Forum for residents of St Georges Park and Long Leys Road Lincoln

[iggy]

as the village shop is about open its doors
i ask the following points
1 is the signage correct as it is not the same as the planning application i looked at
2 where is the hedge and landscaping that was on drawing
3 what make of BREAD DO THEY SELL AND WHAT TIME IS THE PAPERS IN ON SUNDAY

[SteveW]

A friend of mine tried to open a shop in the available units at Burton Waters. There was that many restrictions she gave up in the end. Come a mile down the road and it appears you can do what you like.

I do not need a Beauty Salon so I will not be using it!!!

Maybe after it fails, someone might sit up and listen to the needs of the residents and open something a bit more useful to serve the community as I doubt very much if the owners are relying on custom off the estate.

[john shipton]

Steve:

Goes to show you that certain councils do have different planning policies. In this case for Burton Waters West Lindsey District Council make the rules.
However, with Lincoln City Council concerning our Urban Village, anything goes and what has become of the so-called village shop.
From day one when planning permission was granted by the Labour controlled ruling group at City Hall, no councillor thought about a master plan and neither did planning officers like Zoe Staton had the gumption to mention it.
All that residents were given was details about the local Lincoln Plan and the supplementary guidelines for the Urban Village that went with it.
The Labour group did mention our Urban Village and the urbanisation of Swanpool (thousands of houses that were proposed later to be built there) in the Lincoln Plan endorsed way back by Lincoln City Council in 1998.
Now that the houses are built on St Georges Park, the two main developers have now since gone to build elsewhere in the city of Lincoln. The landscaping has yet to be finished together with tarmacing the roads and footpaths. The other 26 homes are still in the process of being built by a smaller building company next to the single home right next to the Plymouth Brethren meeting place.
The flooding problems have yet to be resolved. Then when all is suitable and the work completed to County Council's specifications, the housing estate (note this...not part of the urban village) can be adopted (quoted by one of County Hall's officers).
The LLRA has only been going since January of this year (2007) and already City Council and County Council are taking note how professional the residents association has become with its commitment of working together with its councillors and themselves. And both councils know that the LLRA cannot be bought, fobbed off and hood winked by actions and decisions taken by these councils.
All of our councillors are aware of people power which can make or break them. Both councils are aware of this too.
The media is looking closely at our Urban Village and the needed facilities for its residents. This includes householders living in the Long Leys Road area who would like the promised facilities as well when they attended the meetings in what was called and still being called the Social Education Centre, before and after the building of the Urban Village began.
The LLRA is looking closely as to what will happen next to the SEC building and its land. It will monitor the hairdressing and tanning salon where the urban village shop was supposed to be.
It is a known fact that from day one, Lincoln City Council and Westbury Homes were not really bothered about the former derelict building designated to become the urban village shop that was near to the junction of the constructed road called Carram Way. This building had only the bare minimum of advertising for this purpose in the property Echo.
It was found to be too expensive for the building to be converted or demolished for a shop.
The planning department and councillors failed to keep tabs of Westbury Homes intentions. Even the estate agent involved, was forced to put up two FOR SALE signs whereby the original sign (note... only one sign) went missing.
The result is what we have todate...no village shop. If only it had started correctly and on an even keel, been given a chance and supported by City Council and taken seriously by both council and Westbury Homes (bought out by Persimmons), things would have been different.
It has been a botched up job from the beginning with wheelings and dealings going on behind residents backs between developer and City Hall which ended up with the four flats and two shop units that we have now. Very few letters were received by our local residents (resulting in a major fiasco) before the three storey building (involving a planning application) was converted from two flats and one shop unit into four flats and two shop units. 381 so called letters in total from Lincoln City Council was supposed to have been sent, posted, or put through the letter boxes giving details about this.
So there you have it in a nutshell and in borrowing the phrase given out at one of the Policy, Review and Scrutiny Committee meetings held at City Hall in describing our Urban Village and its missing facilities...one mighty cock-up!
To be or not to be is now the question regarding the future of our Urban Village and facilties. Hopefully this will become a reality with the LLRA being infomed as and when it happens. Discussions are still going on. Both councils are at least talking with each other with the LLRA being informed as the processes take place.
At the LLRA general meeting held at the Pyewipe Inn last Tuesday evening, residents were updated of the news available.
So keep working together and talk to one another on the St Georges web site. Get involved and do let both councils and councillors know of your views and comments.
Hope this encourages yourself Steve (and others reading).

Shippo, as ever reporting.

[deb]

John, the landscaping issuee has been covered, DW are doing in the Autumn, the roads are being done now. Shop units can be taken by anyone that wants them - rather like selling a house you would not refuse a sale because you don't think they'll get on with the neighbours. If (when) as Steve says, the beauty shop closes, our numbers may have increased and we may have someone willing to open a shop, there or maybe a stone's throw over the road, plans for the SEC are still at talking stage. Iggy, I'll ask Andrew/Pete to look at the planning application for signage/ landscaping

[iggy]

thanks

[deb]

The signage should have been on two posts in the ground. From the point of view of keeping the grass and surround neat I think the wall may actually be better but if there are a number of objections the LLRA will go back to planning. The hedging still needs doing though!

[iggy]

its open . been to pick up echo but they dont sell it they say
pity as that was all i wanted at least it was busy cars every where
all the locals must have taken there cars out with them for a walk like the dog !!! strange though i didnot know anybody in the shop when i was in they must all be new to the area!!!!!!!!!!

[Kay Rowntree]

I see they do nails at the shop though. Save me going up Burton Road or to B&Q! Is that what you were in for really Iggy? Do they sell them by weight or in small packets?

[iggy]

did not ask kay
is it 24-7 as you have been in late i see
but you can get
four candles or is it fork handles
which is a good job because they can use them to dig up the grass they have put in [cheap option ] and plant up the area as per the planning consent !!!!! and also reinstate the hedge which should and did not need to be removed . as other builders did not feel the need to remove it
lets hope also they sell CAR PARK signs before the yellow line man gets the call or some body gets hurt

[iggy]

carparking at nail bar
i note the owner must be disabled as every time i come past her car is always parked in the disabled bay . pity this then means any other disabled driver need to park on the street and still no planting .can somebody let me know a date for this work

[Rachael]

We're really disappointed that the shop unit isn't a shop atall! With a young baby I'm desperate for somewhere to buy a loaf of bread, pint of milk and a paper! I want to walk to places and not travel by car all of the time. On another topic, the dog mess along the pathway at the back of Albion Cresent is getting out of control! People think that because it is grassy down there, they don't have to pick it up - there must be at least 15 piles at the moment and it's very difficult to walk along it and pushing a buggy to avoid it is impossible. Please pick it up whoevers pets are responsible!

[deb]

Even as a dog walker Rachael I share your disgust. I don't know anyone who's been fined for allowing their dog to foul a public pathway. I reckon the police/PCSOs should be allowed to stop dog walkers and ask to see their means for cleaning up even if they haven't seen them foul. I'm sure loads of folk don't carry anything. If only all of them were as good as me, Kay, the couple that walk the pair of wolfhounds and probably many others!

[iggy]

i wish the locals would walk to the villege shop this would solve the parking problems on carim way or has it got such a good name all over the city people are driving for miles get there newspaper * no its us that has to do that

[Stacys]

Due to our shop not being a shop, we have decided to move from the estate. I too, like Rachel have a young child and find getting a pint of milk a day out. We'll be sad to leave the estate, but pleased to move near a shop within walking distance!

[iggy]

tThe signage should have been on two posts in the ground. From the point of view of keeping the grass and surround neat I think the wall may actually be better but if there are a number of objections the LLRA will go back to planning. The hedging still needs doing though!e

deb you ouoted this on26 june
so could you look into the fact a new sign with 3 legs ie double sided has been put up in the grass area fronting long leys rd
the planning aplication was not followed in the first place [which i noted to llra ] now infact we have 3 signs possible without planning1 on wall at high level2 double sided one on grass [should be single i think
AND STILL NO PLANTING OF THE PROTECTED HEDGE
this new sign states carparking at the rear does this mean the road as the only spot i can see is the disabled spot allways filled by the owners car

ps it say at rear but in fact the front is the rear and the rear is the front if you get what i mean

pps if we donot stop the sign man planting them soon the NEON LIGHTS WILL TURN UP ON ARE DOOR STEP

ppps still looks a lot of room in shop to sell papers /bread/milk lol