Police have today released CCTV footage of two men they would like to speak to following a burglary in Ravenshead.
At around 1pm on 12 September12, two men forced their way into a house and stole a number of watches, jewellery and some car keys.
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said: “We appreciate that due to the clothing, it makes it difficult to identify the men in the video, but we are appealing for anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area at the time.”
If you have any information that may help our investigation, please call us on 101, quoting incident number 483 of 12 September. If you want to remain anonymous, you can also call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.
Yet again more revised plans were submitted during September for the planning application regarding the proposal for a three-storey building comprising four retail units and eight residential flats next to the bus stop and outside The CORE Centre on the Square.
This is the fourth revision and still it is difficult to see any differences from previous plans (6 trees instead of 4 maybe!) with no attention for the Conservation Area setting, parking and various other objections raised when the proposal was originally submitted in April.
Neighbourhood Plan
The Public Examination of Calverton’s Neighbourhood Plan was held a couple of months ago. The Independent Examiner’s report has now been published. Whilst most of the plan has been accepted in its original form, the Examiner has recommended that a few significant changes are made before it is put to village residents in a referendum.
The Examiner was of the opinion that the Neighbourhood Plan’s Southern Ridge Area should be deleted as a policy because it would constrain the options open to Gedling Borough Council for new housing sites in their emerging local plan. The Examiner also considered that the Southern Ridge Area already had protection in planning policy terms, due to its green belt status and the presence of Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
Our feeling is that the Inspector has not fully appreciated our local circumstances – particularly with respect to Gedling’s lamentable track record when it comes to protecting the most valued aspects of Calverton’s historic landscape. Neighbourhood Plans ostensibly provide residents with the opportunity to direct the future growth of their built environment – yet our Neighbourhood Plan must be modified to remove most of the protection it sought for valued green spaces and the historic environment. Unfortunately, the only option available to us if we wish to fight for a Neighbourhood Plan that is an honest reflection of local opinion would be a legal challenge. The logistical and cost implications of such a course of action could be considerable and will have to be given very careful consideration.
So, the battle for Calverton’s heritage continues – many will, no doubt, be wondering whether it is a war that can ever be won.
Calverton Colliery remembered 80 years on
PICTURED: Calverton Colliery Ventilation Fan House Water colour by Jellicoe Dated 1939″ (from a small private collection of colliery memorabilia)
Much of the original design for the colliery buildings was carried out during the 1930s by the world famous landscape architect Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe who was renowned for his work to integrate industrial structures into a rural landscape.
As well as the mine buildings Jellicoe produced a plan for colliery housing, including a stream and open spaces, which would have been built in the area where the Brambles now is. However the only houses actually erected at the time were on Hollinwood Lane and North Green, being described by Pevsner in his series of books about the Buildings of England as “good colliery housing…….a well-designed group of modern brick buildings, the detail reminiscent of Holland”.
In brief
The Society has several copies of the latest edition of the glossy magazine “E. Midlands History and Heritage” to give away. Articles include “Young criminals on the march through the E Midlands” about the origins of Lowdham Borstal in the 1930s.”Entertaining the Community: hospital fundraising before the NHS” examples from Newark and Mansfield. Please get in touch if you would like a copy (first come, first served!)
The planning application to GBC for change of use from light industrial use at Park House, Park Road Business Area, to a Gymnastics Club with fitness rooms and viewing gallery upstairs has been given conditional permission particularly with regard to parking facilities.
A previous planning application to erect a new dwelling behind the Fish Shop on Main Street which was rejected by GBC has had an appeal dismissed on the grounds of over intensive development.
Advanced notice: Look out for details of an illustrated talk “A History of the Calverton Area” coming soon
For more information, contact: Chris Peck, Secretary, Calverton Preservation & History Society, 0115 9654843 or pressoc@ntlworld.com
A woman from Colwick is gearing up to take on 12 half marathons in 12 months to raise vital funds for her local school.
Gemma Bardwell has set herself the challenge of completing the 12 events during 2018 in a bid to raise over £10,000 for St John the Baptist school in the village.
She will kick-start her series of events with a half-marathon in Whitby on New Year’s Day.
The Colwick mum then plans to end the year in style with her 12th marathon taking her on a route around Las Vegas. The runner will be funding the trips herself to allow all the money raise to go to her chosen cause.
The money raised during the year-long challenge will go towards funding the transformation of one of the buildings at the popular primary school.
They want to turn the 1970s library building into a vibrant learning space for pupils to enjoy and study in.
Gemma only started running a year ago, but said it was with the women in her running group that gave her the belief that she could complete the challenge she has now set herself.
DONATION: The money raised will go to funding a new learning space at St John the Baptist school in Colwick
She said: “I started running with Notts Women’s Runners one year ago. At that time I couldn’t run for 15 seconds without feeling like I needed immediate medical assistance. Now I can run 5k in around 29 minutes, 10k in just over an hour and 10 miles in around 1 hour 50 minutes.
“I owe this change to an amazing group of women within in my running group who have encouraged me, increased my confidence and made me feel like I can achieve anything. They made me believe that I can make this challenge happen.
“2018 is going to be a huge push for me. The idea of 12 half marathons over 12 months absolutely petrifies me but the idea of helping the school is urging me to make this happen. I want to give every child, including my own, the best opportunities available during their time at St John’s.
Gemma added: “Colwick is an amazing community and I have no doubt it will support me in making this happen. I have only been living here since 2014 but I am proud to be part of it and want to do as much as I can whilst I am here.”
Fitness fanatics Andrea Wilde and Charlotte Davies are striving to be a class above the competition when they open their new dance and fitness studio in Mapperley next week.
The Class Roomz is a fresh and exciting new fitness venue that will host a wide variety of classes for anyone to enjoy.
The grand opening of the Woodborough Road venue will take place on Monday (October 16) from 5pm, and with around 100 visitors expected, the event promises to be a lively one!
The Class Roomz came about after the two friends and business partners met to brainstorm plans for the future. In the space of an hour, Andrea and Charlotte had the beginnings of an exciting business plan for the dance and fitness studio.
Charlotte said: “There was no doubt in our minds that Nottingham is crying out for a space that offers a range of classes for any ability, any age or any level of fitness – all under one roof.”
Open seven days a week, the new studio boasts an impressive timetable of classes that cater for beginners through to those wanting to radiate more strength into their bodies, or give themselves that push to reach their fitness goals.
Led by a team of highly qualified and passionate instructors, visitors can take their pick from high intensity workouts, strength and conditioning classes, dance classes for both children and adults, or deeply relaxing yoga sessions.
Andrea said: “We designed the space with an aim to building a community. We want to see all abilities, ages, shapes and sizes come together to adopt a more active lifestyle, and have fun doing so”
With an emphasis on affordable fitness, The Class Roomz runs a membership scheme at a purse-friendly £5.50 per month, giving access to classes at discounted rates, or visitors can choose a pay-as-you-go option.
The vibrant studio also has excellent changing facilities and a café offering healthy snacks and refreshments.
We sat down with the council leader at their HQ in Arnold on Monday and put to him a number of your burning questions about Gedling borough.
Here’s how he answered…
Q: Why was Gedling Tip closed? (Bob Thacker)
JC: The tip was closed by Nottinghamshire County Council. We did fight to keep it open but lost that battle. Unfortunately the nearest tip is now right out near Calverton. The argument at the time [for closing it] was because lots of people using the tip in Gedling came from the City.
I don’t know if there’s any chance in the future they could get a piece of land to make it more local, but the way the funds are at the moment, it’s not high on Nottingham County Council’s priority list. We will keep pushing for it.
Gedling Borough Council do a lot of things that assist with waste collection – like collecting the bins and glass. I think we’re the only ones in the county now that do glass collection. Green waste collection has also gone from strength to strength – that’s the one we charge for extra to your council tax. It’s good value and the take-up has been tremendous.
Q: You need to take action on fly tippers that dump stuff on the streets like on Phoenix Avenue in Gedling. It’s disgusting. People are regularly dumping stuff since you closed to tip. (Tracey Locke)
JC: Flytippers are the bain of our life and we’re consistently trying to deal with it. We have all sorts of tricks up our sleeves to deal with the problem, like using hidden cameras, and we’ve managed to prosecute a significant amount of people.
The only way the flytipping problem is going to get solved is by people reporting it to us. It costs the council a serious amount of money. People can report an incident via the website https://www.gedling.gov.uk/resident/reportit/ or call Crimestoppers.
Q: Is anything going to be done to improve fire safety in council flats in the light of recent events in Grenfell and the unfortunate events at Walton Court during the past week? (Clare Filipowicz)
JC: Yes it is. I sit on the board of Gedling Homes who look after Walton Court and it’s something I’ve been pressing for. I’ve been asking some very searching questions on it. They are doing a full inspection on Walton Court and I do believe there is already action on some work on door closures which I understand that some people struggle with – particularly the elderly. It’s a top-of-the-list job for Gedling Homes.
ANSWERS: We asked Cllr Clarke a number of questions sent in by readers earlier this week at the council’s HQ in Arnold
Q: The roads around Carlton and Gedling are shocking, surely getting them fixed properly is cheaper than paying out compensation to people for damaged vehicles (Tony Novellino)
JC: The roads in Gedling Borough are looked after by Nottinghamshire County Council and are repaired by Via. Some extra money has been put into repairing the roads by the County Council this year – an extra £3m I believe.
Q: Do the CCTV cameras in Netherfield actually work? Word on the street says they are fake and for effect only. (James Haslam)
JC: They [the cameras] have been very successful. They are still recording and have been successful in the past as they assisted with both a serious attack and also a murder investigation – this was just after we put them in. The police still regularly use them.
We are proposing to link these cameras up with the City as they have better technology than ours and their teams would then start monitoring them. Some people have been questioning why we would link up with the City, but why not? They have more people that can monitor the cameras, so if more people are monitoring them then that will help the police as well. I think the move over to City will happen this year.
Q: Why did we lose Carlton Police Station?
JC: I’m very disappointed by the loss of Carlton Police Station, which I believe could now become a supermarket.
They’ll be knocking down a perfectly built building and putting the people who do the job onto the front desk at the fire station, which is far inferior to what they had at Carlton Police Station.
I am very disappointed at that decision – but it wasn’t ours. We tried to get hold of the building but sadly we were not successful. It’s dead frustrating.
Q: GBC seems to be all about house building, roads and infrastructure. I don’t feel they have any real sense of value for the environment and countryside. I feel as long as this council is in place they’ll tarmac over every field in the whole borough. (Bill Schofield)
JC: I totally disagree with Bill on this. Just take a look at the green avenue from the Trent which we’ve been working on with the City. We’ve already got Netherfield Lagoons there, which has been heavily assisted by Gedling Borough Council for something like 15 years. Teal Close will be getting a new eco area which will link up to the Lagoons, which will then in turn link up to the Mineral Line. The plan is to then take the Mineral Line and possibly run a tram but also a cycle and walkway which will run all the way up to Gedling Country Park, where you’ve got 300 acres of land there and none of that is disappearing. We’ve also just taken on management of Bestwood Country Park off Nottingham County Council which is 660 acres. We’ll be now maintaining that.
I think Bill is wrong there – we’re not tarmacking everywhere.
Q: When is the equipment at the park near Arnold Market going to be mended or replaced? It’s been well over a year since some of the equipment was fire damaged and my daughter asks me when it’s going to be fixed every time we go (Hannah Sanders)
JC: The new equipment has just been put in, but we still have problems with people messing about on it. The sad thing is we can’t get insurance on outside equipment, so when our play areas get damaged we take a BIG hit. I think the damage to that park cost us around £30k.
Q: What’s happening now about Arnold Market? (Kaye Brennan)
JC: Some sound and sensible discussions have taken place.
Q: What is going to be done about the traveller problem? The area has been blighted by problems over the summer and it must have cost the council (and taxpayer) thousands. Will there be new measures in place for next year? (Bryan Rogers)
JC: I’ve called the leaders of all 19 authorities together as we can’t solve this problem by ourselves. We’ll be sitting down and I’ll be asking them to help us find a way to get this resolved.
We have to find a sensible solution as the people in these communities need to go somewhere – but their behaviour has got to improve as well.
But you can imagine if we chose an area or land next to someone’s house and told them it was going to be a traveller camp then they’d be up in arms about it, so we have to be careful about what we do.
The current cost to the taxpayer is about £20k to £30k by the time we’re done. This is after we’ve taken people to court and the got the court time. There’s also the cost of prevention work that’s been taking place. We’re currently looking at using titanium locks to secure some of our sites.
Our local MPs Vernon Coaker and Mark Spencer are having a debate on the issue in Parliament this week I do believe.
Q: When is the children’s playgrounds at Arnot Park going to be updated as it’s getting very tired and it’s right on the council’s doorstep (Tina Jefferies)?
JC: We’ve now had some funding come in so the park will be updated soon. That’s hot off the press.
Q: Why does Netherfield feel so unloved by Gedling Borough Council? No money is ever spent there. The shops are all becoming empty, the promised market never happens and the parks are terribly run down – especially Jackie Bells. All the money is spent in Arnold and we get nothing. The town centre needs a facelift to attract more shops. Are there any plans? (Lisa Clough)
JC: I think you could see more shops closing in Netherfield and then being turned into houses because what you’ve got at the bottom of town is a mini city – whether you like it or not. A lot of the big stores on the retail park provide employment for people in Netherfield.
Sainsbury’s is coming soon and that will provide jobs for the area and a lot of companies on the park want to expand. All sorts of things are happening down there.
What you see on Victoria Road is a vast improvement to what it was – there’s no doubting that. You’ve got St George’s Centre for example which Gedling has put money into and also a lot of the things on the main road there.
We also subsidised the railway system through there. There’s now more people using the railways thanks to people like Tony Cave and we’ve put quite a bit into that.
The market in Netherfield never took off because nobody supported it. It came along and there was about five stalls on it. It just didn’t happen and if you don’t use it – you lose it.
I don’t agree about Jackie Bells Playing Fields. It’s in remarkable condition when you consider the amount of people that use it. We always make sure these area are cleaned up. If people think there are issues they should tell us.
We clearly recognise the difference between Arnold and Netherfield, but Arnold is our main trading town.
Q: I would like to know if there are any plans to build single-level properties for disabled people and their families. At the moment all bungalows in Gedling BC seem to just be for over 60s. I can not have my house adapted for myself as it is a family home, Yet I can’t find a suitable disabled property as I’m under 60 years of age (Jane Kirkman).
JC: We’re not house builders but I’d welcome a chat about the problem with Jane. We could then find out more about what the needs were and look at trying to get them introduced when a new developer comes along. Tell Jane to get in touch with me for a chat.
Q: How much have the various wood sculptures in Arnot Hill Park cost over the last 10 years? Why is there no thought as to where they are placed nor any attempt to protect them against the elements. One of the original sculptures has rotted so much due to poor weather protection that it had to be removed within a couple of years of being made. (Lorna Thomas)
JC: They are made from damaged trees; we thought we’d do something nice with them instead of just removing them.
Q: I live in Netherfield and as many of my neighbours I don’t have a car. How can I get my kids to the country park as you have to go into town to come back? Could we get the 44 to make it a stop have a new bus there please. Nobody in Netherfield can go there without a car but we all helped pay for it. (Tom Bell)
JC: We’re fully aware of it and talking to the bus companies about making something happen as we want the park to be accessible to all. There’s a bit of red tape at the moment but I can assure you we’re working on it.
Q: I would like to know why GBC currently does not allow the recycling of aluminium foil and food waste and when, if ever, residents can expect that they will.
JC: We have to try and find a market for it. If the markets become available then we will do.
Q: Does anyone check the pavement areas in the Gedling area to see if they can be used safely? Walking down from Carlton Hill towards Carlton Square requires walking into the road in places to get past the vegetation.
A big thanks to Cllr John Clarke and also Gedling Borough Council’s communication manager Rob McCleary for arranging this session. We hope to be able to put more of your questions to Cllr Clarke in the near future – so keep them coming.
Buses will replace trains from Carlton Station this Sunday morning (October 15) as engineering works take place.
The first two trains from Carlton to Lincoln and Nottingham will be replaced by buses.
A bus will depart from Netherfield at the 44 stop outside the old NatWest building (keep watch as occasionally they depart from the wrong stop on the other side of the road). This bus will make its way to Newark Northgate station where a train will take you to Lincoln and arrive at 10.40am.
The normal Sunday service will resume from Carlton with the 11.36 to Lincoln.
This timings are correct at the time of going to press, but could be subject to change so check eastmidlandstrains.co.uk on the day of departure in case this information changes.
Residents are being asked to give their views on the future development of Papplewick.
Papplewick Parish Council is working to create a Neighbourhood Plan to cover where and how the village will grow until 2029.
A draft plan has now been completed and the public are being asked to share their views during a six-week consultation period which takes place between October 2 and November 13.
People can view the draft, supporting documents and also have their say by visiting
During the consultation period the parish council intends to hold two public drop-in sessions at the Village Hall, to provide additional information and discuss the view of local people about the plan.
These will be advertised on the parish council website once finalised.
Following the consultation, the parish council anticipate undertaking the submission of the final plan to Gedling Borough Council in Spring 2018.
Once approved, the Neighbourhood Plan will carry legal weight in the planning process.
Gedling Borough Council’s Cabinet has today voted against the proposed sale of the former bowling green on Haywood Road.
In response to the government cuts in Gedling’s funding amounting to some 62%, officers had proposed the sale of the former bowling green to generate much needed money and new homes.
The proposal had, however, generated significant local interest and, in particular, residents made the case for opening up the bowling green for use by the whole community.
SAVED: The letter confirming Gedling Borough Council’s decision
Campaign group Save Haywood Road Green who led the battle to save the land from developers today praised the decision by the Cabinet to keep the land for community use.
Campaign spokesman Paul Drury told Gedling Eye: “Everyone involved in the Save Haywood Road Green campaign is absolutely delighted that this little patch of green space will now become a park which all of our community can enjoy for years to come.
“A huge thank you to everyone who supported the campaign and huge credit to John Clarke and his fellow councillors for listening and doing the right thing. All of us at the Haywood Road Community Association look forward to working with them to create a fantastic space for young and old.”
PROTEST: The community came out in force on Wednesday night in a show of support for the campaign to save the green
Leader of the Council, Cllr John Clarke, said: “This has been a really tough decision as we try to balance genuine concerns of residents with the urgent need for new homes and money from sales of our assets.
“As a Council we consistently said that we’d listen and take account of residents’ views before reaching a decision and this is what we’ve done.
“The bowling green will not be sold but kept in the Council’s ownership and transformed into open space that the whole community can use and enjoy.”
An appeal has been launched after a much-loved cat went missing from a home in Carlton.
Wilf has not been seen since September 30 when he did not return to his home in Wallace Avenue.
A reward is now being offered for anyone who helps find the missing feline, which is described as big, tabby and white.
He was wearing a reflective blue collar with bell and tag.
MISSING: Wilf the cat from Carlton
Wilf’s owner Claire West told Gedling Eye: “We’re so desperate to find him and worried sick.
“Someone must know where he is. If everyone could check garages and sheds or maybe even know of someone that’s taken him in, please let us know. Any information would be gratefully received.”
A reward is now being offered fow Wilf’s safe return.
If you have any information contact Claire or Mark on 07730 581173 / 07773 069201
A highly anticipated decision on the future of a bowling green in Mapperley will be made today (Thursday).
It is hoped that a decision, to be made by councillors from Gedling Borough Council, will be put the matter to bed after months of protests and action by residents fighting the decision to sell-off the land to developers.
They are determined to keep the land on Haywood Road as they say it is “the only remaining green space left” in their area.
Planning officers from Gedling Borough Council have called on councillors to accept the proposals to sell a large portion of the land in order to raise £300,000.
The decision will be made at the council’s cabinet meeting later today.
The remainder of the land around the site’s community centre would remain, but the bowling green area would go.
The sale could raise around £300,000 for Gedling Borough Council who say they have a funding gap caused by years of Government cuts.
Last week campaigners called on the council to delay a decision on the future of the site.
A spokesman for the Save The Haywood Road Green campaign group said: “We think at the very least there should be a delay to the proposals there has not been a sufficient consultation period or sufficient opportunity to fundraise to enable the community to buy the space.”
But leader of the council, Cllr John Clarke said that a decade of funding cuts meant the council now had to make tough decisions to help balance the books.
“I’ve no doubt that some residents will be disappointed with any loss of the bowling green but I hope it is recognised that the Council has made a genuine effort to strike the right balance between preserving community services and at the same time balancing our books.”
