Weekly digest: July 18

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 • The purchase does mean that Peveril’s current planning permission for “Lime Rise” is dead and buried and will now be withdrawn.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

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