Shaping the future through open conversations
By Andy Kerr, Head of Regeneration Programmes and Castle Gateway Project-lead, City of York Council The first section of the new layout for Piccadilly has now completed, and I thought it was important to reflect on how we got to this point. The first point to note is that Piccadilly is changing – for the … Read more
Following the draft Open Brief we tested it and refined it online, using social media and through targeted discussions with specific groups and people. The blog below sets out the additions and revisions we made based on people’s feedback. We then created a final draft that was commented on by the Castle Gateway Advisory Group, … Read more
There is a huge interest in seeing the new public spaces in Castle Gateway as hosting theatre, music, outdoor cinema, dance and every other art form imaginable. On reflection, we’ve been a bit concerned that this aspect of the draft Open Brief is currently less well developed than it could be. To fix this, we’ve … Read more
There’s something special about outdoor music performances. Whatever your taste – Womad, Glastonbury, Carolina Country Music or Jazz New Orleans, there’s something for everyone. Some people though, like their music on a much more intimate, less ear drum bursting level and are not looking for big names or mind altering substances. Some of my best … Read more
3rd and 10th February 2020 We returned to Red Tower to share the draft Open Brief for the new public spaces in the Castle Gateway area. This followed sessions in summer to generate ideas for the new public spaces. Every Monday the Red Tower hosts a Pay-as-you-feel lunch, you can pick up a bag of … Read more
Having got the Open Brief to a draft version which we had discussed at length with the council and with members of the Advisory Group, it was time to take it for a walk around the Castle Gateway area with members of the public – some of whom had been involved with previous events but … Read more
Chris Donegani has been to a lot of our events, and he joined us for one of our recent Debating the Open Brief walks. His response to this was an alternative proposal for the Castle car park, suggesting a different way to provide some of the key elements in the draft Open Brief, while responding … Read more
Chris Donegani lives on Piccadilly and was a regular participant in the workshops we ran to look at the reshaping of public realm along Piccadilly earlier this year. Having been part of the various conversations and given a lot of consideration to the various issues involved, Chris has some concerns over the submitted proposal for … Read more
Hilton Tower Restaurant 7th December 2019, Drop In 11am-12noon, The Green Howards and the South African War Memorial, York Army Museum 12noon-5pm, Various events from Hilton Tower Restaurant Read the full programme Join us on 7th December to delve into the histories of the Castle and Eye of York and to join the conversation about … Read more
21st September 2019 On 21st September a meeting was held with the York Liberal Jewish Community exploring the histories and future of the Castle and Eye of York, with a focus on Clifford’s Tower and the significance and interpretation of the 1190 massacre of York’s Jewish community. The meeting was held following the York Liberal … Read more