Sleaford, NKDC, LCC and Devolution of Powers to English Regions!

Well at least the Scottish Referendum, and the quick moves to devolve more Powers to Scotland (these concessions must have been drafted before the final result was known surely) seems to have woken up England -at last. The Observer has an article on it today (30 November 2014).

Now the trouble, as usual, is the key question "will it affect the parts we want it to affect" or just give more power to those whose powers we actually want, and need,  to minimise?   I am still trying to work out where localism fits into the scheme of things in Sleaford and what happened to Neighbourhood Plans. If all we end up with is another layer of Bureacracy then heaven help us.

So in principal "yes" but there is a lot of detail to be sorted out.

BID and Town Teams and Elections: I need a holiday!

Demise of BID: will it be resurrected? Sleaford and a wider area?

Before I get in too deep here I will only pass comment on what is happening in Sleaford. The local papers especially the Sleaford Standard has been publicising the launch of the Town Team. It appeared on its Front page this week and again of page 5. Its web page had a photo of NKDC Leader Marion Brighton endorsing it at the opening. A video of the launch has been released on Youtube:

Ok, enough of that but the Town Team is mentioned as a Community Interest Company which has certain distinct features. However it will need to make a living so where in the market will it find itself?  At that point it looks like a more privatised version of our Business Improvement District which met its Waterloo in 2012. Maybe politics in here somewhere!

I might get hammered for this but is this where it is heading?

I can't help but feel that the forthcoming election is part of this - positioning wise!

Leasingham to Sleaford Connect2: So what was promised?

Latest: The Sleaford weekly papers have front page headlines. Here is the Target vesion. Standard Version.

The Sustrans Leasingham Connect2 Sleaford intention!!

The board on the midpoint of the Cycle/footway path says it all! It refers to creating a traffic free zone for users between Sleaford and Leasingham. The concept received lottery money support. 

Sustrans and Lottery Money. 

Health and Safety and proper Planning!

Fire hazards, Country Codes and road transport!!

Stop Press: I went to the NK Planning meeting to watch events unfold. The outcome was a fuzzy acceptance after what can only be described as confusion on procedures. http://www.sleafordstandard.co.uk/news/local/plans-for-controversial-anaerobic-digestion-plant-have-been-dramatically-passed-after-first-being-refused-1-6383872

Latest  The Officers at NK have approved the revised plans for the Anaerobic Digestion Plant. Now the problem was that Councillors wanted to see the traffic implications. The Officers, including Highways, approved the last set of plans! This against the background on concern that arson was a factor in the recent straw fire near Quarrington which showed safety may need a general rethink of H&S!

The recent straw fires near Quarrington, and the adverse media coverage it got, highlighted the need to enforce rules when allowing such a large mass of straw to be sited near populated areas. Straw mass is notorious for becoming internally hot when stacked. This is a farming county which is adept at applying codes of storage.

Yet in this case, as the straw was meant for a Biofuel factory it appears not to have been subject to the same rigorous scrutiny.

The same goes for transport and build up of local traffic near major roads intended for trans Lincolnshire journeys and beyond. The proposed Anaerobic Digestion Plant will need careful scrutiny due to its positioning and maybe other risks of a one-off accidental malfunction. That is what some are saying! I am not an expert. The revised application comes up on 29 Oct!

There is a cost to all this! Road closures, Fire and Ambulance services are stretched and costly and local houses and inhabitants suffer discomfort.

If the area is to expand then it has to up its act and invest in the infrastructure to cope.

It is a wake up call!

Traffic Model: implications of the SE Regeneration Proposals

There has been much correspondence in the media (including Facebook) since the decision to go to Compulsory Purchase of the required land (i.e. the Recreation Ground). One aspect has been the influence on traffic flows.  

This is an extract from the traffic flow report of last year. The wider impact on Holdingham is not included, and cannot be gauged, as this refers to the area near the Rec, the Grantham Road, Mareham Lane and the present Railway crossing. However there will be an impact as the Lincoln Road and Holdingham Roundabout can get gridlocked. Here are the Conclusions of the Traffic assessment of last year. I am not sure if the Handley Chase impact is fully included in this traffic assessment. 

"5.2 Conclusion
This report has found that the proposals to construct the SESRR alongside the
closure of the Southgate level crossing and the development of a new Tesco
superstore and the Bass Maltings site will bring a range of impacts to Sleaford town
centre.

While journey distances and times for traffic within the town centre will
increase significantly and one junction will be negatively affected to a significant
extent, in many cases the operation of individual junctions will improve and others
will not worsen to the extent that they operate above their capacity.

Furthermore, the reliability of journeys within the town is likely to improve through a proposal which essentially replaces a level crossing with a railway bridge, thus stopping the railway
line from frequently interrupting traffic flows"

Compulsory Purchase on Rec Land: is this the final round?

Update: the emphasis has changed to that or ensuring the future of the Bass Maltings. See BBC Lincolnshire!


The local newspapers today, and the social media, have taken their cue from the Announcement by NKDC that all the paperwork has been completed and signed to allow the CPO process to go ahead! It has been going on a long time (since before 2005).

Here are the different takes: it is Town Council land (with covenants); and the covenants and implications of using some of it for a Road are still shrouded in some mystery.  Does it all revert back to the Bristol Estates? Over the years many people have been affected - even stressed - by the progress towards this CPO outcome!

Here are the various reports. What a lead in to the May 2015 District and Town Council elections!

Standard: Target: NKDC!

Anaerobic Digestion Plant and/or Chicken Farm Amendments?

Late News: Interestingly Steve Flanagan on CUG Facebook Site:; Anti Anaerobic Digestor Forum has found this planning proposal in Staffordshire being turned down.

Regulations: Anaerobic Digestion. 


The Target has a story today (on its web site) about amended plans for the Anaerobic Digestor Plant.

There seems to be some confusion between the Chicken Farm and the Anaerobic Digestor Plant. One was rejected on August 5th and a decision on the other deferred until a Transport Plan had been submitted for review. Obviously the report may be lacking in fine detail but it is one to watch.