The Parish Council have recently granted the Skelmanthorpe Youth and Community Association £16,000 towards their plans for a new centre. The recent civic reception, which is held every year by the current chair of the Parish Council, also raised approximately £700 for this good cause. I am the secretary for the association, so if you would like to know more, please get in touch.
The project has been running for several years now. The old youth club building in Skelmanthorpe was two barns joined together and converted to a youth club in the 1970s. This building would have needed a lot spending on it just to bring it up to disabled access standards, and desperately needed major works to bring it up to date and suitable for use by local groups. The fact that it was a listed building further complicated matters, and the fact that it had no parking was a major drawback. Temporary repairs to the electrics and fabric of the building were originally carried out when a grant was obtained from the Parish Council (approx. 6 yr ago), to enable the building to stay 'habitable', while options for the future were considered.
An opportunity arose to buy the extension at the back of the Savoy Squash Club, which consists of 2 unused squash courts, changing area, and the car park area (often used by people using the Leap Frogs children's play centre nearby). After much discussion the youth and community centre committee decided to pursue this option due to the opportunity of designing a new interior to the building which would be disabled access friendly, and have plenty of car parking. The old building has been sold and the new one purchased. The new plans can be seen if you are interested - please contact myself.
More info on this story will be posted soon when i next have time - but we are currently looking for some friendly local builders who will work for us very cheaply - any ideas? Also ideas and help with fundraising will be welcome, as we have had quotes for £450,000! We have so far raised approximately £150,000 - more details soon.
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Planning Committee
The Parish Council Planning Committee looks at all the planning applications that are sent in to Kirklees Council from our area. Large or contentious plans are considered by full council. We then put in observations, which may include things that the planning department may have not thought about. The planning department have a legal duty to consult us on planning applications, but Kirklees always makes the final decision.
If a planning application concerns you, come to our meeting and express your feelings. At the start of every meeting there is time set aside for members of the public to talk to us, telling us your worries. You can also contact your local councillors, both on the Parish Council and on Kirklees Council, and write to the planning department with your objections.
Councillors who are on the planning committee are not allowed to say before a meeting if they are for or against a planning application, due to the rules and regulations governing local councils. If they do this, they are then not allowed to take part in the decision on this particular application. They also have to declare if they have been 'lobbied' by members of the public, but this does not affect taking part in the decision on the application. We can only object to developments on valid planning grounds so speak to us or the planning department about this. Kirklees can only say no to a development for valid reasons, otherwise their decision can be overturned on appeal.
A recent large planning application was 'The Piggeries' at Strike Lane, Skelmanthorpe, which was for 30 houses. The Parish Council objected to this for several reasons. These included the fact that it was a 'greenfield development' which goes against planning guidance as 'brownfield sites' (areas which have previously been built on) have to be used first (protecting our open spaces and green fields), and highways safety issues as this would create a lot more traffic for an already congested area with small access roads.
If you have any comments about new developments in the area why not get in touch, or leave comments here. Do you believe green fields should be protected? I believe there is a need for affordable houses but these should be built on a very small scale, thus protecting the character and open spaces in and around our villages. Stating this, i should also mention that all applications have to be considered individually on their own merits, otherwise i would be seen as biast which would prohibit me from taking part in discussions and decisions.
If a planning application concerns you, come to our meeting and express your feelings. At the start of every meeting there is time set aside for members of the public to talk to us, telling us your worries. You can also contact your local councillors, both on the Parish Council and on Kirklees Council, and write to the planning department with your objections.
Councillors who are on the planning committee are not allowed to say before a meeting if they are for or against a planning application, due to the rules and regulations governing local councils. If they do this, they are then not allowed to take part in the decision on this particular application. They also have to declare if they have been 'lobbied' by members of the public, but this does not affect taking part in the decision on the application. We can only object to developments on valid planning grounds so speak to us or the planning department about this. Kirklees can only say no to a development for valid reasons, otherwise their decision can be overturned on appeal.
A recent large planning application was 'The Piggeries' at Strike Lane, Skelmanthorpe, which was for 30 houses. The Parish Council objected to this for several reasons. These included the fact that it was a 'greenfield development' which goes against planning guidance as 'brownfield sites' (areas which have previously been built on) have to be used first (protecting our open spaces and green fields), and highways safety issues as this would create a lot more traffic for an already congested area with small access roads.
If you have any comments about new developments in the area why not get in touch, or leave comments here. Do you believe green fields should be protected? I believe there is a need for affordable houses but these should be built on a very small scale, thus protecting the character and open spaces in and around our villages. Stating this, i should also mention that all applications have to be considered individually on their own merits, otherwise i would be seen as biast which would prohibit me from taking part in discussions and decisions.
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Parish Council support for the Denby Dale Centre
The Parish Council agreed at their meeting on the 5th February 2008 to give a grant of £3,250 towards the running costs of the Denby Dale Centre. Cllr. Alison Tribe has written a summary about the work of the Denby Dale Centre, as follows.
The centre was set up two and a half years ago with under £50. It operates from a large room in the Denby Dale Mill Shop where it has a cafe, a charity shop and a 'drop-in' service for people wanting information on local services. It also runs a fortnightly group for young people with disabilities. The centre has a branch in Kirkburton called 'The Hub'. This hosts various community groups, for example, mother and toddler and tea dances for the elderly and provides a base for the Young Peoples Service. The centre has 3 minibuses whichare used most of the time. There are paid part-time drivers but volunteers are also necessary to ensure that the minibuses are used as much as possible.
The largest schemes run by the Denby Dale Centre are:
The Befriending Scheme - This co-ordinates volunteers to visit housebound and elderly people. It is a very successful scheme ande, despite the centre having a total of 60 volunteers in the Denby Dale area, the Befriending Scheme has a waiting list. The scheme also operates in the Kurkburton area.
Ring and Ride - This provides a door-to-door, accessible service for people who find it difficult to us public transport. It has 150 members who benefit from two weekly shopping trip, one to Morrisons and one to Barnsley, and regular social outings.
Minibus Hire - when the minibuses aren't being used for the Ring and Ride service, local voluntary groups can hire them at an affordable rate; they are regularly used by 59 groups. The Transport Clerk who co-ordinates the minibus services is jointly-funded by a Rural Transport pertnership grant and Worklink.
The centre was set up two and a half years ago with under £50. It operates from a large room in the Denby Dale Mill Shop where it has a cafe, a charity shop and a 'drop-in' service for people wanting information on local services. It also runs a fortnightly group for young people with disabilities. The centre has a branch in Kirkburton called 'The Hub'. This hosts various community groups, for example, mother and toddler and tea dances for the elderly and provides a base for the Young Peoples Service. The centre has 3 minibuses whichare used most of the time. There are paid part-time drivers but volunteers are also necessary to ensure that the minibuses are used as much as possible.
The largest schemes run by the Denby Dale Centre are:
The Befriending Scheme - This co-ordinates volunteers to visit housebound and elderly people. It is a very successful scheme ande, despite the centre having a total of 60 volunteers in the Denby Dale area, the Befriending Scheme has a waiting list. The scheme also operates in the Kurkburton area.
Ring and Ride - This provides a door-to-door, accessible service for people who find it difficult to us public transport. It has 150 members who benefit from two weekly shopping trip, one to Morrisons and one to Barnsley, and regular social outings.
Minibus Hire - when the minibuses aren't being used for the Ring and Ride service, local voluntary groups can hire them at an affordable rate; they are regularly used by 59 groups. The Transport Clerk who co-ordinates the minibus services is jointly-funded by a Rural Transport pertnership grant and Worklink.
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