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New Poundland store opens in Arnold this weekend

Gedling Eye
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New Poundland store opens in Arnold this weekend

Poundland will be opening the doors to their new store in Arnold this weekend.

The new discount store will open for the first time at 9am on Saturday (May 15), with the retail giant saying it will bring shoppers more choice and create jobs in the area.  

The new store at 2 Front Street will employ 24 colleagues and, at more than 7,000 square feet, the former Argos unit will offer shoppers a wide range of items at Poundland’s amazing value. 

It features Poundland’s PEP&CO clothing for the whole family, with a wide range of womenswear, menswear and kidswear, as well as PEP&CO Home ranges including chic ornaments and trendy throws.  

PICTURED: The former Argos unit on Front Street

And it will stock Poundland’s range of chilled and frozen food that has been introduced to more than 120 stores as part of project Diamond Ice. 

The chiller and freezer cabinets will stock a wide range of meals and snacks including ready-meals, pizzas, pies, frozen desserts and ice-cream, as well as barbecue foods for the spring and summer. 

Poundland retail director Austin Cooke said: “Nottinghamshire is one of our heartlands and we’re delighted to be bringing our best ranges to Arnold. 

“We know from the response elsewhere that customers will love our PEP&CO clothing and homeware, while the addition of chilled and frozen foods means they will be able to buy more of what they need in a single shopping trip.” 

Like all Poundland stores, the new store will operate to the highest standards of safety with barrier screens at checkouts and thorough and regular cleaning regimes applied across the day.

Customers are asked to observe government guidelines on social distancing and wearing masks. 

New outdoor games area and table tennis tables unveiled as part of £58k revamp of Onchan Park in Carlton

Gedling Eye
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New outdoor games area and table tennis tables unveiled as part of £58k revamp of Onchan Park in Carlton

£58,000 has been spent revamping facilities at a park in Carlton.

Refurbishments at Onchan Park began in March and include a brand new multi-use games area, suitable for playing football, basketball and cricket as well as two new table tennis tables.

New floor surfacing in the multi-use games area has replaced the existing tarmac on the old tennis court which had been in decline for a number of years and an additional entrance with an improved footpath has also been created from Onchan Avenue allowing access for disabled park users and pushchairs.

Improvements have been made thanks to funding from 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. FCC Communities Foundation provided a grant total of £58,265 for the park refurbishments.

Onchan Park
PICTURED: The green space on Oakdale Road, which is known locally as Onchan Park

The funding bid was made jointly by Gedling Borough Council and The Friends of Onchan Park, a local residents’ community group which formed in 2016 to help look after the park as well as allowing the local community to have their say in how the site is managed.

Cheryl Raynor, FCC Communities Foundation Local Grant manager said: “It’s great to see this refurbishment completed, the community were involved in the consultation every step of the way and I hope it meets their expectations. FCC Communities Foundation is always happy to consider grant applications for projects that make a difference to local communities and this is a great example of what can be achieved.”

Councillor Peter Barnes, Portfolio Holder for Environment said: “I am delighted that the Mayor and I were able to officially open this new multi-use games area at Onchan Park. These new facilities will help get more people active and visiting our parks and play areas, which is a priority for the council.

“I’d like to thank the Friends of Onchan Park group for working with us to secure these facilities for the local community, and of course to FCC communities for providing the funding the this fantastic new games area, it’s something I’m sure will be incredibly popular, and provide a great new space for all kinds of sports and activities.”

Inspector Chris Pearson’s latest update on policing activities across Gedling borough during April

Gedling Eye
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Inspector Chris Pearson’s latest update on policing activities across Gedling borough during April

Inspector Chris Pearson leads the Gedling Neighbourhood Policing team which helps crack crime across the borough.

Here’s his latest update on progress his team made in April…

Priority Updates

The policing priorities for the Gedling borough continue to be residential burglary, anti-social behaviour and drug supply.

Drug Supply

Over the last month there has been a continued focus on disrupting those involved in the supply of controlled drugs in our communities. We are only too aware of the links between drugs use and other community issues such as anti-social behaviour and
serious violence.

Over the last four weeks the Operation Reacher team have continued to work alongside our local beat managers to carry out a number of warrants across the area and as a result there have been seizures of controlled drugs, cash and other drugs paraphernalia.

On the Gedling North area the team have carried out two drugs warrants with the first being on Roxburgh Close, Arnold where drugs including Cannabis and Mamba were seized. Officers then carried out a further warrant on Weaverthorpe Road, Woodthorpe where the team seized cash, mobile phones and financial records as part of an ongoing drugs supply investigation. A 47-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A controlled drugs and has since been released under investigation.

Over in the south of Gedling officers seized cannabis plants from an address on Pearson Street, Netherfield on and a further warrant was carried out at a property on Manvers Street. Both are linked to ‘Operation Thistle’ which is an ongoing investigation into drug supply in the Gedling South area. I was pleased to hear that the first sentence as a result of Op Thistle activity has now been handed down with a female from Deabill Street, Netherfield receiving a 10-month suspended prison sentence for her role in
the supply of Class B drugs. We will clearly not tolerate drug dealing in our communities and will always take action where appropriate.

I would continue to encourage the reporting of information to us either on 101 or via the Crimestoppers website at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

Burglary

Throughout April recorded burglary fell by 31% when compared to March this year which is encouraging and represents a reduction of 9 offences.

We have seen a slight increase in Shed/Garage burglary with a garage broken into in Burton Joyce and a shed broken into in both Woodthorpe and Papplewick village. Our teams at Gedling are carrying out targeted patrols into the evenings and overnight. Alongside this, our Special Constables also provide support across the area with high-vis patrols.

Police drink drive crackdown

On April 19, a male was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment following a burglary in Netherfield back in November 2020. David Carey (37 years) appeared at Nottingham Crown Court following the offence whereby a handbag, cash and bank cards were
stolen from the property on Deabill Street. I hope that this provides reassurance that we will take robust action against those involved in burglary. It has a huge effect on its victims and we are working closely with our partners at the council to target harden our communities and to identify those responsible.

Anti-social behaviour

Moving on I wanted to touch on anti-social behaviour which we have made a priority following feedback from the local community and to coincide with the relaxation of the COVID19 regulations.

In the Gedling North area the neighbourhood policing team have been focusing some of their attention in our more rural areas following concerns about anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Ravenshead, Newstead Abbey and the surrounding villages. Sadly, large groups of young people have been involved in lighting fires, smashing glass and causing damage around our villages which is completely unacceptable. We have been working with local community members and the council to increase patrols in the area. Alongside this officers have viewed CCTV footage to identify offenders and are now taking further action around those involved. Going forward we will be continuing our patrols which will be supported by the Neighbourhood Wardens and our Special Constables.

Over in the Gedling South area the team have also focused their attention on reported ASB in some of our open spaces. The team have spent time patrolling around Conway Road Park following an increase in reports of ASB.

Alongside this we have also received reports of off-road bikes, quad bikes and other vehicles being driven in anti-social manner in some parts of Gedling. Our Specials managed to stop and seize a quad bike in the Porchester Road area following a number of complaints about the anti-social use of the vehicle.

The neighbourhood policing team also coordinated a night of action around the antisocial use of vehicles in Netherfield & Colwick back on April 9 with a number of warning letters issued to drivers.

Positively ASB reports fell by 13% during the month of April which compared to March this year is a reduction of 38 reports.

Speeding

Speeding has remained on the agenda in the last month with our Op Reacher team involved in a number of operations. The team visited Hucknall Road in Newstead Village where five drivers were reported for driving in excess of the speed limit. Alongside this, a
visit was made to Southdale Road, Carlton with seven drivers reported for speeding offences. The highest recorded speed was 38mph in a 20 mph zone.

Speed checks have also been carried out on Valley Road, Carlton and Marshall Hill Drive. There will be more checks scheduled for the next month.

Knife Crime

We were recently involved in the national knife crime week of action known as ‘Operation Sceptre’. This runs twice a year and is aimed at disrupting those believed to be carrying knives whilst also providing education as to the dangers of carrying and
using knives in our communities. I have always been very clear that this will be high on the agenda of the police and partners in Gedling.

Knives cost lives and we will continue to focus our attention on those who are believed to be carrying knives in order to bring them to justice.

Police carry out a search for weapons in Carlton

During the week of action officers carried out searches in a number of our open spaces along with the neighbourhood wardens resulting in the seizure of a kitchen knife found hidden on Jubilee Park in Gedling. Alongside this, a member of the public located knives hidden in the brick yard estate and handed these in to officers for destruction.

A number of visits were made to those believed to be involved in knife crime and officers also delivered a knife crime input to around 130 young people who go to school within the Gedling Borough. Alongside this, two males were stop searched and a male
was also arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an offensive weapon following the discovery of a metal baseball bat hidden within a vehicle.

Good News

On Saturday, April 24, two males were arrested in the Carnavon Grove area of Carlton after we received reports of insecure vehicles having been targeted overnight in the area with property stolen.

Officers arresting the two males found stolen property from the vehicles which has been recovered and will be returned to the owners.

After gathering all of the evidence two males (aged 39 and 42) were charged with theft from motor vehicle x 3 and possession of an offensive weapon.

They have been bailed to appear at Nottingham Magistrates Court.

COVID

We are continuing to work closely with our partners at the Council in order to police the COVID19 regulations.

Officers have been working with licensing colleagues resulting in a number of premises being visited as part of the pubs reopening.

There have been some reports of parties taking place in Gedling and on April 23 officers were called to a party taking place at a residential property on St Emmanuel View, Arnold with around 50 people in attendance. This resulted in a large fine being issued to the organiser.

Whilst the restrictions are gradually easing COVID19 is still a risk to our communities. As ever we are working to the 4E’s approach but will not hesitate to take enforcement action around serious breaches of the regulations.

We are clearly making progress in beating COVID but i’d ask for your continued support as the restrictions ease.

Two arrested after man ‘attacked with baseball bat and kicked’ on roadside near Redhill roundabout

Gedling Eye
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Two arrested after man ‘attacked with baseball bat and kicked’ on roadside near Redhill roundabout

Two people have been arrested after police discovered a man who had reportedly been attacked with a baseball bat at the roadside near Redhill roundabout.

The 41-year-old victim was found off the A614 near the petrol station at the roundabout at around 9.20pm on Saturday (May 8). 

The man, who was reportedly hit with a baseball bat and kicked, was taken to hospital but his injuries were not life-threatening or life-altering.

Officers investigating the incident have today arrested a 35-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman on suspicion of wounding with intent, in connection with the incident. They remain in custody.

Detective Sergeant Matt Dumbrell, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Weapon-related violent offences are taken extremely seriously and officers moved swiftly to arrest two people in connection with this incident.

“This was an isolated incident which is believed to have taken place following an argument between the victim and the suspects who are known to each other. 

“We are still keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious on the A614 southbound last night, or may have any dash-cam footage. Please call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 759 of 8 May 2021.”

Conservative Caroline Henry elected new Nottinghamshire PCC

Adam Toms
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Conservative Caroline Henry elected new Nottinghamshire PCC


Conservative candidate, Caroline Henry, was elected Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner on Thursday, defeating the Labour incumbent, Paddy Tipping.

PCCs are the people’s representative amongst the police service and are elected using a slightly different voting process to local councillors.

Voters first rank​ their two favoured candidates as a first and a second choice.

All but the top two candidates are then eliminated, the second-preference votes of eliminated candidates reallocated to the surviving candidates.

The candidate with the highest resulting total is elected.

The result of Thursday’s first preference vote, the total turnout in Nottinghamshire 34%, was 

Caroline Henry (Con) 131,318 

Paddy Tipping (Lab) 119,271 

David Watts (LD) 23,794 

The Liberal Democrat candidate, David Watts, was therefore eliminated.

Early signs then suggested that Mr Tipping had not quite done enough to make up the gap between himself and Ms Henrywith second preference votes. 

In Newark and Sherwood, for example, second preferences were reportedly 

Caroline Henry – (C) 886

Paddy Tipping – (L) 1550

Mr Tipping did not retake the lead and the final result was

Caroline Henry (Con) 138,658 

Paddy Tipping (Lab) 131,302

This loss represents the huge nationwide shift away from Labour, especially the case in former ‘red wall’ areas in the English north and midlands. 

On Friday, local Conservatives won control of Nottinghamshire County Council as Labour lost –2.9% of their vote share from 2017.

Mr Tipping won a convincing victory in 2016 with 47% of the vote. 

His Conservative rival, Tony Harper, only accumulated 28%.

This year’s election was considerably closer, Mr Tipping garnering 48.6% of the final round tally against Ms Henry’s 51.4%.

Indeed, the closeness of this countywide PCC election – compared to the Conservative’s convincing council takeover – may suggest split loyalties.

It is possible that some electors voted for Tipping after choosing a Conservative councillor. 

Alternatively, this is a symptom of the more representative nature of the proportional representation system of voting, presenting finer margins between Nottinghamshire Labour and the Conservatives. 

Pre-election, local Conservatives were quietly hoping that promising polls with regards to their party’s nationwide fortunes would also apply to those voters choosing their PCCin Nottinghamshire.

This seems to have been the case. 

Ms Henry has promised the reallocation of some resources used in Nottingham city to Gedling Borough. 

This will be used to alter a currently ‘undelivered’ crime prevention strategy in order to tackle county lines drug gangs. 

This activity, she says, represents a large proportion of local illegal activity.

Also important is the safety of women and girls.

“We need to be speaking up about male violence against women”.

Ms Henry claims that the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has told her that Nottingham should be a key part of a “male violence against women and girls strategy”.

Moreover, she has stated that she is well placed to discuss the issue of race relations as her husband is black.

“He got elected to be an MP in a constituency which is 92% white”. “That really proves that actually racism is not a huge problem in this area”.

“As a mixed race family” – with mixed race twins – and “having lived in the [United] States, I couldn’t wait to get back in this country”.

“Genuinely, Britain is the best place to live as a diverse family”.

Paddy Tipping, meanwhile, has emphasised how he believes that “It is clear to me that people from a BAME background, particularly a black background, face… real structural difficulties with big organisations”.

Although, he also acknowledges parts of the report which describe “some good practice”. Nevertheless, this is still “well short of the mark”.

He is the latest Labour casualty during an horrific period of elections for his party.

Two arrested as police launch crackdown on shop thefts in Gedling

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Two arrested as police launch crackdown on shop thefts in Gedling

Police have made two arrests after launching a crackdown on shop thefts in Gedling

Officers say they have been worked closely with local businesses to tackle thieves in the area,

Their hard work has resulted in two men appearing in court charged with shop theft.

Shaun Stredder, 48, of Balmoral Road in Colwick has been charged with three counts of shop theft

John McSally, 37, of Balmoral Road has also been charged with two counts of the same offence. They will both appear in court later this month.

Police Sergeant Rebecca O’Connor is leading the investigations. She said: “The team have been engaged with store management and offering reassurance to the local retail industry.

“The force have received an increase in shop thefts reports in the Gedling South area over the past fortnight.

“Shops are being targeted by thieves and are losing hundreds of pounds worth of stock. Local officers have worked closely with the stores obtaining statements, collecting CCTV footage and collating evidence needed to positively identify those responsible.Police

“Some of these non-essential shops have only just reopened after lockdown measures were relaxed, so it’s a really important time for their business.

“We hope by speaking to them we are able to alleviate concerns raised by them.

“Our work culminated in a day of action on Friday (7 May 2021) where we have arrested two men in connection with these incidents.”

Gedling borough a Labour outpost as Conservatives gain council majority

Adam Toms
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Gedling borough a Labour outpost as Conservatives gain council majority

A relatively high amount of Labour candidates were elected to seats in Gedling borough today (May 7) as a swathe of colleagues elsewhere in Nottinghamshire were defeated.

Six out of nine Gedling borough councillors are now Labour.

Alternatively, local Conservatives accumulated a huge 37 seats countywide – 34 needed for control of the county council.

Labour attained only 15, Ashfield Independents 10.

Independents were elected to three wards, the Liberal Democrats to one.

Arnold led the Labour charge against a huge blue wave.

In Arnold North, Labour Councillors Michael Payne and Pauline Allen were re-elected.

Mr Payne said he was “Delighted to be re-elected alongside my good friend Pauline Allan with a significantly increased majority”.

“Proud to be from Arnold – we will always fight for our community and everyone who lives here “.

In Arnold South, John Clarke and Michelle Welsh regained voters’ support.

In Carlton West, Jim Creamer and Errol Henry will serve another term.

In Newstead, however, Conservative Chris Barnfather expectedly came out on top of his Labour rival Matthew Peter Spurr.

Another convincing Conservative win came in Calverton – Boyd Bryan Elliott winning with 61.3% of the vote.

The most surprising result came in Carlton East, Mike Adams – Group Leader for Conservative Group of Gedling Borough Councillors – defeating the Labour councillor Nicki Brooks by just 23 votes.

This swing towards Boris Johnson’s party the bellwether for the nation as the Labour Party suffered major blows nationwide.

The Prime Minister has called results so far “very encouraging”, whilst Sir Keir Starmer admitted that his party had “Very often… been talking to ourselves rather than the country”.

Corbynites like Dianne Abbott have been citing the loss of Thursday’s Hartlepool by-election as proof that Labour needs “a change of strategy”.

Mr Starmer said on Friday that “This is not a question of left or right, it’s a question of whether we are facing the country”.

He promised to repair everyday “Injustice and inequality” and stated that he is still “up to the job” of Labour leader.

The Labour leader also did not deny a coming reshuffle of his Shadow Cabinet.

Critics have criticised his front bench’s lack of notoriety as the party seeks more television and social media coverage of their message. 

Yvette Cooper, Chair of the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, is favourite to replace Anneliese Dodds as Shadow Chancellor.

Ms Dodds visited Arnold and Netherfield town centres on 29 April, hailing Arnold’s marketplace rejuvenation and the overall importance of local high streets.

With the economy taking centre stage in coming years as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, a clear, focused, and distinctive financial strategy will be crucial if Labour hopes to regain electoral ground.   

Labour had hoped to control Nottinghamshire County Council at the head of a coalition of different parties.

Instead, the Conservatives were given the chance by electors to go it alone and lead a majority council.

This was the case in other East Midlands provincial councils.

Nuneaton and Bedworth saw a Conservative council gain, the loss of Cambridge’s local council the only blotch on a hugely lucrative election.

Usually stalwart Labour support, Nottinghamshire an historic mining centre, has been falling apart in favour of younger more metropolitan demographics.

This week’s results represent the latest episode.

Man rescued from scaffolding as air ambulance attends scene in Woodthorpe

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Man rescued from scaffolding as air ambulance attends scene in Woodthorpe

A man has been rescued from scaffolding in an incident which resulted in an air ambulance being called out to Woodthorpe.

The ambulance and fire and rescue crews were called out to the incident at Wintringham Crescent.

VIDEO Tracy Hatcher-Atkinson

A spokesman for Nottingham Fire and Rescue told Gedling Eye: “We were asked, at 10.34am today, to assist EMAS to rescue a male casualty from scaffolding, using our working at height equipment. 

“He is now down and we left him in the care of EMAS at 11.24am.  The incident involved crews from Arnold and Highfields.

Plans for 131 new homes on Rolleston Drive in Arnold set for thumbs up

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Plans for 131 new homes on Rolleston Drive in Arnold set for thumbs up

Plans to build 131 new homes on a former council depot site in Arnold have been recommended for approval.

Ilke Homes has put in planning permission to build the new properties on the brownfield land at Rolleston Drive.

The site had been left derelict and targeted by vandals, before a major fire in 2017 gutted what was left of the buildings.

The plans, if approved, would see the construction of two and three storey dwellings of modular construction comprising 45, two-bedroom, 73, three-bedroom and 13, four-bedroom properties of the following house types.

Insider Media are reporting that a council document published ahead of the planning committee meeting on April 12 is recommending approval is granted.

It said: “The principle of the development accords with the objectives of national and local planning policies.

“It is considered that the site could be used for residential development without causing undue harm to visual and residential amenity, highway safety, ecological interests or flooding.

“It is therefore considered that the granting of outline planning permission would fully accord with the objectives of the relevant planning policies.”

Police arrest girl, 14, and seize knife after reports of teenagers fighting in Arnold town centre

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Police arrest girl, 14, and seize knife after reports of teenagers fighting in Arnold town centre

Police have arrested a 14-year-old girl and seized a knife after responding to a report of a fight involving teenagers in Arnold.

Officers were called to the incident in Front Street at around 3.30pm on Wednesday (May 5).

It was reported that one of the girls tried to stab the other before dropping the knife.

The victim suffered a scratch to her neck during the fight. No injuries were reported to have been inflicted with the knife.

Following enquiries a 14-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife in a public place.

Police patrols in Arnold
Police arrested a 14-year-old girl in Arnold town centre

The arrest comes after a busy week of proactive operational activity aiming to tackle and reduce knife crime in Nottinghamshire in support of the national Operation Sceptre.

Operation Sceptre, which ended on Sunday, was just a snapshot of the ongoing year-round work being carried out to combat knife crime in Nottinghamshire by bringing together all aspects of education, engagement and enforcement.

The force’s activity included community weapons sweeps, patrols in knife crime hot-spot areas and proactive operations.

Nottinghamshire Police’s dedicated and proactive knife crime and Operation Reacher teams were also deployed in the city and county and the force’s specialist schools and early intervention officers have been continuing their work by engaging and working with children, encouraging young people to live positive knife-free lives.

Inspector Chris Pearson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Our work to tackle knife crime continues all year round. We will continue to highlight the dangers of carrying knives, and other weapons, and the devastating consequences this can have on the lives of young people.

“We need to make it clear that carrying knives on our streets will not be tolerated and we are working hard each and every day, alongside our partners, to tackle this issue and drive down knife crime even further in our communities.

“The public’s continued support is key to helping us to achieve our goal. I’d encourage anyone with information on knife crime in their local community to report their concerns by calling Nottinghamshire Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always dial 999.”

“The suspect arrested in connection with yesterday’s incident was subsequently released on conditional bail while police continue with their enquiries.”

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