A Colwick packaging manufacturer has invested £300,000 in a new tray-forming machine as part of its campaign to help drive the industry from single-use plastic to recyclable cardboard.
The Wilkins Group, which makes packaging for many of the leading supermarkets, bought the new machine after it was tasked with supplying additional cardboard versions of plastic packs commonly seen in-store.
Justin Wilkins, sales and marketing director at the family-run business, said: “We’ve been making cardboard alternatives for years now but investing in the new machine will enable us to generate more forms of cardboard packaging, and to do so at a faster rate.
“With the arrival of the new machine, we’re putting ourselves in an even better position to help combat that.
The German-built Heiber & Schröder CE1560 Tray Forming Machine was installed at The Wilkins Group HQ at the start of September and is now fully operational.
It is capable of producing leak-proof cardboard trays, as well as clamshell trays, lidded trays, chip cartons and take-away trays – and with a quoted capacity of 27,000 trays per hour, it will enable the Wilkins Group to generate well in excess of 100 million units per year.
Justin said: “The new machine takes two people rather than one to operate it, but it runs on three lanes rather than two, producing trays 50% faster than our other machines.
“Not only does that enable us to service our existing clients, but it also enables us to ramp up our production capacity in anticipation of a continuation of the trend.
“This year in particular has seen supermarkets changing their policies in response to public demand for greater accountability over the ecological credentials of their packaging – and it’s investments like this that enable us to stay right at the forefront of that movement.”
Wilkins, which recently won the title of Midlands Family Business of the Year, is a global provider of packaging solutions, employing 270 staff in Nottinghamshire and 500 across its sites in the UK, Romania, Sri Lanka, China and Bangladesh.
Facebook users in Gedling borough who use unregistered waste carriers could find themselves ‘accidental criminals’, warns the Environment Agency.
Waste carriers are required to register and operate in line with a set of rules that protect the environment and their customers. These rules require them to dispose of waste in the right place, store it safely and keep accurate records of its transfer and disposal.
Registered waste carriers in Nottinghamshire have become concerned about the number of ‘man and van’ adverts and self-promotion on Facebook and other social media platforms offering to take away people’s rubbish.
If these traders don’t have a waste carriers’ licence, there is no guarantee rubbish will be disposed of safely and responsibly at an authorised site. Instead, it could end up dumped on the side of the road or burned in a field. What’s more, because the person who created the rubbish is legally responsible for it, it is they who could face criminal charges.
PICTURED: Rubbish dumped by the River Trent in Stoke Bardolph
Graham Betteridge of the Environment Agency said: “Rogue traders using social media to con people into parting with their waste cheaply are the new door steppers. People are then discovering their waste has been fly-tipped in a country lane or beside the road. These illegal waste carriers undermine legitimate businesses, undercut their prices and blight the environment.
“We want people to take three steps to check whether the collector has a waste carriers’ license from the Environment Agency: ask where the rubbish will end up, don’t pay cash and insist on a receipt, then record the details of the vehicle used to take the rubbish away.
“If people suspect criminal activity, they should report it on our national incident hotline 0800 807060 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and give as much detail as possible. Let’s work together to stamp out waste crime and protect our beautiful countryside.”
Everyone has a duty of care to ensure their waste is disposed of legally. Failing to meet that duty of care means that people could be held responsible if their waste is fly-tipped or otherwise illegally disposed of. If this happens and they have not met their duty of care, they could be fined up to £400.
The banking giant this week announced they would be shutting the sites as part of a UK-wide closure scheme.
TSB’s decision has been met with anger by people in the local community, especially older residents who don’t have access to digital apps, which the bank said could be used as an alternative to branch visits.
Angela Knight, 78, lives in Mapperley and contacted Gedling Eye to say she was angered by the decision.
“I don’t have a mobile phone and just use a library computer for email so I need to have access to a branch. It’s a disgrace that the TSB expect me to go to Sherwood or town.
“With this virus I don’t want to be on a bus with other people. How can the government let them do this now with all that is going on?”
Gedling leader John Clarke, left and deputy leader Michael Payne, right. have asked TSB to reverse their closure decision (Credit: Joseph Raynor)
PICTURED: TSB branch on Victoria Road in Netherfield that is earmarked for closure in 2021
PICTURED: TSB branch in Mapperley (IMAGE: Google)
They wrote: “We are deeply disappointed at the announcement by TSB to close its branches at Mapperley Plains and Netherfield, both of which are within Gedling borough.
“Whilst TSB has made a commitment to enhance its digital offer, we are aware that many of the customers at these two branches rely on face-to-face services to conduct their banking and pay bills.
“TSB’s proposal to close Mapperley Plains and Netherfield branches in early 2021 will have a detrimental impact on our local population and the hardworking staff who work in these branches, and will exacerbate problems with social isolation that are already prevalent within society locally and nationally.
“We are deeply concerned that the closure of TSB branches in Mapperley Plains and Netherfield will leave customers within the entire Gedling borough area without access to a local TSB branch, unless they travel to your Nottingham, Sherwood branch.
“It is shocking this decision to close local branches has been made without any consultation with the local community and your loyal customers – such action undermines TSB’s slogan – ‘Local banking for Britain’.
They added: “We urge you to listen to the people of Gedling borough and immediately halt plans to close Mapperley Plains and Netherfield TSB branches.”
Work is continuing at pace on two new food and drink outlets being built at Victoria Retail Park in Netherfield.
A Nando’s restaurant and Starbucks drive-thru will soon occupy the land which was previously used as an area for car parking by Morrison’s.
Planning permission was granted in July 2019 for a 348 square metre unit would be used for the Nando’s restaurant and a 167 sq m building for the Starbucks and also 23 parking spaces for the two venues.
The sites will be accessed via the Morrison’s roundabout PHOTO: Neil Slack
PHOTO: Neil Slack
The restaurant and drive-thru will be accessed through the existing mini-roundabout which already offers access to Morrison’s..
The TSB branch in Netherfield is set to close next April following a review by the banking giant.
TSB confirmed the branch based on Victoria Road will stop trading on April 29, 2021.
In. a statement, the bank said: “We’ve looked carefully at our Netherfield branch and how it’s used and have taken the decision to close it.”
The way customers bank with us is rapidly evolving with the vast majority making everyday transactions digitally.
“67% of all our customers are now using mobile, online or telephone banking and at this branch 82% of our personal banking and 85% of our business customers now choose to use another branch or channel instead.”
The bank said that nearest branch for customers is in Sherwood, which is 3.6 miles away.
Couples are being reminded that the number of guests able to attend wedding and civil partnership ceremonies in Arnold is limited.
The Government announced recently that the maximum number of people able to attend ceremonies has been reduced from 30 to 15.
Social distancing measures on-site and the varying size of ceremony rooms means that ceremonies at Nottinghamshire registration offices will be subject to a reduced capacity.
Arnold registration office will be able to accommodate six.
Couples holding their ceremonies at one of Nottinghamshire’s approved venues are advised to check the capacity with the venue directly.
Ceremony numbers include the couple, witnesses, and guests but exclude the two registrars allowed at each office to perform the ceremony. Children and babies are included in the ceremony numbers.
Councillor John Handley, Vice Chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Communities and Place Committee, said: “These new measures are important to limit the spread of coronavirus.
“While the majority of our registration offices are unaffected by the reduction from 30 people to 15, couples who have ceremonies booked in Mansfield must note that the number of guests allowed to attend will reduce from 19 to 15 from 28 September.
“Our team of registrars has been working hard since ceremonies were able to resume to make sure that they can take place safely.
“Social distancing measures are in place throughout all our registration offices and approved venues and our team of registrars will continue to work with couples to ensure that everyone understands what their ceremonies will look like.
“We would like to thank couples for their continued patience while we work to deliver our registration services in line with Government advice on coronavirus.”
For further information on how to book a wedding or to seek any clarification if you have a wedding booked with a County Council Registrar please call the 0300 500 8080 or visit our weddings frequently asked questions.
THE TSB branch in Mapperley is to close following the announcement by the banking group that it was to axe 164 of its branches in the United Kingdom.
The bank said the decision to close the branch on Plains Road has been driven by a significant shift in customer behaviour, including a reduction in the number of customers using branches.
TSB chief executive Debbie Crosbie said: “Closing any of our branches is never an easy decision but our customers are banking differently – with a marked shift to digital banking.
“We are reshaping our business to transform the customer experience and set us up for the future.
“This means having the right balance between branches on the high street and our digital platforms, enabling us to offer the very best experience for our personal and business customers across the UK.
“We remain committed to our branch network and will retain one of the largest in the UK.”
A road in Arnold is to close during the day for almost two weeks so it can be repaired.
A large section of Cross Street will be cut off to traffic between 8am and 5pm on weekdays between Monday, October 19 and Friday, October 30.
A number of side roads will also be closed from their junction with Cross Street for 20 metres. These are Furlong Street, Stanhope Road, James Street and Goodwood Avenue. Residents on these roads will be able to access Cross Street during working hours with the assistance of traffic marshals.
The repair work was due to be carried out in March but was delayed due to lockdown.
Councillor Payne said:”Before Covid-19 lockdown in March I secured repair works for a large section of Cross Street in Arnold, these works were due to be carried out just as Covid-19 lockdown came into force, which delayed the works significantly. I’m pleased the agreed works I argued for are now scheduled to go ahead in mid-October.
“Cross Street will be repaired between its junction with High Street and its junction with Galway Road. This stretch of road has long been in need of repair works and I’m pleased to have secured these improvements as the local County Councillor for Arnold North.”
The area impacted on Cross Street
He added: “I will continue to argue for further road repairs and improvements right across the communities I represent in Arnold, Redhill, Ernehale, Warren Hill, Bestwood Lodge Drive/Deer Park Drive, Mapperley Plains, Killisick & Woodthorpe.”
A council spokesman said: “Highways officers politely ask you to be patient and understanding if there is machinery situated or work being carried out at the junction of your residential street with Cross Street and you have to wait 5 to 10 minutes to access Cross Street or your road. The operatives carrying out the works will do their best to mitigate inconvenience but ask for your patience and understanding too.”
New homes will be built on a plot of land in Arnold which has been linked to severe flooding, after a decision was made to sell the land to developers.
After the county council chose a preferred developer, those housebuilders carried out checks on the land, which has now resulted in a lower price being negotiated.
Details of the price developers will pay has not been disclosed, nor has the amount knocked off the price.
The Rolleston Drive site has a long and complex history, and has consistently found itself at the centre of political rows.
Formerly a council depot, it was left derelict and targeted by vandals, before a major fire in 2017 gutted what was left of the buildings.
After that, it was concreted over with a slope, which nearby residents said caused water to ‘cascade’ down and exacerbate flooding.
As well as being an ‘eyesore’, the land has also been contentious, with Labour leaders in Gedling saying the Conservative-controlled county council was ‘dragging its heels’ over addressing the flooding.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives say Labour ‘did nothing’ with the site when they ran the county council up until 2017.
Now, Labour councillors who represent the area say they weren’t given all the facts about the sale before the decision was made.
Today (Wednesday, September 30), Nottinghamshire County Council – which is currently run by a Conservative coalition – voted to sell the land to developers.
But details about the price – and the reduction in price – which would usually have been shared with the local councillors, were not made available to the councillors for the area until after the meeting.
Michael Payne is the Labour councillor for the area where the new homes will be built.
He said: “I seriously hope that today’s decision means we’re now going to see some very real and visible progress, and put the site into some use after years of dither and delay by the county council on this issue.
PICTURED: Former MP Vernon Coaker campaigned to have the site issues resolved
“But ultimately, not sharing all the information with us about the sale, and how much they have reduced it by, shows a complete lack of respect for the residents.
“It has meant we were not able to express our direct views to the county council, ahead of the decision on behalf of the people we represent, for whom this site has been an ongoing nuisance for years and an eyesore in the community.”
Conservative councillor Chris Barnfather told the meeting today: “I’m very pleased to see this (development).
“The site has been a bone of contention for the local community for some time now.
“As an Arnold lad myself I used to walk past the old county workshops on my way to school. As a teenager, I walked past it with a girlfriend. As a young police officer I used to take Panda cars there to be serviced, but the site had long since fallen into disrepute and ill repair.
“Indeed under the last administration (when the county council was run by Labour) it sat and festered for four years with nothing at all happening to it.
“Then, of course, we had the fire. This administration acted swiftly to demolish the dilapidated buildings and make the site safe.
“Nonetheless it’s still been an eyesore for local residents.
“There were some flooding issues for local residents at the bottom of the site, and although ultimately they were found not to be as a result of this site directly, the very fact it sat there was clearly a blight on this community.”
A council report said: “The site had been openly marketed for sale for residential development in autumn 2019 with several offers being received on a like for like basis, all being conditional upon ground conditions (contamination and abnormal foundation depth), the grant of planning permission and Section 106 contributions.
“The cost of these would be deductible from the purchase price.
“The proposed purchaser has now completed their intrusive investigations into the site conditions and other abnormal factors as per the conditions of tender.
“These proposed additional works and costs have been studied by the council’s consultant advisers with the result that the purchase price has now been negotiated to a figure below that for which delegation was previously approved by committee so this report now seeks approval to proceed with the sale to the preferred bidder on the terms as set out in the exempt appendix to this report.”
The exact price paid, and the discount agreed, has not been disclosed by the county council, on the grounds of commercial sensitivity, but the county council said it was a ‘significant receipt’.
A further nine cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Gedling borough in the past 24 hours, according to figures released yesterday (September 30).
This brings the borough total to 513.
The figures represent the number of people with at least one lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 test result
There are new infections in all areas, with the biggest increase once again being in Nottingham City.
The borough recorded the fourth highest number of new cases in the city and county, with Nottingham City recording 43, Newark and Sherwood recording 14 and Bassetlaw recording 13.
Rushcliffe also recorded nine new cases, Ashfield and Broxtowe recorded eight and Mansfield recorded seven,
