was the artistic capital of Europe, and is one of the major cities of Belgium. As for Prague, forget it. Not only the capital city but arguably Europe's most beautiful city. York is in a different league, more like Troyes or Avignon in size and character. Anyway, as for bucking its ideas up, York is already number three in weekend visits in the UK after London and Manchester, though for different reasons I suspect and had seven million visitors last year.
notmyrealname wrote: Will ANY visitors come to York because of this - concentrate on Yorks history and beautiful buildings ( such as the classic St Leonards place which is starting to look very run down ) and not this theme park tat - just climb the Minster Tower if you want a view of York Planning must be refused ! IDIOTSFully agree. . York should be trying to buck up its ideas and compete with places like Prague and Bruges - not Blackpool FFS. . Can the council provide ANY evidence to back up their theory that people will come to York just to go on the wheel?
Mr John
says...
5:43pm Thu 2 Dec 10
It seems the Council are only interested in generating minimum wage jobs for the tourist trade and the supermarket industry.
Boatie
says...
7:34pm Thu 2 Dec 10
euroinforitnow wrote:Quite correct the Museum Gardens are managed by The Museum Trust although still owned by the City Council. However the land behind the Art Gallery where it is proposed to site this "Big WQheel" is not in the Museum Gardens, it is behind the Art Gallery currently the home to some derelict (or semi derelict) world war 2 buildings, my information is that this land was not transferred to be managed by the trust when the trust was formed by thre City Council. It is probably the most undeveloped piece of land in the City Centre and surely must be used for a far better project.
Boatie wrote: How will that work then? do the Trust own this most valuable site in Yorkl? a I don't think so. To give planning permission on this site would be crazy. This plan by the trust shows a total disregard for the City as they are proving with their plans for the Castle Museum, how long must their antics be put up with by the City Council? Enough is enough.I believe that the Museums Trust actually do own the Gardens as successors to the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. They are responsible for the maintenance and planning of the gardens.
How this will contribute to the "Cultural Quarter" as suggested by the trust's Chief Executive is to devalue the whole concept of a "Cultural Quarter"as Scrooge would say" Bah Humbug"
Really wanna be a baaaad boy
says...
7:56pm Thu 2 Dec 10
pedalling paul wrote:Paul, can this be reached on the orbital cycle route?
Sounds like an excellent compromise, which is deserving of Planning Consent. A useful income stream too, for the YMT which will benefit the Art Gallery.
pedalling paul
says...
9:46pm Thu 2 Dec 10
Really wanna be a baaaad boy
says...
11:14pm Thu 2 Dec 10
pedalling paul wrote:Fabulous. I will be able to mow a few of the pests down in my giant 7 seater 4x4 then when im off city centre shopping.
Yes if you pedal along Water End and at Clifton Green, divert right along Clifton/Bootham with its advisory cycle lanes.
again
says...
11:58am Fri 3 Dec 10
Really wanna be a baaaad boy wrote:Ooohh ! Aren't you the bad little boy!
pedalling paul wrote: Yes if you pedal along Water End and at Clifton Green, divert right along Clifton/Bootham with its advisory cycle lanes.Fabulous. I will be able to mow a few of the pests down in my giant 7 seater 4x4 then when im off city centre shopping.
Anyway, I am agin this ludicrous idea. Clearly what York needs to liven it up is a monster statue of Mickey Mouse to remind us of the council.
Lizzie Browning
says...
12:31pm Fri 3 Dec 10
meme
says...
2:02pm Fri 3 Dec 10
its a great addition to York
Only temporary and all helps in todays world
How shortsighted of the detractors to knock it. is it because its change and all change is bad?
No one uses the gardens here and its a good use for effective waste land
Look beyond the wheel.We need tourists and work York needs to evolve to compete.Its already losing trade as the new Coppergate/Piccadill
y scheme has been delayed for years and we cannot compete against Leeds/Harrogate etc. Now there is talk of a huge out of town extension at Monks Cross that will hurt City Centre even more unless it constantly attracts new people
We ahve to change and frankly I for one would support a funfair in the gardens if it would attract more people to York
GBTYZ
says...
2:09pm Fri 3 Dec 10
GBTYZ
says...
2:14pm Fri 3 Dec 10
moneyforwhat
says...
3:22pm Fri 3 Dec 10
Big Bad Wolf
says...
3:48pm Fri 3 Dec 10
arg wrote:So you're against the idea then Arg?
No! No! No! No! No! thrice No! ad infinitum. It is an EYESORE and does not repeat NOT belong either in the Museum Gardens nor in York in any way shape or form. Lets start the oppose the wheel movement today.
Duck in the hedge
says...
6:57pm Sat 4 Dec 10
It's got my vote !
LizM
says...
10:01pm Sat 4 Dec 10
Re the Canadian huts - is there any heritage value there? I know York is teeming with history but surely it needs to be looked at as to whether they should be kept, and maybe restored and used as a memorial/museum of York during the war.
In order for York to keep bringing in the tourist pound/dollar/yen/eur
o etc. it has to have a unique selling point which encourage tourists to choose to visit rather than go elsewhere. Look around at other cities and you'll see wheels - maybe by being wheelfree, we can have that little something special. Tourists only have so much cash to spend, and if there's a wheel, they might go up it rather than spend money going up the Tower in the Minster - that's money lost to keep our most impressive monument for current and future generations. We need to keep our tourist money for the fabric and culture of York, not for the pockets of businesses such as GCA. There must be quite a bit of money to be made, otherwise they wouldn't keep trying to dump their monstrocity.
Magicman!
says...
2:29am Mon 6 Dec 10
about time it came back! York hasn't felt the same without a wheel on the skyline. It's another thing that can be added on a list of things that people's friends want to do when spending the day/weekend in the city. Plus the wheel gives out brilliant night views of York (and think too what the view would be like with everywhere covered on snow!).
Duck in the hedge
says...
10:05am Mon 6 Dec 10
It's an attractive piece of engineering, and like the London eye, it adds interest to York's dull skyline (with the exception of the Minster).
These are clearly popular tourist attractions and generate income for the landowner, and tax, mostly from tourists many of whom will be from overseas.
I think detractors are being both shortsighted and snobbish.
LizM
says...
11:21am Mon 6 Dec 10
I'm certainly not shortsighted nor snobbish - please reread my comment to appreciate my opinion and argument.
I thought the comment facility was to give readers the opportunity to put forward their opinion, not to be rude or belittle other readers
Mr Udigawa
says...
2:46pm Mon 6 Dec 10
Really wanna be a baaaad boy wrote:Absolutely priceless. Top post of the year.
pedalling paul wrote: Yes if you pedal along Water End and at Clifton Green, divert right along Clifton/Bootham with its advisory cycle lanes.Fabulous. I will be able to mow a few of the pests down in my giant 7 seater 4x4 then when im off city centre shopping.
Reel em in eh Paul? ;-)
york_chap
says...
11:12pm Mon 6 Dec 10
YorkDavid
says...
2:30pm Wed 8 Dec 10
How would this be changed by the planned 60metre high wheel, which would be:
• only 250metres from the West Front of the Minster and it’s 56metre high towers,
• surrounded by buildings of note like Kings Manor, St Marys, and the Hospitium within the Museum Gardens an area of calm and quiet within central York,
• next to busy main road (Bootham A19) which could cause traffic problems, perhaps even accidents, along with possible further access problems to Marygate,
• overlooking a school, and residential properties.
There would appear to be little sensitively and consideration been taken, and it is seriously threatening our city’s visual heritage.
‘Attractions’ are welcome in any city, along with the financial gain that they can bring, but they do need to be sited sensitively within consideration on the visual impact they would have on the skyline.
Surely the best view of our city and the surrounding countryside is given from the minster itself and the 71metre high lantern tower.
pedalling paul says...
9:37am Thu 2 Dec 10