June Report from councillor John Lemmon for Etwall
| Published: 2nd July 2008 19:43 |
JUNE REPORT BY JOHN LEMMON ON DISTRICT COUNCIL - LOCAL ISSUES PROPOSALS RELATING TO THE USE OF SEVERN TRENT LAND 1. WASTE LANDFILL & LAND RAISE SITE & 2. RAIL FREIGHT INTERCHANGE
Whilst ongoing enquiries have been made by me, there isn't anything new, as yet, to report. Both the Parish Councils and I will continue to monitor the situation closely.
ETWALL CEMETERY - Burial Capacity It may be of interest to our readers, that following a request that I made to South Derbyshire District Council (SDDC) to undertake an audit of the burial capacity at Etwall Cemetery, it was found that there are in excess of 30 burial spaces already allocated to persons who are still "living and breathing" here within our own community! These people are the ones who have had the foresight to purchase a burial plot, well in advance of their own demise. Recent reports that Etwall Cemetery has only 6 burial plots left is therefore not as dire a situation as was first thought, when this number is added to the 30 plus plots that are already allocated, but not yet occupied. Whilst this relieves the immediate urgency of the situation to some degree, talks between South Derbyshire District Council and local landowners are still ongoing, in the hope that land for a greater burial capacity can be identified. I, along with Etwall Parish Council, will continue to work towards a successful outcome for all concerned.
ETWALL ALMSHOUSES - Restoration Project of the Central Pedimented Archway Following my appeal to members of our community to see if there was anyone out there who could help solve the mystery of the "three painted Armorial Shields", I am pleased to report that Bob Oakton contacted me and gave me some interesting historical data. As many of you will know, Bob has been a resident of Etwall village all of his life, and was, for many years, an active member of Etwall Parish Council. His interest in the village prompted him to keep his own record about the Almshouses, following the many changes that were taking place at that time, such as the demolition of Etwall Hall and the removal of the Ornamental Bakewell Gates. His field sketch of the Etwall Almshouses, which he drew in the summer - circa 1961, gives a detailed description of the 3 Armorial Shields and the John Port Crest that sits above them on the top of the Pedimented Archway. His sketches, whilst done in black and white, gives a full description of the colours that were evident at that time. (Please see insert). The Architects involved in the restoration project, now have a copy of Bob's work and they will be using this historical data to produce a detailed technical specification for the painting of the Shields and Sir John Port Crest. So, as a community, we owe a big debt of gratitude to Bob for not only making the field sketches way back in the last century, but for keeping them safe and remembering where he had stored them - I say this very much "tongue in cheek", as Bob is about my age!!
LEISURE CENTRE The Leisure Centre construction traffic issue was raised at the Etwall Area Meeting - please see below.
ETWALL AREA MEETING The Etwall Area Meeting took place on Wednesday 21st May, 7pm at Hatton Centre and, as Chairman; I was pleased to see an excellent turnout of representatives of the many Parishes and members of the general public. Issues discussed included the new Leisure Centre construction traffic passing through the village of Etwall, something that was contrary to undertakings previously given by Tomlinson's, the main Construction Contractor. Following the concerns expressed about this issue, steps were immediately taken to address the problem. Traffic Information Notice Boards have been provided and put in place by Tomlinson's for the attention of all Construction Traffic, prior to their entering our village. As some of you may have already observed, one is located at the island near the Seven Wells Public House which bans Construction Traffic from going through our village centre and others are placed at strategic points coming off the Etwall By-pass giving warning to all traffic to slow down. If anyone within our community observes any drivers of construction vehicles ignoring these signs, please do take the vehicle registration number and the name of the Contractor (usually given on the side of the lorry) and REPORT IT to Frank Briggs at the John Port School, who has responsibility for project managing the site on behalf of the Leisure Centre Joint Managing Committee.
NORTH WEST SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA 1 MEETING: This meeting took place on Monday 2 June 2008 at 6.30pm at Church Broughton Primary School and Liz Caulfman from Hilton Parish Council was elected Chairman for the year. A report on the issues discussed will, no doubt, be provided in this issue of the Express by Mike Hearn, but disorderly conduct, mainly due to underage drinking, did feature as a growing problem within our community.
SDDC SOCIAL HOUSING WITHIN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY I reported last month about concerns expressed about vulnerable tenants being exposed to potential troublemakers within the community in which they live. These concerns were very real and they needed to be addressed by SDDC with some urgency. I have been assured that Senior Officers within the Council, who have the responsibility for social housing, have taken the necessary steps and the situation is under constant review.
BURNASTON & MICKLEOVER COUNTRY PARK Some of you may already be aware that the Grangecraft Garden Centre site in Hospital Lane, Mickleover, has been earmarked for the development of a £6million School for Children with Special Needs and Planning Permission was granted at SDDC in early June. Pendleton Investments, of Derby, is behind the plans for the new school and the development will include a sports hall, swimming pool and housing for 36 students and their carers. Whilst the school will be privately owned, a total of 50 pupils, aged between 4 and 19, who have autism, will be able to attend the school, and their places will be funded by the local education authority. It is not yet known when the development will start but no doubt, we shall be seeing the closure of Grangecraft/Mickleover Garden Centre in the not too distant future. This will be a sad loss to our community, but the cause is a most worthwhile one, which I hope you will agree.
SHAPE UP FOR SUMMER! As part of our commitment to the SDDC Corporate Plan to improve the health and wellbeing of our community, we promised to develop the initiative of "walking groups". The first of these is the introduction of the Hilton Group and a regular walk will now take place on the first and third Wednesday of each month. The meeting place is the Hilton Brook Pub and the walk starts at 6.30pm and will last about an hour. It is to be led by two trained "health walk leaders" and it is open to all members of our community, young and old alike. So if you fancy some fresh air and exercise in the company of others, why not take yourself off to the next planned walk?
IN CONCLUSION Thank you for taking the time to read this update. Please do not hesitate to contact me, if you have any queries or concerns. Kind regards from John Lemmon - Your Conservative District Councillor, Etwall Ward CONTACT DETAILS: Home: 01283732530 Mobile: 07713162848 E-mail: John.lemmon@south-derbys.gov.uk
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