New Aldi store planned for Mapperley top

ALDI, the premium discount food retailer, is preparing proposals for a new neighbourhood food store In Mapperley. The site in Woodborough Road was occupied by Nottingham Autopark until December 2012 when its parent company, the Drive Auto Assist Group, unfortunately went into administration.

ALDI are holding a public exhibition so you can find out more about the proposals. This will be held on: Friday 19 July 2013 Between 3pm and 7pm at Mapperley Community Centre, 589 Woodborough Road, Mapperley, NG3 5GG

If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact Aldi's Freephone information line on 0800 298 7040.

The closure of Nottingham AutoPark resulted in the loss of 21 jobs and whilst the site has been in intermittent use since this time, its long-term future remains uncertain.

The introduction of a new ALDI food store in this location would rejuvenate the site whilst also delivering up to 30 new employment opportunities for local people.

ALDI believe there is a real need for a new food store to serve Mapperley in order to improve consumer choice and competition locally.

ALDI's proposal offers a genuine deep discount alternative for food shoppers. A new store on the site at Woodborough Road would be conveniently located and help to reduce travel time for those residents who currently travel to the existing Aldi stores outside the area when wishing to visit a quality discount food retailer.

The store will encourage Mapperley residents to shop locally, with the site benefiting from good pedestrian links with the widen area.

Aldi has carefully designed the scheme to provide a modern shopping environment for the community. The proposed Aldi food store will have 1,125m2 of sales floor space, mainly for food goods and a smaller range of non-food products.

The proposed food store will offer a quality design featuring high levels of glazing and rendering to give a crisp, modern look to the building. The building will be single storey in height and the store has been carefully designed to fit comfortably within the site's existing setting.

Vehicular access to the site would be via a new junction on Woodborough Road which would incorporate a pedestrian crossing, set back from the entrance, to ensure safety for those travelling on foot.

The proposed site is conveniently located with good pedestrian links to the surrounding area, including the existing pelican crossing on Woodborough Road, as well as nearby bus stops which are frequently served by local bus services.

About the proposals

A new Aldi food store with a net sales area of 1,125m2 and a gross internal area 0fl518m2

113 car parking spaces, including six disabled and seven parent and child spaces

Free car parking for up to 90 minutes

Upto30full and part time jobs for local people

Access achieved via Woodborough Road

Attractive landscaping incorporated into the scheme to enhance the appearance of the site

A high quality design which offers a contemporary shopping experience.

Rocket Park consultation plans

This is the 2011 Rocket Park ‘Master plan’

*  Bottom right Rocket Park as it is today, after it was landscaped in the summer of 2011. The yellow areas are the proposed ‘wild flower meadows.’

*  Top right shows the central circular grassed area with the proposed swings & play platform.

*  The distinct yellow spiral is a proposed ‘Daffodil maze.’

*  Top left shows the area immediately above the circular green, adjacent Limmen Gardens, which would be the site of the new slide, climbing ropes & climbing boulders.

*  Finally the bottom left plan shows the proposed ‘dry river bed.’ This is on the south western corner of Rocket Park among the clump of trees leading in from Jersey Gardens.

WATES Paid over £124,600 for Stonebridge Park work

The Executive Board of Nottingham City Council meets again on January 22^nd to discuss varies topics including a final decision on Council Tax arrangements from April 2013.

The Board will also hear about various items of expenditure, including money paid to WATES Living space, who have been carrying out external cladding work in St Ann’s including the Stonebridge Park Estate. In addition they have also been carrying out work installing perimeter iron railings, off road parking area, and new fences to 61 properties on Stonebridge since the summer; a total contract valued at over £124,600.

There have been three payments made to WATES by the City Council in 2012/2013:

12/11/2012 ST ANNS CESP - EXT ENVELOPING Contract Payments £145,679.63
23/11/2012 Stonebridge Park CESP - EXT ENVELOPING Contract Payments £94,204.36
30/11/2012 STONEBRIDGE PARK Contract Payments £30,475.37

Open space 'will not be lost' if houses and business are built

THE city council has reassured residents that no open space will be lost during redevelopment of the Robin Hood Chase precinct in St Ann's.

It comes after circulation of a petition against the demolition of the site.

Some people were worried that the plans to regenerate the precinct would eat into an area outside the shops.

But the council has told residents that no open space will be built on and say the overwhelming reaction to the plans has been positive.

A council spokesman said: "We have developed a fantastic new community facility, the Valley Centre, on this site which has brought a range of services, including the library, housing office and health centre, under one roof.

"Now that those buildings are empty, and sadly the Co-op has closed its store on the site, the area is looking rundown.

"It was always the plan to develop this part of the site next and we have been speaking to the local community about our ideas."

The exact number of houses and business units to be built are not known, but two blocks of homes will be built with space for shops underneath.

The council spokesman said: "These involve initially developing a new supermarket, with housing above, at the front of the site, hopefully from next year, and in a couple of years redeveloping the back of the site with a combination of housing and small shops.

"Everyone at our recent meeting was reassured that the proposals would not involve building on public space and there was very strong support for new housing, especially social housing.

"The plans, which also include a new public space, were overwhelmingly welcomed by local people and will clearly be an improvement on what is there now."

Gisella Sobarasua, 50, of Valley Road, organised the petition and said she had collected 300 signatures.

"All this open space is being used, we're going to lose it all," she said. "The kids come here, it's an open area that is used to sit and rest in the summer and they want to take this away."

Neeley Simmons, a mother-of-four from Beverley Square, said she was annoyed by the plans.

The 30-year-old added: "There's no open space. Our kids play in there all through the year – we've got no shops left and we'll be left with nothing.

"It's a community space, it's a place to meet and gossip. You don't have to worry about kids because there's no traffic.

"They are taking our community away from us.

"We use it every day. I don't want any houses here, I'd just like them to revamp the shops and make it a community space."

Sarah Rolley, of Warton Avenue, signed the petition. The 33-year-old said: "I don't believe we should have houses built here.

"St Ann's has a good sense of community."

What do you think of the plans? Contact Peter Blackburn on 0115 905 1955 or email peter.blackburn@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk

Beacon Hill Rise Road – City Council have ‘no plans to stop speeding cars’

Top Left: new proposed traffic calming measures to be introduced adjacent Nugent & Limmen Gardens.

Top Right: new street lighting but nothing to stop cars using Beacon Hill Rise Road as a ‘race track.’

Lower Left: The driver of this speeding car on Beacon Hill Rise Road was killed when he lost control and hit a lamp post in Limmen Gardens

We recently wrote to Jennifer Williams to point out that some motorists use this main road as a ‘race track’ during the hours of darkness putting the lives of Stonebridge Park residents & children at risk. We asked for more traffic calming measures to prevent this from happening, and improved street lighting. This is the reply from Nottingham City Council:

“I have contacted our Street Lighting department and the street lighting along Beacon Hill Rise and the surrounding ward is due to be upgraded in Autumn 2013.

“The proposed traffic calming features along Beacon Hill Rise are to slow traffic down on the approaches to the bend due to the location of the proposed housing development (as shown on the consultation plan).

“Slowing the traffic along the bend enables motorists to improve visibility and therefore reduce the potential risk for a collision when entering or exiting the proposed driveways.

“We are unable at this time to include extra traffic calming features along Beacon Hill Rise. However, I have forwarded your suggestion of extra calming features along Beacon Hill Rise to the Neighbourhood Development Officer for your ward so she may raise your concerns to your ward councillors.

“If you have noticed high and unsafe vehicle speeds within your area please contact your local Police.”

Jennifer Williams:

Senior Officer - Accident Investigation.Traffic & Safety. Nottingham City Council.

‘Narnia wonderland’ at Stonebridge City Farm

Stonebridge City Farm

Stonebridge Road, St. Anns, Nottingham, NG3 2FR
Telephone: 0115 950 5113 Fax: 0115 941 5288
email: info@stonebridgecityfarm.com

Poster designed by Stonebridge Supporters Group

Staff members & volunteers Carole, Shirley, George, Azzeria Tooby, Ashley Shepard, Ben Smith and Scott Wallis in their Narnia costumes ready for their Winter Wonderland events which begin this Sunday

UK ‘austerity cuts’ to continue into 2018

While the government continues to give away billions of pound of tax payers money in over seas aid -- £12.6 billion by 2014, this Conservative government continues to hit the poorest families the hardest.

In comparison the Police budget is £12.1 billion for police forces around the UK

Today Chancellor George Osborne will set out his autumn budget statement to parliament.

The Financial Times today reports that the era of austerity could last until 2018 as George Osborne is forced to extend spending cuts still further into the next parliament, a respected economic think tank warns.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said that the Chancellor may have to push out the current squeeze on public spending to 2017/18 and find another £11 billion from cuts or tax rises on top of the further £8 billion reduction in welfare spending already mooted.

Having initially planned to eliminate the structural deficit by the time of the next election in 2015, Mr Osborne has already had to signal further real terms cuts of 2.3% in Whitehall spending up to 2016/17 and the slashing of the benefits bill by another £8 billion (at today's prices).

But under the IFS's "relatively pessimistic" scenario for the future of the economy - under which the recent deterioration in growth prospects and tax receipts turns out to be permanent - the Chancellor will be forced to announce even more bad news for British taxpayers if he is to hit his "fiscal mandate".

In a report ahead of Mr Osborne's Autumn Statement next week, the think tank predicts that in any case he is on course to miss his other fiscal target - for national debt to be coming down in 2015/16.

The IFS urged Mr Osborne to instruct the independent Office of Budget Responsibility to do the same in its forecasts because the change would not "directly materially change the long-term outlook for the public finances".

It said that, with borrowing set to reach £133 billion for the current financial year, £13 billion higher than forecast, Mr Osborne may be forced to abandon the 2015/16 debt target.

The IFS suggested Mr Osborne should replace his supplementary fiscal target with something that better encourages "long-run sustainability".

St Ann’s Christmas event attended by record crowd

Festive cheer broke out in St Ann’s this evening as Olympic champion Sharon Gibson helped local councillors Jon Collins, Dave Liversidge & Sue Johnson switch on the Christmas tree lights outside the Police Station.

Over two hundred adults & local children turned up in the chilled air and donned Santa hats to sing carols around the festive Christmas tree.

Local Labour councillor David Liversidge was really pleased with the turn out,  “Times are hard at the moment”, he said, “so its right that Nottingham City Council should spend a bit of money so the whole community can get together and have some fun.”

Afterwards there was also an amazing firework display at the rear of the Robin Hood Chase, followed by refreshments in the Chase Neighbourhood Centre. Hot vegetable soup was on the menu, along with tea & coffee, while all the local children lined up to visit Santa in his fairy grotto.

At 4pm on Friday 7th December the Salvation Army Brass Band & St Christopher's Church Choir, will gather on Sneinton market for their Christmas Lights switch on, attended by St Ann’s Councillors for another festive treat.

By Richard Pearson

December Video update

Stonebridge Park Estate 2012

Stonebridge Park Estate 2007

The video on the left was taken in the Winter of 2007 and shows Pym Walk flats, Flewitt Gardens, Dennett Close & Eastham Close. The video above was taken a few days ago – what a difference 5 years makes!

December 17th marks the two year anniversary of the turf cutting ceremony which took place in Dennett Close back in 2010.

There were high hopes that the construction of the first phase of 95 new homes, flats & apartments would be completed by July 2012, however, problems connecting them to the district heating scheme caused delays. In addition there have been problems with parts of the newly installed road drainage system, and unforeseen difficulties while building the new flats in Magson Close.

With only 3 weeks to go before the Christmas holidays, the completion date has now slipped into early 2013. 

Stonebridge Park is listed in the ‘Nottingham house building Target to 2020’ document, which says that Nottingham City Council aims to build a further 104 new homes on our estate by 2018.

Housing Development Manager Mark Lowe informed us recently that discussions with Developer Keepmoat Homes Ltd were progressing well, although they were not ready to put in a planning application at the moment.

Phases 3 & 6 predominantly cover the Jersey Gardens area.

We have also learned that a new Developer has shown interest in wanting to build new homes on our estate and is in talks with the City Council.

Time shift – see our collection of videos

 

 

View all of our videos dating back five years, and see how the Stonebridge Park Regeneration Scheme has transformed our estate into what will be a nice place in which to live.

We are also adding videos of St Ann’s both new and old – like ‘Gimme Shelter’ from 1969.

The night sky ~ December 2012

Sky Diary VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Winter’s lack of daylight is in some ways a restriction on outdoor activities, but it does provide at least one fun opportunity: the chance to enjoy great views of the night sky. Winter brings a new set of constellations to the Pacific Northwest, and cold, clear, moonless nights in the wilderness can offer some of the best chances to observe the stars all year (provided you’re dressed warmly).

The most prominent constellation in the winter sky is Orion, the Hunter. To spot him, look towards the southeast for a band of three stars—this is his belt. To the upper right of the belt is Bellatrix, a bright blue star representing Orion’s left shoulder (as he is facing us), and to the left is Betelgeuse, an old, enormous orange star that indicates his right shoulder. Below the belt hangs Orion’s sword, which might appear to be a bit fuzzy. This is because two of the three stars that make up the sword aren’t actually single stars—they are blobs of gas and stars called the Trapezium and the Orion Nebula. While it’s fairly easy to notice the fuzziness of these objects with the naked eye on a clear night, a pair of binoculars will help resolve their shape and reveal more subtle details.

Nearby are Orion’s two hunting dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor. Extend Orion’s belt to the left and look for Sirius, the head of Canis Major (the Great Dog) and the brightest star in the night sky. Directly above Betelgeuse, Orion’s right shoulder, is Procyon, the head of Canis Minor. Procyon, Sirius, and Betelgeuse together form the quasi constellation known as the Winter Triangle. If you again use Orion’s belt as a pointer and follow it to the right, you’ll find Aldebaran, another giant orange star, which is one of the brightest in the sky. Aldebaran appears to be following a cluster of stars—the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters, after a Native American legend of young women who climbed into the sky to avoid angry bears. Pleiades is a good test of how clear the observing conditions are. Six stars are usually visible to the eye, but on a very clear night you might be able to pick out 9, and up to 14 with binoculars.

By Jeff Acquino

St Ann’s Children's centre is saved from closure

In March of this year it appeared that Playworks would have to close by Christmas due to significant funding cuts.

However, there has been a complete turn around in their fortunes over the last eight months. The group who is based in Alfred Street North, are extremely pleased that over £120,000 of income has been secured for this operational year, and they also have a record number of members who will continue to deliver all of the vital services.

Moving forward, Playworks has a significant amount of reserves in place. and is in the final stages for a £234,000 lottery bid. The community group  has also secured funding for an excellent Consultant to take forward a number of changes to the organisation over the next four months.

the aim of PlayWorks is to improve the quality & quantity of play provision for children, and younger people in Nottingham, by supporting individuals & organisations that are involved in play, including families and communities. They do this by providing play activities & resources like their popular Scrap store and Arts Shop; training, advice, information, and  giving people the chance to get together to share ideas.

They also campaign on a range of local and national issues related to play on behalf of Nottingham.

On a sad note, Chairlady Val Chadwick, and Project Director Liz Asher are leaving PlayWorks this month after running the organisation for a number of years; they will be missed by everyone involved with the organisation.

The Labour party continues to gain popularity

More good news for the Labour Party today as they win three by-elections, holding Croydon North, Middlesbrough and Rotherham parliamentary seats.

The UK Independence Party came second in Middlesbrough and Rotherham, and finished third behind the Conservatives in Croydon North.

The Conservatives continue to fall out of favour with the electorate as their austerity measures – cuts - continue to affect households around the UK., and their new plans to set a minimum price for alcohol of 45p per unit is likely to cause the Conservatives to drop even further down the opinion poles.

On the 5 December 2012 the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne will be delivering his eagerly awaited Autumn Statement to Parliament which will no doubt include further measures to try and boost growth and aid the UK’s recovery out of the recession.

Many of the tax rates, allowances and thresholds for 2013/14 have already been announced with the main personal allowance set to increase by £1,100 to £9,205 and the top rate of tax set to fall from 50% to 45%.

The new benefit system ‘Universal Credit’ comes into affect from 1st April 2013 which brings all the previous benefits under one single heading. While the government have put in place a new computer system to help the DWP calculate the new Universal Credit for individual claimants, it remains untested, and errors may lead to thousands of people on low income not getting the full benefit rate they are entitled to. Labour will be able to capitalise on this in 2013 to gain even more popularity.

Already we are receiving comments & emails concerning the new Housing Benefit system, which sees households losing benefit money for each extra empty room in their homes, which is also proving unpopular, and is now being referred to as “a stealth TAX.”

Robin Hood Chase design 2012

This is the latest ‘potential design’ plan being shown to shop keepers and St Ann’s residents this week by Project Managers Alan Parker & Gill Callingham.

Another public meeting has been arranged at the Chase neighbourhood Centre for Thursday 29^th November at 4pm, when St Ann’s locals are being invited to discuss the new plans with local councillors Jon Collins, Dave Liversidge & Sue Johnson.

Stonebridge Estate crime figures: October 2012

Paxton Gardens: Violent crime 1, Criminal damage arson 1

Lytton Close: Burglary 1

Beacon Hill Rise, near Paxton Gardens  subway: Criminal damage arson 1

Beacon Hill Rise Junction with Dennett Close: Criminal damage arson 1

Crime figures & map are from the Police.uk website

St Ann’s – Robin Hood Chase consultation meetings

‘Move the Chase Neighbourhood Centre onto the site of Loxley House,’ was one interesting suggestion put forward during a consultation event on the Robin Hood Chase today.

Project Managers Alan Parker & Gill Callingham of the City Council were at the Chase Neighbourhood Centre this morning to show off their new master plan for the Robin Hood Chase shopping precinct, and consult local people.

In addition, another public meeting has been arranged at the Chase neighbourhood Centre for Thursday 29^th November at 4pm, when St Ann’s locals are being invited to discuss the new plans with local councillors Jon Collins, Dave Liversidge & Sue Johnson.

At today’s meeting local residents said that “it was the building of the Neighbourhood Centre in the middle of the Robin Hood Chase in 1997 that caused great harm, with many of the shops closing down soon afterwards. The community centre is not a permanent fixed structure; it is made from wooden units bolted together, so it can be moved!”

Eight local residents arrived to join in the discussion this morning, and later three of the Chase shopkeepers attended.

Locals said that the construction of new St Ann’s following the slum clearance program in the late 1970s was ‘a disaster’, as few facilities were rebuilt in the area, shops, community centres and pubs, and what has been provided has now nearly all gone. “The recent closures of the Chase Co-op store, and Westminster pub was a great loss to the community”, they said.

The residents at the meeting also thought that the master plan shown “was not sensitive to the needs of St Ann’s locals who often used the Robin Hood Chase,” and said they believed the Regeneration Scheme was a kind of “damage limitation exercise.”

Project Manager Gill Callingham informed the meeting that “all the elderly people we have consulted say that no one wanted to go onto the Chase at night time, because it has a bad reputation.”

All the local residents present today said “this was just not true!” A lot of the shops had closed because of the positioning of the community centre, so there was nowhere for people to do their shopping today during the hours of darkness. All of the pensioners at today’s meeting agreed, and pointed out that “they did go onto the Robin Hood Chase at night, and even walked to the top of the Chase when it was dark.“

As part of Zone 3 in place of the former library, Co-op and shops on the north side of the Chase, there are plans to build up to 18 new houses at a cost of £2m. We were told this part of the project will now not happen until 2015 at the earliest.

Plans at the meeting also show a 50/50 mix of new houses & shops on the area at the front of the Robin Hood Chase in Zone 2a in place of the closed Health Centre, which would cost £1.6m.

However, Gisella Sobarasua who edits the Chase Magazine said “there were still too many new homes on the plan, which if built would make the Chase too closed in and claustrophobic. This would also bring with it an increase in antisocial behaviour, due to the closeness of the new houses.”

Project Manager Alan Parker said that this was an issue raised during consultation events last autumn.

“We have listened to these concerns, and now we do not intend to build any new houses in the Aster Road area.

“However, we do need to build some new houses on the Chase to help finance the scheme.

“Also, we are now close to a deal with the NHS to buy the former Health Centre, so the City Council will own all of the land. It is important to realise that the future plans for the Robin Hood Chase cannot happen without a private developer on board, as the City Council does not have the money to develop the land by itself,” he said.

By Richard Pearson

St Ann’s - tributes & candles for popular Co-op manager

A steady stream of St Ann’s residents, friends, and family members continue to visit a make shift shrine outside the former Co-op store on the Robin Hood Chase.  Some of those attending were tearful as they paid their respects to Germaine Edwards who lost his life on Saturday.

28 year old Germaine from Bilborough worked at the Coop for a number of years, and was very popular among his work colleagues and store customers.

 

The Co-op store closed down for the last time on 15th November after 40 years

Westminster Pub in closure mystery

There was great sadness in St Ann’s today after the Westminster public house suddenly closed down on Tuesday afternoon. Local residents said that a Police forensic unit was seen outside the pub with officers doing things inside the building, before the public house was ceiled up with steel shutters for the last time.

A spokesperson for Punch Taverns said: ‘The Westminster did not close because of any drugs or licensing related issues. The pub will remain closed for the foreseeable future and we are actively marketing the site for sale.’

Both veterans and locals held a Remembrance event at the Westminster on 11th November, which turned out to be a momentous occasion, and the pub was open as usual the day before its sudden closure.

Mr Alan Sedgemoor of Rushworth Close said “I was in the Westminster on Sunday and everything was fine. The Westminster Pub was well liked and was the last remaining pub in the heart of St Ann’s, now the community has been left with no community facilities, its a great shame.”

Stonebridge Park: Beacon Hill Rise ~ ‘road safety concerns’

Letter to: Jennifer Williams
Senior Officer - Accident Investigation
Development Department
Nottingham City Council

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

Dear Mrs Williams,

Your Ref ADM0274/Stonebridge-JW/PUBLIC
Reference code: TCM1008

Q: What action do you propose to take to introduce new traffic calming measures along the rest of Beacon Hill Rise Road, to stop ‘cruise’ motorists from regularly racing each other down hill at speeds in access of 60 mph, in order to improve the safety of Stonebridge Park residents & their children during the hours of darkness?

Thank you for sending me a copy of the proposed road traffic calming changes; you ask for our comments and observations.

New traffic calming proposals – Beacon Hill Rise Road

I have placed a copy of your letter & plan on our community website and have spoken to people living on the Stonebridge Park Estate to gage public opinion before writing to you today.

The new proposals are broadly welcomed, and well designed. However, they will only supplement and benefit the home owners of the three new social houses planned by ASRA in Limmen Gardens on the site of the former pedestrian subway, since filled in.

The proposals will do little to improve the safety of Stonebridge Park pedestrians & their children who risk their lives every day trying to cross over this hazardous road during the hours of darkness.

Beacon Hill Rise Road is a main arterial highway leading down hill towards Bath Street/ Sneinton Market, and is frequently used by ‘cruise’ motorists to race each other down hill at speeds in access of 60 mph.

The central refuges on the road today slow these speeding motorists down slightly; however, they are considered a challenge rather than a hindrance. In addition the zebra crossing near the Stonebridge Road, Campbell Street junction has no decent yellow flashing beacons, and is not raised in the form of a speed cushion, so does little to ensure the safety of any local residents or children attempting to use it during the hours of darkness.

Many of the locals I have spoken to are surprised that as a Senior Officer - Accident Investigation, employed by NCC in the Development Department, you have shown little care or consideration for the safety of our Stonebridge Park citizens, by showing no interest in installing new road cushions, improving the zebra crossing to ensure the safety of people using it, or any other traffic calming measures along this hazardous, and in my opinion dangerous road.

I refer to the stretch of Beacon Hill Rise Road between Dennett Close & Stonebridge Road.

On our website we recently reported that “on the evening of Friday 14th September 2012 two cars raced each other at high speed up & down the road at about 10pm.

“Ten minutes later both cars made contact at the zebra crossing at Paxton Gardens, and one vehicle veered out of control colliding with the window at the side of Paul’s grocery shop in Campbell Grove causing structural damage.”

Yours sincerely

Richard Pearson
Website Manager.

200 New Homes to be built on Stonebridge Park

More good new for Stonebridge Park this week, as the Nottingham Target Plan for new house building in the City says that over 200 new homes are to be built on our estate by 2018.

The Executive Board of Nottingham City Council meets on Tuesday 20^th November to discuss their three year Housing Nottingham Plan 2013-2015. This is a ‘draft’ copy of a joint report by Mike Andrews CEO of Nottingham Community Housing Association. Chair of Nottingham's Housing Strategic Partnership. And St Ann’s Labour Councillor David Liversidge, Portfolio Holder for Housing Delivery at Nottingham City Council.

This is a detailed and comprehensive 65 page document that covers every aspect of housing strategy in Nottingham, and is being presented to the Executive Board along side the Nottingham Target Plan to 2020.

The Stonebridge Park Estate gets a mention in both documents.

Recently Keepmoat Homes Ltd has been awarded ‘kick start’ funding from the Homes & Communities Agency under the ‘Get Britain Building Program’ to enable them to build 104 new homes on Stonebridge Park. Keepmoat are presently in discussions with the City Council as to the best and most economical way to provide these properties in the near future. However, Keepmoat are not mentioned by name, the Target Plan simply says “NCC in partnership with private developers.”

The Nottingham Target Plan is to deliver 11,500 new homes by 2020 across Nottingham, with 4,150 to be completed by 2014.

For the Stonebridge Park Estate the plan indicates that “61 new homes are to be provided by ASRA” (Leicester Housing Association) by March 2015. It also says that “Stonebridge Park phases 3 & 6 consist of 40 houses being built by Dec 2013 and 104 units by March 2017. NCC in partnership with private developers.”

However, the 2009 Master Plan for our Estate shows 165 additional new homes to be built here in the near future, including the 16 new units to be built by ASRA in 2013. So in reality the number of new social houses to be constructed is likely to be closer to 150 by 2018.

ASRA have just submitted a planning application to build 16 new houses in Limmen Gardens. If the application is successful they aim to begin building them next summer; the construction company being Lovell Partnerships.

In the Housing Nottingham Plan under the Regeneration Theme, it says “transforming Nottingham’s Neighbourhoods is identified as Strategic Priority 2 in the Nottingham Plan 2020 which aims to achieve:

“Greater balance…. in the city’s housing market with an increased choice of quality housing meeting the needs of a diverse population and enabling the city to retain more of its aspiring residents”.

“In Nottingham, the Stonebridge Park regeneration scheme has provided a good example of where housing replacement programmes have attracted regeneration benefits beyond the initial scope of the scheme. The scheme has created 10 apprenticeships for local young people while delivering 95 new homes. In addition, the programme has stimulated the development of a new extra-care facility, Albany House on an adjacent site. Private investor interest in the Carlton Road/Albany works near the southern end of the Stonebridge estate is likely to see this site brought forward for a mixed residential and retail development in the near future.”

Developer Blueprint (Igloo) intend to submit a planning application before Christmas, which includes building a new ASDA store on the Albany Works site, and new houses on the land presently occupied by the Co-op nearby.

By Richard Pearson