Pym Street ~ its school & chapel

 The western half of Pym Street leading to Blue Bell Hill Road was completed in 1916, and was a main arterial road bisecting the northern half of the Stonebridge Park Estate in a north-south divide.

Harold Smith was born on Girsby Terrace, off Pym Street. He used to be a paperboy at the paper shop on the corner of Pym Street and Gordon Road. When the owner retired, he bought the business. Mr Smith gives an account of his life living in St Ann’s in Ruth John’s book: St Ann’s, Inner City Voices, published in 2002.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bluebell Hill Schools (Indicated by the red dot on the map) opened in 1883 by the Nottingham School Board It was situated at the junction of Bluebell Hill Road and Pym Street. The small building with a gable end was the school hall mainly used by the infants. The attached building contains the junior school upstairs, with the infants on the ground floor; the school closed in 1973, and was demolished in 1974. The school canteen was retained which is now the Blue Bell Hill Community Centre shown above. The caretaker’s house was also retained and this is today the old brick building of the community centre. Today the building is in regular use, and remains at the heart of the local community. The Community Centre is the focus of the Bluebell Hill Playgroup and Out of School Care Scheme. The contact telephone number is 0115 9476722. It is also interesting to note that St Ann’s Welfare Rights Group (SAWRAG) started off here in 1983, and is still going strong today in the Neighbourhood Centre on the Robin Hood Chase. The founder members included Mrs Kath Ross & Mr Ron Bell.

On the opposite side of Pym Street, looking out onto Blue Bell Hill Road stood the Morley Memorial Chapel. The Chapel was designed by R C Sutton (Architect) and built for Primitive Methodists, costing £2,500. It was opened on 20 October 1889 with seating for 600. The following notice appeared in the London Gazette, 18 November 1941:

The church closed in 1942 and the building was sold to the Boot's Company and used as a warehouse, as well as a timber store until it was demolished in 1972. This is a list of Baptisms held at Morley Memorial Chapel, from December 19th 1897 - July 25th 1909.

Winifred Mary Hopkins; Alice Clara Thurlby; Gladys Eva Walkerdine; Eliza Frankton; George Ernest Keyworth; Ernest Rogers; Herrick (Eric) Boot; Ellen Maud Cooper; Ralph Stacey Baxter White; Lily Webster Johnson; Clara Skinner; Leslie John Birch; Frank Harold Smeeton; Winifred May Seward; Abraham Johnson; Madge Rogers; Frank Alfred Brackwell; Frank Miller & Clement Frederick Bacon.

In 1916, Flewitt Street was also completed; it crossed all the way over Pym Street, through the area of the Stonebridge Park Estate, which today (2012) is known as Limmen Gardens, and then into Melville Gardens. In 1916, this area of our estate had three roads linking Beacon Hill Rise Road in the west to Gordon Road in the east; they all passed over Flewitt Street. Above Pym Street, which was the largest road on our estate at the time, was Massey Street, Hunt Street and Young Street.

Memories of Pym Street

   In 1995 St Ann’s Library launched a ‘Day of  Memories’ with talks by local historians.

Old photographs of St Ann’s was on display,

these are some of those photographs

Stonebridge apartments ‘all let’ in one mad rush

  Within days of the notice board going up in Magson Close advertising two bedroom apartments with a monthly rent of £350, the registration process was halted due to the large volume of interested residents wanting to live their. A spokesman for the estate agents said today that the rooms will be available for residents to move into before the end of the month. The monthly rent includes fridge/freezer, washing machine, dishwasher & window blinds.

Update: External works on Wray Close

This series of photographs taken today shows the external works taking place on Wray Close, the upper left image shows the ‘Closed Board’ fencing residents in Lytton Close & Eastham Close will have round the front of their gardens adjacent Eastham footpath.

New home owners make hansom profit!

Did estate agents selling the newly built Stonebridge houses earlier this year get their sums wrong?

New home owners on Stonebridge Park may have made a quick profit of up to £50,000 by buying newly built houses at bargain prices. In the case of the four bedroom Victoria & 3 bedroom Carlton type houses in Dennett Close, the profit made could be much more than that?

House prices jumped a "surprising" 1.3% in August, the Nationwide building society has said in its annual report.

It was the biggest monthly rise since January 2010 and left the average UK house price at £164,729.

It means prices are only 0.7% lower than a year ago, despite the recession and continued mortgage rationing.

However, the society's chief economist, Robert Gardner, warned that "we should never read too much into one month's data".

"Nevertheless, the fact that the annual pace of house price decline moderated to minus 0.7% in August from minus 2.6% the previous month provides evidence that conditions remain fairly stable.

"This may be explained by the surprising resilience evident in the UK labour market, with further increases in employment in recent months, even though the UK economy has remained in recession," he added.

Wray Close: WATES fencing -- done on the cheap!

The latest Newsletter by the Decent Homes team was circulated around our estate yesterday afternoon. It follows the debacle of mid August when WATES Production Manger Mr Alan Bridgewood refused to answer a simple question from locals about External Works, and with the absence of any WATES contact details, he advised all Stonebridge tenants to telephone Nottingham City Homes if they wanted any of their questions answered!

Such poor customer relations by contractor WATES came as a surprise to local tenants & residents so soon after the cladding & external works began in July. Therefore, the latest newsletter is WATES’ response to local criticism?

The Newsletters of 9th July and 13th August stated that the External Works “was going according to programme.” They would begin on 20th August & finish at the end of October 2012. This was unbelievable, it would have meant that contractor WATES would carryout the external works in a record time of just 72 days! We now know that information published in these Newsletters was ‘unreliable.’  External works are set to begin in Stonebridge Road on 12th September, and in Eastham Close, Lytton Close & Dennet Close in October. Today a  WATES manager advised  one of our website correspondents that the Exterior Works programme “is unlikely to be completed before Christmas.”

The photo published in yesterday’s newsletter shows the high quality wooden fence constructed by Lovell’s in March 2012. It is part of the perimeter wall & fencing for new home owners in Blake Close; top of Magson Close – near Wray Close.  This fence has nothing to do with what Nottingham City Homes' contractor WATES are doing in Wray Close today. The wooden 1.8m fences being installed by WATES are of far inferior quality. There are no concrete support pillars & no concrete base slates. So a big thumbs up to Lovell’s for their good quality workmanship & materials, and . . . a ‘thumbs down’ to WATES for installing inferior quality wooden fencing -- done on the cheap.! 

Video update 1st September – ‘Once in a blue Moon’

When two full Moons happen in the same month we call it a Blue Moon, and yesterday we could truly say ‘Once in a blue Moon.’ The Moon really isn’t blue of course, it looks the same as every other Moon in the sky.

Today was earmarked as the completion date for the new 96 houses,flats & apartments on the Stonebridge Park estate, and as the latest photographs show there is still more to do -- but not much more.

The video begins in Dennet Close looking around the apartment block named Blue Bell Hill House, and the nearby new homes which now have new occupiers. We then move into Paxton Gardens to see how far WATES have installed the new exterior wall cladding their. We then visit Rocket Park, and on into Melville Gardens were WATES began installing the cladding on 28th July. Finally, we look around the new flats & apartment block in Magson Close, and the new homes in Blake Close at the top of the road.

Finally we view the wilderness of Jersey Gardens, before we end up looking at the site of the former Pym Walk flats, which is now a storage depot. Richard.P

Video: Homes For Heroes

A great deal has been written about the Nottingham Blitz of World War 2, and other parts of Britain which were devastated by Adolph Hitler’s bombs.

The raid on the night of 8-9 May by the German Luftwaffe was targeted at Nottingham and Derby. The X-Gerät beams set up to cover the Rolls Royce works were detected, and radio counter-measures diverted the attack to the moors north east of the town.

There were over 100 bombers in the Nottingham raid. Emergency services tackled 97 fires on the night of the Nottingham Blitz on May 8 and 9, 1941. Records list 12 fires as serious, 40 as major and 42 as medium. In some cases, fires started by incendiary bombs were put out before they took hold.

As the War ended there was a major house rebuilding program set up by the Government, known as “Homes for Heroes.” Its aim was to provide homes for returning British troops, and for families who lost their homes as a result of the blitz. Town Planning was hotly debated at this time, and in this interesting and informative video, town planners of the time explain there ideas and way of thinking © BBC TV.

Police Crime figures for July 2012

Kelverdon Gardens  ASB 2; Theft 1
Outcomes: Under investigation 1; Defendant found not guilty 2; Offender given conditional discharge 1.

Beacon Hill Rise Theft 1.
Outcomes: No further action 1.

Hawk Ridge Gardens Violent crime 1

Lytton Close ASB 1.

Paxton Gardens public disorder & weapons 1.
Outcomes: Under investigation 1.

Flewitt Gardens Vehicle crime 1; Drugs 1.
Outcomes: Under investigation 1; caution 1.

St Matthias road ASB 1. Outcomes: Offender sent to prison 1; No further action 1.

Melville Gardens (old) pedestrian subway ASB 1.

Magson Close, Outcomes: No further action 1.

Jersey Gardens, Outcomes: No further action 1.

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

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

Outcomes are not available for anti-social behaviour [ASB].

History to the north of the Stonebridge Park estate

ROSE HILL FARM

Two hundred years ago, the area we know today as the Stonebridge Park Estate was nothing more than open fields with Rosehill farm to the north. Rosehill farm is now occupied by Bluebell Hill primary school. The farm was at the top of long Hedge Lane leading from Sneinton Elements on Carlton Road to the west; today this has become St Matthias Road. Rose Hill farm was demolished in the early 1930s, and the Pierrepont Girls School was built on the land. Following further building work and modernisation through the 1980s & 1990s; it became Blue Bell Hill Infant and Nursery School. This illustration is by a Mr Beilby who also provided illustrations for my 1996 book on astronomer Thomas William Bush.

ST MATTHIAS CHURCH

Saint Matthias according to the Acts of the Apostles was the apostle chosen by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas Iscariot following Judas' betrayal of Jesus and his suicide.

The feast of Saint Matthias was included in the Roman Calendar in the 11th century and celebrated on the sixth day to the Calendars of March (February 24 usually, but February 25 in leap years). Owing to the reform of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints in 1969, his feast was transferred to May 14, so as not to celebrate it in Lent but instead in Easter.

Martin Cooper writing on the Southwell Diocese church history site, notes that St Matthias Church was built in 1867-68 on land off Carlton Road, at a time when the area was still rural, which is reflected in early pictures of the church. It was built to the designs of Thomas Chamber Hine and Robert Evans and provided 300 seats at a cost of some £3,000. (£200,000 as of 2012).
It is a Grade II listed building, and was consecrated as a chapel of ease in the parish of St. Stephen's Church, Sneinton, by The Rt. Revd. John Jackson the Bishop of Lincoln on 6 May 1868.

Although the church was built with a western triple bellcote only one bell is hung for swing chiming. It has a diameter of 20 inches and weighs 26 Kg. It was cast by J Taylor and Co of Loughborough in 1867 and is inscribed “Cast to the orders of Hine and Evans Architects in 1867 for this church”.

The chancel was damaged by enemy action during the Second World War. The three manual organ was by E. Wragg & Son dating from 1912.

During the 135-year history of St Matthias church, there were thirteen-priest incumbent here all listed below; the last was Malcolm Crook in 2003. This was when the church closed and later sold. Richard.P

1869-1882 Frederick Armine Wodehouse	1912-1931 John Henry Tomlinson
1882-1890 Arthur Powys Woodhouse	1931-1954 Frederick Llewellyn Forsaith Rees
1890-1892 George Perry-Gore	1955-1990 Kenneth Leigh Bennett
1892-1900 William Henry Castell Malton	1990-1993 William Albert Porter
1900-1904 William Walker	1990-1993 William Albert Porter
1904-1912 Ralph Mowbray Howard	1994-2002 Rodney Frederic Brittain Smith

The Night Sky September 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The planet Jupiter as seen through a 12 inch telescope on 27th August 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

Above, the planet Saturn as seen through a 14 inch telescope on 17th August 2012.

The southern sky on 15th September 2012

SKY DIARY FOR SEPTEMBER

31st August Full Moon	12th Venus 4.7 deg N of the Moon
04th September Jupiter at quadrature	14th Regulus 6.8 deg N of the Moon
06th Pleiades 4.8 deg N of the Moon	18th Spica 1.4 deg N of the Moon
07th Hyades 4.0 deg S of the Moon	19th Mars 1.0 deg N of the Moon
07th Aldebaran 3.9 deg S of the Moon	21st Antares 5.1 deg S of the Moon
08th Jupiter 1.3 deg N of the Moon	22nd Autumn Equinox
08th Last Quarter Moon	22nd First Quarter Moon
09th Mercury at superior conjunction	29th Full Moon

Urgent Appeal for new committee members

Stonebridge Park Tenants & Residents Association (SPTRA) was formed in the summer of 2002 because the Stonebridge Estate was looking run down & needed some tender loving care to improve our homes and neighbourhood, in order to make the estate a nice place to live.

As a committee we have worked hard along side the local community to reduce antisocial behaviour, improve children’s play facilities, and regenerate the land.

Ben Rowson & I work during the day and we are finding it difficult to continue running SPTRA by our selves, so we urgently need new committee members to help keep our Tenants & Residents Association going.

Without this assistance we would not like to see SPTRA disband in September. This will be a very sad occasion for all of us after a decade of goals, and achievements for the whole community.

THIS IS AN URGENT APPEAL FOR NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS

At present SPTRA hold public meetings four times a year, and we have the same number of planning committee meetings, so that the total commitment is a couple of hours on eight separate occasions during the year, however you can give as little or as much as you want.

We also need volunteers to deliver flyers advertising public meetings, and some help with running social events.

One of our aspirations is to run a day trip to Skegness, which we have done in the past, and perhaps have bingo evenings or hold parties on special occasions at the Blue Bell Hill Community Centre.

Please can you help your community, friends & neighbours by volunteering a few hours of your time to become a committee member?

Please help Stonebridge Park Tenants & Residents Association, and your community, by putting your name forward --- We urgently need your help.

Email us at: stonebridgetra@gmail.com

Contact Mr Afzaal Nawaz at Nottingham City Homes Tel: 0115 915 7380

We would not like to see SPTRA disband in September, however, without your valuable assistance this may happen, so please do your best and help us to keep going.

Yours sincerely

Laura Summers (Chairlady, Ben Rowson (Treasurer), Afzaal Nawaz (Get Involved. NCH), Richard Pearson (Website Manager)

Cladding update day 30

127 days to completion. The canopy’s over the front door of each property has been removed and I am told these will all be replaced by new fixtures as part of the cladding work.

New cladding has now been applied to 12 homes in Melville Gardens, and the first 6 houses are nearing completion with beige rendering & a brick affect finish. In Paxton Gardens WATES has now begun removing the old tiled upper frontage to houses next to Stonebridge City farm, and in Stonebridge Road on the south side of our estate. In addition more scaffolding has been erected, this time around the inner area of Paxton Gardens.

External works by WATES are continuing in Wray Close, and are not running to the schedule published recently in the Nottingham City Homes newsletters which can be seen here: [Issue 1] [Issue 2] That schedule indicated that the External works would be completed at the end of October, which was unrealistic. There is a lot to do in and around Eastham Close, including security hardening of the Eastham footpath.

Stonebridge Bank holiday weekend event

ENTER

Take a victual visit to Pompeii today to see the remains of this once great city.

The final 24 hours of the Roman city of Pompeii are being relived on Twitter today - exactly 1,933 years after an eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the city beneath a blanket of ash.

The minute-by-minute reconstruction of the city's destruction is based on the tale of Pliny the Elder, the Roman scholar and admiral who took command of the city's evacuation.

The city's cataclysmic final day will be retweeted as it happened from the Twitter account Elder_Pliny, who has been brought to life by experts from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Scout & Girl Guide groups may return to St Ann’s

 

 

 

 

 

 

St Ann’s Ward is high on the agenda as Nottingham’s most deprived neighbourhood, and presently has no remaining Scout, Cubs or Girl Guide groups. A big difference from St Ann’s of old which had a number of such community groups, with popular Scout leader Mr Vernan Hawley leading the way.

According to today’s newspapers Scout & Girl Guide children & teenage groups may be on their way back for St Ann’s if the government has its way.

The government is set to make an announcement very soon.

Police Update

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 or windows 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. Go up to your windows to check they are locked securely before going out or going to bed. It is easy to forget to close and lock windows especially in warm weather.
• 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.

By: Lindsay Donnelly (Police, Administrator, Nottinghamshire)

External Works - WATES manager refuses to provide answer to local residents

Answer: August 23^rd starting in Wray Close where WATES will be installing a wooden fence at the rear of one of the properties.

On Monday residents living at the 51 properties to receive External Works on Stonebridge, said that they were unable to arrange holidays, visit family or friends, cut their front lawns, and even make preparations because no one from WATES had given them a start date for the work since June. 

I have received a volume of telephone calls & Emails from residents wanting to know when the External Works involving off road parking areas, and perimeter iron railings & fences would begin on their 51 properties.

WATES manager Mr Alan Bridgeford based at the site office in Melville Gardens, said that he knew the start date but refused to answer this simple question yesterday. Instead he  referred myself and local residents to the Decent Homes query line at Nottingham City Homes. In turn City Homes said that they had no information available.

Yesterday evening I contacted WATES Press officer Lucy O’Connor, and went on to contacted Steve Edlin Bsc., Head of Service Capital Programme at Nottingham City Homes this morning.

Today several residents living in Lytton Close, Eastham Close, Dennet Close & Stonebridge Road telephoned Nottingham City Homes for information about when the External work would begin at their properties. Locals are seeking a more precise answer to their query, rather than the vague answers they have been given up until now.

Finally I received an Email from Sarah Smith who is a Marketing Manager at WATES Living Space, who said “Thank you for your email regarding works at Stonebridge Park Estate.

“I have spoken with the site management team who have confirmed work will be commencing on Thursday 23^rd August. I hope this helps to address your query.”

Further enquiries brought to light a letter addressed to a lady in Wray Close who was happy to show it to me. It was from WATES manager Christine Neatby who says that she is happy to answer any queries or concerns about External Works from local tenants & residents. Her phone number is 0115 781280 Mobile 0773943510.

I would like to thank all the tenants & residents who contacted me and asked for my assistance, and all those residents who phoned Nottingham City Homes this morning. In addition I would like to acknowledge the valuable assistance of Communications Officer Mr Martine Valentine at Nottingham City Homes, and Press Officer Sara Smith at WATES Living Space for their valuable assistance. Richard.P.

Cladding video update ~ Day 24

133 days to 31st December ~ WATES’ completion deadline.  There are now eight houses with external wall cladding fitted and the cream exterior rendering is now being applied to two houses in Melville Gardens. This presentation begins in Melville Gardens, and as the music changes we view Paxton Gardens, Stonebridge Road and round into the the rear of the Paxton Gardens area. While the recent Nottingham City Homes Newsletter says that WATES is making good progress, 8 houses near completion in 3 1/2 weeks appears to be slow?

Limmen Gardens ~ highway closure notice

The new Department for Transport footpath & highway closure Notice will go up shortly. It is dated 20th August and any objections should be sent to: The National Transport Casework Team, 2nd Floor, Lancaster House, Hampshire Court, Newcastle Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne. NE4 7YH The closing date is 17th September 2012. Copies of the plan & paperwork will be available to view at St Ann’s library.

ASRA News Update

 ASRA are now preparing to build 16 new houses in Limmen Gardens, do you have any comments or concerns?

‘Click here’ to have your say using the ASRA Feedback form

Alternatively you can email ASRA at enquiries@lha-asra.org.uk or call their Customer Contact Centre on 0116 257 6716.

The first customers have moved into the multi-million pound regeneration scheme at St Ann's in Nottingham.

The five-year regeneration scheme of Stonebridge Park is creating new homes in the area, as well as improved community facilities - and local residents have been involved in the regeneration scheme, which is close to Stonebridge Park.

The development is a partnership between ASRA Housing Group, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and Nottingham City Council (NCC). The homes will be managed by Nottingham City Homes (NCH).

The HCA provided £5.5m to kick start the scheme, unlocking a total investment of £11m for new housing to create more choice for residents and a mixed and sustainable neighbourhood.

There will be 71 properties on Dennett Close, Beacon Hill Rise and St Matthias Road. These will include rent to home buy, and intermediate rent properties as well as social rented homes.

The first tenants have now been given the keys to their new home and are moving into their properties on Dennett Close.

Matt Cooney, ASRA Housing Group Chief Executive, said: "This is our flagship scheme and was achieved by all parties and the community working together. "We are very proud that we have also attracted buyers for the 24 private sale homes on this phase of the development."

All homes are built to high environmental and design standards, achieving Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. Improvements to the public realm and green space have also been incorporated in the plans.

Of the 258 new properties on the site, 210 are two, three and four bedroom homes with the remaining 48 flats. Just over 240 properties that weren't demolished as part of the regeneration project are being refurbished.

The work has transformed Stonebridge Park, removing the "Radburn" style of housing in which homes face away from the street, with a more traditional street pattern.

The first customers moving in marks a period of great success for ASRA Housing Group's Development Team. The team managed to launch a successful marketing campaign that has led to almost all of the affordable homes being sold. 

Harjit Singh, from the Midlands Development Team said: "The two, three, four bedroom development was launched on the 28th of January with twelve units being secured on the day; all viewers were impressed by the show home, which was designed by the use of professional interior designers.

"All the homes included off road parking, full appliance package, ceramic tiles, eighty percent wool carpeting, high end contemporary kitchens and modern luxury bathroom suites.

"The remaining twelve were secured by the end of February, with only one sale falling through.  However this was also quickly secured, conveying the popularity of the development.  Furthermore, the legal completion of the sale followed very quickly meaning there was very little void period.

"Not only is Stonebridge Park an exciting new place to live, enjoying a vibrant café' culture, the local economy benefitted as local apprentices were used in the development."

Video update for 15th August 2012

The date of the next public meeting of SPTRA is on Wednesday 26^th September between 7pm – 8:30pm at Stonebridge City Farm.; meanwhile the latest Newsletter is being circulated in the next few days.

The local tenants & residents Association are urgently seeking new committee members to help organise public meetings, the distribution of leaflets & Newsletters and social events. You may give as little or as much of your time as you wish. If you are interested, please contact Mr Richard Pearson Tel 0115 854 3911, or Email Stonebridgetra@gamail.com

This is the latest video around the estate taken on a nice warm afternoon. [Day 15] of WATES external cladding works and still only 5 homes has been completed and no coloured rendering has been applied so far. There remains 141 days until New Year’s Eve when the cladding is meant to be finished.

The scaffolding around homes in preparation for external wall cladding, and homes nearing completion, are shown mainly in Melville gardens in the north of the estate, and later in the video in Stonebridge Road in the south-west of the Stonebridge Park Estate.

Half the homes in the bottom row of new houses in Dennet Close are now occupied, while work putting traffic calming measures on Dennet Road continues.

Beacon Hill House, the block of apartments in the middle of the western edge of the estate is nearing completion while work continues on the car parking areas at the rear of the building, and the frontages.

Magson Close is a similar story, the blocks of flats and apartments are almost complete, and the open plan frontage is being laid.

The new footpaths and road surfaces still need to be laid and new street lighting introduced all along the new Dennet Road.

I have been advised that the completion date, already extended until the end of this month, has again been extended into September.

Ops! Human error invalidates footpath Notices

Planning Notices put up in Limmen Gardens on 26th July setting out the closure of three footpaths in the area, were declared unlawful & invalid today.

Website manager Richard Pearson contacted the Department for Transport, and pointed out that the plan & paperwork the notices referred to had not been deposited at St Ann’s library!

Library staff searched every-where, but couldn’t find them.

After making enquiries, Karen Tweddle of the National Transport Casework Team, thanked Richard for noticing the error. The current Notices were then declared invalid while a copy of the required plan & paperwork was sent to the local library this afternoon.

New Notices will now be put up around Limmen Gardens and a fresh 28 day consultation period will began shortly.

The Department for Transport Notices rely upon the Outline Planning Application, Ref 09/01732/POUT submitted on 2 July 2009, and therefore the master plan of that year.

Footpath Closure to allow for new side road with ‘safety’ issues 

One proposed footpath closure in front of a row of 8 houses in Limmen Gardens (Numbers 55 – 69), will see the path become a new side road once the new planning application is submitted in a few weeks time.

Like the new road now under construction in Dennet Close, the proposed road in Limmen Gardens will have no footpath either side, so local residents can expect to walk directly out of their front gates into the road! However, there will be traffic calming measures in place so that cars will go slow along this new road.

The idea behind this new side road is simply to allow off road parking for a row of 6 new adjacent houses, ending in a cul-de-sac, presently occupied by two garages in Melville Gardens; a vacant unused grass area with high iron railings presently occupies this site.

The second & third proposed footpath closures refer to the area formerly occupied by the pedestrian underpass, since filled in, and the side road simply named Limmen Gardens. The developer plans to build a row of 4 new houses on the green on this corner of the Stonebridge Park Estate. Off road parking spaces for these homes will be from Beacon Hill Rise road, with a new narrow footpath leading to the rear of the premises.

Stonebridge City Farm Caribbean Day

Meet Lucy the loveable goat that likes to blow raspberries!

Sunday, 12 August from 12:00 noon

A taste of Caribbean Culture, Food and Music

Everyone is welcome to join the festivities

The Common Lands Team will be their who would like to meet with people who lived in old St Ann’s in the decade leading up to 1976

Mortgage joy for millions

By Macer Hall

HOMEOWNERS were last night given hope that mortgage rates will stay at a record low for the next three years - and could even be cut further within months.

City experts forecast that the Bank of England cut will mean a fall in monthly payments for the estimated three million households with mortgages above 0.5 per cent until mid-2015.

borrowers could save an average of £200 a year if rates follow the forecast of Vicky Redwood, chief UK economist of Capital Economics, who predicts a 0.25 per cent cut in the key interest rate "in November". She said: "The door is clearly open to more stimulus."

A cut will mean a fall in monthly payments for the estimated three million households with mortgages that track the base rate.

The forecasts follow a gloomy assessment of the economy from the Bank of England yesterday. In the quarterly inflation report bank chiefs cut the growth forecast for this year and next as the country struggles with the double-dip recession.

Video Old St Ann’s Photographs

St Ann's Reminiscences

SIXTEEN YEARS ago, with help from Mr Richard Pearson, St Ann’s library on the Robin Hood Chase began a unique project, ‘A Day of Memories’ and invited the people who once lived in this town to return and reminisce about the good old days, it became an annual event lasting over 5 year. People brought in old photo’s of the town as it use to be. This special presentation is a slide show of over 200 images set to the sounds of spring.

Discover more old photographs of Nottingham at: http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/