Wind farm protests

CAMPAIGNERS against a proposed wind farm near four north Derbyshire villages have been urging people to continue backing their campaign after council planning officers carried out a site visit.

Banks Developments has submitted a planning application to Bolsover District Council to build three, 125 metre-high, wind turbines and an 80 metre-high anemometer mast.

But campaigners argued the development will create a noisy eyesore and is too close to houses as developers launched an advertising balloon yesterday over the proposed site in Palterton.

Barlborough-based Banks Developments has argued that any noise from turbines can be controlled and that the project will produce enough zero-carbon energy to power more than 4,000 homes which is the equivalent to 14per cent of homes in the Bolsover district.

It stated that the site was chosen due to the suitability of the landscape and subsequent wind strength and it claims nearby communities will benefit from the environmentally friendly scheme. Banks Developments feels there is a growing recognition of a need for wind farms.

Afterall they are only modern day windmills and what would you rather have - them or pylons?

Debate on planned sale of Ripley Town Hall is put back

Councillors have voted to delay a debate about the proposed sale of Ripley Town Hall.

A 1,200-signature petition was handed in before the Amber Valley Borough Council meeting, calling for the hall to be returned to Ripley Town Council.

The borough council was given the 130-year-old building in the 1970s but plans to sell it to help save £2m over the next two years.

Councillors voted to defer a debate until they are closer to a decision. This seems somewhat strange because wouldn’t you have a debate to enable a decision to be reached? Perhaps that is why I am not a councillor – I do not have twisted logic!

Fight to stop sale of Ripley Town Hall

Campaigners have begun a fight to stop a council selling off a town hall in Derbyshire.

Ripley Town Hall was put up for sale by Amber Valley Borough Council in June.

The authority said selling the 130-year-old building and offices next door would help it save £2m over the next two years.

A petition with more than 1,200 signatures calls for ownership of the hall to be transferred to Ripley Town Council instead.

Ripley Town Council said it should be offered the building for free as it gave it to the borough council when the authority was created in the 1970s.

In a statement it said that if the town hall was sold then the police office, the registrar’s office, the town council’s offices, and the council chamber would have to be relocated, which would be “extremely costly and very problematic”.

The council said it was putting the 2.8-acre site on the market because the authority no longer needed such a large building. Then why not lease the excess to other businesses?

The sale of the property will be discussed at a council meeting on Wednesday.

Derbyshire greats honoured with blue plaques

Members of the public have chosen six of Derbyshire’s “great and good” to be honoured in the county’s 2011 blue plaque awards.

Derbyshire County Council started the scheme in 2009 to celebrate well-known local people.

This year’s winners include Henry Royce, co-founder of Rolls-Royce, and Sir Joseph Whitworth, who standardised the industrial screw.

Anyone nominated must have died at least 20 years ago.

The other winners were:

• William Barron of Borrowash – a 19th century gardener who designed the
  gardens at Elvaston Castle.

• Samuel Slater, Belper – known as the father of the American Industrial
  Revolution.

• John Smedley, Lea Bridge and Matlock − regarded as the man who made Matlock. Smedley turned his father’s ailing cotton mill at Lea Bridge into a highly
  successful enterprise.

• Alison Uttley, Cromford and Dethick − an author of more than 100 books,
  Uttley is most famous for the Little Grey Rabbit children’s stories based on her
  childhood at Castle Top Farm, Cromford, where she was born in 1884

Work is now under way to find locations for the plaques.

Big plans for Pride Park

Derby County has unveiled its vision of the future by announcing plans for a £20m development around Pride Park Stadium.

The proposed Pride Plaza scheme would see eye-catching changes to the west and east sides of the ground.

Plans which have still to be formally submitted to Derby City Council include an eight-storey 165-bed hotel, office space, a convenience store, banking, restaurants and bars all set in tree-lined pedestrian-friendly squares.

About 250 jobs would be created by the scheme.

The club sees the development becoming a local service centre for the people who work at the many businesses on Pride Park while providing improved facilities for the fans on match days.

Designs of the two-storey or three-storey individual buildings will not block views of the main entrance to the stadium.

There will also be two squares on the west side of the stadium named after Rams legends Steve Bloomer and Brian Clough, with a monument to each.

The road behind the east stand will become a more vibrant area and will be named Lionel Pickering Way as a tribute to the club's former chairman.

Current chairman Peter Gadsby, pictured, was the director who oversaw the original stadium development.

He said: "When we first built Pride Park we were always aware of further development potential and when I came back to the club almost 12 months ago with the current board of directors we indicated we would look to maximise that potential for the benefit of the club."

Derby could either make land available for sale to interested companies or fund the building of units themselves for rental.

Mr Gadsby says the 'Pride Plaza' project will not impact on any football revenue.

"No football or promotion income will be used to support this scheme," he said. "We anticipate strong demand for the new commercial space. Indeed, we already have interest from two global brands."

Preliminary talks with the planning authority have been positive, according to the Rams, and time-scales will be dictated by the planning process and negotiations with individual businesses.

The planning application could go in within three months.

Eighty car park spaces will be lost at the stadium to make way for the new development but the club will look at alternative arrangements.

"We are confident any parking issues can be addressed," said Mr Gadsby. "People may be worried about their parking but this is unlikely to take their parking away."

The club will press on with the plans irrespective of in which division it finds itself next season.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-27 10:47:18

Trust to run Bakewell Town Hall

A decision on Bakewell Town Hall's future has finally been made after councillors voted to hand over the running to a community trust.

The crumbling hall faces a huge bill of upto £400,000 to modernise and repair and this monumental task is finally being passed onto volunteer group Bakewell Town and Community Trust .

The trust was set up in 2005 to take control of the hall and work towards raising money for desperately needed repairs and improvements.

There have been several delays in the handover of the hall but following the meeting on Friday the ball can start rolling.

On Friday members of Bakewell Town Council voted to approve an agreement allowing the Trust to take over the running of the town hall.

Councillor Bill Kirkland said: "There has been a long debate on the future of the Town hall and we wanted to make sure that whatever happened would be in the best interests of the town.

"We want to get a vibrant and viable community centre.

"There are still some details and conditions to be ironed out but we hope to have the agreement formally signed in about a weeks time.

"Then the Trust can start to look at ways of developing the hall, providing facilities and getting funding in place."

Bakewell Town Council will financially support the trust for the first five years of the agreement on a decreasing scale and will also help towards the cost of installing a lift in the building to make the first floor accessible.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-04 13:11:26

Last Rites for MBC

Macclesfield Borough Council is one step closer to being no more.

The death knell sounded yesterday when Secretary of State for Local Government, Ruth Kelly, approved the decision to replace the current two-tier system in Cheshire.

A consultation has now been launched to decide on an alternative – igniting the debate between Cheshire County Council and Macclesfield Borough Council.

In the CCC corner, councillors are fighting for one unitary authority, while their MBC opponents favour replacing the six district and one county council with two all-purpose unitary councils.

Cheshire chief executive, Jeremy Taylor, said yesterday: "The government has now given us the opportunity to test the validity of our case which we believe champions the best interests of everyone in Cheshire and meets the full criteria required by government."

On the two possible alternatives, he added: "It is now vital that stakeholders receive all the information required to enable them to make an informed and evidence-based decision on the two submissions."

MBC said they welcome the White Paper proposal to replace what they describe as the "outdated" two-tier system of local government in Cheshire.

However, they now want two unitary councils instead – East Cheshire, including Macclesfield, Crewe and Nantwich and Congleton, and West Cheshire, to include Chester, Ellesmere Port and Vale Royal. Vivienne Horton, Macclesfield Borough Council chief executive, said: "This is an exciting new vision for local government in this area and will get rid of the expensive and confusing two-tier system."

She added: "We feel Cheshire is too large for one local authority to provide the effective and accountable local government we need."

She said they had formally resolved to oppose the county council’s submission for a unitary county. MBC’s first preference was for three unitary councils for Cheshire, but that option was scrapped by the government, leaving the two council option as the next best thing.

Leader of the council, Wesley Fitzgerald, said: "As far as I am concerned it is the best of a bad lot to go for an East-West split and I welcome that opportunity.

"With a single authority for Cheshire people would not be able to engage with their local council and the local feel of the thing would be gone.

"If we split down the middle, it would have a chance of working and the ratepayer – which is all of us – would feel the benefit."

CHESHIRE County Council’s political leaders will meet in the near future to consider all aspects of the government’s decision. A total of 16 councils have been shortlisted for consultation, and it is hoped the new systems will save up to £200million per year. The successful proposals now go forward for a 12-week government consultation, until June 22, before a final decision is made in July.

The government expects those proceeding to implementation to be fully operational by April 2009 global warming permitting.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 02:41:58

Bad Medicine for Macclesfield workers

David Brennan, chief executive of Astra Zeneca, is not a popular man in Macclesfield right now. Last month, barely a fortnight after reporting a 28% rise in full-year profits, the pharmaceuticals giant announced it was laying off 700 staff who work in manufacturing and warehousing at its Cheshire site.

The redundancies will claim 40% of those working in manufacturing and operations in Macclesfield. Morale has been badly damaged, with locals complaining of poor leadership and too many tiers of management.

Brennan, an American who took on the top job 15 months ago, is sympathetic. “We worry,” he said. “We don’t take a decision like that lightly. It impacts people’s lives, their families. But this is about the future of the company. We have an obligation to our shareholders. I am a straight shooter; I have to tell it as I see it. And we are not yet positioned where we need to be.”

This is the central conundrum with which Brennan has to wrestle. On the face of it, Astra Zeneca is in robust health. Sales growth of 11% last year, and earnings per share growth of 33%, put the company in third place in the performance league table of its “big pharma” peers.

With a sharply increased dividend and a big buyback of shares, the company returned more than £2.5 billion of cash to shareholders last year. And yet it is laying off 3,000 employees in its supply-chain operation.

£2.5 billion of cash buys a lot of jobs for a lot of years, but Brennan or his shareholders couldn't give a toss. Crocodile tears and no social conscience-typical yank really.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 02:35:04

TV Date for Derbyshire Student

A Derbyshire student whose prize-winning tale of life as an African slave was broadcast on national radio has appeared on television.

Tupton Hall pupil Alice Corker won first prize in the BBC's Freedom writing competition commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.

Her story about Beth, a young slave on an American plantation in the 1800s, was broadcast on Radio 4's programme Go4it on Sunday.

The 13-year-old, who is a member of Derbyshire County Council's Chesterfield Write On group, was also interviewed on the show.

She appeared on the CBBC news programme on Tuesday and talked about her success.

The Write On group is a writing group for people aged from 11 to 14-years-old which meets every six weeks at Chesterfield Library.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-29 02:58:01

Fly Tippers caught on Camera

In a bid to stop fly tipping in Derby hot stops, Derby City Council is to use CCTV cameras to help identify fly tippers illegally dumping rubbish.

The Council is working with the Environment Agency and Derby Community Safety Partnership to monitor various areas of land where rubbish is often illegally dumped and will use CCTV pictures to help prosecute fly-tippers.

The Council is also warning householders and businesses that they are legally responsible if they hire someone to take their waste away and it ends up being dumped, so they need to check that anyone they hire to take their rubbish away is registered as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency can be contacted on 08708 506506 or minicom 08702 422549.

Councillor Alan Graves, Council Cabinet Member for Leisure and Direct Services, said: “Many people and organisations are putting in a lot of effort, particularly this week, to clean up Derby, so we want to stop the minority of unscrupulous people who want to save money or make a profit at the expense of our city by fly-tipping.”

Councillor Pauline Latham, Council Cabinet Member for Enforcement, said: "We will not hesitate to use the pictures captured by these cameras as evidence in prosecutions of businesses or individuals who fly-tip rubbish in Derby. I would warn anyone considering doing so that they risk an unlimited fine and even up to five years in prison.”

As the prisons are already full of trash I would suggest a heavy fine and 50 tonnes of shite dumped in the culprits living room.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-27 04:13:24

Reaction to Council Tax Study

Sir Michael Lyons has called for a new top-rate council tax band leading to increased bills for those in the most expensive homes.

This would be balanced by a new band at the bottom of the rating scale to reduce the tax for people in the smallest homes, many of them pensioners.

But Chris Williamson, leader of Derby City Council, believes the report does not go far enough.

He said: "It is a missed opportunity to really reform the council tax system. The system at the moment is such a crude instrument in collecting tax.

"Something like a purchase tax would be a much more effective way of addressing the city's needs."

An example Mr Williamson used of purchase tax would be if a 1p levy was placed on all chewing gum sold in the city with all the money generating being used to pay to clean up chewing gum from Derby's pavements.

Mr Williamson was also disappointed with the report's rejection of long-standing demands from local government for the restoration of their powers to set and collect the business rate.

Sir Michael had said the business community did not trust town halls to set the rate fairly.

But he recommended that councils should be given the power to impose a supplementary business rate, in consultation with local companies, to fund infrastructure projects.

Business rates are currently fixed nationally and linked to inflation - although the report did say changes could be considered in the long term.

Mr Williamson said he did not agree with Sir Michael's comments.

He said: "I think it's a bit of a slur against local government to suggest the business community does not trust us to set rates.

"We have been a four-star council for the past few years and think that the power to set rates should be offered as a reward for all the good work that is done."

Launching his report in London, Sir Michael also called for the introduction of new powers to allow councils to charge for waste collection and disposal, in a bid to reduce the amounts of rubbish going to landfill.

He rejected suggestions that this would amount to "double-charging" of householders, who already pay for rubbish collection in their council tax bills, but said it would encourage people to compost organic waste and reduce the amount of packaging they buy.

Mr Williamson said the council did not have any plans to consider charging extra for waste collection.

He said: "We are already hitting our targets for recycling."

Alan Cox, leader of Amber Valley Borough Council, was also very critical of the report.

He said: "The report is a damp squib. It has taken four years in the making and has come up with nothing new.

"Local government were hoping for some radical proposals. The whole exercise has been a waste of money."

What i read from all of this is bigger bills and more bills for both domestic and business people.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-23 03:40:31

Call for two new council tax bands

New council tax bands could be introduced for the most expensive and cheapest homes, it has been reported.

Sir Michael Lyons will call for the introduction of two extra council tax bands at either end of the price spectrum, according to the BBC.

A report into local government funding by Sir Michael, professor of public policy at Birmingham University, which is due to be published on Wednesday, will also say that people entitled to council tax benefit should gain it automatically instead of it being claimed.

But the report will call for council tax revaluation before any changes. In real terms this means that everyone will be worse off some more than others. Time to buy a canal boat, when the going gets tough, up anchor and piss off!

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-20 12:23:15

Derbyshire Schools Funding Increase

Spending on Derbyshire's schools is to rise by almost £18 million over the next year.

Derbyshire County Council currently spends £3,429 per pupil and has an overall schools budget of around £376 million.

Funding for 2007/08 will rise to £3,649 per pupil – an increase of 6.4 per cent.

Total funding is estimated to increase to £394 million, subject to confirmation of pupil numbers.

The Government cash includes funding for a number of specific issues in schools. Derbyshire County Council will get £5.2 million in grants in 2007/08. Theses will be spent on:

* Personalised learning – schools will receive a share of £4.161 million to continue the development of personalised learning plans for pupils. This will allow each student to have the curriculum tailored to help them at their own pace.

* Practical learning options for 14 to 16-year-olds – schools will receive a share of £1.041 million to develop vocational courses for pupils.

Now the financial arguments for closing Stoney Middleton School become that bit weaker.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-20 01:51:47

Village Protest at tree felling

Villagers are angry about a road closure that has left them facing an eight-mile detour.

Derbyshire County Council has closed Longway Bank in Whatstandwell so trees can be felled to improve visibility from the driveway of one house.

But villagers have voiced their concerns because they are forced to use an eight-mile diversion on main roads or a five-mile route along country lanes. One resident claimed they were now driving about 120 miles extra a week in order to get to and from Derby due to the detour.

A county council spokeswoman said the road could be closed for another two weeks.

She said: "The land and the trees are not owned by us but we have agreed to close the road to ensure the safety of drivers, pedestrians and the contractors while work is ongoing."

No doubt the person having the trees felled will be "persona non grata" in the village, especially if the trees are poplar trees. I wonder how much all of this is costing? Must be a hell of a view.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-19 03:09:10

Menage ban in the countryside

Francesca Ludlam, from Grove Lane in Somersal Herbert, is a member of the British three-day eventing team and is training for 2012 Olympics. As part of her training she uses a training area,known as a menage, for 40 minutes per day.

But homeowners surrounding the sand-covered menage are upset about the noise made by her horse during the practice sessions and complained to Derbyshire Dales District Council.

Her father Michael has been battling to keep the menage since 2000, when a council enforcement notice ordered them to remove it.

They refused, and appealed against the decision, and a legal battle ensued that saw Mr Ludlam fighting for the menage’s use in the High Courts.

The arena has been used since 1985. In the late 1990s it was resurfaced to improve drainage, and land surrounding the arena was sold to nearby houses so they could extend their gardens.

Francesca said: "The land was sold on the agreement that the menage was there and would continue to be used.

"But in 2000 a complaint was made and we were told we would have to remove the sand surface and grow grass over the top.

"It’s the only flat area of land we’ve got, so I’ll still keep using it regardless, but I think a grass surface will be a lot more noisy than a sand surface, so it doesn’t make sense."

In her report to the planning committe, inspector Jean Jones said: "I have no doubt that there could be a disturbance to both adjoining occupiers at times when instructions are being given, maintenance carried out or people other than the rider are present.

"The council has not carried out a noise survey, but, given the sporadic nature of use, it would be difficult to do so.

"I consider the menage to be materially harmful to the living conditions of adjoining occupiers because of its proximity and use.

"It is sandwiched between their rear gardens which could expect to have more peace and privacy than frontages and the village is very small, with low levels of activity, so sounds will be noticeable."

The latest appeal decision was dismissed on February 13. Michael Ludlam said: "I’m very passionate about this, and will take it as high as it needs to go.

"We will now go to the High Court of Appeal again and, hopefully this time, will be allowed to keep the menage as it is."

I have been through a planning application for a menage and witnessed the same stupid arguements about noise. On that occassion the planning department dismissed the objections and I hope this will be the case here.

Perhaps the residents of Sommersal Herbert are not used to country life and should get back to the towns where they will no doubt have much more to moan about.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-13 05:49:12

Cathedral falcons return to breed

Cameras have been installed on Derby Cathedral in anticipation of a pair of peregrine falcons breeding.

The nesting birds are expected to start breeding later this month so two web cameras and a microphone have been attached to a special wooden platform.

The peregrine falcons first hatched chicks on Derby Cathedral in 2006 and have returned to nest this year.

Organisers expect thousands of people to watch live pictures of the birds as their progress is filmed.

In 2006, thousands of people visited the cathedral to catch a glimpse of the new family.

The Derby Peregrine Project has been set up by Derby City Council, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and Derby Cathedral.

Strange but I thought there were laws against voyeurism.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-11 02:19:07

Elvaston lottery bid withdrawn!

Derbyshire County Council submitted a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund last summer for £10m to restore the castle's gardens, which cover 185 acres of the 325-acre site.

But this week, the Friends of Elvaston Castle, discovered the bid was withdrawn in November - a decision the council failed to publicise.

At the time, the Heritage Lottery Fund had asked the council for more details of its proposals for the gardens, which the authority said would cause it to incur significant costs.

Because the council was not willing to foot the bill to provide in-depth details at what it described as an early stage in the possible development of the historic castle and grounds, it withdrew its bid.

The restoration of the gardens was a key element of controversial plans to redevelop the whole of the Elvaston Castle site, which attracts average 500,000 visitors each year.

In 1999 the council announced it could no longer afford the annual running costs of £500,000 or an essential repairs bill estimated at £3m.

Last June the council voted to give Highgate Sanctuary a 150-year lease, despite public protest, including a petition signed by 61,500 people, and concerns raised during public consultation.

The developer, based in London, aims to turn the castle into an £18m, 160-bedroom hotel and golf course.

Remaining land, including the gardens, would be run by a trust.

The lease, which has not yet been signed, states that Highgate Sanctuary would provide £2.75m match funding needed for a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the restoration of the gardens. It also says that Highgate would relieve the council of the cost of repairing the house.

GrahamMansey, a member of Friends of Elvaston Castle, said he was extremely concerned about the future of the historic gardens under the present plans now that the lottery bid had been withdrawn.

He said: "The council was supposed to make information about the bid public by February at the latest but did not do so, prompting the Friends of Elvaston to contact the Heritage Lottery Fund.

"We would like to see the house, gardens and estate completely restored.

"The Heritage Lottery Fund has informed the Friends that money is available for restoration, including the house, but that this money must benefit as wide a proportion of the community as possible and must not lead to loss of public access.

"We opposed the council's application and expressed this to the Heritage Lottery Fund. We do not agree with the public loss of Elvaston Castle.

"Surely this should be an opportune moment for the community to call time on the disposal of Elvaston Castle."

A county council spokeswoman said that re-submitting the lottery bid had not been ruled out but was unable to give any time frame.

She said: "The council is still seeking the full restoration of the gardens.

"We withdrew the application after the Heritage Lottery Fund asked for more details of our proposals, which would have committed us to significant extra costs at a very early stage.

"We are continuing to work to obtain a sustainable future for the castle and grounds."

It all seems very smelly to me. If the Lottery Fund asked for more details then why not get the Friends of Elvaston involved. I am sure they would have done the bulk of the work for free. But in any case how expensive could it be to prepare a report with detailed proposals.

It strikes me the original lottery bid was a smokescreen done on the back of a fag packet to appease the public.

There is definately more to this than meets the eye. Watch this space.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-10 09:17:23

Roman site to be built on

A Housing development planned on a site which an archaeological society believes contains important historical artefacts was given the go-ahead on Thursday.


George Wimpey Homes was given permission by Derby City Council's planning control committee to demolish the Bristol Street Motors building in Alfreton Road, Derby, and build 125 homes.

Derbyshire Archaeological Society had expressed fears that there could be important artefacts on the land, which is close to the line of Roman Ryknield Street running through Darley Fields.

When this highway was unearthed in 1926, buildings which were once part of a Roman town were discovered.

Speaking after the meeting, Chris Wynn, cabinet member for planning and transportation, said: "We don't know what we are going to find until we carry out some extensive trials. We really want to make provisions to safeguard the archaeology of the site."

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-10 09:12:24