City of York Council announces timeline for bollard work

A timeline has been issued by City of York Council indicating the next phases of its Hostile Vehicle Mitigation scheme, first introduced by the previous Liberal Democrat-Green administration to combat the threat of ‘vehicle as weapon attacks’.

In May the Liberal Democrat-Green coalition was voted out of office and replaced by the Labour Party.

The council has said the next streets to have bollards installed on them are Shambles, Minister Gate and Blake Street.

Work will be carried out on the following dates:

• Shambles from September 11 to October 6. The entrance to the street will be closed from Pavement to pedestrians and vehicles, with pedestrian access through the walkways from Shambles Market and Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate).
• Minster Gates from September 25 to 13 October. During the work pedestrian access will be via Minster Yard and High Petergate.
• Colliergate from October 9 to November 17. Pedestrian access will be open during the works and diversions for vehicles put in place.
• Blake Street from October 16 to November 24. Pedestrian access will be open during the works and diversions for vehicles put in place.

Work is set to start in the Shambles on September 11 (Image: Dylan Connell)

A City of York Council spokesperson warned that dates may change “depending on a number of factors including what the contractor finds beneath these historic streets”.

They said all affected residents and businesses will be contacted and advised of access details before work starts.

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There will be a break over the busy Christmas period before work at the Parliament Street/Pavement junction begins early in the new year.

“After these fixed and sliding bollards have been installed, further, less disruptive work will be needed to commission them,” they said.

“This will generally be done when the streets are closed to traffic and will have limited impact on pedestrian access and little to no impact on adjacent businesses.

“To answer businesses' and residents' questions, officers and contractors will have a stall at Shambles Market on Wednesday, September 6.

“Times will be confirmed shortly and all are welcome to drop by.”

The timeline comes after today’s announcement by the council that it has joined forces with the York BID and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to promote streets affected by the installation of permanent security measures.