YoCo News (March 2022)
The Commons in Brunswick, Victoria (Australia) was brought as inspiration to one of the YoCo Co-Owned Neighbourhood Design Workshops in October and November 2021.
An excellent mix of people came together for the first YoCo Monthly Open Meeting, held online on 21 March. Below we summarise the key updates and points from the discussion.
The next YoCo Monthly Open Meeting will be 25th April 7-8pm. Register here.
YoCo Governance
It is a year since YoCo became a Company Limited by Guarantee. We have a constitution (the rules about how we operate). The Board of Directors has been refreshed and it is now: Penny Bainbridge, Nigel Sweasey, Phil Bixby, Helen Graham and Lyndon Burford. We’ve developed an online membership form and are calling for people to join. We are also in the process of getting a bank account for YoCo.
Communications Working Group
The Communications Working Group has developed a communication ethos: transparency (tweet after every meeting), creating feelings of possibility (we can make a difference) and positivity (propose not oppose). We’ve undertaken a website review and Lyndon has improved the overall consistency and navigation. We are in the process of developing a workshop on Theory of Change in collaboration with Coaching York.
In the Theory of Change workshop we will seek to collaboratively identify how we think we can make a difference, and clarify our core mission and vision statements. Through this it will also become clearer who we need to work with and will help shape our engagement and communications approach.
York Central Partnership and Conversations with the Strategic Board
York Central Partnership is Homes England, Network Rail, City of York Council and National Railway Museum. The Strategic Board is the landowners plus Make it York, University of York, York Civic Trust and the Local Economic Partnership (LEP). Greg Dyke, Chair of Make it York and also of the Strategic Board led a seminar on 14th March. The focus was to clarify the governance and strategy for York Central. Phil Bixby and Helen Graham were invited to speak about the My York Central public engagement and the how this had led to the formation of YoCo and the creation of the YoCo Community Plan for York Central.
We will keep developing YoCo’s relationship with the strategic board, be in touch with council to avoid duplication and keep the dialogue going with other key groups with a stake in York Central like York Civic Trust, University of York and York St Johns, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT).
Centre for Learning / Food Systems
The idea for the Centre for Learning has a couple of starting points. Something like a Centre for Learning is mentioned in two of the My York Central Big Ideas (‘A community made through exchange’ and ‘A hub that catalyses York’s creativity and innovation’). This led to a series of events exploring what this might mean including with Hackney School of Food and Chefs in Schools. Another is an ongoing conversation with St Paul’s Primary School about whether they would find facilities on York Central useful, especially around growing, cooking and eating, and other creative activity.
Linked to this, a conversation about how York Central can play a role in local food systems is underway with the city’s food pioneers. We’re planning to explore the intersection of these ideas through a workshop – which itself will be based in cooking and eating. It will develop an initial brief for the Centre for Learning and an active network that can carry the idea forward.
The University of York has offered some funding for this workshop.
Hackney School of Food in action - are there ideas here we could take and combine with our work to make a brilliant Centre for Learning on York Central?
Rewilding / Soil Remediation Working Group
It is important that York Central Partnership sees YoCo not as looking for a handout but more a partner that provides something that they need. One example, the Rewilding/Soil Remediation Working Group, is exploring how we could build community while also removing contaminants from the soil on York Central.
The idea is to research what contaminants are present and which plants leech them from the soil naturally (called phytoremediation), and organise community planting days to achieve that goal. The ethos is to offer the York Central Partnership a community-led solution to a problem they already have to address, while also enabling them to ‘tick the box’ of community engagement.
Growing Green Spaces
YoCo got some money from Growing Green Spaces to develop growing in the Leeman Road area, particularly by focusing on people rather than sites.. There are various sites already developed for gardening and environmental improvements offering a range of opportunities for involvement. Penny, who is also a trustee of Edible York, has contacted the the Friends of Leeman Park and will contact the Carlisle Street group. Ideas include events for seed swaps, painting plant pots, planting window boxes and hanging baskets and generally linking up with what is already there in the area.
The Foundry Building and Foundry Yard area - possible locations for meanwhile use on York Central
‘Meanwhile use’ on York Central Site
YoCo has been working with Spark York to explore if there are opportunities on the site. There is the scope for meanwhile use, start up space for new business and other community activities close to Leeman Road, possibly in the Foundry Office Building and Foundry Yard or on the carpark near Carlisle Street. Then there is also the backend of the railway station – wouldn’t it be nice if at the end of that bridge that connects the platforms you looked out at something exciting?
This is not meanwhile use for the sake of it. It is about generating economic activity, growing new businesses and creating a community based on exchange that can then move into the YoCo Co-Owned Neighbourhood and beyond as York Central is developed.
We also have some funding from the University of York for a workshop on meanwhile use/economic development.
World Localisation Day
Local Futures is a global network which explores how we can develop local economies and social action to drive radical change in the way we live. How can we build local wealth and be kind to the earth?
Once a year – in the 3 weeks leading up to World Localisation Day in June – there are a series of events from around the world to explore and celebrate how localisation can drive system change. World Localisation Day takes place on 21st June 2022. YoCo was part of it last year and created this video.
This year, could we film and promote the Centre for Learning/Local Food Systems and meanwhile use workshops? Ideas and participation in this would be welcome.
It was also mentioned that St Paul’s is an eco church. World Localisation Day really chimes with what we are aiming for. Imelda noted that there is a spiritual element to World Localisation Day, all faiths and none but about your connection to the world.
Art and Heritage Projects
It was briefly mentioned that ideas are underway to develop art and heritage projects and seek funding to support them. More details at the next Open Meeting.
Jubilee Pub
Helen went to the most recent Jubilee Pub meeting. The final planning decision has reduced the number of flats proposed and required the pub and function room to be retained. The Jubilee Pub group are deciding whether to bid for the lease. YoCo is keen to offer any support and interested in possible collaborations when/where useful.
YoCo Co-Owned Neighbourhood on York Central
YoCo has always had two strands of thinking – directly influencing York Central as a whole and also developing its own distinct neighbourhood. Following on from the York Central Partnership event it became clear we should push forward thinking about the co-owned neighbourhood as a way of demonstrating what is possible. We’ll plan events with local design talent in the near future to look again at the design of a mixed-use neighbourhood, and continue to discuss these with JRHT and other possible partners.
AOB
We discussed the need to keep communicating actively with the community via school newsletters, churches, the mosque – maybe another picnic in the summer.
We discussed whether we needed help to communicate the economic model – and decided to explore options (e.g. getting advice from Leeds Community Homes).
The Wild Streets project is being developed by Jai Sandhu, the idea is to create an app that combines scientific data and 3D models to enable people to imagine their streets with trees and plants. We will explore the Wild Streets project to see how it might be useful to YoCo.