The Forum Digest: Aug 15

Posted on 15/08/2020 by CTTC Forum

Hello everyone,

Continuing current custom, it’s been another two weeks since the last edition. Normally, as you know, things become a little quieter during the peak summer period, so these reports tend to be less frequent – hence the re-branding to “The Forum Digest”. But when we have news to report, we’ll make sure another edition hits your inbox to keep you updated. This week’s edition comprises a number of little tidbits…

1. Consultation corner

  • A number of consultations are underway at the moment and you may want to take part in a couple of them yourself.
    • Broxtowe masterplanning working group. You’ll recall I reported on this group last month – it comprises a number of councillors and officers from Broxtowe and Erewash councils plus ourselves. The group is tasked to provide a report to the Toton Delivery Board on the key issues it wants to raise with the consultants who are producing a masterplan for the Area. The final meeting was held this week when we reviewed the draft report and provided final tweaks to strengthen it. Most of our suggestions have been taken on board and overall, we are very pleased with the draft. Once the final report has been approved by the council, we hope to publish it here so you can have a look.
    • Planning for the Future – Government White Paper. You may well have heard the government is undertaking a major review of planning regulations with the aim to streamline processes relating to house building. The proposals are radical and the Forum will be providing a response before the end of the consultation period. At this stage, we are still getting to grips with the ideas put forward however we thought you may want to have a look at the proposals yourself and provide us with your thoughts. Here are a couple of links:
    • Broxtowe Council’s Annual Parks Survey. To quote from the latest council newsletter: “It is that time of year, where we ask you to help us make our parks and open spaces even better. There are a number of parks included in the survey this year so if you have some ideas or feedback and have ten minutes, please complete the survey before 12th September.” 
      • Here is a link to the survey and we encourage you to take part – the more feedback provided the more chance we shall see improvements.

2. Meeting room news

  • We held a virtual meeting with HS2 Ltd this week. It was good to have a catch up with the new team (our previous contact, Paul, has moved elsewhere within the organisation). The latest news regarding our leg of phase 2b is that HS2 are waiting for the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), which is being produced by the National Infrastructure Commission. The full IRP will hopefully be published by the end of the year. In the meantime, the Commission has published an interim report which may be of interest.  Until the Plan is published, HS2 Ltd are, not surprisingly, focusing most of their efforts on Phases 1 and 2a.  We’ve agreed to meet up with HS2 again in 3 months and maintain regular contact going forwards.
  • Homes England. We’ve asked to meet with Homes England when they have appointed their consultants to take forward the development of the Barracks. We received an email yesterday informing us they are close to announcing the appointment of the consultants and we can expect to hear who these are in the next couple of weeks. Once the consultants are appointed, we will be looking to meet them as soon as possible to introduce ourselves and let them know of our ambitions for the site.
  • Midlands Connect. We reported last time that we have sent a letter to Sir John Peace, Chair of Midlands Connect, requesting a meeting so we can explain the key elements of our Plan to him and his team. We’ve yet to hear back from him but, as already mentioned, it is peak holiday season so we’re not too surprised. We’ll wait until the end of August and get in touch again if necessary.

3. Community chest

  • A couple of community-related items have come our way that may be of interest:
    • Removal of telephone call box at Grisedale Court, Chilwell. BT are proposing to remove this call box and Broxtowe Council are inviting views before they decide whether to support or object to the removal. If you wish to submit comments here is the copy of the letter which contains relevant Council contact details. The SG have decided not to respond on behalf of the Forum as it is difficult for us to gather a truly representative view within the timeframe.
    • Trees felled outside the Western Power substation at the top of Stapleford Lane. A reader notified us that two trees have been recently felled and wondered if they had Tree Protection Orders (TPOs) in place and, if so, why where they cut down. In fact the Council have confirmed to us that the trees don’t have TPO status and they have directed us to the County Council (as the trees are classified as being on the ‘highway’ ) to find the purpose of the felling.
    • Antisocial behaviour in the area. Another reader has been in touch letting us know about antisocial behaviour in the evenings by ‘boy racers’ on Toton Lane tram park and ride site. He has written to our MP, Darren Henry, but wonders if any other residents have been disturbed by these incidents? If so, we suggest getting in touch with local ward councillors, as well as Darren Henry, to see what can be done to curb the nuisance.

4. And finally..

  • Nope, no further tidbits this time and, anyway, I’ve already taken up too much space.

I don’t know about you, but I feel these digests are starting to stretch out a bit. I’ve always tried to keep them relatively short and bite sized. However, I’m conscious the last couple of editions have been fare taken from the ‘go large’ portion of the menu and it needs some hefty gulps to consume. So, I’ll endeavour to get back to a slimmed-down version next time and cut out the extraneous waffle and padding that sometimes creeps in…

Kind regards
Graham

CTTC Neighbourhood Plan. Copies are available from this page on our website.

Broxtowe Lotto: tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll also find details of the scheme

Posted in Consultation, Latest News | Leave a comment

Weekly digest: Aug 01

Posted on 01/08/2020 by CTTC Forum

Hello again,

Another couple of weeks have passed during which the Steering Group held a (virtual) strategy workshop to discuss and agree the future direction and immediate task for the Forum and our ‘sister’ organisation – the Toton and Chilwell Community Interest Company (CIC). Three main strands emerged from our discussions: 1) short term tasks; 2) medium term influencing key stakeholders; and 3) long term ambitions to become a stakeholder in our own right. So, to be slightly contrary, I’ll start with number 2 first!

2. Influencing key stakeholders

  • It is one thing (and it is a very big thing) to produce a Neighbourhood Plan; it carries weight and developers have to adhere to its policies. However, it becomes a lot easier if we can get the key stakeholders (landowners, investors, developers, local councillors) to buy into our policies from the outset. The SG agreed we needed to re-engage with these organisations and explain our policies and wider aspirations and ambitions for the Area.
  • To that end, we have written to Sir John Peace (chair of Midlands Connect) with a copy of our Plan and requested a meeting so we can explain our ambitions for the Area and assure him that we want to work closely with the new DevelopmentCorporation, when it is formed. Here is a copy of the letter we sent.
  • We copied the letter (and included a copy of the Plan) to a number of other key people in the Area, including our MP Darren Henry. Our chairman, Richard, managed to catch up with Darren on Friday and here is a short video of him presenting our Plan.
  • Besides this letter, we have been in touch with other key stakeholders including HS2 Ltd. We have requested a catch-up session with them and we hope to meet up (virtually) in a week or so. We will also be getting in touch with Homes England (who are managing the development of the Barracks) to request a meeting with them in the next few weeks.
Richard presenting our Plan to Darren Henry

1. Immediate tasks

  • As previewed a couple of weeks ago, the SG confirmed the following tasks to start work on straight away:
    • Review the number of Tree Protection Orders (TPOs) we have in our Area and whether we need to add to them. The short answer is ‘yes’ – there are a number of trees on the Barrack (as well as some elsewhere) that we’d like to see added to the list.
    • Apply for a ‘designated’ status to some of our prized green spaces. We’ve highlighted 7 locations in the first policy in our Plan (ENV01) so we shall be starting there. Other locations may well emerge over future years, but let’s get cracking with these. Both of these tasks will be managed by Margaret, who leads our Environment team.
    • Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIP). You may have been aware that Boris Johnson was in Beeston last week praising the value of cycling – indeed, one of our SG members a cycling enthusiast, was present at Canalside Heritage Centre to talk to him about local cycling. Anyway, I’m sure we are all aware of the growing emphasis by the government to encourage ‘active’ travel, whether that is walking or cycling. LCWIPs is the means for local communities to have a say in creating suitable, safe routes for both walkers and cyclists. With the advent of the Hub Station we are keen to maximise the opportunities to walk and cycle to/from the station (as well as further afield). Ian, a keen cyclist will be leading on this strand and will work closely with the local PEDALs cycling group as well as SUSTRANS (the national cycling/walking charity).
  • Finally, we are also exploring the use of Neighbourhood Development Orders (NDOs) as another short-term task. NDOs are a mechanism to take our Plan to a more detailed level. They can be used to make it easier for developers to adhere to our policies by providing certain outline planning permissions. The SG endorsed the idea and confirmed that we should dig deeper into this option and get further advice.

3. Long term ambitions

  • As you know, we have produced a 20-year Plan that stretches to 2040. And our aim is to stay around during that time to monitor new developments against our policies. We set up the CIC to be a long term, social enterprise that generates revenue and, hopefully, profits that will be ploughed back into the community.  ‘Generates revenue’ is, of course, the critical bit – the CIC must be self-sustaining if it is to stick around in the long term. So, the SG discussed a number of options. The two that rose to the top of the pile and will be investigated further are:
    • The Barracks ‘Plaza’: Commercial and community facility owner
    • Local energy provider
  • To take either of these forward we know we’ll have to consider some sort of partnership or joint ventures with investors and other interested parties.
  • Regarding becoming a local energy provider, we have come across an Oxfordshire based organisation – the Low Carbon Hub CIC ­– as an example of a community led power generation and storage provider. So, we are looking further into this organisation to see if we might want to replicate it in our neck of the woods.
  • However, as it said in the title, these are long term ambitions/aspirations, so a lot more work is needed here before committing to anything. But we have to start somewhere…

4. And finally…

  • Happy Birthday to the digest!  Yes, it was three years ago (the last Sat in July 2017) when the digest was first produced and today is the 111th edition. I can’t quite believe it has been this long – the intervening time as gone quickly. However, we’ve always known we were in for the long haul and, as you can see from the above, we spend most of our time looking forward, not backwards.  So, here’s to the next 3 (and the rest) years.

More next time.

Kind regards
Graham

CTTC Neighbourhood Plan. Copies are available from this page on our website.
Broxtowe Lotto: tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll also find details of the scheme

Posted in Latest News, Steering Group | Leave a comment

Weekly digest: July 18

Posted on 18/07/2020 by CTTC Forum

Hello everyone,

A couple of weeks have passed since the last edition and quite a lot has taken place including some really BIG news about a new landowner at Toton Lane. So, I shall quickly crack on…

1. All change at Toton Lane! (Sorry couldn’t resist.)

  • After a tip-off a few weeks ago from one of our readers, we needed to confirm that a significant chunk of land has been sold at Toton Lane. So we have been to Land Registry and can now confirm that…..(drum roll)…
  • Notts County Council purchased, at the end of March, the land previously owned by Peveril Homes located to the west of Toton Lane. They paid, according to Land Registry, a total of £21.4 million.
  • It’s not clear from the title deeds the exact size of the landholding but it stretches between the foot path down the centre of the field (next to the electricity sub-station at Toton Lane) and the A52 to the north. It excludes, of course, George Spencer Academy land and the sewerage works down towards Bessell Lane.
  • The purchase does mean that Peveril’s current planning permission for “Lime Rise” is dead and buried and will now be withdrawn. We don’t know that for a fact – but it is inconceivable that the County Council will proceed with the current application.
  • Peveril Homes still own a chunk of land to the east of Toton Lane (both sides of the tram terminus) and Heart Church still own land both sides of Stapleford Lane – at the back of Katherine Drive  (part) and Cleve Avenue. Heart Church still have their land up for sale, so I wonder (and this is pure speculation on my part) if the County is negotiating to purchase that as well.

2. AGM news

  • The Steering Group held a virtual meeting last week and we discussed our approach to the AGM. Various options were discussed (inc. having an open-air meeting) but in the end we thought is sensible to defer the meeting until next spring i.e. skip a formal meeting this year.
  • Our thinking is that we thought the open-air option was too risky given our variable weather conditions and holding the meeting indoors ­– even if deferred to the autumn – would still be constrained by COVID distancing measures.
  • Members of the current Steering Group are willing to stay on until next spring which is very helpful and maintains continuity as we move into a new phase of activities.
  • We have published our annual report – here’s another link to it – and we are aiming to produce a series of short videos explaining our work this year and our future plans. So, to bring back a tired old cliché I’m fond of using…. Watch this space!
  • If you have any queries or concerns about this decision, please get in touch as we are keen to ensure we fully reflect and properly represent the wishes of our members. But we feel this is the best solution in response to the current pandemic.

3. Workshop corner

  • Steering Group officers have attended a couple of workshops over the last couple of weeks. Both relate to the masterplan commissioned by the Toton Delivery Board, the body chaired by Notts CC but which includes Broxtowe councillors and officers. The masterplan covers the whole of the Strategic Location for Growth including Chetwynd Barracks.
  • The first workshop was with the consultants (Arup and Mott MacDonald) who wanted to sound us out with their initial thoughts. Whilst there were positive elements in it (our green corridors were included which was good to see), there were other parts that we felt needed modifications, in particular our ideas for a ‘plaza’ neighbourhood shopping area next to the Memorial Garden. We have asked for a follow-up workshop where we can explain our ideas for the site in more detail.
  • The second workshop was hosted by Cllr David Watts, the chair of Broxtowe Council’s Planning Committee, and comprised a number of councillors from both Broxtowe and Erewash. The prime focus was transport connectivity in the area and covered cars, public transport along with active transport (cycling and walking). This was the first of a series of meetings and we were asked to contribute our thoughts and ideas. A report will be sent to the Toton Delivery Board in mid-August so weekly meetings are planned for the next few weeks.
  • We understand there are further council working groups being set up: one examining the environment and the other, jobs and economy. We are looking to see if we can contribute to those groups as well.

4. And finally…

  • SG strategy workshop. At our meeting last week, the SG agreed to hold our own internal workshop to pin down our focus for the next few months. I’ve mentioned previously we’re looking at designating some green spaces and applying for some Tree Protection Orders (TPOs) but we thought it best to properly prioritise our activities and assess workload capacity rather than rush headlong into an uncoordinated number of tasks. We’re aiming to hold the workshop in early August.
  • A final note on the Plan. I know I said I wouldn’t mention the Plan again, and I won’t – apart from saying that it is such an important document, we thought it useful to keep a permanent link to it in these updates. So you’ll see another line at the bottom each time which provides a link to the Plan (and its subsets) from our website.  

And that’s all for this week, see you next time

Kind regards
Graham

CTTC Neighbourhood Plan. Copies are available from this page on our website.
Broxtowe Lotto. Tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll also find details of the scheme

Posted in Latest News, Steering Group, Toton Lane West | Leave a comment

Weekly digest: June 27

Posted on 27/06/2020 by CTTC Forum

Hello again

After last week’s historic – and lengthy – announcement, this edition is much shorter. The Steering Group’s focus is starting to switch to new activities but before I start reporting on those matters in earnest, I just need to properly finish last week’s edition.

1. The Plan – disaggregated

  • Our Neighbourhood Plan is a lengthy document (over 100 pages) and we know it is difficult to absorb it all in one chunk. So, in response to some feedback, we have split-up the Plan into its component sections. All sections contain the introductory pages to provide context. We hope you find them easier to read, digest and download!
    • CTTC Plan Section A: Past and Present.  This section provides the background to our Area and sets out the key characteristics that help define out surroundings
    • CTTC Plan Section B: A Vision for the Future. This section outlines the scale of development facing us and documents our core objectives and vision which arose from our consultation sessions.
    • CTTC Plan Section C: Guidelines and Aspirations. This is the new section we created to clearly state the overall shape we’d like to see implemented in future designs and masterplans for our Area. Some ideas are guidelines that we believe are realistic and should be incorporated; other ideas are more aspirational which, whilst desirable, are, by their very nature, difficult to be mandated as ‘must have’ features.
    • CTTC Plan Section D: Plan Policies. This section gets down to the nitty-gritty of the Plan. It spells out our policies that are realistic and achievable and we fully expect them to be adhered to by developers.
    • CTTC Plan Section E: The Appendices. This section contains details of our green and heritage assets, as well as a glossary and our evidence base – which contains links to the documents used to justify and back up our policies

2. The Plan – some (overdue) plaudits

  • Producing the Plan involved a lot of effort by a lot of people and whist it is invidious to name names (because I’m bound to miss some out), let me say:
    • A huge thank-you to all residents and friends of the Forum who have taken part in our various, multiple consultation sessions. The Plan would not be formed without your participation and ongoing support.
    • Another huge thank-you to everyone on the Steering Group: Richard, Ian W, David, Denise, Helen, Ian C, Katie, Margaret, Mark, Norman, Pamela, Steve and Teresa.
    • Thanks also to Forum members co-opted to help produce the Plan either via the Barrack subgroup, or policy workshop groups or in proof-reading the draft documents: Anderson, Christine, Chris & Karen, DeVonne, Jim, and Owen.
    • Another thank-you to past members of the Steering Group all of which played a role in getting us to this stage: Ben, Colin, Julia, Maurice, and Nicola.

3. And finally…

  • Some quick details of a couple of activities we are working on:
    • A subgroup of the SG held a meeting (via zoom) with Broxtowe Council who asked us to flesh out our ideas for our Green Corridors – especially the one along the southern boundary of the Strategic Location for Growth (SLG) i.e. the back of Cleve Avenue and Katharine Drive. We emphasised the importance that this corridor needs to be a significant width and designed primarily for wildlife and be used to connect Toton Fields LNR to Hobgoblin Wood in the Barracks. The council agree to take away our views and incorporate them into a draft masterplan for the SLG.
    • The University of Nottingham have also been in touch with us to provide ‘visioning’ input to some work they have been commissioned to produce in relation to the SLG – and in particular the Innovation Campus with a focus on Biodiversity. We will learn more as we get deeper into this project so expect further updates in future editions.
    • Our deferred AGM. We know we need to organise one as soon as practicable. A digest reader suggested we might consider holding an outdoor event (with a PA system) as this will help with social distancing. However, with the latest social distancing 1 metre+ rule being introduced in July, it may be possible to think about an indoor event with chairs being suitably spaced. Either way, this will be a topic at out next SG meeting.

That’s all folks for this week and an end of mentions of the Plan for a while. But a quick, final ‘thank-you’ to those who sent complimentary emails as a result of last week’s edition publishing the revised Plan. See you next time – which may be a couple of weeks ­– with more details of our next set of activities.

Kind regards
Graham

Broxtowe Lotto: tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll also find details of the scheme

Posted in Latest News, Neighbourhood Plan, Steering Group | Leave a comment

Weekly digest: June 20

Posted on 20/06/2020 by CTTC Forum

Hello everyone,

This week will go down in the annals of the Neighbourhood Forum as being truly momentous! During the week, the Forum reached and passed one of its most critical milestones. This was the week that saw the deed done!

And in case you haven’t yet figured out what the hyperbole is all about: the Steering Group met last week and signed off our revised Neighbourhood Plan. It was then submitted to the Council on Thursday 18th when we asked them to take it through the remaining 3 stages to adoption.

It has taken us a little over 3 years, since we were designated, to reach this stage. To put some context around this: we were the 9th (out of 10) organisations to be designated by the Council to produce a Plan. Yet we are only the 3rd group (following Nuthall and Awsworth) to actually reach this point and submit a Plan. Furthermore we produced it and delivered it to the Council in less time than it took the other two – despite the complexity and scale of development facing our Area, which stretches far beyond the scope of any of the other groups. So, the Steering Group is feeling both mightily pleased and mightily relieved that the deed has finally been done since producing the Plan is the core raison d’etre of the Forum.

Anyway, you are no doubt impatient for me cut the waffle and get to the details: the 4 key documents that made up our submission.

1. The Neighbourhood Plan

  • Here is the link to the Plan – the prime document. It contains a total of 43 policies spread over 6 core themes: environment, infrastructure, housing & sustainability, urban design, leisure & heritage, and employment & business.
  • It is a large document at 86 pages + a further 30 pages of appendices. It needs to be this sort of length in order to provide the compelling reasons (backed by evidence) that justifies our policies.
  • These policies are designed to deliver our core objectives and vision for the Area. Some policies have changed as a result of the consultation we carried out last summer. However, the changes have helped strengthen and ensure they are credible and robust.
  • The main change to the Plan is that we have significantly amended the section that was dedicated to Chetwynd Barracks. As reported previously, this section caused some confusion to stakeholders who felt it was full of additional policies. Whereas it was designed to provide details of guidelines (and aspirations) for the masterplanners when they produced their ideas for the Barracks.
  • So, in response we have broadened the scope of our guidelines and aspirations to cover the whole Area and we relabelled the section to make crystal clear its purpose.

2. The Consultation Statement

  • Here is the link to this Statement. This document demonstrates the depth of engagement we have undertaken with you and everyone who lives and works in our Area. The independent examiner needs to be assured that the Plan truly reflects the ambitions and aspirations of the community.
  • The document is 30 pages, which sounds a lot, but in fact around half the document comprises images of:
    • posters and flyers we used to advertise consultation events
    • attendees at events
    • adverts in local free papers and
    • extracts from these digests
  • The Statement starts from the very first consultations we held and it’s worth a read, even though I say so myself. Overall, it provides a lovely potted history of our activities over the last 3 and a bit years.

3. The Basic Conditions Statement

  • Here is the link to this Statement. This document is, quite frankly, as dull as the dullest document can be. It comprises 25 pages, mostly in two large repetitive tables, and not a single photo or image to relieve the tedium. I only recommend it is read by the most severe sufferers of insomnia. It is an expanded version of Appendix III in the Plan and even that, at 6 pages, feels overlong!
  • However, this Statement is a mandatory requirement (no “ifs”; no “buts”) and demonstrates that the policies in our Plan align to the policies contained in:
    • the National Planning Policy Framework
    • the Aligned Core Strategy (the high-level strategic planning document that covers several boroughs in Nottinghamshire, including Broxtowe)
    • the Local Plan Part 2 of Broxtowe Borough Council.
  • This document will be scrutinised by the examiner to make sure our Plan adheres to these national and local planning documents.
  • It will also be closely scrutinised developers who will search for and exploit any weakness they can find. Which is why we have spent more time than we care to admit in checking and rechecking to make sure this document is tight and fireproof.

4. The Plan Modifications

  • Here is the link to the Modifications document. This is another hefty document at almost 60 pages. Again, it mostly comprises 2 tables (duplicated several times) with no photos or images. This document lists the feedback (from last summer’s consultation) we have taken to either:
    • modify the Plan, where the comments helped improve/strengthen the document; or
    • where we noted the comments as useful and valid, but where we decided no changes were needed.
  • The document demonstrates to you, our residents, the examiner and developers that we have listened to the feedback from last summer and modified our Plan accordingly.
  • It’s not particularly ‘readable’ as you really need to have both the old and new versions of the Plan available to see the context of the changes made.  I imagine the examiner will take a selection of changes documented here to check they have been implemented in the revised Plan.
  • The document, however, clearly shows the scale of the modifications we made to the Plan over the last 6 months or so. It is listed in the Consultation Statement’s Appendix, where you will find links to a number of other documents you may find interesting – not least a full list of all comments made by all responders to the consultation. All responses have been anonymised (first name or initials only) to protect personal data.

This edition is probably the longest one ever, but I’m sure you understand these are important documents and that – as a package – they represent the culmination of over 3 years’ work by the Steering Group. It has been a long haul and taken a lot of effort but the Steering Group knows it has all been worthwhile and, as a result, we have a robust Plan that reflects the determination of the community to ensure it has a strong voice in shaping the future of Toton and Chilwell.

And since this is such a long read, I shall quickly sto…..

Kind regards
Graham

Broxtowe Lotto: tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll also find details of the scheme

Posted in Consultation, Latest News, Neighbourhood Plan, Steering Group | Leave a comment

Weekly digest: June 06

Posted on 06/06/2020 by CTTC Forum

Hello again,

Before we get into the nitty gritty of this week’s edition, let me welcome new readers to the digest! Given the importance of last week’s ‘Access to Toton’ report I thought it useful to share it to a wider audience, so I posted a short article about it to a number of local Facebook sites; the two main ones being Beeston Updated and Long Eaton Community Group. It is fair to say it generated a lot of interest. Most of the comments were about HS2 itself rather than the report’s proposals – the supporting infrastructure. Nevertheless, it generated a lot of ‘likes’ to our Facebook page as well as a good number of people who signed up to the digest. A warm welcome to you all. See below for a follow-up piece to the report that may be of interest. But before that, more regular updates.

1. Annual Report and Accounts 2019

  • This report is well overdue. It was due to be presented at our AGM in March but has been delayed due to our focus on getting the Plan and associated documents finished. Anyway, enough excuses – here is a link to the Report. Main activities undertaken last year are:
    • Produced the Neighbourhood Plan last July after almost 2 ½ year’s work
    • Undertook a 10-week consultation period between July and September
    • Received almost 120 separate representations in response to the consultation (a figure that I still find staggering)
    • Started work on revising the Plan in response to the feedback received.
  • The accounts still need to be independently examined. However, it was a fairly quiet year from a financial perspective. Key figures are:
    • Funds at the start of 2019: £10,465
    • Total income: £4,086  (biggest donation: £2,300 Broxtowe Borough Council)
    • Total expenditure: £11,846 (biggest expense: £7,002 Plan consultants)
    • Funds at the end of 2019: £2,705
  • If you have any comments or queries about the report/accounts, please get in touch and I’ll be glad to provide further explanation

2. The Plan

  • I’m pleased to report that we have now received the feedback from the Council following their informal review of our final version. The comments were constructive, and the overall tone was favourable “…the Forum have done an immense amount of excellent work”.
  • Specific advice was provided on three of our housing policies, where we had asked for help to make sure the wording was sufficiently robust to pass the independent examination stage. The Steering Group (in particular, Mark, our housing policy strand lead) is now reviewing the comments to see if and how we strengthen our document in the light of this advice.
  • I’d expect us to quickly come to an agreement on modifications and so we should be in a position to submit our Plan in the next few weeks. (Now, where have you heard that before!)

3. ‘Access to Toton’ – the reprise

  • Following the large level of interest in the report last week I thought you might be interested in the Access to Toton presentation from the launch event. There were technical problems at the event, so it wasn’t actually broadcast at the time but sent out afterwards.
  • It’s a short presentation with only 12 slides – and the main map is duplicated a couple of times. It is pretty self-explanatory, showing the scope of the emerging Development Corporation as well as the details of the first phase, which is due to be completed within 10 years.
  • If you have any queries, please get in touch and we’ll do our best to answer them.

4. COVID-19 links and associated information…

And finally…
Nope, no space this week for closing snippets – so see you next time.

Kind regards
Graham

Broxtowe Lotto: tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll also find details of the scheme

Posted in HS2 Hub Station, Latest News, Neighbourhood Plan | Leave a comment

Weekly digest: May 30

Posted on 30/05/2020 by CTTC Forum

Hello everyone,

Last week’s digest contained tidbits of information. This week we focus on a single topic – the launch of the ‘Access to Toton’ report. The report was published last Thursday and Richard, Ian and myself joined the (virtual) event to hear Sir John Peace, chair of Midlands Connect, introduce the far-reaching proposals to access the new Hub Station at Toton. The main message we took away was the firm intention to deliver a significant chunk of infrastructure to Toton within the next 10 years i.e. well in advance of HS2 services being delivered. The launch was covered in local news reports but in case you missed it…

1. Access to Toton I: the Map

  • Here is a link to a map of the proposals – in case the image below isn’t very readable. The map has been extracted from the full report, see below for the link.
  • The map illustrates ambitious plans that is designed to make the Hub Station the epicentre of regional transport infrastructure. It shows not only enhanced east/west links between Derby and Nott’m but also north/south links to/from Mansfield and East Midlands Airport.
  • The infrastructure covers:
    • new tramways – Toton Lane to the Station & Long Eaton and then beyond to East Midlands Airport and Derby.
    • new bus links – primarily a Bus Rapid Transit link between the Station and Derby.
    • new roads – Long Eaton into the Station.
    • new rail links to/from a new rail station at East Midlands Airport.
  • Delivery of these works is split into 3 phases, with the first phase scheduled to be completed by 2030.

2. Access to Toton II: the Costs

  • Here is a link to a breakdown of the costs of these proposals – a total of £2.7 billion.
  • The first phase (up to 2030) is the cheapest at £455 million and includes:
    • Tram extension to the Station/Long Eaton: £115m
    • Bus Rapid Transit to Derby: £85m
    • Road access from A6005 (Long Eaton): £15m
    • Rail connections from Toton to Nott’m/Derby/Leicester: £150m
    • Rail connections from Toton to Mansfield & Ilkeston (reopen the Maid Marian line to passenger traffic): £85m
  • Phases 2 & 3 total £2.25 billion and covers the construction of the new rail station at East Midlands Airport as well as new rail lines to/from the Airport and Derby as well as extensions of the tram network to the Airport and Derby.
  • These figures do not include the costs of building the Station itself. So, the assumption is that HS2 Ltd will pull forward their plans to get the station built in advance of HS2 services going live.

3. Access to Toton III: the Report

  • Here is a link to the full Access to Toton report. It’s not a long document (20 pages) and is very readable. It is worth having a look to understand the detail since, as mentioned, these are hugely ambitious proposals. The report makes very clear the sheer scale of change coming our way. And this is just the transport infrastructure!
  • The next step is that Midlands Connect will shortly submit the report to the government along with a request for £4.5 million to fund the next stage – to turn these proposals into detailed designs, engineering solutions and costs for Phase One of the scheme.
  • Richard was selected (he was the only non-journalist) to ask a question at the launch event and he asked for confirmation that active travel routes (walking, cycling) were going to be fully integrated into the designs for the Station as the report doesn’t cover cycleways or footpaths in any great detail. We were assured the next stage of detailed designs will definitely incorporate active travel routes from nearby communities.
  • There is a lot to absorb in the report and the Steering Group have yet to fully assess the impacts for our Area and on our Plan. But, rest assured, we will be keeping a close watch and aiming to provide our input to the detailed design phase.
  • If you would like to read some comments arising from the event, here are links to:

4. COVID-19 links and associated information…

5. And finally…

  • Annual Report and Accounts 2019. I promised last week to publish our 2019 Report.  However, given the importance to focus on the Access for Toton report this week, it isn’t appropriate for our report be presented as something of a postscript. So even though it is ready to be published, I’ll hold it over to next week. Another occasion to bate your breath a little longer!

If you have comments/observations about the Access report, please feel free to get in touch either via the website or direct to me and I’ll collate them together. Many thanks

Kind regards
Graham

Broxtowe Lotto: tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll also find details of the scheme

Posted in HS2 Hub Station, Latest News | Leave a comment

Weekly digest: May 23

Posted on 23/05/2020 by CTTC Forum

Hello again,

This week’s edition has a number of snippets of information. I was hoping to have fresh news about the Plan, but I’m afraid it’s another ‘watch this space’ note. Our chairman, Richard, had a conversation early last week with the council planners to discuss their progress, but the outcome was that they are still finalising their response and we now expect to receive it by the end of the coming week (Fri 29th). This is disappointing but, as I’m sure we all appreciate, the council have had much more pressing priorities to deal with over the last few weeks.  
Anyway, onto the more productive snippets

1. Next Steps for the Forum

  • The Steering Group met a couple of weeks ago – our first since February – and we started to think about activities we could pursue once the Plan has been submitted. A couple of ideas quickly emerged:
    • Designating green spaces. A key environmental policy in the Plan is to protect a number of our green spaces by ensuring they are awarded a ‘designated’ status. There is nothing to stop us from kicking off the process to work towards this, so we’ve agreed to speak to the council to understand how best to proceed.
    • Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs). Linked to the above, we also want to fully review the TPOs in force in our Area and to identify any gaps. The aim is to protect as many of our mature and veteran trees as possible. We’ll be pursuing this aspect with the council as well.
  • Annual Report and Accounts. The 2019 report has been delayed partly due our focus on revising the Plan this spring but also due to the deferral of the AGM where it would have been published. Regardless, the draft report is now written and the accounts produced. It is currently with the Steering Group for review and sign-off. I hope to publish it here next week, although the accounts still need to go through independent examination. 

2. Other meetings past and future

  • The Strategic Planning Group met a couple of weeks ago to discuss progress on the masterplan for the area. This Group, you’ll recall, is the prime feed into the Toton Delivery Board, chaired by Notts County Council. Both the East Midlands Hub Station and Chetwynd Barracks are included in the masterplan. The next phase of the workplan is a series of workshops to flesh out the details. These are being arranged between the consultants and officers from both Notts County and Broxtowe Borough Council. We have also been invited to attend and provide input based on our Plan. The workshops are scheduled to take place during June/July.
  • Homes England/DIO. We have been in touch with Homes England requesting a catch-up meeting, via Zoom or something similar.  We last met with them in January, so it will be useful to understand where they are with their workplan relating to the Barracks. Likewise, we will be updating them on our situation with the Plan and our future activities.

3. COVID-19 links and associated information…

4. And finally… Norman is 90!

  • I want to steal a little space this week to pay tribute to one of our long-standing stalwarts on the Steering Group: Norman Lewis MBE. Norman celebrated his 90th birthday last Friday and it is to his immense credit that he remains as engaged and involved in our work as any of us on the Group. Norman has championed the environmental strand in our Plan and made sure the environment sits at the forefront of all our policies and ambitions for the area.
  • Norman has been involved in the environment all his life starting in 1941 when, aged 11, he took a Saturday job at Hunt’s Roses Nursery off Stapleford Lane (what is now Honiton Close). He was one of the first employees of the Notts Wildlife Trust when it was formed in the early 1960s and stayed with them all his working life. He was integral to the formation of the iconic Attenborough Nature Reserve following which his focus became more local when he became a joint founder member and longstanding chairman of the Friends of Toton Fields LNR.
  • Prior to joining the Steering Group at its inception, Norman was also heavily involved in the Toton Environmental Protection Society, which was set up in response to the desecration of woodland on the Toton Sidings almost 10 years ago.
  • It is difficult to overstate Norman’s passion for the environment and the Forum is very fortunate in being able to call on his unsurpassed knowledge and experience of all matters relating to ecology and the environment.
  • Norman:  you are an inspiration to all of us on the Steering Group. Thank you for all you have done in championing the cause of the environment in our Area and we look forward to your wise counsel in the years to come.

And, that’s all folks this week. See you next time.

Kind regards
Graham

Broxtowe Lotto: tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll also find details of the scheme

Posted in Chetwynd Barracks, HS2 Hub Station, Latest News, Steering Group | Leave a comment

Weekly digest: May 09

Posted on 09/05/2020 by CTTC Forum

Hello everyone,

Another week where there isn’t much to report on Forum matters. There are a couple of meetings taking place next week, but that’s about it for now.  
As for regular COVID-19 links, I’m conscious the number of links has been expanding over the last few weeks. It is perhaps time to prune them down to a core selection of 5 or 6 sites – specifically related to our Area – otherwise there is a danger they could take over!

1. COVID-19 links new and old….

2. And finally…

  • Two meetings are taking place next week:
    • The Steering Group are zooming together on Weds morning to start to think about next steps now that the Plan is completed
    • Strategic Planning Group (Notts CC hosted regional board) are also holding a virtual meeting next week to discuss progress on the masterplan for the Strategic Location for Growth (including, of course, Toton Sidings).
  • Look out for updates on both of these meetings next week as well as, hopefully, feedback from the Council on the Plan. We are chasing for an update when we can expect their observations, but the officers are proving a tad elusive at the moment.

And, that’s all folks for this edition. See you next time.

Kind regards
Graham

Broxtowe Lotto: tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll also find details of the scheme

Posted in HS2 Hub Station, Latest News, Neighbourhood Plan | Leave a comment

Weekly digest: May 02

Posted on 02/05/2020 by CTTC Forum

Hello again,

Well, I was hoping to report positive news on the Plan this week. We expected to receive observations from the Council this week, following their review, but unfortunately nothing arrived. This is, perhaps, understandable given the Council’s total focus on the pandemic and its impacts on local services. So, we’re happy to ‘cut them a bit of slack’ and trust the feedback will be with us shortly.

1. As for us?

  • All our documentation is now finished and polished and ready to be submitted once we get the green light from the Council. As soon as it has been submitted, we will publish all documents here, so you’ll be able to look at it all.
  • As you know, the submission of the Plan is a significant milestone and once it has been passed, we can ‘tick off’ what has been the major objective of the Forum over the last three years. 
  • The Council will then control the process and take it through the final stages, as documented in the digest a couple of weeks ago
  • Of course, we liaise closely with the Council’s Planning team to make sure the process runs as smoothly and as quickly as possible.

2. But, what next for the Steering Group?

  • Having spent pretty much all our time on the Plan over the last 12 months, we are now starting to think about our next set of activities. And a number of tasks are emerging:
    • Admin catchup. Tasks here include: producing and publishing the annual report and accounts for 2019; deciding what to do about our deferred AGM; reviewing and refreshing the content on our website.
    • Stakeholder meetings. We need to resurrect regular contact with key stakeholders. So, we will be looking to arrange meetings with: Homes England/DIO; HS2 Ltd; Peveril Homes Ltd; and local organisations such as local schools and medical practices.
    • Implementing the Plan! There are tasks we can start now to implement the Plan – which may sound silly since it hasn’t been adopted yet. However, a key Environment policy is to get our important green spaces formally designated as a Local Green Space. The Plan identifies 7 candidate sites but the Plan, in itself, cannot confer a designated status on these sites. There is a separate process to be followed and there is no reason why we can’t kick off some work to get them designated.
  • So, plenty of activities to be undertaken. One of the first will be to figure out a way to hold a virtual meeting so the Group can discuss and prioritise activities for the next few months. More on this in future editions.

3. Beware the COVID-19 scammers

  • The number of scammers trying to cash-in on the pandemic is growing fast. I’ve come across a few examples that may be of interest. The core message is to be extra vigilant at the moment, when a lot of us will know of family and/or neighbours who are feeling especially vulnerable.
  • ‘WHO are you?’ This link takes you to a Beeston Mutual Aid Facebook post warning of a phone call – supposedly from WHO (the World Health Organisation) – asking for donations to their emergency fund. Naturally, it was a scam.
  • ‘It’s Notts us!’. I’ve received an email from Notts Alert warning against phone calls purporting to come from Nottinghamshire Council asking for bank details so they can provide social care payments. The Council categorically states: “Please note we would NOT ask for your bank details and these calls are not from the council. You should not provide your bank details over the phone”.
  • TV Licensing. A reader, Jackie S, sent me an email warning against suspicious emails she has received recently “purportedly coming from TV Licensing, and advising that my TV licence is about to expire.” And of course, Jackie’s licence is not due to expire anytime soon, so “I thought it might be useful to let others know about the scam”.  Thanks, Jackie, for the warning.

4. And finally…. One new COVID-19 link + all the regular ones.

And before shutting down this edition, there is growing amount of information being published about next Friday’s VE 75th Anniversary. In case you have missed any of it here are a couple more links to further information:
Broxtowe Council’s VE Day: 75th Anniversary contains ideas to mark the day whilst in lockdown.
Nottingham Post’s 7 ways you can still commemorate VE Day anniversary

Kind regards
Graham

Broxtowe Lotto: tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll also find details of the scheme

Posted in Latest News, Neighbourhood Plan | Leave a comment