Man who planned to change York

IT MAY not be fair, and it's not what he would want, but Roy Templeman seems doomed to be remembered in York as Mr Coppergate. The 'pretty, proud and poor' city has changed dramatically in the six years of his reign as council planning and environment boss.

Much of that change has been for the better - think the massive inward investment in science city, the expansion of the university and York College, the growth of Park and Ride schemes, the imminent redevelopment of Hungate and the drawing up of a planning brief for the important 'tear drop' site behind the railway station.

Mr Templeman, as the city's top planning and development official, must take credit for these achievements.

Much that has happened has also been controversial - New Osbaldwick, the Barbican proposals, the explosion of luxury flat developments which are in danger of pricing many local people out of the housing market. Mr Templeman must take credit for these, too.

The most high-profile planning case in York in recent years, however, has been Coppergate Riverside. Mr Templeman has been closely associated with it. By any reckoning, whether or not you were in favour of a new shopping development next to Clifford's Tower, it can only be described as a shambles.

The city was divided over the issue, the council fought a lengthy and expensive public inquiry (cost to the local tax payer: £220,000) to defend its decision to approve the £60m shops development - and lost. Result: after years of wrangling, one of the most sensitive and potentially beautiful sites in York is still a car park.

So does Mr Templeman regret the way it all turned out?

It is his last day in York before he moves on to a new job as chief executive of Chester-le-Street District Council. We are sitting in his office in St Leonard's Place in between a frantic final round of farewells. Regret? he says, considering the word.

"I don't regret the way it was handled. Although I do think the planning process that deals with applications in this way is a very bureaucratic and difficult process. Most people who attended the planning inquiry would have found it difficult to engage. It was hard to understand what was going on."

He will admit "in hindsight" the £60m Land Securities scheme the council ended up backing was not ideal. So many different groups with such utterly different views had been consulted over the years that the result was a scheme that was "almost designed by committee".

"At one end, you had the views of people who wanted something ultra-modern, at the other end the supporters of 'pastiche', ie something that replicates historic York," he says.

"I think in hindsight we tried to accommodate all these views and ended up with a scheme that did not ideally suit anybody."

An expensive and time-consuming mistake. But there has been one benefit: the realisation that the area around Clifford's Tower cannot be left as it is. "The car park and the way the riverside is treated... that has got to be developed."

In doing so, he says, it will be important to be "very clear about the objectives for the site and about the planning brief".

He leaves little doubt as to which side of the modern/traditional divide his own preferences fall. He believes architects and designers should be given a "little breathing space". He cites the new Borders building on Davygate as an example of what can be achieved if they are.

"There were quite a few people who did not like the design of Borders against St Helen's Church," he says. "But I think we have ended up with a very strong building and I'm not the only one who thinks that. We have ultimately ended up with a national civic trust award."

It is all consistent with his view that York is a city that needs to move with the times. When he arrived six years ago from a job with Coventry council, he was overwhelmed by York's beauty, history and architecture.

"But I also recognised that the city cannot stand still."

In the years since, the city has changed greatly - accelerating a process that had already started. He would not seek to take credit for everything, but he is proud of the council's role in much that has happened.

The inward investment in business and tourism; the growth of biosciences, the technology sector and the science city; the expansion of the university, York College and St John's College.

There are also the environmental achievements: the kerbside recycling scheme; a massive increase in spending on transport which has seen four new Park and Ride schemes, with more to follow; and a commitment to support bus company First (by for example introducing bus lanes) which has seen York get a new bus fleet.

Overall, he says, the city now is much more vibrant, with a thriving caf culture and a feeling of prosperity.

He accepts that a balance needs to be struck. Development has to be the right kind of development - such as the major new business park at Monks Cross, a quality scheme that will add to what the city has to offer, he says.

Amid the excitement over the city's economic boom, the influx of people into new, well paid jobs and the emphasis on tourism, ordinary York people must not feel left out - or priced out of the housing market.

"Being sensitive to the needs of local residents without destroying the special quality of the city. How do we do that?" he says. "That's the million dollar question."

So does he think the right balance has been achieved? He is not about to apologise for the emphasis put on promoting tourism.

There has always been a tendency for people to complain that they're "a resident, not a tourist" whenever anything is done to encourage tourism. "But there are an enormous amount of people in this city involved in tourism."

He recognises that there is a problem about the number of expensive new flats sprouting up everywhere - something many people have drawn attention to.

Sometimes, he says, when major inward investment is coming into the city, it has to be taken advantage of, which can lead to housing provision being skewed for a while. But it only makes schemes such as the controversial New Osbaldwick, with its high percentage of affordable homes, all the more important.

As to the future, there are exciting opportunities ahead for York, Mr Templeman says - Hungate; the huge 'teardrop' site, which it is vital the city gets right; and, next year, Royal Ascot.

"I am really pleased to see Ascot coming to the city," he says. "It is a very important event, and it will add a lot to our overall economic strength."

There are challenges ahead, too: among them, getting that housing and employment balance right and dealing with traffic congestion.

On balance, does he feel satisfied with what he has achieved?

"I'm never satisfied," he says. "I don't think in a job like mine you ever really finish. This city spans two millennia. I've been the caretaker trying to look after it as best I can during the time I've been here."

Now, he says, it is time for him to move on. Whether he was a good caretaker during his years in York will be left for future generations to decide.

Updated: 10:57 Friday, May 21, 2004