Spotlight on Limmen Gardens: - After demolition

All of the Limmen Gardens flats were demolished in 2009-10, the site cleared, and grassed over ready for redevelopment. These photographs were all taken recently.  The top photograph is a view of the green children’s play area, which is a lovely space used all the time by local children.

 

Limmen Gardens green open space in regular use as a children’s play area

Photo taken in 2007

Site of the top row of flats opposite Bluebell Hill Community Centre. 2011

Site of the middle row of flats from the Pym Walk footpath

Site of the bottom row of flats from Pym Walk footpath, Rocket Park is on the right. 2011

Site of flats, on the left seen from Limmen Gardens Road. 2011

A view of the same site. 2011

Spotlight on Limmen Gardens

“Hi my name is Sandra McCoy; I have been living here in Limmen gardens with my partner and 2 children for 9 years. I moved here from 45 Limmen gardens, because my son needed a garden to play. They don’t go on Rocket Park because there are big kids with dogs and drinking and smoking their.

“I want my children to be safe where I can see them and they can play on their bikes and stay fit and healthy, my son is 11, my daughter is 7.

“Grass and trees are great for the environment and young children; let’s not spoil it, thinking about how much money someone can get.

“They should build on the flats they knock down; I don't want to be living like sardines, which is why I moved out of the flat.

“The grass area in front of my house has been used by local children to play on for many years, they enjoy it there. Now [Leicester Housing Association] want to build houses on the grass area. It will leave local children with nowhere to go and play where it is safe.

“The developer [LHA] is only interested in building houses on every bit of land, taking it away from local children, just to make money. My neighbours and I don’t want [Leicester Housing Association] to build any houses on this green open space.

“I telephoned Debra Ross [Housing Developer manager at the city council] today and was told the developer will be putting in a planning application in August. I am going to arrange a petition and fight for this lovely green to stay as it is, a nice children’s play area.”

I am a very sad and unhappy tenant.

Sandra

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For comparison: (Top) Master Plan 2007, (Bottom) Master Plan 2009 showing Limmen gardens. The green open space/ children’s play area that Sandra is referring to is highlighted in red. The 2007 Master plan shows a row of 4 houses, while the latest plan shows three.

The proposed houses will look like the ones shown here on the bottom of this post, based on the master plan colour scheme of house types.

“In my opinion this lovely green area should remain as it is, and stay as a children’s play ground.”

 Richard Pearson.

Loraine Crofts enjoying the sunshine

A short video of my friend Loraine who lives in Eastham Close, we have known each other since 1994.

Video update 1st August

This is the latest video taken around the Stonebridge Park Estate this afternoon. On this occasion new home owners have moved into the bottom row of houses in Dennett Close. The new road here is now being surfaced with bricks and traffic calming measures.

The week began with employees of WATES living space moving into Melville Gardens and surveying the first homes to be fitted with external wall cladding, and by the weekend scaffolding had been erected around two houses.

Project manager Sharon Brookes had said that 50 houses in the first consultation area of Eastham Close, Lytton Close, Dennett Close, Wray Close, Stonebridge Road & Magson Close would be done first. They are in line for off road parking spaces, perimeter iron railings & fences, and in some instances new double glazed doors. However WATES quickly poured cold water on this decision, and have decided to abandon these properties until October, while giving priority to the installation of exterior wall cladding around the estate.

The price of external cladding appears to depend on where you live on our estate ?

In another bazaar twist Sharon Brookes has written letters to all of the home owners in the front row of houses in Flewitt Gardens, informing them that “all home owners” on Stonebridge would get external wall cladding on their properties for a reduced fee of £2,170, which she said could not be reduced further, and was a final offer.

However, a home owner in Eastham Close who occupies a 3-bedroom house informed us that she had been offered external wall cladding for £1,126. Because it was good value the occupier decided to accept this and paid the amount in full, and in advance. She has been informed that the work would begin on 12^th September.

Two other home owners, this time living in Ferrers Walk, informed me today that they had been offered external wall cladding for £440, which is a third of the price being offered to the home owner in Eastham Close!

It will be interesting to hear about other so called ‘special offers’ on external wall cladding being made to home owner/occupiers around our estate in the coming weeks.

There are also complaints from home owners about project manager Sharon Brookes, that they are having difficulty arranging one-to-one appointments. Mrs Brookes fails to return phone calls, and on occasion does not turn up for her arranged appointment(s)!

The Olympic games begin

The 2012 Olympic games has got off to an amazing start during a spectacular opening ceremony in London.

The ceremony show-cased Britain throughout its history from the industrial revolution, the two great wars, and the culture of modern life from the 1960s to the present day

Britain’s ‘green and pleasant land.’

The Night Sky ~ August 2012

Look into the southern sky at 10pm on a clear night and the star clouds of the Milky Way may be seen meandering up from the horizon from the constellation of Sagittarius in which lies the centre of our galaxy. This is an ideal time to view many star clusters & nebulae with a pair of 10 x 50 binoculars. The constellation of Capricornus lies low in the SW, and Ophiuchus lies a little higher in the SE. Then we come to the ‘Summer Triangle’ marked by the bright stars Altair in Aquila (The eagle), Deneb in Cygnus (The swan) and Vega in Lira (The Lyre).

In the head of Cygnus can be found Albireo which is a fine double-star visible in small telescopes with a contrast of orange & blue. To the west of Vega is the lovely double/double star epsilon-Lyrae. M57 lies midway between the stars Beta & Gamma Lyrae, this is a ‘planetary-nebula’ visible in medium sized telescopes as a small misty patch of light.

In the northern sky Ursa Major (The great bear) lies in the NW, and the double-star Alcor/Mizar may be found second star along the the bear’s tail. It is visible to the naked-eye while binoculars will show it well.

The constellation of Perseus lies in the NE where on the night of 11 August the meteor shower known as ‘The Perseids’ may be seen. The Moon is a thin crescent that rises about three hours before the Sun, so it will provide little interference. At the shower’s peak you might see a few dozen meteors per hour.

Above Perseus may be seen the district ‘W’ pattern of stars of Cassiopeia (The queen), sometimes known as ‘the lady in the chair’. The Milky Way passes through this constellation so lots of star clusters are visible in binoculars.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ephemeris data for the planet Venus 

RA                   Dec               Const’     Rise     Trans    Set       Mag    Illumination   
5h 36.871m    19° 11.161'    Taurus    02:06    10:00    17:55    -4.39    42%   
5h 39.922m    19° 15.428'    Taurus    02:05    10:00    17:55    -4.38    42%   
5h 40.069m    19° 15.642'    Taurus    02:05    10:00    17:55    -4.38    42%   
5h 40.216m    19° 15.857'    Taurus    02:05    10:00    17:55    -4.38    42%   
5h 40.362m    19° 16.070'    Taurus    02:05    10:00    17:55    -4.38    42% 

Venus is visible as a brilliant star-like body in the Eastern sky around sunrise, and will be at its greatest western elongation on the morning of August 15th making it an ideal opportunity for photography.

The illustration on the left shows how the planet will look through a good telescope.

 

 

 

The giant planet Jupiter can be seen to the upper right of Venus in the dawn sky, and lies close to the Moon on the 11th August. It looks like a bright yellow star.

This is the planet Jupiter as seen through a 14 inch reflector telescope on July 8th 2012. The famous Great Red Spot can just be seen on the eastern (Right) limb of the plant, while the cloud belts are easily visible. It will be better placed for observation in the autumn sky.

 

 

 

The planet Saturn is not visible from the northern hemisphere at the moment, however, this photograph of the planet was taken through a 12 inch telescope in Australia on July 12th by a Mr Ray Johnston. The planet’s rings are well seen.

 

Sky at Night Newsletter:  125 Sir Patrick Moore and Pete Lawrence's astronomical guide for July, August and September: Click here

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SKY DIARY 

01st    Full moon
03rd    Neptune 5.1 deg S of the Moon
06th    Uranus 4.3 deg S of the Moon
08th    Meteor shower N Delta Aquarids
09th    Last quarter Moon
10th    Pleiades 4.8 deg N of the Moon
11th    Hyades 4.3 deg S of the Moon
11th    Aldebaran 3.9 deg S of the Moon
11th    Jupiter 1.0 deg N of the Moon (Not visible from the UK)
12th    Meteor shower the Perseids
13th    Venus 0.3 deg N of the Moon
15th    Venus greatest elong W (45.8 deg)
16th    Mercury greatest elong W (18.7 deg)
16th    Beehive/Praesepe 7.3 deg N of the Moon
17th    New Moon
17th    Regulus 6.5 deg N of the Moon
21st    Spica 1.9 deg N of the Moon
22nd   Saturn 6.1 deg N of the Moon
22nd   Mars 2.8 deg N of the Moon
24th    Neptune at opposition
24th    First quarter Moon
24th    Antares 4.8 deg S of the Moon
27th    Meteor shower Pi Eridanids
30th    Meteor shower Gamma Doradids
31st    Full Moon

A snapshot of our world-wide audience

Stonebridge Park Crime outcomes

Outcomes and progress recorded in April/May 2012 for crime within 1 mile of Nottingham NG3 2GJ, UK

April 2012

Magson Close (1 burglary) No further action

Police outcomes relate to outcomes reached in April 2012 for crimes recorded between January 2012 and April 2012.

Court outcomes relate to outcomes reached in April 2012 for crimes recorded between January 2012 and April 2012.

May 2012

Lytton Close (1 burglary) (1 Theft) No further action
Near Eastham Close subway (1 Violent crime) Suspect charged
Wray Close (1 Public disorder + weapons) Under investigation
Magson Close (1 Robbery) Under investigation
St Matthias Rd (2 ASB)(2 Drugs under investigation)

Police outcomes relate to outcomes reached in May 2012 for crimes recorded between January 2012 and May 2012.

Court outcomes relate to outcomes reached in May 2012 for crimes recorded between January 2012 and May 2012.

Outcomes are not available for anti-social behaviour.

Please come & Join us

Invitations have now been sent out to our MP Chris Leslie, Government ministers, Managers & Senior officers of Nottingham City Council & City Homes, Local councillors, local business leaders, along with Tenants & Residents living on the Stonebridge Park Estate .

You are being invited to make written contributions to this website, and to manage & edit your own Posts. All contributions should be concerning the Stonebridge Park Estate, Nottingham, in general. They may also include both photographs & video.

The site presently has over 1,200 hits a month which includes a world wide audience of visitors from: Canada, USA, Germany, Australia etc..
 
If you would like to participate in this programme, and have not already received an invitation, please send an email to richard.pearson53@yahoo.co.uk

Burglary prevention advice

Neighbourhood priority survey: Nottinghamshire Police is dedicated to providing a visible and accessible service that’s tailored to meet our communities’ needs.

There has been a recent increase in burglaries in Nottinghamshire predominantly through insecure doors and windows, and sometimes whilst homeowners are at home. A number of burglaries have occurred where people have failed to lock front/rear doors at night before going to bed. Please ensure you do not become a victim of burglary, because you haven’t locked your doors and windows.

Please ensure that any items of value, such as laptops, cameras, handbags, keys, wallets etc. are NOT left in view of windows.  It only takes a burglar seconds to reach through an open window and grab items, so even if you are only leaving rooms for a few moments, it allows a thief the opportunity to take items quickly.
 
If you are spending time in another area of the house or garden, make sure doors and windows are not left open and insecure.
 
General Advice:
•Make sure you have locked doors and windows at night – every night.
•Key operated locks should be fitted to all your windows and doors.
•Fit good quality locks to your exterior doors.
•Install PIR (movement sensitive) lights outside your external doors.
•Use timers for lamps.
•Installing an intruder alarm will greatly improve your household security.
•Register you property FREE online at www.immobilise.com
•Protectively mark your valuable property by using UV pens, Selectamark, Smartwater or other asset marking products - if you would like any advice on these, please contact the Pre Crime Unit on 101.

For additional security advice please see the attached home security guide.

Message sent by

Lindsay Donnelly (Police, Administrator, Nottinghamshire)

WATES Begin external wall cladding

And abandons Improvements to 61 homes -- off road parking areas and perimeter fences -- until late October

Bernard Cribbins – Hole in the ground

Contractor WATES are now in Limmen Gardens making preparations to install external wall cladding to properties on the north of the estate. For tenants of Nottingham City Homes this will be carried out free of charge, while home owners are being asked to pay a contribution of £6,550.

On Wednesday a home owner in Eastham Close contacted the website to say that they had been given a ‘special offer,’ of £1,126 for external wall cladding of their home, which they have decided to accept because of its good value. It is not known whether this ‘special offer’ is being made to other home owner/occupiers on our estate.

However, WATES has abandoned plans to provide off-road parking areas, and new perimeter iron railings & wooden fences for the 61 properties in the first phase consultation areas in Lytton Close, Dennett Close, Stonebridge Road, Wray Close and Magson Close until October at the earliest. Although their remains a considerable amount of uncertainty surrounding an actual start date.

Project Manager Sharon Brookes informed the 61 residents that work on their homes would be done first in July, while WATES flatly contradicted her saying that it could be late October before they got round to their houses.

I did ask Sharon Brookes on two occasions at consultation events in June when the work would begin, and she specifically said July. However, as there is only a week remaining this month, this now seems most unlikely.

WATES then sent around its representative who informed everyone it would not be until October! Housing Patch Manager Ajit Gill then made enquiries and both Steve Edlin (Head of Service Capital Programme., Asset Management Nottingham City Homes) & Project Manager Sharon Brookes did not give him an answer/reply to his correspondence.

Stonebridge City Farm Gala ~ a big success

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Several hundred visitors came along to Stonebridge City Farm Fun-day this afternoon to enjoy a Fairy theme gala, with rides and attractions. In bright warm sunshine it was the highlight of 2012 in St Ann’s which helped to boost the farm’s charity donations used to keep the visitor attraction going through out the year.

Loan Shark Crack-down Summer 2012

Local resident report -- Police were in Dennett Close on Thursday tea-time  looking over a black car

Call the 24/7 confidential hotline 0300 555 2222
 
Text ‘loan shark + your message’ to 60003
 
E-mail reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk
 
Log-on to www.direct.gov.uk/stoploansharks
Private message us on Facebook www.facebook.com/stoploansharksproject

Stonebridge City Farm Gala 22nd July

Everyone one is invited for our annual Grand Open Day, this year being Fairy-themed, so look out for the fairies hidden in and around the farm!
 
Confirmed so far: Shades of Blue (Live Music), Capoeira (Martial Arts Display), African Drumming, Local Food Market, Arts & Crafts Stalls, Children’s Activities, Games, Raffles, Tombola, and Cafe Refreshments. FREE Admission, although donations are welcome.
 
Children's Activities include: Fairy walk, Fairy parade, Bug hunt, Green games, Pirate corner and more yet to be confirmed.

Video update 15 July Go Compare!

With six weeks to go before the new completion date, these are the latest photographs taken around the estate today. New home owners have now moved into some of the properties. The area of land originally associated with Eastham Close flats has now been renamed Dennet Close. Despite myself and others asking for temporary street name plates to be put in place they remain absent causing chaos for the new home owners, the postman does not pay a visit, and delivery men drive by without stopping!

This video was recorded 12 months ago for comparison

The Westminster pub in St Ann’s may have been saved

Confusion continues over the future of the Westminster pub in St Ann's, however, pub regulars are ready to celebrate as the pub may have been saved.

​

The Westminster pub

The Manager of the Public house, along with campaign organiser Mr Pete Loft, said that they were much relived that the pub had been saved after being informed by the pub's owners Punch Taverns that the "applicant had withdrawn their planning application."

The Nottingham Congregation of Jehovah Witnesses, based in Carlton, submitted a planning application in April, which will see the Westminster pub demolished to make way for a new Kingdom Hall.

"We have worked very hard to save the Wessey" said Mr Loft.

"We have submitted two petitions & over a hundred letters of objection to the plans, and everyone who objected received an acknowledgement through the post.

"We were waiting to see when the application would be discussed by the planning committee, but each month it doesn't happen so we knew something was going-off.

"The Area manager of Punch Tavern's told us on Tuesday 'there was nothing to worry about as the applicant had withdrawn their planning application', which is really good news for pub regulars and the St Ann's community," he said.

However, on Friday afternoon the Development Department at the City Council said that the application is "still pending," and was not aware of its withdrawal. However, the planning officer was unable to say if it would be discussed at the next meeting listed for 22nd August?

The application was scheduled to go before the planning committee on 23rd May, 20th June and 18th July, and was not included on the agenda.

St Ann’s day of unity is a success

Just after 1pm a gay parade of school children and their parents walked down the length of St Ann’s Well Road, the first in recent memory, reroute to the Robin Hood Chase. Once there there were side stalls, good Caribbean food and great music. Over 500 locals turned out for the special day of unity. The video shows a few photos taken during the afternoon.

Council Tax consultation event

The Government is getting rid of Council Tax Benefit from April 2013. Instead, the Government wants local councils, such as Nottingham City Council, to decide how to help people with their Council Tax bills if they are on low incomes. (Please note - low income pensioners will not be affected.)

These changes also mean that the pot of money from the government to help people in Nottingham will be less than the amount the Government currently spends on helping people to pay Council Tax. In Nottingham this could mean there will be up to a £6 million shortfall in early 2013.

Nottingham City Council now has to devise a scheme for the city. Before it does this, we would like to know your views on the best way forward. Please visit our website where you can answer some questions about how these changes might affect you and how the council should think about helping citizens with their Council Tax next year.

The questions can be found at this link www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/CouncilTaxBenefitsHYS

If you don't have access to the internet you may use computers in our libraries and contact centres.

We will also be running drop-in sessions in neighbourhoods where you can have your say in person. The events take place at:

St Ann's Valley Centre (South)
Monday 16 July 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm

If you are interested in coming along, please register in advance by calling 0115 8763040 or reserve your place online at the above address.

Westminster Pub reprieve until 22nd August

It had been expected that the Westminster public house planning application was to be discussed at the Development Control meeting on 18th July, however, for a second time the application has been deferred to be heard at a later date. This is really good news for local residents as it could mean that there are serious concerns surrounding the application brought about by the number and type of objections made to Nottingham City Council.

Shown above is an artist illustration of the proposed new Kingdom Hall seen from St Ann’s Well Road

Crime figures for May 2012

Limmen Gardens ASB 1
Melville Gardens ASB 1
Pedestrian subway Melville Gardens ASB 1
St Matthias Road ASB 2 Drugs 2
Magson Close Robbery 1
Wray Close Public disorder & weapons 1
Lytton Close Burglary 1 Other theft 1
Near Eastham Close subway violent crime 1

 

This is the highest level of crime recorded around the Stonebridge Park estate since the riots that happened in St Ann’s in July 2011. It is a cause for concern for local residents and the new home owners who have only just moved on to our housing estate.