Building work is well underway for a new apartment block on the site of the former Bruno pub in Carlton.
The former Earl of Chesterfield pub site on Carlton Hill will soon house 23 supported living one-bed flats after planning permission was granted by Gedling Borough Council.
The new apartment block will be called ‘Earl’s Court’ in honour of the pub that occupied the site previously.
The pub, known locally as ‘The Bruno’ was demolished back in 2017 as part of plans at the time for three retail units and 14 two-bedroom apartments.
PICTURED: The Earl of Chesterfield back in 2008 (PICTURE: Google)
GONE: The pub was demolished back in 2017 and the site was left empty for some years (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)PICTURED: work began to transform the site in 2022 (PHOTO: Google)PICTURED: The site is now being developed (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)
Plans were then changed and it will now house flats for those requiring supported living.
Developers Pelham have said that “the design has been led by the care and support team’s requirements and by the complexity of the triangular shape of the site and that the new building will feature a ‘ship’s bow’.
When plans were first announced last year, Matt Barney, cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Public Health at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “These new flats will give vulnerable people the opportunity to live as independently as they can in the community.
“This could be young people making their first steps towards independent living or those who are leaving hospital or supported living and need to relearn skills before they return home.
“It’s an exciting opportunity that will undoubtedly offer many people with the stepping-stone they need to live a fulfilling and independent life.”
The development is expected to be completed this year.
Residents in Gedling borough face their council tax bills paid directly to the local council increasing by the maximum amount allowed from April.
Gedling Borough Council’s cabinet will meet on Thursday (16) to discuss the plans, with all councillors to be recommended to approve them next month.
The rise equates to a three per cent increase – the most the authority is allowed to take without holding a public referendum – and would hit Band D homes with a £5.34 annual rise for the council’s portion of the bill.
Councillors will be asked to vote on plans next month (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)
For residents in Band A homes, this equates to £3.56 more per year, with £4.15 and £4.75 increases for Bands B and C homes respectively.
If approved by all councillors on March 2, the three per cent increase would affect all homes in the borough and come into effect from April 1.
It’s as the authority sets out its medium-term financial plan (MTFP) for between now and 2027/28.
It says the rise comes amid “major and unprecedented economic uncertainty” caused by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Soaring inflation, rising energy prices and increased pressure from staff pay left a gap of £1.826m in the authority’s general fund which needs to be filled in 2023/24.
The council said: “There has been a significant increase in inflationary pressures being faced by the council, resulting in a substantial increase in costs across the medium term.
“[This includes] the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, post-Brexit supply and labour shortages, [and] the war in Ukraine and subsequent western sanctions.”
The authority previously said this was compounded by a national £1,925 pay award for all employees hitting budgets by nearly £1m in the current financial year.
A further five per cent pay increase is expected in the 2023/24 financial year, affecting budgets by a further £774,900 from April.
Inflationary pressures on its utility contracts are also expected to cost about £728,000, the authority adds.
Some cash will also be made back by higher-than-expected Government grant support, though the council says this “does not cover the inflationary demand being experienced”.
If Gedling’s proposals are approved, it means the total increase for Band D homes in the borough would be £104.85 from April when also including planned tax hikes at the county council, the police and the fire service.
For Band A homes in Gedling, the total increase is £71.57. Band B and Band C homes in the borough would then face total increases of £82.65 and £93.76 respectively with all four tax hikes factored in.
It comes after Nottinghamshire County Council and Caroline Henry (Con), the police and crime commissioner, both had their tax plans approved last week.
The Tory-run county council greenlit its 4.84 per cent tax hike on Thursday (February 9), affecting Band D homes by a £79.57 increase for the council’s portion of bills.
This is the largest of the four tax hikes and will affect Band A homes with a £53.05 rise from April.
Band B and C homes will pay the county council £61.88 and £70.73 more each respectively.
Mrs Henry’s separate increase of £14.94 on Band D homes was approved on Tuesday (February 7), affecting Band A houses with a further £9.94 rise.
Band B homes will be affected by an additional £11.62 increase, with £13.28 more to be paid by Band C homes to fund police budgets.
And the Nottinghamshire Fire Authority, which determines the budget of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, is also proposing a £5 increase for every home in the county, regardless of their house banding.
This is due to be discussed by the authority on Friday, February 24.
Carlton Town FC suffered a second 4-2 home defeat in four days, this time at the hands of Bridlington Town.
In a Groundhog Day display, Carlton once again started well, once again conceded a dreadful goal to go in a goal down at the break, once again conceded twice more early in the second half and once again got themselves back into the game only to gift a fourth goal and the match to the opposition. Too add to the misery, influential midfielder Jared Holmes got himself needlessly send off after half an hour and will now miss the next three games due to suspension.
The defeat sees the Millers drop back into the bottom two which is no great surprise seeing that they have conceded two or more goals in 15 of their 25 league fixtures. If they continue to do so in the remaining 13 games of the season it’s difficult to see how they can survive.
Tommy Brookbanks and Mark Harvey made two changes to the side which had lost by the same scoreline against Brighouse. Loan signing Louis Turner replaced Richard Stainsby in goal while Nat Watson returned from a four game ban in place of Kyle Tomlin.
Carlton started the game on the front foot and had the Seasiders pinned back in their own half in the early stages. Aaron O’Connor put one cross just behind the goal before Watson and Niall Davie combined to send O’Connor into space, only for the striker to be denied by a superb tackle from James Williamson.
Watson was running the midfield at this stage and he again fed O’Connor who shot over from distance.
On 18 minutes the Millers went behind yet again from another farcical goal. Turner, who had impressed against the Millers last month when playing for Long Eaton and Mansfield Town, tried to play a short goal kick but the ball was intercepted by Ali Aydemir. He sped down the left before crossing into the area. The normally imperious Dan Brown missed his clearance and Lewis Dennison gratefully slotted home.
Video: Mark Harvey speaks with Carlton Town TV
Matters went from bad to worse on 34 minutes when Holmes was sent off for kneeing Jake Martindale in the back as both tussled on the floor after the Carlton man had been awarded a free kick.
The ten men continued to work hard and Watson again set up O’Connor who darted into the area and crossed to Davie who just couldn’t get his shot away.
The Millers brought on Brad Wells at half time and he was involved in the opening minutes of the second half when he cut in from the right, saw a shot blocked and a second effort deflected behind by Jack Bulless.
The Seasiders extended their lead on 51 minutes when a long goal kick was headed onto Nick Hutton who hit an unstoppable 25-yard half volley into the top corner.
On the hour the visitors went three goals up. Aydemir had gone through on goal only to be denied by a superb Brown tackle. From the resulting corner Turner tipped a Williamson header onto the bar. Bridlington then hit the post before Williamson headed home at the third attempt.
Wells gave Carlton a glimmer of hope on 67 minutes when he knocked on a Turner goal kick before lifting a delicious lob over James Hitchcock in the Bridlington goal. But that hope was extinguished just four minutes later when substitute Mackenzie Warne dispossessed Brown on the edge of the Millers penalty area and fired past a helpless Turner.
Still Carlton pushed forward and four minutes after coming on Tyler Blake reduced the arrears when he fired in from the edge of the box with the help of a slight deflection.
Wells had the ball in the net again late on but the goal was disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper. And Khyle Sargent, who had worked ceaselessly throughout, headed a Blake cross ti O’Connor who hit the post in added time.
There was no lack of effort from the Millers and at the final whistle the supporters were grateful to those players who came across to thank them for their efforts. But they will know that they can’t keep letting in goals at the rate they have done this season and expect to stay in this division.
Carlton Town: L Turner, L Gorman (K Tomlin 59), N Hylton, D Brown, D Freeman, J Holmes, N Watson, K Sargent, A Howes (T Blake 74), A O’Connor, N Davie (B Wells 46). Unused substitutes: R Stainsby, K Dixon
Goals: B Wells 67, T Blake 78; Lewis Dennison 18, Nick Hutton 51, James Williamson 61, Mackenzie Warne 71
Lamb also took a mobile phone from a parked car in Hucknall on January 12.
After admitting to the offences, he was jailed for 20 weeks. He was also made the subject of the Criminal Behaviour Order which will ban him from entering Hucknall for a period of two years.
The order was secured by police as a result of Lamb’s multiple previous thefts in the local area.
He was identified by officers and arrested at his home in Broomhill Road, Hucknall, just 24 hours before his sentence on Tuesday.
Arrested alongside him was 33-year-old Luke Monte who was caught on camera with Lamb stealing from the shop in Arnold on 4 January.
Monte, also of Broomhill Road, pleaded guilty to that theft, and also to stealing a pair of jogging bottoms from a sports shop in Netherfield on 17 December.
He was handed a four-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete a 12-month drug rehabilitation programme.
He was also instructed to pay compensation of £105 and costs of £50.
Inspector Jon Hewitt, district commander for Ashfield, said: “Shop thefts of this nature are a blight on the whole community and won’t be tolerated by Nottinghamshire Police.
“These kinds of offences bring significant costs to businesses, cause great upset to shop staff and can put prices up for all of us.
“If people are stealing to fund addictions, then we will work with our partners to ensure they get the help they need, but they should be under no illusion that they will be severely punished.
“Repeat offenders may also be targeted by Criminal Behaviour Orders, which tightly restrict what they can do and where.
“Any breaches of these orders will likely lead to an immediate return to prison. These are a very effective tools for us and we are currently working to secure more of them.
“Hucknall is a great place to live and work and we are working hard to keep it that way.”
A drug dealer has been jailed after police found a kilogram of cannabis hidden inside a barbecue at his Mapperley home.
Officers also discovered bags containing substantial amounts of amphetamines when they raided Kash Brookes’ former home and garden.
Thirty-one-year-old Brookes initially denied any knowledge of the drugs and tried to blame a former tenant of the property.
PHOTO: Notts Police
However, he was convicted of two counts of possession with intent to supply drugs and one of supplying drugs, and jailed for a total of 27 months at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (9).
Brookes’ offending activated a previous conviction for the production of cannabis, for which he had been given a suspended sentence.
Acting on intelligence, police raided Brookes’ home on October 4, 2020 where they found the large haul of drugs, as well as drug packaging and substantial amounts of cash.
Brookes’ fingerprints were found on a vacuum pack which contained the cannabis and on a black bin liner which the drugs had been wrapped inside.
Mobile phones which were seized by officers also revealed further evidence of Brookes’ drug dealing and other criminality.
Detective Constable Tim Townsend, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Officers who raided Brookes’ property did an exemplary job in discovering the drugs and forensic evidence which allowed us to build a strong case against him.
“This was another excellent example of detectives in the force acting on intelligence from other cases, joining the dots and piecing together a detailed investigation which secured a conviction and prison sentence.
“Drugs continue to be a serious blight on our communities, and dealers like Brookes prey on the most vulnerable members of our society to line their own pockets.”
A charity wanting to steam ahead with plans to renovate Gedling’s historic station building are hoping that their bid for fresh funding will help pay for the project.
Their bid for £75,000 from Gedling Borough Council’s local Community Infrastructure Levy is part of a four-week consultation that commenced on January 16 and closes today (13).
The charity managing the station project is Gedling Youth & Community Hub. It’s chairman is Francis Rodrigues.
Francis Rodrigues, said: “I would now ask all our brilliant supporters & volunteers to support our CIL application by completing the comments section on the consultation.”
Full details of the CIL and a link to the comments form can be found HERE
The charity continues it’s good work at the historic building with the old gymnasium having been demolished and made safe in the last couple of weeks.
Pictured: The old gymnasium has been demolished and made safe (Gedling Eye)Pictured: The gym has been demolished (Gedling Eye)
The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge which can be levied by local authorities on new development in their area. It is an important tool for local authorities to use to help them deliver the infrastructure needed to support development in their area.
Gedling Borough Council introduced CIL in October 2015.
The levy can be used to fund a very broad range of facilities including, but not limited to play areas, open spaces, parks and green spaces, cultural and sports facilities. Local authorities must spend the levy on infrastructure needed to support the development of their area, and they will decide what infrastructure is needed.
The public can have their say on who is awarded funds from the Levy through a consultation.
A planning application recently submitted revealed exciting new plans for the building on Shearing Hill.
Gedling station was originally built by the Great Northern Railway (GNR) and opened to goods traffic in 1874, passenger services began to use the station on 1 February 1876.
On 4 April 1960 Gedling Station was closed to passenger traffic and in 1967 the former station site was converted into a youth club.
Investments from various sources saw the former sidings converted into an outside football pitch.
A large gymnasium was also constructed on the front side of the station, although the main fabric of the old building remained in place beneath it (and continues to do so today).
The building operated successfully as a youth club for over 40 years and was finally closed in 2012, in large part due to the need for improvements in order to ensure that this historic building met modern health and safety standards.
The above is just a snippet of the history of Gedling Station to be found on www.gedlingyouth.co.uk.
Police officers have launched an arson investigation following a ‘deliberate’ fire at a bungalow in Mapperley Park.
Emergency services were called to Redcliffe Road shortly after 8.20pm on Saturday night (11) after reports of smoke coming from a property.
The blaze caused significant damage but thankfully no-one was inside the property.
Officers believe the fire was started deliberately and are appealing for information which could help them in their investigation.
Detective Sergeant Scott Walker, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We have launched an arson investigation following this incident and would now appeal to the public for information.
“Thankfully no individuals were present in the property at the time of the fire and no injuries were sustained.
“Deliberately starting a fire is absolutely unacceptable. The consequences can be devastating and we will work with our colleagues at the fire service to fully investigate reports of arson and bring offenders to justice.
“We would urge anyone with information to get in touch with Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident 688 of 11 February 2023.”
More crematoriums across the UK are to install a ‘postbox to heaven’ after the heartwarming idea proved popular in Gedling.
The postbox was first trialled at Gedling Crematorium and allows grieving people to send letters to their lost loved ones.
The idea for the postbox came from nine-year-old Matilda Handy who wanted to look for a way to express her emotions after her grandparents died.
PICTURED: Leanne Handy with the postbox
Her mum, Leanne, decided to approach her bosses at Gedling Crematorium in Lambley, asking if a postbox could be installed at the site.
The postbox was put up at the beginning of December and almost 100 letters were posted in the first month by grieving relatives visiting the Gedling site on Catfoot Lane.
The postboxes are now set to be implemented at 36 other sites across the country after Matilda’s idea proved so popular.
Mum Leanne Handy said: “I’m thrilled by how well the post box has been received and I feel very proud. We’ve had amazing comments from members of the local community who have used it.
“It all came about because Matilda was always saying she wished we could send Mamma and Grandad Birthday and Christmas cards for them to read. She was four when my mum died, and never met my dad.
“Now the post box is in place, I am so pleased that local people are using it, and taking some comfort from it, as another way of feeling connected to their loved ones.
“The Letters to Heaven post box is accessible within the grounds of Gedling Crematorium, even when the crematorium office itself is closed.
“We also want to let people know that you do not have to have held a service for a loved one at our crematorium in order to be able to use the post box.
“It is available to absolutely anyone who wants to write a message to someone who’s no longer here.”
Gedling Crematorium is part of Westerleigh Group, the UK’s largest owner and operator of crematoria and cemeteries, with 37 sites in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Gedling site manager Giulia McDonough said: “Like all Westerleigh Group’s sites, it’s our aim to have a very positive presence within our local communities, and I am delighted that the Letters to Heaven post box seems to have captured the imagination – and interest – of many people.”
Matthew Brook, head of memorialisation at Westerleigh Group, said: ‘Matilda’s postbox has touched the hearts of so many bereaved people across the country.
‘Priding ourselves on serving our communities with exceptional care, we are delighted to be installing similar postboxes across all Westerleigh Group crematoria and helping many others who are grieving the loss of their loved one in a similar way.
‘We look forward to welcoming more people to our beautiful crematoria grounds and finding comfort in placing their letters to loved ones in a post box.”
The council says the Chase Farm development would generate enough pupils to sustain a primary school but there is no “projected need” for a new school.
It expects there to be enough supply for places across the borough after the creation of the new primary school at Stoke Bardolph’s Rivendell development.
However, the council says Chase Farm is putting “increased pressure” on secondary education and will instead use this £3.6m to increase spaces.
In the letter, the council said: “Pupil demand forecasts indicate there will continue to be a sufficiency of primary school places over the next five years, adequate to accommodate the remainder of housing planned at Chase Farm.
“This change in requirement is a result of a decline in demand across Nottinghamshire and an increase of supply in places locally.
“However, ongoing development at Chase Farm and the surrounding area is now placing increased pressure on secondary school provision.
“There is forecast to be insufficient secondary school places in the locality to accommodate the projected housing growth.
“The council has funded a 300-place expansion of the Carlton Academy, which completed in 2020, and is presently working to deliver a further 450 places at Carlton-le-Willows Academy.
“The county council, therefore, does not require the site which has been reserved for a primary school.”
PICTURED: Councillor Michael Payne called the move ‘unforgivable’
Councillor Michael Paye (Lab), deputy leader of Gedling Borough Council, has hit out at the primary school not being built, describing it as “unforgivable”.
Cllr Payne, who is also the county council member for Arnold North, said: “It’s bitterly disappointing and utterly unacceptable.
“Conservative-run Nottinghamshire County Council has reneged on its promise to build a new primary school on the Chase Farm housing estate in Gedling.”
Speaking in Thursday’s county council budget meeting, he added: “A few years ago I was accused, alongside former MP Vernon Coaker, of scaremongering about the lack of secondary school places in Gedling.
“We were told this ‘simply is not true’.”
The council says it has a team of place planners who have forecast education needs for several years and determined there’s no need for a new primary school.
Cllr Tracey Taylor (Con), cabinet member for children and families at the council, added: “Pupil place planning demands are constantly evolving, with ebbs and flows between the primary and secondary phases.
“Officers are only permitted to seek developer contributions based on forecast needs at the point in time that a planning application is being considered.
“Assessments first made in 2016 and reviewed in 2020 were correct, and plans made accordingly.
“Likewise, in light of latest information regarding likely pupil place need, officers are making appropriate plans and corresponding with the developer and the borough council as part of this process.”
The authority says the school would cost more than £10m to bring forward in total, which could instead be used to tackle pressures in secondary education.
The ongoing expansion of Carlton le Willows Academy, in Gedling village, is expected to lead to the first larger intake of Year 7 pupils joining in September.
The £13m project will include new buildings and refurbishments, 29 new classrooms and a ‘state-of-the-art’ dining hall.
