Three teenagers are due to appear in court for sentencing having admitted offences in connection with an incident in Calverton.
Ross Hedley, 18, of Duke Street, Arnold, and a 15-year-old boy, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to charges of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and affray when they appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday (August 27, 2019).
A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be identified, pleaded guilty to affray at an earlier court hearing.
The teenagers are due to appear for sentencing at Nottingham Crown Court on September 26, 2019.
The charges relate to a reported incident that happened on Flatts Lane, Calverton, on March 23, 2019.
Local entrepreneurs are being invited to hear from experts on how to prevent a cyber attack from destroying their business.
Cyber crime is the theme of the next gathering of The Gedling Business Partnership, which takes place on September 12.
Ian Hickling is a cyber security adviser from the East Midlands Regional Cyber Crime Unit and will be explaining the risks and dangers local businesses are exposed to and what local firms can to do to protect themselves.
As well as the presentation, there will also be opportunities for local businesses to network at the event, which takes place at Bonington Theatre from 7.30am and is free to attend.
Anne Phillips, who helps organise the events, said: “It’s a forum for local businesses to network with each other and develop business opportunities. It provides support and information to local businesses and provides a link to us at the council and other agencies that deal with commercial matters.”
Gedling Business Partnership meets on the second Thursday of every month at the Bonington Theatre. The meetings start at 7.30am and go on until 9.30am.
Significant changes are happening across Gedling borough, with huge new housing estates, a multi-million pound road, and retail developments on the way.
With Gedling Borough Council being given the ambitious target of building at least 7,250 new homes over the next few years, whole new communities are planned.
Construction work is already underway at some of the developments. Some already have planning permission but are yet to get started, while others are a little further down the pipeline.
As well as the larger developments, a host of smaller estates are planned, with several projects already under way.
We’ve had a look at some of the biggest developments and infrastructure projects likely to change the face of the borough over the next decade.
Chase Farm
This is the largest of the new developments planned for the borough, with more than 1,000 homes eventually being built.
The land, which is nestled next to the 240-acre Gedling Country Park, was sold to developers Keepmoat in 2015.
Planning restrictions imposed on the site mean only 315 of the 1,050 houses can be built before the new dual-carriageway Gedling Access Road (see more below) is complete.
Already more than 100 of the new homes have been built, including six which were modular-built, meaning the main construction was done off-site, and they were carried in.
A spokesman for Keepmoat Homes said: “To date we have completed 113 new homes which are a mix of open market sale and affordable homes for our partner Gedling Homes.
“Following the completion of the new road, which is expected in Autumn 2021, we look forward to delivering the remaining 735 homes on the site and completing the transformation of this former colliery into a thriving new community.”
There are also several other, smaller developments which are waiting for the completion of the road before they can get started.
After decades of speculation and several failed attempts to build the road, the latest project remains on schedule, with the 2.3 mile (3.8km) route expected to open to traffic in Autumn 2021.
Funding has been secured, but Nottinghamshire County Council – which is running the project – is waiting for the Secretary of State to notify that the compulsory purchase order required to buy the land can be confirmed.
This will start the process to access land which is crucial to constructing the new route. Land acquisition – by agreement with the land owners – is also ongoing.
Drainage work required for the road started earlier this month near Gedling Country Park.
Dozens of smaller plots
PICTURED: Vernon Coaker at the blaze site in Rolleston Drive, Arnold
The edges of the urban parts of Gedling borough, including in Arnold, are set to change significantly, with a necklace of new developments around them. House building plans are at various planning and development stages, but an overarching plan approved by the borough council earlier this year has set aside 12 sites for a total of 1,580 homes. Among these are: Rolleston Drive, Arnold – 140 homes on a county council-owned brownfield site which was formerly offices and is currently the subject of a row between borough and county council. The borough council says the county council is dragging its heels, and has offered to buy the site from them. But the county council says it is marketing the site, and has had 20 expressions of interest. Brookfields Garden Centre, Mapperley Plains – 90 homes just off the B614. This now has permission. Willow Farm, Gedling – 110 homes on a site which is currently agricultural land near where the Gedling Access Road will be built. Development dependent on the completion of the GAR. Linden Grove, Carlton- 115 homes on land in the south east of Carlton, close to the Carlton-le-Willows Academy. This development is also dependent on GAR. Lodge Farm Lane , Arnold – 150 homes on a site which is currently greenfield land to the north of Arnold Spring Lane, near Gedling Country Park – 150 homes on a site which already has planning permission, and work is well under way. Howbeck road, Arnold – 205 homes – At the North East of Arnold, adjacent to the Brookfields Garden Centre. This also now has planning permission. Killisick Lane, north Arnold – 230 homes. Approval was granted earlier this year. Mansfield Road, Arnold – 220 homes on two separate plots just off the A60. The first of these was granted permission in August.
Teal Close
The second-largest new housing development currently under way in Gedling, this will see new leisure areas built, including play pitches with changing facilities, allotments and children’s play areas.
There will also be an ecology park, a new community building and a new primary school.
The new facilities will serve the more than 800 properties which are expected to be built, on land off the A612 Colwick Loop Road, between Netherfield and Stoke Bardolph.
A spokeswoman for Persimmon Homes, the developers behind the scheme, said: “This is a popular development and we are delighted to have already handed over the keys to 43 customers.
“More than 40 properties are reserved or in various stages of construction, with a further 107 homes yet to be released for sale, from a total of 199 on this phase of the site.”
There are already three phases of the development, with full planning permission being granted in stages. The latest 250 homes were granted permission in June.
Tram extension
The reality of someone getting on a tram in the city and travelling to Gedling is – in reality – still a long way off.
But early stage plans are being put together, and maps drawn up, to extend the current tram network along the old mineral lines into the borough.
There are also hopes a new park and ride could even be set up near Gedling Country Park, to ease congestion in and out of the city.
While the scheme would likely be cheaper than previous extensions – due to the majority of the route being off-street – it would still likely run into the hundreds of millions, and is yet to receive the funding commitments needed.
Carlton Square shopping centre
PICTURED: A new design for Carlton Square
Plans are afoot to upgrade the unloved old shopping centre with a £790,000 investment from the borough council.
It is hoped the facelift will be ready in time for next Christmas.
As part of the improvements there will be upgrades to the entrance areas, new paving and lighting changes to the car park layout and new street furniture.
It is hoped this could be a catalyst for wider changes in the area.
Arnold town centre redevelopment
The first stage of the upgrade was the changes to Arnold market, which the council has bought outright.
Temporary stalls were put in place, ahead of more-permanent structures being erected.
The council had hoped the town centre would be shortlisted for up to £5 million from the Government’s high street redevelopment fund.
But these hopes were dashed earlier this month, when the town centre missed out on the funding.
New Sainsbury’s in Colwick
The retailer was granted planning permission a new Sainsbury’s supermarket on land next to the Total fuel site, off Colwick Loop Road, in 2013.
Work is yet to get under way, but a spokeswoman for the chain confirmed on Friday, August 30, that they remain committed to opening a store.
Council bosses have said it would be very welcome for the area.
Top Wighay Farm site
North of Hucknall, this will potentially be a major development for the borough, with new housing, but also plans for a school, local centre and public open spaces.
It is thought there could be enough land for around 1,000 new houses, as well as office, industrial and commercial space.
This development is still at an early stage, but could become one of the biggest developments in the county.
A night support service offered by a hospice in Mapperley is set to grow after a donation of nearly £1m from an anonymous donor secured its future.
Nottinghamshire Hospice‘s Night Support service was launched last year and has been so successful there are plans to treble provision, with three teams working each night to meet demand.
In
the first six months, the service, which provides short visits to patients with
terminal illness in the night, responded to 1,343 call-outs, with the team
visiting up to 11 patients a night.
Funding of nearly £1 million pledged from an anonymous donor will see the Night Support Service, originally piloted for one year, continue for at least the next three years.
Jo
Polkey, Director of Care at Nottinghamshire Hospice said: “The Night Support
service clearly meets a real need in the community and offers us the ability to
see more patients at night. It also offers choice to patients and their
families to call for support, have a planned visit or a whole night’s care. It
has been hugely successful and our existing team is extremely busy.
“We’re
delighted to be able to extend the provision to reach more patients and their
carers and we’re extremely grateful for this significant extra funding which
will secure this service for years to come.”
PICTURED: Nottinghamshire Hospice
The
hospice originally recruited four staff to run the pilot scheme, with just one
team of two working each night. It is now recruiting at least four more staff
to join the new team with further recruitment planned.
“We’re
looking for experienced healthcare assistants or support workers who will
ideally have extensive experience of working in a community setting,” Jo
added.
The
night support service featured in a CNN piece in April when a journalist from
the global network shadowed the team for a night.
One
of the first patients to use the service was Alice Toseland, (80), of Bulwell,
Nottingham who was given just a few weeks to live when she learnt her kidney
cancer had spread. She was keen to get home from hospital. The hospice stepped
in to help which meant she was able to be discharged.
Alice
lived on her own and the Night Support service took pressure off family
members, offering emotional support as well as helping Alice get to the
bathroom in the night. Her daughter Lynda, said: “It was such a relief when the
hospice stepped in. They pulled out all the stops. Mum was desperate to get
home and it meant she could come home a lot quicker than she would otherwise
have done. I’d recommend this service. They are absolutely superb.”
In
December, Alice became very poorly again and went into Hayward House, the
hospital-based palliative care unit, but was determined to be home for
Christmas, so the team once again enabled her to come home, where she spent
Christmas with family around her before dying early in 2019.
Lynda
added: “The night service helped us all through Christmas and new year. It was
important that she was at home surrounded by family. The hospice staff were a
constant help not only to my mum but also me, especially at times when I was
there on my own at night.
“It’s
not nice to watch someone you love struggling to breathe at the end of their
life but thanks to the hospice support it was as nice as it could be in an
awful situation. Your help and support has been beyond words.”
The
service is available seven nights a week, 52 weeks a year from 10pm through to
7.00 am for adults with a terminal illness in greater Nottinghamshire. The team
can help with personal care, moving and handling, medication and emotional
support for patients and carers. The team works closely with District Nursing
teams in the area.
Vandals have been condemned by the leader of Gedling Borough Council after a park in Carlton was closed following repeated attacks over the past few months.
The children’s play park on Carnarvon Grove and Foxhill Road is now off limits after the council took the decision to close it to the public following the latest attack by vandals.
The council said the park was now ‘unsafe’.
Most of the play equipment at the site has now been removed.
The cost of repairing the damage in recent years is believed to have totalled £15,000.
Gedling Borough Council leader Cllr John Clarke said they would now move forward with plans to revamp the play area so it could be reopened to the public.
He said: “The children’s play park on Carnarvon Grove and Foxhill Road was closed following yet another severe vandalism attack because it was too unsafe to be used.
“This park has been subject of repeated attacks by vandals who seek to destroy a facility that is enjoyed by local families. The cost of vandalism in the last three years alone to the taxpayer has been £15,000.
He added: “We will be replacing equipment at the play park as soon as possible so that it can re-open. We will also be bringing forward plans in the future for a bigger and better children’s play park in the Foxhill Road area.”
A graffiti attack on a Conservative club in Arnold earlier this week has been called ‘unacceptable’ by a Labour councillor.
The phrases ‘Stop the Coup’ and ‘Undemocratic’ appeared on the front of the Balfour Conservative Club in Arnold during the early hours of August 29.
The graffiti has since been removed.
Labour councillor and deputy leader of Gedling Borough Council, Michael Payne, slammed the attack.
He said: “I was made aware of graffiti sprayed on the Balfour Conservative Club in Arnold. Graffiti and vandalism of any sort is utterly unacceptable. A desire to strongly express views about an issue is never an excuse for vandalism of someone else’s property. “
It is believed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent decision to suspend Parliament could have inspired the vandalism.
Gedling Country Park has been awarded a ‘much loved’ park status in a national competition to find the UK’s best park.
This summer’s UK’s Best Park award, organised by the Fields in Trust, has seen all-time high numbers of nominations and a record votes tally, with 36,832 park users casting votes to help decide the UK’s Best Park 2019.
In the East Midlands, 17 local parks and green spaces were nominated for the award. These nominations were then championed by park users, communities, Friends of groups, landowners and elected representatives as part of the public vote.
PICTURED: Cllr John Clarke and Vernon Coaker MP had supported the award bid
Following close of voting, the top four parks with the most votes received the ‘much loved’ status that included Gedling Country Park. The park will receive a certificate to recognise the support of the people who voted for it.
Deputy leader of Gedling Borough Council, Cllr Michael Payne said he was delighted by the award.
He said: “I’m delighted Gedling Country Park has been granted ‘much loved’ status after it came in the top four parks in the entire East Midlands when the votes had been counted.
“This award by Fields in Trust is yet another recognition of Gedling Country Park as a stunning jewel in the crown of Nottinghamshire and the wider East Midlands.
“Thank you to all of you who took the time to vote for our beautiful park”
A tough new traveller ban has been granted giving protection to open areas across Gedling borough.
Gedling Borough Council has been granted an injunction by the courts that bans any unauthorised encampments within the borough.
The council’s legal team put a case to Nottinghamshire County Court who granted the injunction, the first of its kind in Nottinghamshire, banning anyone from setting up an unauthorised encampment within Gedling Borough.
The injunction means that anyone who sets up an unauthorised encampment within the borough can be held in contempt of court, liable to imprisonment, fined or have assets seized. The court granted the injunction until the end of October.
Last week, there was an unauthorised encampment in the car park of the Richard Herrod Leisure Centre, Carlton. Council officers, with the support of private bailiffs, removed them from the site within two days.
PICTURED: The Richard Herrod Centre in Carlton
The council has previously had success in the removal of unauthorised encampments through action under common law as landowners, using private bailiffs and court orders however, this is the first time the council has successfully been able to gain an injunction that covers the entire borough.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Cllr John Clarke said: “We are really pleased that the courts have finally granted us this injunction that bans illegal encampments across the borough.
“Evicting illegal encampments, unfortunately, is not as simple as it should be. There is a legal process that is required to take place and, as a council, we are very limited with the powers we have available to evict occupiers. It’s frustrating for us and it’s frustrating for residents.
“Our legal team have done a fantastic job at finding new ways to get eviction orders that we can use across the borough. We will continue to challenge any unauthorised encampments and remove them as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Police have arrested a seventh man in connection with a shotgun being fired towards a driver in Arnold.
A 22-year-old man has now been arrested in connection with the incident which took place back in June.
He is the seventh person to be arrested as part of the investigation after a man fired a shotgun toward the driver of a vehicle in Roundwood Road, at 11.45am on 8 June 2019.
No-one was hurt in the incident.
Police have said that the man remains in custody.
Nottinghamhsire Police also issued details about the other six people who were arrested:
* A 20-year-old man been charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. He has subsequently been released on conditional bail.
* Two men, aged 26 and 24, arrested on suspicion of firearms-related offences have been released on conditional bail.
* A 22-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of drugs-related offences, has been released on conditional bail.
* A 35-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of firearms-related offences, has been released under investigation.
* A 23-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of driving-related offences, has been released under investigation.
The Brexit Party has selected a new candidate for Gedling to fight in the General Election.
Graham Hunt is to be the prospective parliamentary candidate for the Gedling seat.
Mr Hunt is a recently retired manager for a local energy utility and also a local resident for 24 years.
He will contest the constituency in the next general election, standing against incumbent, Vernon Coaker.
PICTURED: Graham Hunt, right, talks to residents in Arnold about his plans for the area if elected
Mr Hunt said he felt compelled to stand after seeing “the biggest ever public mandate being ‘trashed’ by the UK’s two main parties and political establishment”.
He said: “I am not a politician, but I felt I could not standby and let this happen, so I joined the Brexit Party, a party that’s all pulling in the same direction which is not driven by division and is seeking to restore trust in Democracy and aims to break the two party system and ‘Change Politics for Good’.
“Gedling Voted 55.6% to Leave in the 2016 Referendum, and despite 481 MPS voted to trigger Article 50, after three years of prevarication and delay we still haven’t left the European Union.
He added: “The recent European elections highlighted that the mood to ‘leave’ was still as strong as ever in Gedling, with the Brexit Party coming a clear first on 37.17% of the vote, with the Labour Party on 16.6% and the Tories on just 8.6%.”
As well as delivering a ‘clean’ Brexit, saving £39 billion, Mr Hunt said he would also campaign to scrap HS2, cut student loan interest and promote small business opportunities in the Gedling area.
He added: “I am just an ‘average Joe’ who has had some success in life, and is grateful for this opportunity and who would be immensely proud to serve the people of the Gedling Constituency for the next five years. I guarantee that I would give you my all.
The three Brexit Party MEPs for the East Midlands today congratulated the prospective candidate for Gedling.
Annunziata Rees-Mogg, Jonathan Bullock, and Matthew Patten said in a joint statement: “We would like to wish Graham all the best in Gedling. Along with our prospective candidates up and down the country, Graham will fight for Brexit and fight to restore trust in our democracy which has been betrayed by the Government and the political classes”
