Gather is a new arts and community base. Also does coffee. Or it is coffee with a topping of arts? Its location at Ludlow Community Hospital in the former maternity unit has been controversial since the applications for planning consent and licencing were published at the end of last year. There has been a lot of work to clarify what is proposed and to sort out the permissions. But I am satisfied that we have got it right. The premises will have a cap of 50 people at any one time. Separate permissions have restricted use of car parking spaces to 12, leaving more than 60 spaces for staff, in-patients and visitors. The NHS has allocated spaces for emergency and longer stay ambulances. Far from being the end of Ludlow Community Hospital as a few people have claimed, it is the start of regeneration in East Hamlet. Community hospitals have […]
Councillors and Chris Naylor call for South Shropshire residents to help save Craven Arms recycling centre
Since the news broke a week ago that the Craven Arms Household Recycling Centre is on a short, very short, list for closure, residents have been making their views known across social media. Yesterday, Ludlow unitary councillors met with Chris Naylor the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for South Shropshire at the Craven Arms Household Recycling Centre yesterday evening to promote a resident’s petition. If you haven’t signed it, please sign and tell everyone you know. https://bit.ly/cravenarmsrecyling I have space for only one comment to illustrate the strength of reaction: “So, all those old paint tins, the broken saucepan, defunct batteries and your ex’s sweater, chuck it all in the black bin. Hang on. You forgot the tetra-packs, the electronics, the white goods, the wood, the rubble, the non-ferrous metal, the light bulbs and the hard plastic that can’t go in the kerbside wheely bin.” There have been hundreds more messages like […]
Council Cuts: Shropshire Council to charge £52 a year for green bin collections
Cash strapped Shropshire Council has agreed to start charging for collecting garden and food waste in the green bin. It estimates this will bring in £4 million a year. The cost for the opt-in service is expected to be £52 a year, £1 a week. Many people will think the service worth that much. Others will not want to pay because they think it is not worth the cost, because they only generate a small amount of green and food waste or because they feel they have already paid for the service through their council tax. What is clear is that this move will reduce the amount of green and food waste collected. Some of green waste will be home composted. Perhaps rather more will go in the black bin to be incinerated. Some will be fly tipped. This move will damage recycling rates and add to Shropshire Council’s growing […]
Council Cuts: Two out of five household recycling centres are to close – Craven Arms threatened
Shropshire Council is to close two of the five household recycling centres (HRCs) in the unitary area. It’s not looking good for our local HRC on Stokewood Road, Craven Arms, which serves the smallest population of the five. However, the loss of the Craven Arms recycling and waste facility would be devastating for the area. Closure would reduce recycling rates, increase carbon emissions and lead to yet more fly-tipping. With Shrewsbury Battlefield HRC already ruled out for closure and Oswestry HRC unlikely to be selected for various reasons, the choice is likely to be between Craven Arms, Bridgnorth and Whitchurch. Only one of the three will remain open if this insane plan goes ahead.
Shropshire Council was warned about the state of the Tollgate play area three months ago
A temporary repair has now been put in place for the fencing on the Tollgate play area which blew down last October. I raised the lack of repairs at Shropshire Council’s cabinet last Wednesday and was promised temporary repairs. I pressed for these to begin the next day. The temporary repairs began that afternoon and were completed Friday. Permanent repairs, however, will cost £25K according to the response I received, an outrageous amount for around 40 metres of fencing. “Quotes have been sought for permanent repairs to the play area but costs circa £25k are prohibitive in the current financial climate. It is recognised that the condition of the existing fencing is unacceptable and damaged sections will be removed, made safe and temporary repairs instigated so that children can play safely. This will be undertaken shortly.” The repairs will not cost anything like £25K according to Shropshire Council officers and […]