The bridge, if approved, would be the first to be built over the Trent in Nottingham for more than 60 years.
Many residents in Gedling borough had hoped the new bridge would be placed near Colwick or Netherfield, taking them across the river to the National Watersports Centre.
“It’s disappointing,” said Ray Clarke, who lives in Colwick.
“It’s too far away for me to use. I’d have to get a bus and then take a lengthy walk.
“I was hoping it would be sited behind the Victoria Retail Park and take people across to Radcliffe or the National Watersports Centre. That would have been ideal.
“It would have given people somewhere else to go.”
Lisa Banks lives in Carlton. She messaged to say that she thought the bridge was being built for ‘posh people’.
“The only people using it will be those living in the trendy flats and the posh lot in Lady Bay. It will hardly be used by normal folk, It’s too out the way. A waste of cash if you ask me.”
Benjamin Harris thought it was a ‘missed opportunity’.
“Grabbing a coffee from Starbucks and then crossing the river to take a stroll around the Watersports Centre would have been great as there is so much to do there.”
“We just get pointless expensive roads and more houses,” added Nicky Betts, an IT consultant who lives in Netherfield.
“It would be nice for this side of Notts to get a project that would enhance people’s lives rather than just something functional like shops, houses and roads.”
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook. You can also email your views to us at news@gedlingeye.co.uk
MPs have voted to reduce the amount of raw sewage dumped into England’s rivers.
MPs yesterday voted 283 to 163, majority 120, to approve a Government concession which aims to cut the dumping of raw sewage into waterways.
The amendment to the Environment Bill will legally require water firms to make a “progressive reduction” in dumping raw sewage into waterways.
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow issued a warning to water companies saying she will be “watching” their progress on sewage discharges “very closely”.
Pow said:“I am aware of some wildly inaccurate claims which have been circulating online that we are somehow legalising the dumping of sewage. We are not.”
Gedling borough MPs Tom Randall and Mark Spencer voted on imposing a legal obligation on water providers to reduce sewage discharges into our sea and rivers, but did not support an amendment by the Duke of Wellington, which called for utility firms to aim to stop the process altogether.
Martin Salter, of the Angling Trust, said the wording of the government’s amendment was weaker than the Lords’ amendment and did not go far enough.
“At a time when public trust in politicians has once again been shaken, we hope MPs will stand firm, and insist on clarity and action by ministers to create a pathway out of pollution,” he said.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has defended the amendment.
The government said: “The amount of sewage discharged by water companies into our rivers is unacceptable. We have made it crystal clear to water companies that they must significantly reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows as a priority.
“We have every confidence that the provisions in this bill will absolutely deliver progressive reductions in the harm caused by storm overflows, and any suggestion to the contrary is both disingenuous and untrue.”
Mr Randall came out and defended his decision to vote against the Lords amendment after the initial vote.
He said: “The [Lords] amendment came with no plan on how it might be delivered and there was no impact assessment. Nor do we know the cost.
“The Government took the view that it would have been irresponsible to put this into the Bill without a detailed plan, signing a blank cheque on behalf of bill payers.
“The cost of eliminating storm overflows entirely would potentially be enormous,” said Mr Randall.
A woman dying of cancer used her final words to speak of her anger and sadness after her great niece and nephew defrauded her out of thousands of pounds.
Twins Jenna and Jon Dyer, 36, stole more than £14,000 from their 91-year-old great aunt over a three-month period – using her cards to steal cash from three different accounts.
The victim, who had never been in debt before, was later left with a court summons for an unpaid bill.
The twins’ fraudulent activities were uncovered when the Co-Operative bank contacted the victim to alert her of suspicious activity on her account.
Records from one account showed that the maximum amount of £250 was withdrawn daily from different locations over a four week period.
On August 29, 2019, Jenna even used one card to withdraw £250 as her mother and the victim sat waiting for her in a car. Showing a total disregard for what she was doing, she is said to have twirled on the spot as she returned with the cash.
Money was also stolen from the victim’s post office account that she would regularly make withdrawals from to help pay for her bills and outgoings.
Records showed that from June 13, 2019, excessive amounts of money were being withdrawn, with one account balance dwindling from over £5000 to just £300 in the space of three and a half months.
Just two days before the withdrawals started, the victim – still unaware of the previous thefts – had made Jenna a “permanent agent” on the account, meaning she was given her own card to make withdrawals as and when needed by the victim.
The total amount believed to have been stolen from the victim by the fraudulent use of her bank cards from 13 June 2019 to 30 September 2019 is believed to be over £14,000.
Further suspicions about the twins’ activities were raised when they sent a picture to their family of the victim asleep in a chair.
Tragically the victim died during the investigation, leaving her family heartbroken as they believed they may have been able to spend one more Christmas with her.
Jenna and Jon both appeared at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday (8 November) after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation.
Jenna, of Middledale Road, Carlton, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to three counts of fraud by false representation.
Jon, of Westdale Lane East, Carlton, was sentenced to two years and eight months after pleading guilty to two counts of the same charge.
Marion Goldfeather, the twins’ mother, explained the devastating impact their actions had had on their victim.
She said: “Auntie Eva died just over six weeks after finding out that my daughter Jenna had stolen thousands of pounds from her and later found out that my son Jon was also involved.
“Our family have all been so deeply affected by Jenna and Jon’s callous crime. I want the judge and jury to know about Eva and what this has done to our family.
“Auntie Eva was 91-years-old, the matriarch of the family, the last of a past generation and she had been through so much.
“She would do anything for her family and she lived for her family and the family including Jenna and Jon knew this.
“They knew Auntie Eva would do anything she could for anyone, yet they tricked her and manipulated her, stealing her money that she worked hard for all her life.
“On finding out what Jenna had done she was inconsolable, felt betrayed, hurt and was heartbroken.
“She couldn’t comprehend how someone she cared for so much could hurt her so badly and show complete disregard for her feelings and their relationship.
“Despite being diagnosed with breast cancer she still had a zest for life and had so much to keep fighting for and she did – we were so proud of her.
“When the police investigation started and it came to light what had happened, Auntie Eva lost her fighting spirit. It changed her so much, she was giving up on life, it was clear for the family to see. This broke her.”
The twins mother explained how the more information that came to light the more her aunt gave up on life and sadly passed away.
“I am so ashamed and I will never forgive or forget what they did to her and what they have done to her memory when she showed them nothing but love.
“It feels as though we Eva’s family have served a sentence of 21 months in a prison full of nightmares, what-ifs and self-guilt. We need to be released from this torture so we can start to love again and that Eva can finally rest in peace.”
Detective Constable Nicola Watson, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Fraud Investigation Team, said: “This was an appalling abuse of trust in which both Jenna and Jon stole thousands from their own great aunt.
“They were both loved dearly by their great aunt and were in a position of trust to access her bank accounts and also her home but clearly acted for their own interests rather than those of their own family member.
“Naturally, this has been a very upsetting case for the family since the incident came to light and Eva sadly passed away before both Jon and Jenna were brought in front of the courts.
“The family have waited over two years for this day so I welcome the result from court and hope it gives both Jon and Jenna time to reflect and think about their actions and the huge emotional impact it’s had on their family and also on their great aunt.
“This has had such a devastating impact on the family. I hope now that they can all move on from this incident and begin to rebuild their lives once again.
“Nottinghamshire Police takes fraud and financial abuse extremely seriously. I hope the prison sentences passed will make anyone out there thinking of stealing from others, think again. We will take robust action against those who commit such offences.”
Nottinghamshire County Council will move more towards permanent road replacement repairs rather than filling in pot holes as part of its plan to improve how it fixes the roads in Gedling borough.
It comes as the authority reveals the outcome of its cross-party highways panel. The body was set up in the spring by the Conservative administration to combat what it described as “the biggest issue on the doorstep” in May’s election.
The council has been criticised in the past for the state of the county’s roads, with more than 476,000 repairs conducted countywide in the past five years.
The panel brought in independent consultants WSP and sought a review from the Local Government Association to look at how it currently operates and find ways to improve.
It also spoke with other county councils to see how work was conducted elsewhere and whether any methods could be used in Nottinghamshire.
The panel, with representatives from all political parties, agreed on the recommendations from its meetings and will present a 12-page report next week.
One of the biggest criticisms of the council’s pothole repairs at present is that the same location can end up being repaired on several occasions.
But now the council wants to shift its focus and improve on its repair methods.
Assessments from WSP, an international highways consultancy firm, found the council will still need to continue its current Viafix treatments – a form of cold asphalt repair which fills in specific holes – to “protect the safety of road users”.
However, it adds the authority should be using other forms of repair which replace whole stretches of road where possible, with documents revealing plans to use new technology and invest in equipment to improve the quality of repairs.
Councillor Neil Clarke (Con), transport and environment committee chairman, says the authority will also begin to target unclassified side roads which “cause comment” from disgruntled residents.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We want to move to a right repair on the first time around, so we will be looking at long-term, permanent repairs as much as possible rather than short-term, quick fixes of just filling [potholes] in.
“We won’t be able to eliminate that entirely, but we want to get to a point where members of the public can see their roads are being properly repaired.
“It’s the unclassified roads, the side roads, that generally cause comment, and we want to emphasise far more on these.”
The authority will also be moving from a one-year to a three-year programme of capital investment in its highways.
The existing one-year system was found to be a “barrier to long term planning”, with Cllr Clarke hoping a three-year model will give residents more “certainty” on when their road will be repaired.
He adds there will also be more focus on communication and engagement with the public, with the three-year programme to show a timescale for planned road repairs.
He said: “It means we will be able to tell people when we’re repairing their roads. We won’t fully commit all timescales, but it will be a three-year programme.
“If we can tell them when their road is going to be repaired, even if it’s six or nine months down the line, at least they know. It gives them certainty and it will hopefully satisfy them.”
The council is also planning to create a “single brand” for its road repairs, but the name of this brand is yet to be decided.
At present, road announcements come from both the council itself and Via East Midlands, its current road contractor.
Cllr Clarke adds the council will work closely with utility companies – which regularly conduct gas or waterpipe roadworks – to ensure work is done to a high standard and roads are “reinstated in a good condition”.
But he stresses it’s not going to be an overnight change and residents should not expect to see immediate differences in the standard of the council’s repair work for a few months.
The plan is due to be reviewed by the Transport and Environment Committee on November 17.
It will then go before Policy Committee at the start of December with a recommendation to create a long-term Highways Improvement Plan, used to deliver all elements of the 12-page document.
This plan will be reviewed in the long term by the existing cross-party panel.
Gold-winning Paralympian Richard Whitehead is to receive the top honour at this year’s Pride of Gedling Awards.
The Burton Joyce resident, who already has an MBE, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award during Wednesday night’s (November 10) ceremony.
Richard has won Paralympic gold and held world records for marathons and long distance running events.
His success on and off the track has propelled him to stardom and he has become an ambassador for people across the world with disabilities and his hard work will be recognised at the event.
The annual Pride of Gedling awards celebrate the very best of Gedling borough’s residents and businesses and the incredible achievements from the community over the last year.
The council received over 180 nominations across the six judging categories. Each award has been shortlisted to three nominations and the winners and runners up will be announced at the event.
As well as the six awards, an overall Pride of Gedling Award will be given to a nominee who stood out as an incredible candidate. They will receive the prestigious award and their name will be etched in gold leaf on the winners board in the council chamber.
The event will be held on Wednesday, November 10 from 6.30pm at the council’s civic centre. Smooth FM’s Gareth Evans will be hosting the event and will be announcing the nominees for the awards.
Each award is being sponsored by a local business and the overall sponsor of the awards is Keepmoat Homes.
Gedling Eye has also again sponsored one of this year’s awards.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke said “After another difficult year for our residents and businesses, we are very pleased to be hosting the Pride of Gedling Awards that recognises the absolute best of our borough.
“The nominations this year have been of the highest standard and it was incredibly difficult to pick winners.
“It will be a great honour to host this event and I would like to thank everyone who sent in a nomination and wish the nominees the best of luck.
Clarke added:”I would like to congratulate Richard Whitehead MBE on his lifetime achievement award, I won’t say too much now and spoil my speech ahead of the event but Richard has achieved incredible success and we are very proud of everything he has done to raise the profile of people with disabilities and to inspire millions of people across the world.”
Firefighters from Carlton was called to rescue a dog who got into difficulty at home.
The crew from Carlton Fire Station called at a property after a report of a dog in distress yesterday (November 7).
The pooch was in pain after getting his paw got stuck inside a seat mechanism at home.
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue said: “Crews released the dog by using hydraulic cutting equipment and then giving him first aid treatment.”
The dog is now recovering after being examined by a vet.
A new Trent crossing unveiled today will bring access to the open spaces on the south side of the river closer to Gedling borough.
The new Waterside Bridge, funded through the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund, will offer pedestrians and cyclists a route between the Waterside regeneration area on the north bank and Lady Bay on the south.
The Waterside development is located near Nottingham Racecourse.
New and enhanced connecting paths and crossing points will connect the bridge to the wider walking and cycling network, providing access to housing, employment and open spaces across the city and beyond.
Councillor Rosemary Healy, Portfolio Holder for Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “We’re really excited to share these new images of the proposed bridge, which would be the first to be built over the Trent in Nottingham for more than 60 years.
“There is clearly a need for more crossings like this over the Trent and this bridge would open up safer, quieter routes for people walking, cycling or running, whether for commuting or leisure, making it easier for people to travel in a more sustainable way.
“These proposals will also support local growth by creating strong links between the new developments in the city centre and West Bridgford, and by connecting to our existing walking and cycling routes to make the whole city accessible.
PICTURED: An impression of the bridge from the North side of the RiverPICTURED: An artist’s impression of the new bridge
“As many of us have discovered in the last 18 months, our green and open spaces are so important for physical and mental wellbeing. This scheme has the added benefit of providing easier access to open spaces south of the river, as well as the sports grounds and leisure facilities, and to Colwick Park on the north side.
“Encouraging more sustainable, lower carbon journeys is an important part of our plan to achieve Carbon Neutral Nottingham 2028. We want to create the necessary infrastructure to enable people to make smarter choices about how they travel, reducing our collective impact on climate change.”
The project is being led by Nottingham City Council, working in partnership with Rushcliffe Borough Council and in consultation with Nottinghamshire County Council.
The need for a bridge was identified in the City Council’s Waterside Supplementary Planning Document in 2019. The City Council secured £9.25m from the Government’s Transforming Cities programme to deliver this scheme as part of a programme to invest in local transport infrastructure that will improve sustainable transport, support growth, and encourage more low carbon journeys.
Time is running out to cast your vote and give a Netherfield charity the chance of winning a share of £1 million.
Netherfield Forum is in the running to win a share of the Persimmon Homes Building Futures fund aimed at supporting organisations who help under-18s across the UK.
Persimmon Homes North Midlands has backed Netherfield Forum to be a prize winner, with cash awards of £100,000, £50,000 or £20,000 being made to those with the most online votes.
A further 87 shortlisted projects will each receive £5,000.
The funds would be used to help transform the town’s former GP surgery on Forester Street into a modern youth hub to benefit the community.
The former GP surgery on Forester Road is being transformed into anew youth hub (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)
Tina Simpson, who runs Netherfield Forum, said: “If we could win any of the top three cash awards then it would make a massive difference to the communities we support on a daily basis.”
“The top prize would help make improvements to new premises as the current youth centre has been sold. Having a warm and bright property to move in to would provide a haven for young people in the community who come from different backgrounds.”
Building Futures is delivered through the Persimmon Charitable Foundation in partnership with Team GB, the British Olympic Association.
Through Building Futures, a total of 128 grants of £1,000 have so far been awarded.
You can vote for the Forum online until midnight on November 19.
The government hopes the latest proposals to legally require water firms to make a “progressive reduction” in dumping raw sewage into waterways will allow the flagship legislation to finally clear Parliament.
But the government’s move has been criticised for not requiring water companies to take action quickly enough, allowing dumping to continue for many years to come.
The Duke of Wellington’s amendment to the Environment Bill would place a legal duty on water companies to “take all reasonable steps” to prevent sewage discharges, and was approved by the Lords by 213 votes to 60.
The Bill was sent back to the Commons for further consideration enabling the government to table its alternative concession – described as a U-turn by Labour.
The new proposal would put a legal duty on firms to “secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows”.
MPs initially rejected section 141A of Lords amendment 45 to the government’s environment bill, which would have placed a legal duty on water companies not to discharge waste into rivers and oceans.
Local MPs Tom Randall, of Gedling, and Mark Spencer, of Sherwood, were among the 265 Conservative MPs whosuccessfully voted in favour of rejecting section 141A.
Applications for primary and junior school places in Gedling borough and the rest Nottinghamshire from September 2022 opened today (Nov 8).
If your child turns five between September 1, 2022 and August 31, 2023 you will need to apply for their Sept 2022 school place,
Applications will be accepted from today for school admissions open tomorrow for both reception and infant to junior/primary school places.
No priority is given for attending a linked nursery so you will still need to apply for a school place for your child.
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire County Council said: “Remember to do your research and check the admission criteria for the schools you are interested in.
“Use all four of your school preferences to give you the best chance of getting your child in to a school you are happy with.”
Nottinghamshire County Council has created an application example, known as ‘Robin’s Story’ so that parents can see why it is so important to use all of their four preferences.
