|
Pic: Birstall Golf Club's men's team: back
(l-r) Richard Reed, Chris Webb, Scott Wormleighton, Paul Frith.
Front: Graham Marshall, Steve Sansome, Rod White (Club Captain),
Staurt Marriott (1st Team Captain), & David Bywater
Birstall county champions
BIRSTALL'S GOLFERS came preciously close
to chalking up an astonishing fourth Men's County League Championship
in a row in 2005, and will be looking to get back on the winning
trail when the season starts in 2006.
But they lost the final league match of the season at Cosby,
which let The Leicestershire club snatch the title that Birstall
had won in 2002, 2003 and 2004. In all they won four matches,
drew two, both against The Leicestershire, and lost two.
But the club finished on top in the County Championship, with
Steve Sansome taking the individual title. He also teamed up
with Graham Marshall and Stuart Marriott to win the Corah Shield
by seven shots from Cosby, the trio representing Leicestershire
and the Country Club Championships at Brancepath Castle, County
Durham, where they finished in the middle of the field.
Other individual successes came in the Leicestershire and Rutland
Golf Union's Boys' Championships which Scott Wormleighton won
in a sudden death play off, while Richard Reed lost in the matchplay
final when his opponent holed a 40 foot putt at the first hole
of a sudden death play off.
The club's team was unable to repeat 2004's success in the Mail
on Sunday championships - where they finished 3rd in the final
in Spain - when after winning three rounds they lost to Oadby.
In Both the Men's Foursomes and the Mixed Foursomes they reached
the quarter finals, eventually losing to Rothley Park in the
Men's competition and to Whetstone in the Mixed.
Major industrial site
AN INDUSTRIAL site equal in size to the
Longslade/Stonehill campus is proposed for land north of Birstall.
The 20 hectare site is part of Charnwood Borough Council's latest
development plan called Charnwood 2021: The Charnwood Local Development
Framework (LDF).
The LDF is the successor to the Local Plan, which contained the
Hallamfields proposals. That plan saw the formation of an action
group, Birstall Against Development, which campaigned unsuccessfully
against the proposals with the support of Birstall Parish Council
and thousands of local people.
The LDF will have a new approach to the old system of Structure
and Local Plans, which it replaces. It will attempt to generate
a planning strategy incrementally, with community involvement
at every stage.
David Hankin, Director of Development at Charnwood Borough Council,
speaking at a meeting of Birstall Parish Council, said: "We
are currently at an early stage of the LDF, the first consultations
began in June 2004 and at the moment we have identified directions
of growth. The preferred options in South Charnwood are land
north of Birstall and land to the east of Thurcaston and north
of Hamilton."
Mr Hankin said the site north of Birstall would be 20 hectares
of employment land and that this may grow in size beyond 2021.
17 hectares of employment land and 485 dwellings are proposed
for east Thurmaston.
He said he could not specify exactly the location, but defined
'north of Birstall' as north of the A46 and south of Rothley.
Mr Hankin said that Birstall was suitable for development because
it was adjacent to an existing urban area - Leicester.
Employment land is best sited next to residential areas and 20
hectares will balance with the Hallamfields development, he said.
He added: "Businesses need quality sites to compete in a
global market and many of our brownfield sites are unsuitable
Victorian buildings, in the middle of densely populated residential
areas. Birstall has good transport links for freight and buses."
The proposals received an angry response from Birstall Parish
Councillors. Cllr Roger Wilson said: "I am disgusted that
you are looking for 20 hectares of land for ugly warehouses that
will employ about eight people. We are still in the dark about
the impact Hallamfields will have on traffic, how much worse
will this make it?"
Concern was also expressed about Birstall and Rothley losing
their separation and the whole A6 route from Birstall to Loughborough
becoming a string of unbroken development.
Mr Hankin said: "Distances between developments will shorten
but we will ensure they don't coalesce into a single urban belt."
Speaking to the Birstall Post, chairman of Birstall Parish Council,
Stuart Jones, said: "It's soul destroying. We fought a very
good battle last time but ended up with an even larger allocation
of houses on Hallamfields. I think we've learned the lesson that
we're fighting a losing battle. Is there any point fighting when
it's not really Charnwood we're up against, it's national government
and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister."
Birstall Charnwood Borough Councillor Helena Edwards
said: "It is of vital importance that local people make
their
views known at this stage of the Local Development Framework
proposals. These principles, about which geographical
areas should receive new developments, will virtually decide
future planning applications for individual sites. I am extremely
disappointed that plans yet again focus on Birstall,
and fear the land north of the A46 is now doomed to be used
by developers, merging the Soar valley villages into one long
sprawl. The problem is that such decisions have been moved
away from local people and their councillors, and moved to
national and regional government bodies and Quangos. Local
councils have to work to their larger scale priorities. Those
do not take enough account of the need to protect the identity
of suburban villages like ours which will be moved one
step nearer absorption by the City."
You can find out more about the proposals at a mobile exhibition
organised by Charnwood Borough Council on Wednesday March 1 from
10am-6pm on Sibson Road near Barclays Bank. There will also be
an evening presentation in the Village Hall, School Lane, on
Wednesday March 8.
A formal consultation period begins on February 17 and ends on
March 30 and Charnwood says leaflets explaining the proposals
and inviting comment will be delivered soon to every home in
Birstall.
More details can be found at www.charnwood.gov.uk
Top volunteer at awards do
CARL GUNNS was one of 45 volunteers from
across the country recognised at a celebration event to mark
the Year of the Volunteer.
Held at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, the event marked
the climax of the Year of the Volunteer, 2005, designated by
the Government. It aimed to raise the profile of volunteering
and open more opportunities in the public and voluntary sector.
Carl was there for starting his boxing gym on Birstall Road.
Established three years ago with seven members, the gym now has
700 and is open five nights a week and Sunday mornings.
As a regional winner from the 2005 volunteers chosen from across
the county, Carl made it to a shortlist of three to win a national
award for his work. A filmed interview with Carl in his gym was
shown at the event, but the award went to Paul Bogden from Manchester
for recycling old bicycles.
Carl said: "It was a terrific do, I think I did ever so
well to get as far as I did, it was really a day to remember."
He added: "My reward is being down the gym and seeing the
boys and girls, the looks on their faces, they're working hard
and really enjoying it - they just love it."
A regional charity has invited Carl, a former boxing manager,
to help them start community gyms in the county and get them
established with their own volunteer trainers.
Help on hand
RESPONDING TO an advert in a local newspaper
does not usually change your life.
But that what Amanda Rennocks says happened after she saw chiropractor
Thomas Jeppesen advert in the Birstall Post's sister newspaper,
the Mountsorrel Post, and visited his practice 'Health on Hand'.
Pic: Amanda Rennocks with chiropractor Thomas
Jeppesen
"I slipped a disc when I was 16 and have had back problems
since then" says Amanda (44) of Barnard Way, Mountsorrel.
I had my baby five years ago and it left me with pleurisy, I
had back, neck and shoulder problems, headaches and pain breathing.
I saw a physiotherapist but I was still in pain, I had trouble
sleeping and was beginning to think I would never get better.
I saw Thomas's advert and ringing up was a last resort."
Thomas identified part of the problem was a stuck rib and began
treating Amanda three times a week for two weeks, and then less
frequently. Amanda said: "After four of five weeks I started
to feel better. Now I can breathe without pain, it's truly incredible
I can hardly believe it. My headaches have improved and I feel
well within myself. In November I had a long fight to Thailand
and when I got off the plane there was no pain. I would really
recommend it to anyone."
Chiropractor Thomas Jeppesen said: "Amanda needed a fairly
simple treatment, she needed work on her posture and I gave her
advice about exercises she needed to do at home. It really is
a great reward when I can make such a difference to a patient."
Health on Hand Chiropractic Clinic is at 193 Loughborough Road,
Leicester tel: 0116 2101619
Clarke guilty of misconduct and disqualified
A BIRSTALL Parish Councillor has been removed
from the Council and barred from public office for 12 months.
Chris Clarke, of Harrowgate Drive, was found to have breached
the Members Code of Conduct, part of the Local Government Act
2000, at a hearing of the Adjudication Panel for England.
They were considering complaints made against Mr Clarke, that
on December 13, 2004, February 14, 2005 and February 28, 2005
his behaviour at Council meetings failed to treat others with
respect and brought the Parish Council into disrepute.
Giving evidence under oath at the hearing, held at the Grand
Hotel, Leicester, were Cllr Peter West, Cllr Stuart Jones and
PC Dave Cole.
All the witnesses testified that on February 14, 2005, Mr Clarke's
behaviour was such that PC Cole intervened and asked Mr Clarke
to leave the meeting, to prevent a breach of the peace.
Mr Clarke testified that: "I have no recollection of PC
Cole speaking to me."
The Adjudication Panel, chaired by Nicholas Holden, ruled that
PC Cole's intervention had taken place.
Mr Clarke said that his conduct at the meetings in question was
a result of his attempts to bring matters before the council
being obstructed by the Clerk and the Chairman of the Parish
Council, who refused to put them on the agenda despite Mr Clarke's
repeated requests.
He said: "I was faced with a situation where Birstall Parish
Council were acting improperly, its meetings were invalid and
probably illegal, and I had been asking for these matters to
be brought before the Council to be resolved. I had nowhere to
go with my concerns, the Standards Board had said they were unable
to consider them as they were procedural matters.
"I decided that at the next meeting I could not let the
matter drop because of my requirements as a councillor to uphold
the law, and continued to insist my concerns were heard."
He added: "I took the action I did with great reluctance
as a result of the actions of the clerk and the Chairman and
therefore they were responsible for me acting the way I did.
I was driven to it."
After considering the evidence, the Panel ruled that Mr Clarke
had breached the Code of Conduct. Mr Clarke had previously been
suspended for three months in 2005 for a breach of the Code and
in light of this, the Panel imposed a 12 month disqualification
from holding council office.
In his summing up, Panel Chairman Nicholas Holden said: "The
previous suspension had little impact on you and the evidence
indicates you would continue to behave in this way if you remained
on the council. The panel rejects the view that you were driven
to break the Code in order to uphold the Code. We cannot decide
whether you are correct about your allegations of impropriety,
we are only concerned with your conduct on these three dates."
After the hearing, Chairman of Birstall Parish Council Stuart
Jones said: "I'm sorry things have happened this way, but
now the Council can get on with Council business without constant
interruptions. I don't dislike the man but he has acted in such
a way as to bring the council into disrepute. He was out of order,
why does he persist in denying it? It has been a waste of Council
time and resources that could have been put to better use."
Mr Clarke told the Birstall Post that the fact the Panel did
not consider the misconduct he alleges took place at the Parish
Council, means that it will continue to occur.
He also said that the Panel failed to consider a statement made
by the Standards Board legal representative at the March 2005
hearing, that obedience to the will of the Council and the rulings
of the Chairman, is more important than obedience to the law.
He said: "This is effectively saying that Councils and their
Chairmen are above the law and may ignore the law at their whim
or fancy. These are facts of which I think the local community
would wish to be made aware."
Birstall Parish Council says they have taken advice from the
proper authorities and have not acted improperly.
£4million package for Birstall
JELSONS, THE developers of Hallamfields,
have agreed to make contributions totalling £4,185,000
as a condition of receiving planning permission for the site,
north of Harrowgate Drive.
Called 106 agreements, the money will pay for a package of measures,
negotiated by Charnwood Borough Council, that will address the
impact of the new development on the community.
Published in detail on the Borough Council's website this January,
the most significant amount is £2,050,000 for the erection
of a new primary school and recreation centre. This will be provided
after occupation of the 101st dwelling, which is expected in
around 12 months. The first occupier is expected to move in this
March, into one of the apartments in the block of six contained
in the large landmark building that is currently nearing completion.
Charnwood Planning Officer Steve Lewis-Roberts said: "It
is an unusual package of measures that has been agreed. The total
amount is much more than is generally secured and there is a
wide range of contributions across so many areas."
Areas covered by the agreement include contributions towards:
o The Park and Ride site £250,000
o Provision and improvement of bus transport £150,000
o Provision of outdoor sports area at Longslade College £50,000
o Environmental/Traffic management £105,000
o Upgrading Leicester North GCR station £25,000
o Provision/improvement of civic amenity sites £20,000
o Upgrading reading material and media at Birstall library, Stonehill
and Longslade School library £10,000
o Design and construct community meeting hall £350,000
o Public Art £45,000
o Future maintenance of Community meeting hall £25,000
o Maintenance and management of open space and landscaping areas
£380,000
o Maintenance of school and recreation centre £25,000
o Design and Construction of Palmer Tomkinson Centre £700,000
The Palmer Tomkinson centre will be erected on the Longslade
campus, north of the college entrance on Wanlip Lane. An initial
consultation meeting was held last summer with input from Longslade's
principal, the governors and a representative of Charles Palmer-Tomkinson,
who sold the Hallamfields site to Jelsons. Designed and managed
by Leicestershire County Council, it will be a building for use
by the whole community and is expected to incorporate sporting
and educational facilities.
Work on the centre must start by March 2007 and it must be completed
by March 2008.
o Other section 106 agreements currently relating to Birstall
have been provided by the developers of Watermead Court (next
to Somerfield) and Goscote Hall.
Watermead Court: Off site adult/youth recreation and play facilities
£35,800
Goscote Hall: Children's play space, youth/adult recreation facilities
£11,300, Educational facilities £16,899
|
Parish Council notes
A FULL meeting of Birstall Parish Council
was held on January 9.
Dave Hankin from Charnwood Borough Council's Planning Department
gave a presentation and answered questions about the Local Development
Framework 2021 (see article on front page).
PC Jamie Hughes reported that the Police had identified illegal
parking near Birstall Cabs at the Triangle as a police priority
and that tickets had been issued.
He said that two distraction burglaries had taken place recently
in Birstall, with the thieves posing as employees of a utility
company. He stressed the importance of checking the identity
of callers to your home, especially when they arrive without
an appointment.
Cllr Geoff Cassidy reported antisocial behaviour near the chip
shop on Wanlip Lane. PC Hughes said he was aware of the problems
and was visiting the area.
Chairman Stuart Jones reported that he was aware that cars were
parking all day in the bays outside Sibson Road shops, where
the waiting limit is 40 minutes.
PC Hughes reported that there were two ASBOs in place on individuals
in Birstall, one juvenile male on Heathgate Close and one male
on Lambourne Road.
Four residents presented their concerns about a planning application
at 27 Worcester Avenue, which they described as tandem development.
The Council agreed to support them and object to the planning
application.
The Council agreed to appoint Pick Everards as the planning supervisor
for the Parish Council's proposed sports pavilion planned for
the School Lane playing field.
Policing
The local police in Birstall arranged for a meeting with community
contacts on January 9, 2006. This meeting was well attended and
I would personally like to pass thanks to all those who attended.
The three policing priorities within Birstall were discussed
and action that has been taken on the current priorities passed
on. From the meeting it has been decided that two new priorities
will be put in place commencing from January 9, 2006. These are
priorities which are believed to reflect the views and opinions
of residents in the village.
The two new priorities will be:
1. To enforce parking restrictions on the Front Street, Sibson
Road junction. The police and other agencies have been approached
by numerous residents in regards to the parking problems in this
area of the village. Parking enforcement in the area will be
conducted over the coming months, so if you drive, please ensure
you park in allocated areas to avoid any fines (and resulting
headaches!).
2. To tackle incidence of damage within the Birstall Park. I'm
sure you are aware from the local media of the mindless damage
to a wooden memorial car in the park. This car was left in memory
of Lachlan Fewster, a young boy who died of meningitis in 2003.
The parents of Lachlan were obviously disgusted by these actions
and I would like to repeat an appeal for any information regarding
the offenders. Any information received can be dealt with confidentially.
The fencing that surrounds the park has also been recently damaged
by youths that congregate in the area. All incidents of damage
in the park will be investigated fully, but I would like to remind
the public we need the help of witnesses when bringing people
to account for their actions. If you witness any criminal damage
being caused at the time, please call 999.
The current priority of tackling antisocial behaviour in the
Meadow Lane area is to remain a priority. From speaking with
residents in the area it has been stated the problems have improved
in the recent months but there are still incidents of antisocial
behaviour that are causing residents concern.
There have been two burglaries in the village over the month
of January. Both burglaries occurred in the Wanlip Lane area,
one of which was a distraction break. A male was claiming to
be from the water board but left empty handed upon being challenged.
The other burglary involved a male who entered the property with
the residents at home and pushed one of the residents to the
floor before leaving with property. An arrest was made in relation
to this offence and enquiries continue. Please bear in mind the
importance of security in your home, and the importance of challenging
strangers who visit your address who cannot provide any form
of identification.
Finally, if you see bobbies strolling around the village trying
car doors, don't worry - they haven't gone to the other side!
Any insecure cars in the village that are found will receive
crime prevention literature that will be left in the vehicle.
Got to be better than losing your Sat Nav!
If you have any information you think may be of benefit to the
police, please contact either myself or PCSO 6611 Butler on 0116
222 2222. A voicemail can be left using our collar numbers as
identification numbers.
If you wish to report a criminal offence, please call 0116 222
2222 and in an emergency please call 999.
I hope you have had a prosperous start to the year in whatever
you do.
PC826 Jamie Hughes
Club wants women
BIRSTALL WATERMEAD Tennis club has a shortage
of women players of all age groups, and is urgently seeking new
members - we don't want those men taking over all the courts!
To give potential players a warm welcome, two special women's
sessions are being arranged on Wednesday, February 15 and Wednesday
February 22, from 6.30pm, when committee representatives will
be on hand to give more details about the club.
As an added incentive, bring this article down to the club with
you, and if you decide to join before March 31, the club will
waive the joining fee. Oh, and remember to bring your racket.
Now, for those who don't know where the club is based - from
the Triangle mini roundabout at the end of Sibson Road, go along
Birstall Road for about 600 metres until you see the Co-op Sports
and Social Club on the left. Go through the entrance into the
car park, and the tennis courts are at the rear of the premises,
on the other side of the bowls club.
These are exciting times at the club, and with recent important
developments - the third all-weather court has just been resurfaced
- the tennis facilities are among the best in the area.
Floodlights have added a new dimension and extended playing time,
with the bigger clubroom providing added comfort and space.
For more information about the club, ring chairman James Berry
on 2209384 or secretary Wendy Morley on 2674844.
Remember, Birstall Watermead Tennis Club is here to serve you.
From Birstall Watermead Tennis Club
Free books for kids
Pic: (l-r) Darshna Naker, Olivia , Casey ,
Sophie , Joshua , Connor , Rainbow Nursery staff - Laura Wain
CHILDREN FROM Birstall Rainbow Nursery
and Woodlands Day Nursery regularly visit the wriggly reader's
story and rhyme time session every Monday at Birstall Library.
Recently, children from Rainbow Nursery have been very artistic
in putting together a wonderful display of their favourite book
- 'The Hairy Toe' in the library.
Parents with young children are being invited to visit Birstall
library to pick up a free pack of books, courtesy of the national
Bookstart programme.
Bookstart is a government led initiative that provides a free
pack of books to babies with guidance materials for parents and
carers.
It aims to promote a lifelong love of books and is based on the
principle that every child in the UK should enjoy and benefit
from books from as early an age as possible.
Bookstart + is for children aged 18-30 months and is a red book
bag containing book, stickers, crayons and leaflets to share
with your child.
Treasure Box for children aged 36-48 months is a box containing
books, stickers, pencils and colouring sheets specifically designed
to help prepare your child for school.
Bookstart + and Treasure Box are new gift offers from Bookstart
and every child in the right age group is entitled to them. The
packs are free and families are warmly invited to collect them
from their local library and take advantage of all the services
offered for children. Library Development Worker Darshna Naker
said: "We ask parents/carers to bring along the child's
red health book when collecting the packs. Childminders can collect
the packs on behalf of parents, as long as the parent is happy
to provide them with their child's red health book which needs
to be signed to indicate that they have received a pack."
She added: "An early introduction to books helps encourage
a love of reading and gives children a head start when they start
school - no child is too young to join the library."
For more information on the Bookstart scheme, phone Birstall
Library on 0116 2673494.
WI news
The November meeting of Birstall &
Wanlip WI had to be cancelled as so many members were going to
be unavilable that evening so it was good to be able to get together
for the AGM on December 5.
Everyone had been very shocked to hear of the sudden death of
Barbara Gill and a few minutes were spent in reminiscences of
her.
Mrs Beryl Sheriff took the Chair while the retiring committee
and officers were re-elected for another year. Arrangements were
made for the Group Carol Service at Newtown Linford and the 'Which
Resolution' Meeting in January. Other business was kept to the
minimum.
The Birstall St James Handbell ringers came with an excellent
programme of carols with members joining in with the words. To
most of us that was the beginning of the Christmas festivities
and parcels were exchanged between members, followed by a 'Bring
& Share' buffet supper in which the ringers were able to
join and a good time was had by all.
The January meeting was entitled 'Coffee, Cake, Cards and Cash'.
this meant that the annual subscriptions were due, coffee &
cake for refreshment and instead of a speaker everyone enjoyed
games of Cards, Snakes & Ladders and other Board Games. January
is always a questionable month to book a speaker unless it is
someone local because the weather can be so unpredictable.
Some members had been to the 'Which Resolution' meeting earlier
in the day and they reported on that. Other future events were
noted and names taken for ticket applications for the ACM in
March and the concert at Loughborough by Hathern Band.
A cake made by Freda Jones was much appreciated. Snakes &
Ladders and UNO were soon underway but it took a bit longer for
others to remember the rules of dominoes and rummy!
The next meeting will be on Monday Feb 6. A speaker has yet to
be confirmed. this will be held in the Community Room at Highcliffe
School, Greengate Lane at 7.15pm.
Golf club’s variety show
MEMBERS OF Birstall Golf Club raised over
£1,250 for the Hope Cancer foundation when they staged
a Grand Variety Night at the clubhouse.
Some 30 club members took to the stage to perform a wide variety
of musical items, as well as comedy and sketches which kept a
packed audience entertained for hours.
Combined with other fundraising efforts completed over the year,
including the 100 Holes Challenge, it means club members raised
well over £5,000 for the Foundation which helps fund cancer
research in Leicestershire and Rutland and is the chosen charity
of captains Rod White and Irene Payne.
|