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News
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Mick Scott, of Bedlington, passed away last week after an illness.
Mr Scott, who was awarded an MBE in 1992 for political service, helped to organise the Bedlington Fair for many years and was well known in the area.
He was born in Bradford but moved to Embleton, Northumberland, where he spent his formative years.
He left school at the age of 14 to take an apprentice greensman job at Dunstanburgh Golf Club, just outside Embleton, only to be made head greensman two days later because his predecessor fell ill.
Mr Scott lived in Embleton until he was around 22 and moved to London after his parents died. He worked for the London Underground in charge of ordering supplies for various tube stations that were being created.
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Introduction
This report provides an update on progress on the Bedlington Town Centre, former Tesco Site and the Old School housing development.
Bedlington Town Centre
Summary
We are making good progress with development proposals for Bedlington Town Centre, a retail led scheme is emerging that will be capable of transforming the town centre, creating exciting new places to visit, dwell and shop.
Once completed, this flagship Arch development will form a pivotal focal point for the town whilst also delivering a truly mixed-use scheme with many positive economic, social and physical benefits.
Discussions with prospective tenants, in particular the food anchor, are reaching fruition and a number of corporate retailers have expressed an interest in being part of the scheme. Securing these anchor tenants forms the next stage of development now that outline planning consent is secured.
With commercial viability a core objective of the development, our immediate efforts have been concentrated on five key activities:
1. Demolition, site clearance, site investigations and remediation;
2. Design of a financially viable masterplan to demonstrate the capability of the site to the market and provide a balanced mixed-use development that will complement and add value to the existing Bedlington offer;
3. Obtain outline planning permission for the development;
4. Attract new investors into Bedlington to increase retail diversity and create the economic catalyst for commercial development; and
5. Introduce a new housing offer with a diversity of tenures to satisfy market demand for town centre living.
Planning
The pre-planning submission public consultation was held 6th December 2016 at the Salvation Army Hall. County and Town Cllrs and members of the Bedlington Delivery Group were invited to a preview. Over 150 people attended on the day with 140 providing feedback, of which 98% were generally in support of the development proposals, agreed that there is a need for more shopping and leisure facilities in Bedlington and agreed that the scheme would enhance Bedlington Town Centre.
The outline planning application was submitted 9th February 2017 and approved at Strategic Planning Committee in June 2017.
The design team meet weekly and are now working with Arch Developments in preparing the ‘reserved matters’ application and discharge of conditions. However, some of the detail is subject to retailers / other users’ requirements, which are yet to be defined.
Tenant Profile
The scheme is attracting good levels of interest in the retail market and we are confident of underpinning the development with two “anchor” stores. The primary aim is to secure a c.2,000m2 discount food supermarket and a c.1,500m2 non-food discount store, we are in direct discussions with two major retailers to fulfil these roles. Our existing tenant Greggs have expressed interest in a larger unit within the new development.
General feedback is looking positive and once the anchors are secured a number of complementary retailers are also keen to take units within the scheme.
Once an appropriate level of income/capital is accomplished from sales and lettings, a request for funding to commence the development will be brought forward for Arch Board approval, current target is an Autumn Board.
Construction
Due to the estimated build cost of the development, the construction will be subject to OJEU procurement (restricted tender). This will require a PQQ stage to shortlist interest from the market, followed by an ITT to the shortlisted contractors. We are currently targeting to commence with the PQQ this autumn with the aim of completing the procurement to enable construction to commence, subject to viability and Board approval, early 2018.
Development names
A naming competition (My Town My Vote) for the development was launched in February, led by Leading Link, nearly 2,900 votes were cast. The winning name was Pipers Place (947 votes) followed by The Forge (811 votes), Market Square (562 votes) and The Cross (481 votes).
Ballot boxes toured local schools in Bedlingtonshire and were placed in local businesses, churches and care homes. The campaign involved the design of a local mascot ‘Bedlington Ben’ and included stickers and posters, all designed by young people involved through Leading Link youth charity.
The name is yet to be adopted. Consideration needs to be given to its suitability for a retail led development and also the Council’s Street Naming and Numbering process.
Old School, Bedlington
Arch acquired the former Old School site situated on the corner of Front Street and Church Lane from a local developer in February of 2016. The site came with the benefit of a planning consent for 19 apartments – granted in 2009 through appeal.
The intention is to develop PRS/affordable apartments on the site, targeted at the over 55 market.
Arch appointed architects ID Partnership to revise the development, aligning to the PRS market, but maintaining high quality architecture. The revised development provides 18 two bed apartments, ranging from 59-65m2.
A section 73 application for the proposed variations was submitted in September 2016 and the variations were approved by Planning Committee in January 2017.
Arch Group Investment Committee approval was granted February 2017 for the development and appointment of the contractor NB Clark (Morpeth), following competitive tender.
NB Clark took site possession in March 2017. Practical completion is currently programmed for April 2018. At present, NB Clark are currently on programme and are progressing well with ground to first floor brickwork. All underpinning works to the south and west boundary walls are complete.
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One of the key improvements to the authority’s Community Chest Fund is a new grant aimed specifically at the under 18s.
Under the new plans there will be a ‘Help For You’ scheme for young people. Grants of up to £200 will be available to help individuals under 18 in pursuing a particular ambition - whether it is sporting, musical or academic.
Previous local and countywide elements of the community chest have been retained following a review and the authority is committing £375,300 this year to the fund.
For local schemes, there will be a £5,000 upper grant limit with a maximum award of 75% of the cost of any proposal. These will be managed and allocated by Northumberland’s five local area councils.
Each local area council will also have the flexibility to identify particular priority themes which are seen as particularly relevant to their communities.
For the countywide element, the pot has been doubled to £60,000. There will be no upper grant limit, but the maximum grant award will be 75% of the project’s costs.
Leader of Northumberland County Council, Peter Jackson said: “We are delighted to relaunch this much valued community funding scheme. We know that it has been of great benefit to communities across the county and wished to make sure that this benefit is enhanced in the future.
“We have listened to views during a review and feel that we have made some very helpful changes.
One of the most exciting improvements is that we have widened the appeal of the fund to the younger generation. We have introduced a grant specifically dedicated to individuals under 18s, called Help For You. This is aimed at assisting young people to pursue their ambitions which could be sporting, musical or academic.
“We have also ensured that there is a consistent approach to assessing projects across the county, with the community chest budget managed and allocated locally by each area council and based broadly on the population living within that area.”
The community chest fund has been in operation in Northumberland since 2009 and over its lifetime 1,450 awards totalling £2.6million have been made to voluntary and community groups to develop projects that enhance the environment, improve health and wellbeing and strengthen communities.
Key features of the scheme are: A ‘Help For You’ scheme for young people; Community chest budgets managed and allocated by local area councils; The budget for each area council based on the population living in that area; Local area councils able to identify funding themes relevant to their communities; For local schemes, a £5,000 upper grant limit with a maximum award of 75% of the cost of any proposal; The countywide element of the fund doubled to £60,000, with no upper limit but the maximum grant award of 75% of the project’s costs, and Two funding rounds each year.
The deadline for the first round of applications is scheduled for Friday 29 September and the second 12 January 2018.
Find out all about the fund here.
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The busy horticultural training unit is opening its doors on Saturday 19 August between 11am and 2pm,
Visitors can pop in, enjoy a BBQ and live music and take a tour around the purpose built training facility including the several acres of vegetable and soft fruit patches, greenhouses, potting shed, secret gardens and the stable building and paddock which is home to the centre’s resident horses.
The BBQ will be running from 12.30 for which there will be a charge of £5 per person.
Northumberland County Councillor Veronica Jones, cabinet member for adult well being and health, said:
“This project gives people with all levels of learning disabilities the opportunity to work as part of a team to plant, grow and harvest crops while also selling to and engaging with members of the local community.
“The adults have been working hard throughout the spring and summer tending to a fantastic array of fruit and vegetables which have been grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides.
“If you are able to support their work by coming along, having a look around the site, seeing what we do, and perhaps making a purchase please do.”
Produce on sale at the opening day will all be freshly picked and all money from the sales will be reinvested back into the service.
The centre is used by adults with learning disabilities and is managed by Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust on behalf of Northumberland County Council.
The unit supports 18 adults each day, providing the opportunity to work as part of a team to plant, grow and harvest a number of crops and to learn how to look after horses and hens.
Food will be served from 12pm .There is a charge of £5 per person for the barbecue.
Sleekburn Horticultural Training Unit can be found at West Sleekburn Farm Cottages in Bedlington, NE22 7AD, just follow the brown sign to Sleekburn Kitchen Gardens.
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Photo: Aerial shot of the chapel, courtesy of The Archaeological Practice
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Now her masterpiece has been released in Malaysia and she hopes it will be screened in Britain in the near future.
And the former St Benet Biscop Catholic High School pupil has told how she was so proud of her work when she travelled to the Asian country to see the premier last week.
Now the 29-year-old is planning on rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous when the film is entered into the big film festivals, including Cannes, Raindance, Sundance.
“I was really proud when I saw it on screen, it was really nice for me,” said Rebecca. “It is rare to get a feature film before a short film and to hear the actors speak the lines I wrote was so special. They did an excellent job too.”
Rebecca was the lead writer for the film titled ‘Hijabsta Ballet’, which hit the cinemas in Malaysia on August 3.
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Concerns about parking capacity are regularly raised with the County Council and the new administration are working to get a clearer picture of capacity and usage of carparks.
A study is already underway in Berwick and further studies will be carried out over the next two months in the market towns of Hexham, Morpeth and Alnwick, with the final reports being received by the Council in November.
Motorists and car park users may see traffic surveys taking place but there won’t be any disruption for drivers. The people undertaking the studies will be carrying appropriate identification.
Councillor Glen Sanderson, Cabinet member for Environment and Local Services, said: “Despite the introduction of free parking some years ago, communities are often telling us that a lack of parking capacity is having a negative effect on their local economy and the sustainability of their towns.
“We’re listening to these concerns and as a first step have commissioned a study to investigate the current car parking situation within each of the four main market towns where parking capacity has been identified as a key issue.
“This will establish current patterns of use and enable us to factor in the future demand for car parking spaces so that we can fully understand what improvements are required now and in the future and look at what’s needed in terms of any new car parking sites.”
“Ultimately we want all our communities to prosper and have the right balance of sustainable parking for residents, visitors and businesses and this is the first step in making that happen.”
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Lucy Huddleston suffers from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, which is an abnormal twisting and curvature of the spine.
With the help of people from across the North East and beyond, more than £53,000 has been raised to send Lucy abroad.
The 16-year-old is travelling overseas on Friday for surgery which her family pray will correct the spine’s curves, without the need for fusion treatment.
Mum Lisa, 45, said: “We’ve been blown away by the fundraising and we’re so grateful.
“I fill up every time I look at the fundraising page at how nice people are, and a lot of them are complete strangers. The support has been amazing.”
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Applications will be decided by a Grant Panel established by each of the five new Local Area Councils and the first deadline for applications is Friday 29th September.
The aim of the Community Chest Scheme is to support community groups and organisations to deliver activities which contribute to achieving the Council’s ambition for Northumberland. In addition, a new small grant scheme, Help For You, has been included specifically to help young people under 18 to achieve an ambition (see below).The fund will support one-off initiatives that are:
seen as valuable to the area are not able to secure mainstream funding from the council or other sources They do this by giving one-off grants of up to £5,000, but not exceeding 75% of the actual costs, i.e. you will need to find at least 25% from your own or other sources.You are advised to read the guidelines carefully before applying.
To help the council decide between different applications, there are higher and lower priorities for the scheme. Higher priority will be given to:
Projects submitted by small community groups, defined as having an income of less than £10,000 per year and no paid staff Initiatives that will help community groups to become sustainable in the longer term Groups who have not received a grant from the community chest in the past Lower priority will be given to groups who have received a community chest grant in the past two years and those that apply for projects similar to previous years. If your group or organisation does not meet the priorities, then an application can still be made but is less likely to be successful.
If your project seeks to benefit the County as a whole, then it may be considered as a Countywide project, for which £60,000 per annum is set aside. Such projects are considered by a separate panel of Area Chairs that meets more regularly. Although the maximum grant remains 75% of the actual costs, the upper cap of £5,000 does not apply.
Help For You
Grants of up to £200 are available for young people aged under 18 to support them in pursuing a particular ambition. A maximum of £2,000 has been ring-fenced for each local area council.
For further information visit the Northumberland County Council website or contact:
Community Regeneration Team
Ecomony and Inclusion Policy Team
Planning and Economy Directorate
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
NE61 2EF
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The family-friendly festival took place in the town’s Gallagher Park, with headline act The Commitments performing soul classics such as Mustang Sally, Destination Anywhere and In the Midnight Hour.
Other musical entertainment on the bill included the West End 80’s Mania Show, UB40 tribute band Ultimate 40, Pacific, The Sleeze Sisters, The Understudies, Just So and Unplugged.
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Residents are advised that water discolouration may occur during this time but remains safe. It is not necessary to contact Northumbrian water if discoloured water is noticed and running the first mains fed tap in your home (typically the cold water tap in the kitchen) for up to 30 minutes is advised.
It is not recommended that washing machines and dish washers be used until water is running clear.
If you have a metered supply and you receive discoloured water during the course of this work, please call Northumbrian water on 0845 717 1100 as you can claim an allowance on your bill.
More info at https://www.nwl.co.uk/your-home/your-account/in-your-area/mains-cleaning.aspx
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The authority successfully bid for its share of £75 million from the government’s national Highway Maintenance Challenge Fund.
Local authorities were challenged to put forward schemes which could make a real difference to road users.
Glen Sanderson, the County Council’s Cabinet member for Environment and Local Services: “This is absolutely fantastic news for the council,the people of Northumberland and all those who use our road network.
“We’re delighted to have secured this level of funding which, combined with a further £1.5m input from ourselves, will see improvements to 24km of highway along three key routes in the more rural parts of the county.
“These are crucial routes for the timber industry, quarrying and tourism and of course the residents who use these roads each day. The money, which will be spent this financial year, will fund a range of improvements, from strengthening the roads through to drainage work and resurfacing.
“The bid had widespread support from a range of partners as well as local MPs and is a further demonstration of this administration’s commitment to making long term improvements and investment on our county’s roads.
“We’re also pleased to be the only local authority in the region to have secured successive back to back awards from the national Highway Maintenance Challenge Fund.
“It is also testament to all the hard work put in by our highways team to have submitted such a persuasive and comprehensive bid and I’m extremely proud of them.”
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At the Energy Efficiency and Healthy Homes Awards last week, the council picked up highly commended in the Landlord of the Year category and commended in the Small Project of the Year (Under £250k) award.
The awards were in relation to a pilot project in Cramlington which has transformed a “Dorran” style property into a more energy efficient property. Dorran properties were a popular post-war style of construction, using concrete panels, and often have issues with insulation.
The pilot scheme, at a property in Allerhope, saw the council team up with external wall specialists, Alumasc Facades and Westdale services. A steel structure was added to the concrete panels to strengthen the external wall and ensure it could withstand the weight of new insulation and render. It was then finished with a unique “brick” effect render to modernise the property. All the windows in the property have also been replaced.
The scheme will now be rolled out across the estate with a further 82 properties set to receive the same work over the next two years.
Coun John Riddle, Cabinet member for Planning, Housing and Resilience at the council, said: “This is fantastic recognition for an innovative pilot scheme, intended to not only improve the energy efficiency of the property, but also the appearance.
“Our tenant is extremely happy with the work and has already noticed the benefits with the property feeling warmer and better insulated.
“We will now be rolling the project out over the next two years, to include all other council-owned homes on the estate. We hope this will have a really positive impact on the quality of life for the tenants but also the community as a whole.”
Ward councillor for the area, Mark Swinburn, said: “It’s great to see the success of this pilot scheme. I am really pleased to see that the scheme will be progressing across the estate for the benefit of all residents.”
Tyrone Lawton, Area Technical Manager for Alumasc Facades, said: “The council has done a fantastic job in transforming a dated dorran property to a modern looking, energy efficient home.
“The council has gone that extra mile by putting their tenants first: helping with energy efficiency, saving on utility bills but also dramatically improving the appearance of the property.”
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The “World’s Hardest Working Band” headlined the day-long event on Saturday, which drew in the crowds to Bedlington’s Gallagher Park.
The eight-piece band - headed up by frontman Dave Finnegan who played bouncer and drummer Mickah Wallace in The Commitments film - played all the classics, including Mustang Sally and In the Midnight Hour.
They were joined on the bill by The Sleeze Sisters, The Understudies, Just So and Unplugged.
Festival-goers also enjoyed a range of food as well as a display by the Royal Logistics Corps’ parachute display team The Silver Stars.
Northumberland Live organiser, Mel Jackson, said: “The day has been fantastic - it has been jumping.
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The 16-year-old claims she has been left a “prisoner in her own home” after taking the controversial HPV vaccine.
Holly says she has been left virtually housebound by the human papilloma virus injections, which help prevent cervical cancer.
Once part of Newcastle United’s academy, the teenager now suffers from severe fatigue and is often too exhausted to get out of bed.
Mum Vicky, 46, is certain her daughter’s health problems are linked to the Gardasil vaccine, which is routinely offered to 12 and 13-year-old girls to protect them against cancer.
She said: “Holly was energetic and full of life. After the vaccines her life would never be the same again. There needs to be more information about the risks.
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The 78-year-old woman was crossing Hartford Road in the Northumberland town just before 10am when she was hit by a Ford transit tipper van, which was also towing a trailer.
The woman suffered serious head and leg injuries and she has been taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where her condition is described as being “critical, but stable”.
The air ambulance was called to the scene, but paramedics opted to drive the elderly woman to hospital instead.
Police closed the road for two hours while the woman received medical treatment and was driven to hospital, but it has since re-opened.
Officers investigating the crash are now appealing for witnesses and a Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: “A Ford transit tipper van towing a trailer was travelling south on Hartford Road when it collided with a 78-year-old woman who was crossing the road.
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A Ford transit tipper van towing a trailer was travelling south on Hartford Road when it collided with a 78-year-old woman who was crossing the road.
The woman suffered serious injuries and was taken to the RVI for treatment. Her condition is described being critical but stable with suspected serious head and leg injuries.
The road was closed for two hours to allow for the casualty to be dealt with and the scene to be investigated.
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting reference 270 of 28/07/17
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