Mind the floor … still repairing after the floods. Walmgate, May 2016
Earlier this month I headed up Walmgate, to take photos of the building featured on the previous page. I took a few more on the way there, including the photo above of a rather handsome doorway. A handwritten sign warned of an uneven floor, and building materials were visible through the glass.
It’s more than four months since parts of Walmgate and Fossgate were flooded by the overflowing Foss. Generally it’s all cleaned up. But some of the shops and restaurants aren’t quite there yet, months on. I was struck by the signs in the windows, and took photos of the ones I noticed.
Red Cross shop, Walmgate, 2 May 2016
Walmgate, Cats Protection League charity shop, 2 May 2016
Loch Fyne restaurant, by Foss Bridge, 2 May 2016
Blue Bicycle restaurant, Fossgate, 2 May 2016
Yesterday an independent report into the failure of the Foss Barrier was made available. The report (PDF) and a summary can be found on this link. It contains phrases like ‘ the event has identified a lack of resilience in the asset’s performance.’
The photos here are small reminders of the impact of this asset failure.
One of the frustrating things, as a local person, was seeing how the situation was presented in the media, as if the whole city was underwater. This has obvious effects on tourism — which of course the city relies on. Then of course the other side to that is the urgent need, later, to promote the ‘open for business’ message, as things get back to normal.
And of course things mainly are back to normal. Except for some homes and businesses they’re not anywhere near that yet. And a cluster of buildings in part of Walmgate and alongside Foss Bridge still have ground floors full of building materials stacked between recently replastered walls.
Inside, also visible through the windows of these still-closed premises, the new plug sockets, this time placed much higher up the walls, in case it happens again. Let’s hope it doesn’t.
Repairing a Walmgate shop after the floods
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I don’t normally advertise events, but I notice that there’s a charity show taking place on 16 May at the Grand Opera House, with proceeds going to The York Disaster Fund managed by Two Ridings Community Foundation. More information here.
There’s a public exhibition on Friday 20 May and Saturday 21 May at Hotel 53 in Piccadilly, York where residents can find out more about the work the Environment Agency is planning for York.
My question to the Environmental Agency is why on the day, didn’t they hire in extra pumps to support the other 8 pumps.
There’s an opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the planned work (some of it has already started, I’ve just added some info on that, on this link) at an exhibition this Friday and Saturday. It’s at Hotel 53, Piccadilly, on Friday 20 May (12pm – 7pm) and Saturday 21 May (10am – 5pm).
Am sensing a waning of interest in this subject though, and just been reading a review of Rory Bremner’s charity event earlier this week, which apparently only 250 people attended (review in the Press, on this link). Maybe it’s inevitable that after the initial shock and groundswell of support that most of us forget about it – until the next time.