News

News...........News..........News..........News..........News..........News..........News..........News..........News..........News..........News..........News......

The threat of gravel extraction to the south of Borrowash just won’t go away. Now Derbyshire County Council has started the consultation process on the next 10 yearly Minerals Plan. Tarmac has submitted proposals to this plan, which could mean sand & gravel extraction, right up to the banks of the River Derwent, crossing Station Road then continuing around Elvaston Castle.

Elvaston Parish Council and The Borrowash Action Group (BAG) have met and made detailed objections to such a plan. However the Conservative controlled Ockbrook and Borrowash Parish Council seem unwilling to discuss the plan. Since July they have cancelled 3 Environmental meetings where these proposals could have been discussed. Our 4 Labour Councillors tried on two occasions to call special meetings of the Environment Committee to oppose this plan. These requests were turned down!

So at the time of writing, NO Parish Council discussion on such an important environmental issue has taken place, and the deadline for objections for this stage of the plan has past.

Sand & Gravel Extraction in the green belt that borders our village would have a detrimental effect on our way of life and property values.

The Conservatives on the Parish Council are failing in their duty to protect you, the residents of Borrowash.

To view these gravel proposals visit the websites below

www.borrowash.com/bag

www.derbyshire.gov.uk

or phone 01332 675079

The campaign by residents in Kimberley Road, forced a U-turn by the Tory controlled Parish Council.

Residents wanted restrictions on access to the Deans Drive Playing Fields by erection of bollards at the entrance off Kimberly Road. The restrictions would limit anti-social behaviour by a small minority who were disturbing residents on Kimberly Road. The Residents pressure supported by the Labour Parish Councillors and Liz Blackman MP reversed the Parish Council’s objections.

The question being asked now is where’s the bollard? A special meeting of the Parish Council on Wednesday 2^nd August was told that the Bollard could be erected in days. Yet nearly two months later the work has still not been done. Labour Parish Councillors are pressing the majority Conservative group to make good their promise to residents and get the job done.

At the September meeting of the Parish Council, residents from Kimberley Road asked for the problem surrounding the Teen Shelter to be put on the agenda for discussion. This was placed so far down the long agenda that Councillor Vera Tunmanov (vice chair) closed the meeting before the residents’ item was reached. Residents who had sat through the entire meeting were furious at being treated in such a dismissive way. Twice Labour councillors tried to move standing orders to allow discussion on the item. Twice the majority Tory Group voted this down.

Is this anyway to run Parish Council?

Why are residents not able to have their concerns discussed?

Liz Blackman MP has written a strong letter to the Highways Agency criticising their lack of action to put quieter surfacing on the stretch of the A52 between Ockbrook and Borrowash.

Liz has been pressing for the work to be done for many years. In 2002 she received a letter advising her the work should be done in 2004. It now appears the work is not included in this years plan.

“I find this wholly unacceptable “Liz told us “ firstly the Agency gave a commitment that the work would go ahead this year, secondly people living near the A52 have to put up with an intolerable level of noise, thirdly it would have been more cost affective if the work had been done at the same time as recent work at Spondon”. Liz is also angry that the Highway’s Agency did not let her or anyone else know of the change of plan.

“I am now urging them to think again and put this quieter surface on the A52 on this stretch of road as they have done elsewhere.