Lincolnshire readers write about former Cummins site in Stamford, Christmas reindeer in Uppingham and roadworks in Grantham
Readers have had plenty to say on what’s in the news.
Here we share some of the letters, emails and comments that have come in over the week, including this cartoon from John Elson.
Don’t forget, you can always get in touch by emailing news@lincsonline.co.uk
Let’s make Christmas magical
Regarding last week’s campaign article to save the reindeer. As an Uppingham resident I congratulate all the work by a small, dedicated band of volunteers into making Christmas in Uppingham a wonderful seasonal event for the town. The inclusion of the reindeers each year is immensely popular with families and especially the youngsters. They are as much a part of the event as Santa, the lights, and the Christmas tree. In short, they are important to the festive experience enjoyed in this town over the last 10 years.
Members of the public and the volunteers attending the June council meeting were surprised and dismayed to hear the adverse remarks made by two councillors, who refused the grant application citing inexplicably , and for the first time in about 10 years, that Rutland County Council don’t allow animals on council land. For clarity, these remarks were immaterial since RCC can only make rules on their own land and events. Christmas in Uppingham is not an RCC event and has always had an arrangement with Uppingham School to use their private property, Mercers Yard. The council also refused a grant since they said they were not now supportive of reindeer, one councillor saying, ‘even though the little ones love them, they don’t bring money into the project’. They are part and parcel of the whole evenings experience. Let’s not have the Christmas lights or tree then, what income do they bring? What an unnecessary and thoughtless comment. The council would only consider a fresh application from the volunteers ‘for an event which no longer includes live animals’.
The wonderful volunteers would not wish to disappoint anyone but especially the children. No matter what size the donation, every penny will go towards their presence again this year in Mercers Yard.
Donations can be made by either cheque payable to Christmas in Uppingham CIC, or e-mail uppinghamchristmas@gmail.com or BACS account name: Christmas in Uppingham CIC: Sort code 40-52-40: A/C No 00037065
Pat Dalby
Lime Tree Avenue, Uppingham
Nothing is happening with site
September marks the end of summer and is also the sixth anniversary of SKDC agreeing to buy the old Cummins site.
This was relaunched in a blaze of expensive PR and inspirational guff as 'the St Martin's development'.
Today, nature is reclaiming the site and it could be relaunched as a wildlife park.
Nothing has happened. The leader of the council claimed, in May this year, that the site had been sold to 'an undisclosed buyer for an undisclosed price'. This was untrue. SKDC later insisted that a deal would be done 'during the summer'. Summer's gone and no sale has materialised.
The site was bought for £1.8m more than its valuation. This uplift was to 'reflect the future value of the site to the community'. Apparently, this is a very rare, and possibly illegal, way to value land.
Demolition costs are £100,000 over budget; so far. Clean-up costs, which also went over budget, are now so astronomical that SKDC applied, some months ago, for a £2.8m Government grant to do the work. Apparently, according to the leader of the council, the development isn't viable without this grant.
A ludicrous deal was struck to maintain an electricity supply to the site at £1400/month. This will have cost about £1m so far.
Then there's the cost of the interest to service the loans taken out to fund this fiasco.
I reckon about £15m of taxpayers' money has been spaffed on this little vanity project. There's probably additional expenditure which is so far undisclosed.
The site is a mess. The security fencing was down and anyone could access the site, wander through the dangerous, insecure and still undemolished buildings. They could expose themselves to whatever contamination is going to cost £2.8m to remove and they could easily fall into one of many holes and other traps the fast-growing weeds are hiding.
I've written, many times, to various councillors. They haven't even provided the common courtesy of an acknowledgement to any of them, let alone a reply.
The site is an eyesore, a bad advert for Stamford and a testament to the commercial and business incompetence of SKDC and its councillors.
Ian Dodd
Sovereign Way, Stamford
Solar parks are here to stay
Love them or hate them, solar parks are here to stay and are now the cheapest way to generate electricity. The technology has improved over the last decade enabling them to make electricity for 90% less than by any other means, however in Britain we still only generate 5% of our electricity by using power from the sun.
We all use more electricity than we did in the past, think of all the electric gadgets that you now have, and what with the withdrawal of oil and gas we will be using even more.
Did you know that the East of England gets more sunshine than most places in UK ? The farmers could make a lot of money from generating electricity on their land, more than they can from growing grain !
Solar parks have to go somewhere, and they don’t look so bad, from the road at the south end, they look like a big blue lake, and from the north side, like a dark coloured field of uncut beans. Further more the county could make some extra cash from a solar park, so why not here or on the derelict ground that was used by the MOD?
Andrew Morris
Torkington Gardens, Stamford
Question over funding
Having read the article published on Monday, September 2, relating to an increased allocation of S106 funding to Stamford Rugby Club, I feel it is important that some questions are asked on behalf of the residents of St John's ward.
The redevelopment of the playground facilities on Lonsdale Road - it should be noted that the parcel of land on which it sits, was retained by SKDC after the transfer of the majority of the rest of the Empingham Road Playing Fields site to Stamford Town Council, and it is therefore the district council which continues to manage decisions on its use - including the provision of new play equipment to create a safe-space for younger residents on that side of Empingham Road, appeared to be a great aspiration for SKDC, an excellent enhancement to a valuable resource for the residents of St John's, and a worthy use of S106 funds.
Therefore, in light of Coun Dilks’ comments within the article, specifically where he states "As there is currently no requirement for new equipment, this allocation is being transferred to the rugby club project," I feel I must ask the following of our district council:
What process was followed in order to reach this decision to reallocate S106 funds from one initiative to another?
How was the determination on lack of requirement for play equipment on the Lonsdale Road site made?
Will the decision-makers agree to share the analysis that led to this determination?
In that analysis, was local opinion sought on the options for the playground site?
When was the idea to reallocate these funds first floated, and what prompted the discussions that necessitated it?
What organisations and/or outside bodies were involved in the decision to remove funding from a community asset, namely a children's play area, in order to benefit a private members' club?
Can SKDC provide assurances on the future of the playground area on Lonsdale Road, specifically ruling-out any plans for change of use, to housing development for example?
I welcome the existing allocation of funds to Stamford Rugby Club, particularly in light of their pragmatic, responsible, but financially necessary, reassessment of their redevelopment plans for the clubhouse, however, that funding is already significant, and I personally feel that a more equitable use of the remainder would be to enhance, improve and provide facilities for the whole of the community, such as the previously planned play equipment.
Coun Jonathan Waples
Stamford Town Council - St John's Ward
Roadworks are killing town off
I am forced to write on the awful congestion caused by works on Dysart Road Station approach/Wharf Road and Market Place and soon to be Barrowby road at the Rectory Farm junction. Is there any more LCC/SKDC can do to thoroughly kill off Grantham completely and it will only get worse when schools return.
This leads me on to my second comment in that I see from your pages Buckminster Estates and Norwich Hub seek comments as to their proposal for a shop and other uses at Poplar Farm. This will clearly be a profit making enterprise.
Could LCC/SKDC enlighten your readers as to when the Grantham Inner Relief Road will be completed?
We currently have a very large cul-de-sac at Poplar Farm and soon to be replicated at Rectory Farm.
There must be some planning conditions as to completion of this “Relief Road’ and have these conditions been met or revised without public knowledge?
Name and address supplied
Drivers are selfish
People who use the Viking Way as a track for 4x4 vehicles (Journal, August 30) must be selfish and thoughtless.
I was born and lived at a farm near Saltby alongside this lane (known to us as the Mere) dividing Lincolnshire from Leicestershire at this point. That was over 80 years ago and it was a beautiful lane to walk with lots of birds and wild flowers. Legend has it that Dick Turpin rode along it to York.
As long ago as the 1980s it was used by drivers of heavy vehicles. One Sunday on a walk with my husband we had to jump out of the way of eleven of them. There was no courtesy for us.
A heavy agricultural roller was placed across the end near there as a deterrent but it was moved and destruction of the track continued. Anything that can be done to stop it is necessary and welcome to preserve it for future generations.
Mrs Margaret Goodwin
Premier Court, Grantham
Track record is poor
It seems LCC do not have a very good track record for building major highways projects. I recently discovered they have built a shiny new bridge over the railway in Pinchbeck, near Spalding, as part of the near-£50 million northern section of the Spalding Western Relief Road. BUT no funding is available for the middle or southern sections — so the bridge will not be used for years to come and will stay fenced off once it’s finished. What a complete waste of money on a project which local people did not want. For more information and local comments see … https://www.lincsonline.co.uk/spalding/news/public-demand-inquiry-into-monstrosity-bridge-that-won-t-b-9381172/
Meanwhile, in Grantham we have a similar problem, but in reverse as we have two halves of a road but no connecting bridge - twice! I refer to the non-existent road bridge which was supposed to join Gonerby Hill Foot to the A52/Barrowby Road which was “promised” at least 40 years ago. Meanwhile roads and hundreds of houses have been built on both sides of the promised bridge, but no road bridge has ever been started. It was proposed as a solution to major traffic problems on Barrowby Road, especially at the North Parade junction, before the Asda roundabout was even built!
Also, two sections of our much-heralded Southern Relief Road have been partially built but the vital bridge to connect them is still missing, due to “unforeseen” major engineering problems. This major project, which is over budget and has so far cost well over £150 millions, is now at least two years behind schedule and still has no end date in sight. One can only wonder if it will ever be finished before the money runs out!
Meanwhile, three more major traffic projects have been forced on our town centre which have brought all Grantham’s traffic to a standstill many times over the last few weeks. We have been threatened with at least four more months of similar chaos, especially now the schools are open again. With LCC’s worrying track record for their major road works causing more problems than they solve, isn't it time the people responsible for many similar road problems here and elsewhere in Lincolnshire were held accountable for their very expensive mistakes?
Stephen Timewell (the man behind the Spalding Flower Parade), from Spalding said: “I have written to our MP demanding a public inquiry into the incompetence of LCC. Poor planning, poor use of public money and total failure.”
Apparently Grantham is not the only town suffering from unwanted and unnecessary road projects by LCC. See the link above for more comments from irate Spalding residents, but no-one from LCC would listen to their concerns either! It all sounds very similar to our current situation when certain councillors at the beginning of the year were determined to plough ahead with their pet projects, regardless of the many problems voiced by many local people. Would such behaviour and the subsequent waste of many millions of pounds have been acceptable in a private company? I think not.
Only fairy tales always have a happy ending, but it seems both Grantham and Spalding/Pinchbeck are living in a nightmare caused by these poorly planned projects in both areas. If only someone had a magic wand!!
Lynda North
Grantham
The Labour Party has already shown its teeth
Free Speech is being threatened! Am I being alarmist? No! The current Labour Government has already shown its teeth and wishes to ‘cancel’ people it disagrees with. The Conservatives were thrown out of power last month for ‘lying’ to the general public about their immigration policies, the same will happen with Labour left wing’ credentials in allowing immigration into our country despite its super high majority of 174 seats.Here is why!The recent protests were mostly from ordinary people fed up with the levels of immigration in the UK. Net migration stands at 700,000. Therefore, Kier Starmer calls it ‘far right thuggery" made the situation far worse. He threatens the ‘full force of the law’ on first time offenders. Surely, it would be better if those individuals causing damage to property were made to do community service. The prisons are over full anyway due to the Conservatives.The Labour Party plan to build 1.5 million new homes in the next five years. British women now have a low birth rate but there is still a population crisis. Hospitals, roads and schools will be built where the value for current housing stock will rise. Generation Z (those in their mid-twenties) can ill afford it now! Planning laws will be bulldozed through ruining our countryside, This Labour Government has already punished pensioners by scrapping the winter fuel allowance. Democracy is beginning to fail. For example, in the 2024 general election, voters will not even vote for any political party, politicians are not to be trusted. The biggest party-no party received 40% of the vote. Labour only got 34% of the vote. Popular mandate, Prime Minister?People need to wake up now and get involved in politics, of whatever hue! That is the sole purpose of this letter.I do this since the country is beginning to fundamentally change its values where people do not know their neighbours. Additionally, there are no “bobbies” on the beat and the legal system is biased towards minorities.
Name and address supplied
Now is not the right time for cuts in assistance
The National Pensioners’ Convention annual conference in Blackpool will be hosting emergency debates next week on the government’s shock axing of universal winter fuel payments.The NPC, the UK’s largest campaigning organisation run for and by older people, will hear how a wide range of issues are now converging to make getting older in the UK increasingly miserable. From increasing pensioner poverty to the pressures on our health and care services which we rely upon more than most, and the rise of digital-only services across the public and private sector.Key evidence will also be given by expert speakers on the disastrous consequences of the cuts to the fuel allowance this winter. And they will make urgent calls for the government to reverse their decision to end the payments or set out new measures to assist 10 million older people who are losing this valuable assistance just as fuel bills are set to rise again.Jan Shortt, General Secretary of the NPC, said: “We are inviting older people to come to our Annual Convention in Blackpool to show the strength of anger and anxiety felt by millions at this ill-conceived cut by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.“We don’t believe she and the Prime Minister have fully understood the impact this decision will have upon older people who are already struggling to make ends meet, especially now we know the new fuel price cap is going to push up their bills by a staggering 10% from October.There are already more than two million older people known to be living in poverty, and millions more just above the breadline who regularly must decide between eating and heating their homes.If commonsense prevailed, now is not the right time for a cut in vital assistance to our older people and our debates at this year’s Annual Convention will hear exactly why.The event has a packed programme, covering growing pensioner poverty and the need for a strategy on ageing, to overcoming the challenges of our increasingly digital world, and the rising privatisation of the NHS and care services.We must remember, today's workers are tomorrow's pensioners and with more support the NPC will be able to continue to develop its organisation and strengthen its influence as the campaigning voice of both today’s and tomorrow’s pensioners.
Rodney Sadd
Crowland
