One very appropriate name for a new apartment complex in Carlton is raising smiles locally after property developers decided to make light of a the fact the building was formerly a police station.
Constable Court is the name they’ve chosen for the 67 apartments that have been created out of the old Carlton Police Station building on Foxhill Road.
Documents submitted to Gedling Borough Council back in November 2019 reveal that Sergeant Court and Commander Court were also under consideration by developers.
And the new name is raising smiles locally.
The new apartment building on Foxhill Road PHOTO:Francis Rodrigues
Carlton resident Tom Greenwood said: “It’s a great name. It’s a pity the apartments are quite roomy otherwise they could have called them cells.
“Maybe they should consider renaming Foxhill Road… Letsby Avenue.”
Linda Welsh lives in Gedling but passes the building in the way to work.
“It’s something to smile about, she said.
“People weren’t happy at first that the police station was being closed and replaced with flats but it’s great that they’ve made light of the situation.”
The one-bedroomed apartments are currently being offered at around £650 pcm for rent on a number of property websites.
People across Gedling borough are being urged to be on their guard against bike thieves.
Police say there has been an increase in bike thefts around the borough over recent weeks and want owners to start taking extra precautions to make them harder to steal.
A police spokesman said: “There been an increase of bicycle thefts within the area and enquires are continuing into these incidents that have been reported.
“Whether it is outside a shop, on public spaces or even in the back garden then please make sure that the bike is secured.
“Bicycles are often targeted by thieves because they are left poorly secured or not secured at all. It takes just a few seconds for the opportunist thief to steal a bike that is left unsecured.”
Police have now issued the following advice which they say will protect your bike from being stolen and to increase the chances of it being returned to you if it is stolen.
Securing your bike
Lock your bike tightly so that your bike is difficult to move when parked.
Ensure you lock both wheels and the frame to a cycle stand or another immoveable object.
Always park your bike where it can be clearly seen. Use designated parking areas or secure cycle storage.
Make it impossible to a thief to smash the lock open. Fill the ‘D’ part of your lock with as much of the bike as possible. Never leave the lock lying on the ground where it could easily be smashed.
Ensure that you remove any items that can be taken without using tools, for example, wheels, lights, pump, panniers, seat post and saddle.
Protecting your bike
Get your bike insured. Ask your insurer to extend your home contents insurance to cover your bicycle. Ensure it covers you for thefts outside the home. If your bicycle is particularly valuable, you may need to insure it separately.
Mark your bike. There are a number of bike marking products are available. Always ensure you use a marking scheme that is approved by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), and preferably use a visible marking product. Bike Register kits and Selectamark are examples.
Bike Passport. If your bike was stolen, could you describe it? Many people forget details about their bikes that could help Police reunite them with theirs if it is stolen and later recovered. Consider creating a bike passport containing details of your bike. See the example in our guide mentioned below.
Secure cycle lockers
Secure cycle lockers are available in Nottingham at these places:
The colourful life of a Notts police chief who made the force the envy of Britain is the subject of a new book by a historian from Woodthorpe.
Captain Athelstan Popkess ran Notts City Police for 29 years between 1930 and 1959 and in that time ensured his force was one of the most innovative in the country.
During his tenure police officers in Notts were the first in the country to get walkie-talkies, use police dogs and have access to a forensic science laboratory.
And now his life is now being celebrated in ‘The Greatest Policeman’, a new book by Tom Andrews.
But as well as his successes, the book also covers a darker period in the police chief’s life.
At the end of his career, Popkess called in another police force to investigate suspected corruption in the Nottingham City Council, which resulted in his suspension by the very people he was investigating.
He was ultimately exonerated in his actions by the Home Secretary, but the ‘Popkess Affair’ –as it became known – broke the Chief Constable and he made the decision to retire a few weeks later and never returned to Nottingham.
Tom Andrews explains what drove him to write the book.
“I’ve had an interest in local history for several years and the name Athelstan Popkess kept cropping up,” he said.
“Apart from having a particularly excellent name, it made me interested to find out why this man left such a mark on the City.
“It transpired there was comparatively little written about him, but that actually there was a massive amount that he had contributed to both the City of Nottingham and police work on a national level.
PICTURED: Captain Athelstan Popkess
“Capt Popkess almost single-handedly invented police radios in the early 1930’s, working with a local ham radio operator to develop them, rather than big national or international companies.
He then combined the radios with the increasingly accessible motor cars, to form mobile and responsive police patrols, able to respond to police-linked burglar alarms instantly – something else he invented.
“Those were just a couple of his inventions during his near 30-year leadership of the Nottingham City Police Force. As I conducted my research it also appears he also invented sirens on police vehicles, traffic wardens, a police driving standard, driver theory and hazard perception tests and speed cameras. He also pioneered and improved drink drive legislation, police use of forensic science and Air Raid Precautions in the lead up to and during the Second World War.
It was incredible that one man had done so much for the police, only then at the end of his career to be treated with contempt by his employers – the City Council.
“Following his suspension, an estimated 7000 people protested for his re-instatement in Nottingham’s Market Square – that’s quite inconceivable in today’s day and age that so many would come out to support a police officer – and a real testament to his popularity in the city he had put on the proverbial map.
“These examples just scratch the surface of a man who had a very colourful childhood (like something out of a Rudyard Kipling novel) and an interesting army career, having cheated death on several occasions, before even joining the police.”
A councillor has today suggested that £27 million a year could be saved by replacing existing councils in Notts with a single unitary authority
Cllr Richard Jackson, who is chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council’s finance and major contracts committee, made the claim in a video released earlier today.
He said an outline business case for a unitary council published several years ago demonstrated that a £27m annual saving could be delivered if plans to create the single authority were approved.
He said: “That is £27m I want us to be able to spend delivering services that people rely on in the county.”
The video has been released a day after eight council bosses in Nottinghamshire voiced their their opposition to Nottinghamshire County Council’s ‘super council’ plan.
They wrote: “Our localities are very different, and the political leadership of our councils is very different, and yet we are united in our opposition to a single unitary council being the only option on the table.
“A single unitary council for Nottinghamshire would attempt to serve 828,000 people.
“This is way beyond the acceptable size threshold that you have articulated and that we expect to be confirmed in the forthcoming white paper.
“Only Birmingham City Council would represent more people.
“Scale can deliver economies, but too big breeds bureaucracy and inflexibility.
“Nottinghamshire County Council is already a very large organisation that struggles to react swiftly and responsively to local needs.
“Our residents deserve so much better.”
Nottinghamshire County Council is yet to comment on the letter.
A man has been arrested in connection with theft from a delivery driver in Woodthorpe.
The man was arrested after being spotted driving into a restaurant car park in Wollaton by police officers. They suspected he was committing driving offences.
Further checks were carried out after the vehicle came to a stop and the driver was arrested and charged in relation to a previously reported theft.
The theft charge relates to a report of a suspect who allegedly stole a delivery driver’s van keys in Coronation Road, Woodthorpe, on 28 August 2020, before stealing the van.
Liam Barnes, 32, of Kingsley Street, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, has been charged with theft and remanded in custody to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday, September 10, 2020).
Police officers were praised for their ‘diligent work’.
Detective Sergeant Luke Todd, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “It’s thanks to the quick-thinking actions and diligent work of our officers that we have been able to bring a suspect before the courts.
“We are carrying out extensive enquiries to trace outstanding suspects in connection with the alleged incident and I want to assure the public that we will continue to be relentless in our efforts to track them down and bring them to justice.
“Nottinghamshire Police takes theft extremely seriously and will investigate all reports thoroughly.”
Police have launched an appeal are appealing for information after cable was stolen from a solar farm at Gedling Country Park.
The incident took place in the early hours of Friday, August 28, 2020 in Spring Lane in Lambley.
Police Constable Mark Szeremeta is leading the investigation. He said: “A number of cables connecting the solar panels to the main feeder pillar were disconnected and stolen.
“The cables are of high value. We have visited the damage to the fencing, which has now been repaired. “We have also checked local CCTV footage and sadly they have come back negative.
“We are now appealing to anyone who may have seen the incident or any information that can help with our enquiries.
“In particular, we are appealing for anyone who may have seen suspicious large vehicles travelling around Gedling Country Park area around the same time.”
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke said: “We are very disappointed to hear of this theft as the solar farm operators are key partners on the country park site.
“We are supporting the Police with their investigation and we are asking for members of the public to remain vigilant and to contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers if they have any information that could help catch whoever did this.”
If anyone saw anything suspicious please call 101, quoting incident number 158 of 28 August 2020.
A man is in hospital after reportedly being kidnapped last night by three men on the way back home from a pub in Woodthorpe.
It is reported that the men bundled the victim into a vehicle before beating him up.
The man had gone to the pub and was returning home, when he was approached by the men at around 10.10pm in Egerton Walk.
Detective Sergeant Mark Shaw is leading the investigation. He said: “We are working hard to establish the circumstances.
“The man remains in hospital and will have scans later today at Queen’s Medical Centre. His injuries aren’t believed to be life altering.
PICTURED: Phoenix Avenue (IMAGE: Google)
“He was reportedly picked up around 1010pm by a group of men and beaten up in the vehicle, suffering significant bruising to his body.
“He was dropped out of the vehicle shortly after and the alleged hostage was found and was looked after by members of the public who called the emergency services.
“We continue to have resources at two scenes this morning following last night’s incident.
“Officers will remain in Egerton Walk and Phoenix Avenue, Gedling as our enquiries continue.
“If anyone saw anything suspicious or has any information please call 101, quoting incident number 773 of 8 September 2020.”
It means all top level councils in Nottinghamshire, apart from the county council, are opposed to the plan, which if it went ahead would make Notts the second largest council in the UK.
In a rare show of unity, the leaders of all seven district and borough councils, and the city council, – including Labour, Conservative, Independent and coalition controlled councils – have come together to oppose the county council’s plan.
The joint letter is strongly critical both of the proposal itself and the way it has been managed, and will now be sent to the Government.
It represents the strongest opposition so far to the county council’s plan.
Despite this, the county council intends to press ahead, and is expected next week to write its own letter to the Government asking for its scheme to progress to the next phase.
The county council has declined to comment on the letter from the eight councils.
The council also plans to spend £100,000 on developing the plans, in addition to the £250,000 it spent on consultancy fees before the scheme was shelved last time in 2018.
The Government has previously said a broad level of support would be required for schemes to go ahead, but new rules for local government reorganisation (LGR) are expected imminently.
PICTURED: County Hall
It is not known whether the broad level of support clause will remain in the Government’s plan, or whether councils will be allowed to press ahead without broad support.
The county council has been approached to comment on the letter opposing its plan.
The joint letter was signed by the leaders of:
Ashfield District Council, Ashfield Independent controlled
Bassetlaw District Council, Labour Controlled
Broxtowe Borough Council, District Council, Coalition Controlled
Gedling Borough Council, Labour Controlled
The Mayor of Mansfield, Labour
Newark and Sherwood District Council, Conservative Controlled
It reads: “Our localities are very different, and the political leadership of our councils is very different, and yet we are united in our opposition to a single unitary council being the only option on the table.
“Nottinghamshire County Council has developed its proposal in isolation.
“It has not attempted to engage with us on any alternative options and has failed to demonstrate an open mind to any option other than the one that preserves and enhances its own identities and responsibilities.
“A single unitary council for Nottinghamshire would attempt to serve 828,000 people.
“This is way beyond the acceptable size threshold that you have articulated and that we expect to be confirmed in the forthcoming white paper.
“Only Birmingham City Council would represent more people.
“Scale can deliver economies, but too big breeds bureaucracy and inflexibility.
“Nottinghamshire County Council is already a very large organisation that struggles to react swiftly and responsively to local needs.
“Each of us has examples in our areas where economic growth and public service delivery are being frustrated and thwarted because the county council is remote from the communities that it serves and is too cumbersome to move quickly.
“Disregarding the existence of Nottingham City and its role within the conurbation and beyond would be a fundamental mistake.
“A genuine commitment to levelling up the prosperity of our county and city requires at the very least a consideration of options that include Nottingham City.
“We strongly reject Nottinghamshire County Council’s rush to beat a deadline to suspend the 2021 county elections.
“This is no basis on which to re-design the governance of local services.
“Our residents deserve so much better.
“If we’re hurried into a response that is driven by a dash to meet an election deadline, taxpayers’ money will be wasted on an adversarial process as we pull apart the county’s case and consider our legal position.”
Nottinghamshire County Council declined to comment.
Replacement illuminated and non-illuminated signage to shop front and replacement double sided internally illuminated signage to existing totem sign.
112-114 Co-Op Coppice Road Arnold NG5 7GG
Ref. No: 2020/0778
Erection of a single storey office studio unit
Land Adjacent 384 Gedling Road Arnold NG5 6PD
Ref. No: 2020/0786
Two storey extension to the side of the property; a garage with a room above and a room on the first floor to the rear.
35 Langley Avenue Arnold NG5 6NL
Ref. No: 2020/0753
Bestwood
South of former Bestwood Pumping Station: Reinstating the historic path around the cooling pond, the addition of electricity supply throughout the premises, the repair of the existing decking to the north of the pond and the addition of two small timber structures. North of former Bestwood Pumping Station: Creation of a wedding garden and formation additional parking spaces.
Lakeside Mansfield Road Bestwood NG5 8PH
Ref. No: 2020/0814
Burton Joyce
Erection of two dwellings with detached garages
4 & 5 The Paddocks Lambley Lane Burton Joyce Nottinghamshire
Ref. No: 2020/0857
Single storey unit with sedum green roof and natural timber and reclaimed brick cladding to walls and glass link.
Social gatherings of more than six people will become illegal in England from Monday as the Government looks to tackle the rise in coronavirus cases.
The legal limit on social gatherings will be reduced from 30 people to six and will apply to gatherings indoors and outdoors – including private homes, as well as parks, pubs and restaurants.
The rules will not apply to schools, workplaces or Covid-secure weddings, funerals and organised team sports.
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to share more details about the new rules in a press conference later today (Wednesday)
Here are the new rules in more detail…
What are the new rules?
Gatherings of more than six people will be illegal from Monday due to concerns around the number of daily positive Covid-19 cases in the UK rising to almost 3,000.
Currently, the lawful limit on gatherings is 30 people.
Where will the new rules apply to?
The rules will apply across England to all ages and to indoor and outdoor gatherings.
This will include private homes, parks, pubs and restaurants and they will be applied to all ages.
Will there be any exemptions?
The Government announced there will be a few scenarios where the restrictions do not apply, such as if your household or support bubble is larger than six people, or if you are gathering in a large group for the sake of work or education.
Weddings, funerals and organised team sports will also be exempt if they are conducted in a Covid-secure way.
What will the punishments be for breaking the rules?
The Government hopes the new rules will make it easier for the police to break up large gatherings.
Failure to stick to the new rules could mean a £100 fine, which will double with every subsequent offence up to £3,200.
