No power for 1,000s after Winster fire

Thousands of homes and businesses in Derbyshire were left without power overnight after an explosion at an electrical substation.

The station at Winster, near Matlock, was damaged on Wednesday afternoon and more than 30,000 properties in Matlock, Darley Dale and Cromford were affected.

By Thursday morning about 5,000 customers were still without power but this was restored by about 16:00 BST.

Western Power Distribution said it was investigating the cause of the blast.

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.

Live music cafe for former Tansley shop

A CHEF hoping to promote local food is leading a venture to convert a village shop in to a tea rooms.

Hathersage man Oliver Kemp is hoping to create a new cafe in Tansley. The plans could also see local musicians playing at the former shop and post office, at the Knoll.

Mr Kemp hosted a meeting with villagers to discuss his proposals after six residents raised fears about noise, parking problems, loss of privacy and the venue encouraging drunken and anti social behaviour.

The district council granted a premises licence for the venue. Mr Kemp is now set to submit a planning application to convert the building.

The proposals could see a tea rooms created, serving homemade cakes and food with plans to serve evening meals at weekends in the summer and host live music.

Apartments for Old English in Matlock

MATLOCK could lose a well-known local amenity if plans to turn a historic hotel into residential apartments are approved.

Developers want to turn The Cromwell Hotel, previously known as the Olde English, on Dale Road, into apartments and shops.

This would see an extension created to include 14 residential units, shop floorspace and car parking.

Currently the site is a 13-bedroomed hotel with dining room and lounge, wine bar, public bar and nightclub.

David Smith from Matlock Civic Association said: "The association has always lamented the lack of choice of hotels in Matlock.

"We had hoped that a major plank of the Matlock Masterplan's Bakewell Road redevelopment would be attracting major hotel names into the area.

"Instead we are losing another, it is a real pity about the Cromwell Hotel but it is not a surprise as everything seems to become residential as that is where the money is.

"According to the local plan which runs until 2011, Matlock has already reached its housing quota, technically, anything extra would be an over supply.

"I have seen developments that were built a while ago still advertising for people to fill them."

The plans include a basement level loading bay for the retail unit, with a lift to the ground floor and 30 car parking spaces for residential units.

The ground floor level would become a retail unit with access from Dale Road while the first, second and third floors would become residential units complete with an internal courtyard and balconies.

The proposed development would be five storeys high including the basement at the Dale Road frontage and four storeys at the rear.

As the development is in a conservation area it is proposed to retain the exisiting facades to Dale Road and Olde Derwent Avenue as they are "good qualitiy interims of design and materials."

The owner of the hotel was unavailable for comment.

Anyone wanting to make representations about the application should write, before May 10, to the Planning Services Manager, Derbshire Dales District Council, Town Hall, Bank Road.

I would imagine the local residents will welcome the closing of the bar and more importantly the Underground night club which has been a source of rowdiness and drunken behavour for years.

As regards the hotel, unless it has been refurbished in the last two years, then quite frankly it is a shit hole and deserves to be closed.

But who would want a shop at that end of town? With Sainsburies on theway it will become an even bigger ghost area. Unless there are even more charity shops and hairdressers waiting in the wings.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-26 08:54:21

What becomes of the Matlock Jubilee Crown

Uncertainty hangs over the crowning glory of Matlock town centre.

The crown, which forms the centrepiece of the traffic island in Crown Square, is set to be deposed under planned changes to the junction joining Causeway Lane, Bank Road and the A6.

Although it is not yet clear where it will be relocated to, town leaders agree it is synonymous with Matlock and should continue to figure prominently.

Town mayor Sue Burfoot said: "The crown is certainly an iconic feature of Matlock.

"We must try and keep it at all costs, but it's a question of 'where?'

"One thing I would like to see is Crown Square remaining a gateway to the town with some special features, and the crown could form part of that.

"It needs to be somewhere in the hub of the town, perhaps on a podium at Park Head.

"The difficulty is getting somebody to pay for these things."

The stainless steel crown was made in 1977 by the apprentices of TI Chesterfield Ltd to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

It was presented as a gift to the town.

But under the Matlock Masterplan, the Crown Square island is set to be removed in favour of traffic lights – creating a crossroads.

Pavements at the bottom of Bank Road are to be narrowed to create a two-lane exit, while pavements in front of the shops will be widened in a bid to make them more pedestrian friendly.

All works must be completed no later than 12 months after the completion of the relief road.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire Dales District Council said: "There are no firm proposals at the moment on where the crown will go, but we will ensure that it is relocated to a prominent position in the town."

How about in the River Derwent.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-10 08:02:45

Sex in the Station

Matlock Bus Station is the new den of sin after Matlock Town Council have received complaints that the building is littered with littered with condoms and the toilets are being used as a meeting place for sex.

The police have been informed.

Matlock Town Cllr Barry Hopkinson, who was contacted on the issue by a member of the public, said: “It was very upsetting for the woman concerned.

“She said she had been into the toilets one evening and found men and women in there together.

“If this is going on then there needs to be something done, whether that means CCTV or other measures.”

In sketches of the Matlock Masterplan – the district council’s blueprint for how it wants the town to develop – the authority planned for the bus station to be relocated.

But some believe the current site would have to be retained as a turning circle for buses after traffic over Matlock Bridge becomes one-way.

Cllr Hopkinson added: “We’ve got the situation where we don’t know if it’s worth spending money on the bus station, but by all accounts the building might be staying, which is an absolute fiasco.

“If the building stays then this issue needs tackling.”

Inspector Paul Corton of Matlock Police said: “I’m aware of a couple of incidents at the bus station reported to us by Matlock Town Council.

“One involved a man being in the ladies’ toilets and one involved condoms in the telephone box.

“In terms of criminality it’s not a particularly pleasant thing to find.

“Obviously concerns have been raised and officers are patrolling there.”

This adds a new meaning to ticket to ride.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-22 11:07:38

Get your Skates on to Matlock

A year ago Matlock Live applied to Awards for All for a grant to involve young people in Matlock and Wirksworth in an innovative arts and sports project that is bringing together young people with an interest in skatepark-based sport, dance and urban movement, and video-making.

Rob Francis, chair of Matlock Live said: “The inspiration came for the project came when a group of us from Matlock Live were in Hall Leys Park planning for a festival.

“The skatepark had just been opened and we saw these incredibly talented young people doing amazing skids, jumps and turns.

“It was at that moment we decided that these skills, as well as the natural youthful enthusiasm, should be harnessed as a performance.”

For the last six weeks 20 young people from Highfields and Anthony Gell Schools have been practising and rehearsing for the premier performance of DASH.

The young people have been working with professional skaters, dancers and film makers to devise a performance piece that brings together their own skills and stretches them to provide completely new experiences.

They have been filming, editing and working towards a combined performance that will include a huge screen as a backdrop on which films images will be projected as a part of the performance.

The performance will be at 7.30pm on Saturday March 24 in Hall Leys park.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-22 11:01:24

Have your say about Derbyshire policing

Derbyshire Constabulary latest roadshow pitched up at Hall Leys Park in Matlock.

The countywide event has seen people up and down Derbyshire offering their views, opinions and concerns about everything from anti-social behaviour to car crime, street lighting and vandalism.

Matlock's event was number 14 out of 26 Have Your Say events and each venue is different, ranging from hospital corridors to parks.

Community engagement officer Brian Carpenter said: "This is a great opportunity for members of the public to meet police face to face and chat about whatever worries they may have and make comments, good or bad, on how the force is doing."

One of the main concerns emerging from the events is that people want to see more police on the street especially at night and they would like more provision for young people to keep them from anti-social behaviour.

Three quarters of people wanted to see more funds allocated to community policing.

Mr Carpenter said: "This is an interactive exercise that allows people to see the problems we face as a force."

Questionnaires filled in by the public will be electronically analysed by age group and post code to identify particular problems. This is an innovative way of getting your details onto police records including finger prints-gotcha!

These will then be used to shape future policing strategies.

I might be a bit simple here but do the police need the public to tell them to get more coppers on the beat. And am I really interested in problems that the police have? No just like they are not interested in my budgetary problems.

Get back to proper work and cut the spin. By the way I have just found out that I have a police record. It was recorded in 1979 called Roxanne.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-07 04:00:28

All you can eat £14.99

A Matlock restaurant is hoping to serve up a fundraising treat for Whitworth Hospital.

Irfan Shabir, owner of Maazi in Causeway Lane, is joining forces with Matlock mayor Sue Burfoot to promote an all-you-can-eat buffet which will raise funds towards a new standing and raising aid for the hospital in Darley Dale.

The event will take place on Tuesday March 20 with advance tickets, priced at £14.99, available from the restaurant on 01629 582534.

Irfan said he hopes the event will raise up to £1,000.

Whilst the buffet is £14.99 to use the toilet it is £20 a go or £30 for a season ticket. Only joking.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-07 03:51:42

Vacancy: Pub landlady and wife

A Pub landlord has advertised in a newspaper for a new landlady and wife.

When James Hilton's missus of four years Mandy ran off with a barman six weeks ago, his first thought was to recruit a replacement worker.

The Horseshoe Pub in Matlock, Derbyshire, was run by the pair who had been married for four years but after wife Mandy's decision to leave and take their children with her, Mr Hilton thought it best to recruit someone who could fill both the vacant positions Mandy had left behind.

Mr Hilton placed a lonely-hearts ad offering a "fun and attractive lady" the opportunity to develop a long term relationship with the landlord as well as gaining an unsalaried position as landlady of the local watering hole.

Describing himself as "sensual, with a good - if not occasionally strange - sense of humour", Mr Hilton told the Sun that he had already received four replies and been on two dates, (one in the bar and one in the lounge) though so far he had been restricted to just pulling pints.

His less than impressed estranged wife commented that the lonely-hearts ad was "the sort of thing I'd expect from him" and implored him to "get on with his life and leave me alone".

If I were a regular in his pub I would be checking that the beer hasn't been watered down by too much crying in it.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-05 23:33:05