Revamp plans at Ravenshead Leisure Centre will move forward in the coming months, a councillor has confirmed.
Councillor Martin Smith (Con) of Ravenshead Parish Council said the proposed improvement works have been planned for many years and hopes work will now begin in late spring or early summer.
Planned works include converting the small sports hall into a dance/exercise room, refurbishment of the changing rooms, creating a changing space for match officials and improvements and redecoration to all communal areas, including toilets.
The facilities are enjoyed by residents in Ravenshead
Ravenshead Parish Council say they receive no funding from Gedling Borough Council similar to the other eleven parish councils in the borough. Instead, the running and upkeep of the Leisure Centre is completely funded by the Parish Council, from the annual precept.
The annual precept is the parish council’s share of council tax that is added onto the Council Tax bill. This precept can be spent on items such as parks and open spaces, cemeteries, environment, economic development, other projects and administration.
Ravenshead Parish Council will now work with various groups, including the Football Association and Nottinghamshire County Council and are pleased to announce that the major refurbishment of Ravenshead Leisure Centre will take place in the Spring and Summer of 2023.
Councillor Stuart Bestwick (Con), Chair of the Leisure Centre Refurbishment Committee said “The refurbishment of our Leisure Centre is a relatively large and expensive project to be financed by a small Parish Council, so we are delighted to have been able to work with other institutions and find a way to greatly improve the facilities, without placing the full burden on the taxpayer”
Ravenshead Leisure Centre was originally established for the benefit of the community in the 1980s. Since then, it has been owned and managed by Ravenshead Parish Council. During the past 40 years, they have grown and improved the facilities that now boast three tennis courts, five football pitches, an all-weather football pitch, petanque courts and two separate sports halls.
Ravenshead Leisure Centre has meeting rooms available for hire at very competitive rates. There is free WI-FI, whiteboards and tea/coffee-making facilities along with a choice of rooms to suit all needs.
You can contact the Booking Office for more information on 01623 491522 or Bookings@ravensheadpc.org.uk.
Gedling cops have arrested a teenager after a drugs haul was discovered during a raid on a property in Carlton.
A 16-year-old suspect was stopped and detained by police – 24 hours after the police raid.
A shopping bag packed full of dried cannabis was found during a planned raid in Coningswath Road, Carlton, following reports of drug activity.
Police made the arrest 24 hours after a raid
Bundles of cash, deal bags and multiple phones were also seized from the property, as were various weapons – including a set of nunchucks and two swords.
Following the warrant on Tuesday (28 February), which was led by the Gedling Operation Reacher team, an investigation was launched to identify suspects.
A proactive operation was then carried out by the same team on Wednesday morning (1 March), which led to a taxi being stopped in Main Road, Gedling.
The teenage boy was discovered inside and was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs.
Sergeant James Carrington, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Gedling Operation Reacher team, said: “We are pleased to have now arrested a suspect in connection with a cannabis haul we found during a warrant a day earlier.
“Not content with making this discovery, my team then carried out some fantastic police work to identify a suspect and plotted out a proactive operation to set up a successful arrest attempt.
“This is a great example of the positive impact Operation Reacher can have when provided with the intelligence needed to tackle ongoing issues, such as drug activity.
“I’d encourage anyone who knows anything about this incident to contact the police on 101, quoting incident 78 of 28 February 2023.
“Information about any other crime in the Gedling area can also be reported to us by dialling 101.”
A popular Colwick play area has reopened after six weeks of renovation work.
Almost £100k has been spent on Colwick Rectory Play Area to improve the site and add new and inclusive facilities.
The refurbishment includes a wheelchair-accessible roundabout, zip wire, trampoline, a multi-play unit with 17 different features, new swings and more.
PICTURED: Children put the new play equipment through its paces
Funding for the facilities are thanks to FCC Communities Foundation, a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community, conservation and heritage projects from funds donated by waste and resource management company FCC Environment through the Landfill Communities Fund. In total, FCC Communities Foundation provided a grant of £99,466 for the development.
The design and features of the new play area were chosen thanks to help from children from Netherfield Primary School and St John the Baptist Primary School in Colwick, who took part in a consultation with the council to have their say and give suggestions for what they wanted to see at the site.
The funding bid to FCC was made jointly by Gedling Borough Council and Colwick Parish Council.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke MBE said: “I’m really pleased to see these improvements completed, the site has undergone an incredible transformation.
The new facilities here, which were inspired by the creative ideas of local children, are an outstanding addition for our communities, providing an inclusive and accessible space for children to play and learn.
I’d like to thank FCC Communities Foundation, Colwick Parish Council, and all those involved in making this project a success, I’m sure that local families and children will enjoy using these new facilities for many years to come.”
Alison Nunn, Chair of Colwick Parish Council said:”Colwick Parish Council is really pleased that with the funding from FCC Communities Foundation and the backing from Gedling Borough Council, that we have an incredible updated play facility.
“The children we worked with gave us some brilliant ideas, and they kept reminding us that the play area must be inclusive, we hope we have gone some way to achieving this. Play and imagination are a very large part of a child’s development, and it is important that modern and engaging play areas are freely available for the local community, who also helped us in the bid process, to enjoy all year round.”
Cheryl Raynor, Grant Manager at FCC Communities Foundation said: “We are delighted to have supported the Council in bringing this project to fruition. This is an important facility for the local children, and we are pleased to see it open and available to use”.
Gedling Borough Council has declared war on boy racers after proposing new measures to fine those driving in an anti-social way.
New plans would see cops given more powers to fine offending drivers across parts of the borough and is being put to the public in a consultation which closes on March 24
It comes after complaints from residents in parts of the borough about speeding cars, excessive noise and car cruise events in Colwick.
The Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) would see aggressive acceleration, racing, stunts, excessive noise and congregating with other vehicles banned and punishable with a fine.
There was a PSPO in place between January 2018 and January 2021 which addressed problems caused by organised car cruises in and around Colwick Industrial Estate and along the Colwick Loop Road.
The area had been the focus of these type of activities for an extended period of time attracting up to 100 vehicles and spectators at its peak.
Since the expiration of the previous PSPO Nottinghamshire Police and Gedling Borough Council say they have seen an increase in calls and activity regarding this behaviour. They now want to extend the previous boundary and include the new Gedling Access Road.
He told the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It’s long overdue, we’ve been raising issues with the police and they’ve been doing operations at night.
“The noise these drivers have been making, such as screeching their tyres at night or mopeds driving through villages, has been a frustration.
“This should make an improvement to security for businesses and for residents.
“It’s reared its head a lot more recently in evenings and the police have done all they can. This is an extra support mechanism to try and solve it once and for all.”
You can comment or comment on, or object to the proposal in writing to: Kevin Nealon, Community Protection Manager Public Protection Civic Centre, Arnot Hill Park, Nottingham Road, Arnold, Nottingham, NG5 6LU Or by e-mailing ASB@Gedling.gov.uk
A council tax hike in Gedling has been approved by the ruling Labour group following a row over Conservative proposals to pay for a freeze by cutting councillors’ allowances.
Gedling Borough Council approved a three per cent rise in council tax during a budget meeting on March 2.
The decision followed a heated debate between Labour and Conservative members.
Plans were approved at a meeting at the civic centre on Thursday
The decision will hit Band D homes with a £5.34 annual rise for the borough council’s portion of household council tax bills.
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.
Soaring inflation and rising energy prices have contributed to a gap of £1.8m in the council’s general fund, which needs to be filled in 2023/24.
This has been 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.
Leader of the council, Cllr John Clarke (Lab), says the Government “decided not to fund” the pay rise, leaving it to the council.
The council expects to raise £221,200 through the council tax hike.
Cllr Clarke said: “This year’s budget continues to be set against a backdrop of historic cuts to central government grant funding from 2010/11, and declining income levels, not only that we have rising inflation and rising demand placing Gedling and many other public services under incredible pressure.”
Gedling also received the fifth-lowest settlement from the Government in England, meaning its core spending power has seen an eight per cent cut since 2015 to 2016, falling from £12.7m to £11.6m in 2023.
Cllr Clarke said “regrettably” it is left with no choice but to raise council tax levels by 2.98 per cent.
“I am sure we all agree in this chamber that local authorities have been disproportionally hit by the cuts but such is the magnitude of funding reductions that maintaining business as usual has been a mammoth task to achieve and yet this administration has achieved it for another year,” Cllr Clarke added.
The council has already had to come up with six different savings programmes totalling £7m since 2014/15
Included in the cuts is £25,000 from the Environment department.
During the three-hour meeting Gedling’s Conservative Group proposed what they described as a “Robin Hood” amendment.
Conservative councillors said the need to make savings was down to “financial incompetence” from the council, including the need to refund taxi operators to the tune of £150,000 due to overcharging.
Detailing the amendment Cllr Mike Adams (Con), the leader of the Conservative Group, said: “The amendment before you reduces the members’ allowances, removes the special responsibility allowances for senior Labour councillors who chair committees and removes the allowances for policy advisers.
“You did read that correctly, it will remove £26,000 that committee chairs get and advisers.
“Then there is the two-thirds reduction for all councillors, equating to a £189,000 saving.
“This will lead to a zero per cent increase in council tax this year.”
Cllr Adams added: “The amendment is people over politicians. It is dynamism over narcissism and truly takes the failed establishment that stands before us today and says who do you really care about?
“It puts you in a position to either vote for yourselves, line your own pockets, or instead it gives you an opportunity.
“If you do vote against this you are drawing your line in the sand.
“You are putting yourselves directly on the side of yourselves. It is an opportunity to, for once, not do that, for once to take in the whole of Gedling borough and in fact do something and help your residents out by freezing their council tax at arguably one of the most difficult times.”
Cllr Sam Smith (Con), the deputy leader of the Conservative Group, asked senior Labour councillors to “sacrifice” their special responsibility allowances and the amendment was put to a vote.
In response the Labour administration argued its allowances are not as high as people may perceive.
The leader, Cllr Clarke, for example, receives £15,000 a year, while policy advisers get over £1,800 per year.
The basic allowance for councillors is £4,380.60.
Deputy leader of the council, Cllr Michael Payne (Lab), responded by saying: “The Tories want to cut special responsibilities allowance for the person responsible for administering licenses for our licensed premises across Gedling, a really important job that liaises with the police and keeps people safe going in and out of drinking establishments.
“It is a legal requirement. They want to cut the allowances for the person who presides over planning committee, a legal requirement to deal with planning applications that deal with extensions to people’s houses and advancement of businesses.
“And they also make a grand-standing point about reducing members’ allowances. Nowhere does it say about removing your own allowance, does it, of the leader of the Conservative Group?”
And Cllr Clarke added: “I think you’ve got a neck to come in here and say what you’ve said. Difficult times? Who the hell put us in that position? Who did it? 13 years of Tory rule have put us in that position.
“Reduced services? Tell me where we have reduced services? We’ve stretched the services. The people here that work for Gedling Borough Council are like pieces of gold the majority of them.”
The amendment was voted down and the budget, including the tax hike, was approved.
The Post Office had been housed in the McColls store but services stopped when the chain went into administration and although it was saved by Morrisons in a £190m rescue bid, the branch in Carlton Hill, was one of six of McColl’s Nottinghamshire stores to shut.
Work continues at pace to create new apartments on the site of a former care home in Carlton.
Highclere Lodge care home previously occupied the land is being redeveloped into a three-storey building with a mix of 15 one-bedroom and five two-bedroom apartments.
The former care home was demolished in April 2017 by its owners in a bid to make the site more attractive to developers after being vacant for a number of years.
An original planning application sought permission for the redevelopment of the former Highclere Lodge care home site with the proposed construction of 22 residential apartments, together with central courtyard area, car parking and external amenities.
At the time the document submitted by developers stated that the development on Burton Road would ‘inject new life into the town centre, bringing a welcomed increase in footfall and subsequent revenue for existing businesses within the immediate area.’
Subsequently a block of 20 apartments was approved on the site as Gedling Borough Council’s planning committee gave permission for the plans to go ahead on the land previously used as Highclere Lodge, on Burton Road, Carlton.
It came after 2FD Ltd, the applicant, initial proposal creating 22 apartments was scaled back plans to meet the parking guidelines.
This was the minimum number of parking spaces developers could provide for a 20-home scheme in planning policy guidance.
The planning committee meeting on December 1 2021 heard concerns from councillors over the proposed on-site parking, with 16 spaces proposed to accommodate the 20 apartments however permission was granted.
More than 3,400 patients waited a month for a family doctor appointment in Gedling during January Labour has claimed.
The party’s analysis of data from the NHS reveals that 3,445 people in the constituency faced a wait of 28 days or more to see a GP.
A further 6,856 patients had to wait more than two weeks.
Labour proposes to double medical school places to ease the GP shortage.
The party is also pledging to guarantee a face-to-face appointment with a GP if patients want one.
Labour’s general election candidate for Gedling, Michael Payne said: “Patients in Gedling are finding it impossible to see a GP when they need to. Among those thousands waiting more than a month or not getting an appointment at all, there will be conditions going undiagnosed until it is too late.
“Anyone who has had to rely on the NHS recently can see it is desperately short of staff. The NHS is backing Labour’s plan to double medical school places. Why isn’t the government?
“Patients should be able to see the doctor they want, in the manner they choose, when they need to. Labour will put patients first and get them seen on time again.”
A building project team has been announced to construct a long-awaited pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Trent.
The new bridge will link the Trent Basin area west of Trent Lane, off the Daleside Road in the city, to south bank of the river close to the Hook nature reserve in Lady Bay, Rushcliffe.
It will become the first crossing built over the river in the city in 65 years.
A planning application was originally due to be submitted last year, and then again in spring 2023, however this has again been pushed back to the summer.
Despite the delays the project has now reached a “significant milestone”, according to those behind it.
Consultancy Pick Everard has been announced to deliver the bridge project alongside infrastructure group Balfour Beatty, on behalf of Nottingham City Council.
Matt Hall, national director at Pick Everard, said: “The formal appointment of our consultancy team and Balfour Beatty as principal contractor is a significant milestone for Nottingham City Council.
“This is a flagship project for the city and the available social and transport benefits available must be presented in a clear way as stakeholder engagement continues.”
Pick Everard has previously worked in the city on building work for part of the former Broadmarsh Centre site in Nottingham.
Feasibility studies have been completed alongside work to pinpoint the exact location of the bridge.
The council now expects work to begin in 2024, before completion in 2025.
Government funding has been secured for the £12 million project through the Transforming Cities fund.
Cllr Audra Wynter (Lab), Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transport, said: “We’re working in partnership with Rushcliffe Borough Council and in consultation with Nottinghamshire County Council to create better walking and cycling links for all our residents and look forward to submitting the planning application for the new bridge in early summer 2023.”
Leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council, Cllr Simon Robinson, added: “The bridge will create further links between Rushcliffe and the city, providing the opportunity for improved access, and a sustainable alternative to dependency on car use, to employment and recreational opportunities on both sides of the river.
“Subject to an independent planning process for its construction on the Rushcliffe banks of the Trent, we are pleased to hear partners have been appointed and we are supportive of its creation.”
Calls have also been made for a new road bridge over the River Trent.
Politicians in Gedling and Rushcliffe have long suggested a fourth bridge should be created to help people in both areas and prevent motorists travelling “out of their way” to use Gunthorpe Bridge, near East Bridgford.
Tom Randall, Gedling’s Conservative MP, has been leading the calls since he was first elected in December 2019, however major investment in the region of around £50m would be needed to make the vision a reality.
