News - Controversial Nottingham Lace Market office block approved

 

Developers Studon Holdings produced artists' impressions of how the office block would look

Plans have been approved for a new office block in Nottingham's Lace Market that heritage campaigners have warned will ruin an iconic city view.

The six-storey £12m development in High Pavement had been criticised by the Civic Society because it would obstruct views of St Mary's Church.

The project is due to create about 320 jobs when the new offices open.

Planning committee chairman Chris Gibson said it would "bring new life to a very difficult site".

He said the council had been considering applications for this site for more than six years and had worked to get a design that "sits comfortably in one of Nottingham's most historic and attractive areas".

"We believe these plans sit sympathetically alongside St Mary's Church and the nearby buildings.

"People who are familiar with High Pavement and Short Hill will realise there is a big space used as a car park that has been there since the bombs dropped in the 1940s that eventually is going to be put back so it looks like a proper street," Mr Gibson said.

But Hilary Silvester, of Nottingham Civic Society, said: "We are disappointed with the decision as it will impact on the views of the Lace Market and particularly St Mary's Church which is located in the oldest part of the city."

'Block the view'

She said the glass construction material being used on the buildings would create "glare" and ruin the view.

Ms Silvester added: "The council in Lincoln would never build something that would block the view of the [Lincoln] cathedral - would they?"

 

The civic society said the view from the south was one of the most important in the city

The city council's development control committee was told the location was one of the most sensitive in the city centre with an iconic view of Nottingham from the south.

Developers Studon Holdings will pay £38,675 towards improving public transport in the area.

An archaeological survey will be carried out before work begins.

Archaeologists believe "significant pre-Norman Conquest" items may be found on the site.

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-16302327

Nottingham City Council proving themselves as ever as morons!

News - Nottingham Lace Market office block plan criticised

 

Plans for an office block in a historic part of Nottingham have been criticised by campaigners.

Studon Holdings wants to develop the last open site in the Lace Market, currently a car park, and alter three listed buildings.

The civic society said the six-storey development would harm the skyline around St Mary's Church and one of the most important views in the city.

Councillors have been recommended to approve the plans at a meeting later.

Much of the site has been empty since buildings damaged in bombing during World War II were demolished.

Plans for a larger building on the site were rejected in 2007.

 

'Sensitive location'

Nottingham's Civic Society and English Heritage have both objected to the plans as being too large and intrusive.

Ian Wells, from the civic society, said: "Our great worry is that it will impact on views of the church, you can see the east end of the church at the moment and their is a great sense of visual climax at the moment.

"There have been very telling comparisons made with Lincoln and the view as you drive towards it with the cathedral right at the top - would they build something obscuring that view?"

Planning officers said the site was "one of the most sensitive locations in the city centre" but said changes to the amount of glazing and a red brick finish meant "the height and mass of the proposed development now responds well to the significance of this view".

Studon Holdings said it could not comment on the plans at this time.

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-16283160

Book - What life was like on the home front while war raged (S.Yorks)

When Britain was plunged into World War II, lives were turned upside down in many ways.

Obviously the disappearance of Doncaster people into the Forces and transfer of residents around the country with evacuations all meant major disruption to normal life.

But what about the home front, not the major cities where bombs wreaked havoc, but the ordinary villages and towns up and down the country? Towns like Mexborough for instance.

A Town at War is a fascinating publication which portrays perfectly the comings and goings in the town during 1940 as told through the pages of the council minutes.

Lots of mundane tasks and sometimes slightly bizarre decisions, bearing in mind there was a war on, but necessary to keep the community running, and of course there was always the perceived potential threat of invasion.

Harold Brearley was chief public health inspector and officiated at the council meetings. The following is an insight into what went on during those gatherings.

Twelfth June 1940 and decisions had to be made. At this time Roman Terrace consisted of 32 acres, 616 houses and a population of 2,440. The extra responsibility meant that sewage effluent problems had to be considered now the street had been transferred from Swinton Borough Authority to Mexborough two years previously.

Announcements were made that due to the war all national holidays should be cancelled and overtime payments should be considered where necessary. Council workers were paid for carrying out war duties and the average working week for council workers was 47-48 hours.

It was decided that no further post boxes should be erected, also that bus services to Thurnscoe should depart from West Street instead of Cliff Street - this was an alteration which remained until the 1980s.

More serious problems were the plans for hospitals to deal with Blitz and bombing victims. Stirrup pumps were distributed for firefighting use. Two nights a week were set aside for gas mask training in the Market Hall while all unassembled Anderson shelters were to be collected and erected.

Private homeowners were also contacted and questioned as to how many people they could accommodate in the case of bomb victims losing their homes.

The hospital carried on and there was a reported trend of an increasing population with 46 births registered (included one illegitimate boy), 17 deaths were noted. Notifiable diseases were two diptheria and 14 measles.

Finally, in this small snapshot of everyday life in war-time Mexborough enemy aircraft were becoming more frequent in the area and a resolution was passed that one council worker be paid for two hours loss of work when he had to turn out as convoy officer following the sounding of an air raid siren during his shift at work.

Some of the above may at first seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, but were essential and meetings and decisions such as these were taken up and down the country as Britain settled down to an unsure and unpredictable future which in hindsight would last another four years.

From: http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/community/nostalgia/what_life_was_like_on_the_home_front_while_war_raged_1_3998116

Video - World War Two air raid shelter found in Worksop

Builders working on the town’s new cinema have unearthed an unexpected feature of their own when they found a World War Two air raid shelter.

VIDEO: Click the play button to see an exclusive video of the underground shelter. link to http://www.worksopguardian.co.uk/news/local-news/world_war_two_air_raid_shelter_found_in_worksop_video_1_3615528

News - Give our women the statue they deserve (Sheffield)

The Star’s campaign to win recognition for the women who kept the steelworks going during World War II was greeted with the promise of a permanent memorial in a prominent place in the city centre.

The pledge was made more than a year ago and today the women who made bullets, bombs, planes and ships for our boys on the frontline are demanding answers.

Kathleen Roberts, aged 89, started the campaign - which was backed by Parliament and the Prime Minister - and stressed time is of the essence.

More than 100 women still survive, aged in their 80s and 90s, but most died before receiving any thanks.

“The idea came from the council, not from us, and most people think it is a lovely idea but they have really got to get a move on,” Kathleen said.

“All the women involved in this campaign would dearly love to see it come to its conclusion but we may not be around when that happens because it is taking so long.

“This is not for us, we are doing it for all the women who worked in the steel industry in Sheffield.”

The proposal was given cross-party support in April 2010 and one suggestion was for a statue to be placed on the corner of the City Hall steps.

Both Labour and the Lib Dems are still fully behind the idea and £28,000 has been set aside but more money is needed.

The administration has since changed hands and today Labour pledged to move it forward as soon as possible.

Council leader Julie Dore said: “I find it profoundly disappointing that the previous Lib Dem administration failed to deliver on a promise made over 12 months ago to the Women of Steel to provide a memorial as recognition by the city of the contribution made by thousands of Sheffield women who worked in the steel industry during World War Two.

“The Lib Dems recognised the need to move this forward as a matter of urgency, as it said in the report itself in April 2010 that ‘there was a need to bring this project to fruition during their lifetime’.

“To now find that they took over a year to identify a sum of money to kickstart the project and also failed to commence any sort of consultation means that they have wasted precious time which I think the people of Sheffield will find unforgivable.

“This Labour council are now putting together a plan to ensure that this promise to the Women of Steel and Sheffield people is delivered as soon as possible. We thank The Star for their continued support and will be working with them to keep the people of Sheffield informed.”

Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield added: “I’m shocked that the Lib Dems used the Women of Steel to make a big public commitment just a month before the general and local elections and then failed to proceed for over 12 months, but I’m now pleased that the new Labour council are determined to sort the matter out and I will be doing all I can to help and support the project.”

Coun Shaffaq Mohammed, leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, renewed his support for the monument but said serious questions had to be asked.

“Whilst in power Liberal Democrats got the ball rolling by taking the decision to go ahead with this important memorial. We earmarked £28,000 for the project, with a signed-off plan to raise the rest through donations from local businesses and other donors. That was just before Labour took over at the May 5 elections.

“Since Labour took power it seems as though not much has happened to take this important project forward. I’m not even clear if any businesses or potential donors have been approached. Serious questions have to be asked about why the council has taken their eye off the ball.

“Sheffield women made great sacrifices for the war effort and it’s important that, as a city, we recognise their contribution. I’m disappointed that our Women of Steel are being badly let down by Labour.

“Labour complain about a lack of investment but the fact is only the other week they outlined £2m of extra spending on their priorities, the Women of Steel memorial wasn’t one of them.”

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/give_our_women_the_statue_they_deserve_1_3522551

News - Memorial honours lost airmen (RAAF Pilots Halam)

A MEMORIAL in England will honour the lives of two Australian airmen who died in World War II, although the true cause of their deaths might be forever ''lost in the web of war''.

Leonard Lean, 22, of Lindfield, died after his Lancaster bomber crashed on April 10, 1943. It was his last night-training flight before being assigned to a squadron. His crew mate, flight engineer Frank Dunkin, 21, from Armidale, was also killed.

Reports about the crash have cited pilot error as the cause but their families are convinced there is another explanation.

Relatives have travelled to Halam in Nottinghamshire where a memorial to the crew of seven will be dedicated today.

Last year, after a notice was placed in The Sydney Morning Herald seeking Lean's relatives, his niece Barbara Butchart and sister Elaine Caldwell examined 58 letters that had remained untouched in Ms Butchart's mother's garage for years.

''There was a bundle in my mother's garage covered in cobwebs and slaters. Once we heard about the memorial, Elaine started looking at the letters and going into things.

''They were in their original envelopes and hadn't been opened very often. It was just too painful.''

One letter, written by the wife of the navigator to Lean's mother Elsie, said the crew was ''only just airborne when it happened. The engine was overheating when they took off and blew up just as they left the ground but owing to your boy's quick thought they were not burned. He managed to stop the fire by turning his engines off.''

Less than two weeks before the crash, Lean wrote home: ''Well folks, I have mastered the four-engined kites and am as pleased as punch. They are what I have been working for. The bigger, the better. I shall have to wait until a bigger one is invented as these are 'tops' at the moment. The crew are all good types and work well together.''

Andrew Paris, who had the idea for the memorial, said: ''I just felt that this piece of village history shouldn't be forgotten, and that the sad sacrifice of seven airmen should not go unmarked.

''The official report of the accident is very brief and dismissive. It is easier perhaps just to imply pilot error than to go through proper forensics to establish what really happened. Time, money and resources were scarce; there was a war on. 'Write off the crash, write to the bereaved families, and get on training the next crew' may have been the attitude.''

 

From: http://www.smh.com.au/national/memorial-honours-lost-airmen-20110409-1d8ff.html