MELBOURNE CIVIC SOCIETY NEWSLETTER President: Lord Ralph Kerr DL www.melbournecivicsociety.org.uk No: 145 October 2009 CHAIRMAN VICE CHAIR SECRETARY TREASURER ICC OFFICER Mr Ian Turner The Old Brewery 12 Church Street Melbourne DERBY DE73 8EJ 01332 862629

Mr Neil Wright 3 Hardacre Close Melbourne DERBY DE73 8GY 01332 864287

Mrs Pam Adams 56 Ashby Road Melbourne DERBY DE73 8ES 01332 865760

Mr David Calvert 104 High Street Melbourne DERBY DE73 8GJ 01332 862127

Dr Paul Grimley Salvus Cottage 58 Ashby Road Melbourne DERBY DE73 8ES 01332 863385

PROGRAMME OF FUTURE EVENTS

Monday 26th October 2009 Bill Shone Leisure Centre, 7.30 pm

Every Picture Tells a Story – A Look at Victorian Art by Danny Wells

Monday 30th November 2009 Bill Shone Leisure Centre, 7.30 pm

Churches and Churchgoing in South Derbyshire by Philip Heath

Saturday 12th December 2009 Thomas Cook Mission Hall, 10.30 – 12.00

Coffee Morning and Exhibition

Guests are always welcome. Admission to meetings: Members £1; Visitors £2.

MELBOURNE TO CASTLE DONINGTON FOOTPATH

Concern about the state of the footpath between Melbourne and Castle Donington (Path L87) was reported in the January 2009 newsletter and as a result of this Barry Thomas has offered to lead a walk to Castle Donington to check paths. All members are welcome on Saturday 31st October 2009. Meet Castle St at 10:00 am opposite the White Swan PH. 9-10 miles, circular, approx. Weather permitting.

MIDWINTER EVENING, FRIDAY 22nd JANUARY 2010

Dominic and Caroline Harrison have generously offered their delightful home Pennfield House as the venue for our midwinter party in the New Year. This promises to be a very popular event and numbers are limited to fifty, so we are doing our very best to make sure all members receive their invitations on the same day. Barbara Simpson and Claire Sturges will be serving a hot supper and have never knowingly under-catered, so do come with a hearty appetite. Tickets cost £12.50 including a glass of punch. Claire Sturges

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AUTUMN LITTER PICK

We will be meeting at Melbourne Leisure Centre on Saturday November 14th at 10 a.m. for our annual tidy up of footpaths, hedgerows and open spaces. After the great response we had last year we are hoping for another good turn out again this year. All welcome: no experience necessary! Pam Adams

BULB PLANTING We have earmarked two sites for planting daffodils this autumn. The grassy bank in Trent Lane, Kings Newton will be planted with a mixture of different varieties of daffodil. This will not only be a colourful addition to the road in springtime but also serve to emphasise our desire to preserve the area as a peaceful and pleasant place to live. We also intend to plant dwarf daffodils round the hawthorn tree which we planted at the site of Thomas Cook's birthplace in Quick Close. It is growing well now. They will surround the base of the large stone which supports the plaque. We are also continuing our link with Melbourne Junior School by inviting the children to select their own choice of bulbs and planting areas in the school grounds. Pam Adams

FESTIVAL ATTRACTION

Our display on Public Footpaths caused a lot of interest at the Melbourne Festival on 12th and 13th September. Claire Sturges, with help from Barry Thomas, had produced a great array of photographs and information on local footpaths and the work the Society does to keep them open, tackle any problems which arise and raise public awareness. It gave rise to a lot of discussion and comment. We will be showing the same display at the Christmas coffee morning in the Thomas Cook Memorial Hall on December 12th so if you missed it and you don't know your ginnel from your snicket then do come along then. Barry Thomas is our ace troubleshooter on footpath problems and he has a great blog at www.melbournefootpaths.blogspot.com Pam Adams

FOOTPATH NEWS Footpath officer moves north Responsibility for footpaths in this area has reverted to Derbyshire County Council after being for some time devolved to South Derbyshire District council at Swadlincote. Councillor Wheeler, leader of SDDC stated that “we will be able to provide even higher levels of service at a lower cost for South Derbyshire residents” (Village Voice). I do not agree. I cannot see how this can be the case as the local footpath officer will now be located at Matlock. All journeys down to this area will be lengthy and expensive. We will end up paying for this through our council tax payment to DCC! Over the past few years I had enjoyed good access to the Right of Way (ROW) officer at Swadlincote through email or telephone, but it has taken Matlock two weeks to sort out an email account for him on his recent move. I haven’t found the team at Matlock very responsive. They are slow at replying to emails. Recently after no confirmation for the receipt of several emails (after nine days) I had to quote DCC’s Customer Care Charter at them to get a reply. I will soon be drawing up a list of jobs not dealt with by this department over the past few years. Let’s hope that things improve over the next few months. I feel that DCC needs to take a leaf out of Leicestershire County Council’s book. Their paths are better signed; they reply to emails

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immediately and their online definitive map is fast to load and intuitive to use unlike the mapping software provided by DCC. Ploughing paths At this time of the year many of our local paths are being ploughed up after the harvesting of crops. Once again I am finding that some farmers are very slow at putting the paths back in. Recently I have reported missing paths at Pool Farm, Woodhouses and the path from Station Road to Wilson Lane (which is usually not put back without pressure). The law is quite clear on paths and ploughing. Paths must be restored within 24 hours or two weeks if this is the first disturbance by a particular crop. The path must be restored to a minimum of one metre’s width. Too often this law is ignored. Missing footpath sign Earlier this year a handsome wooden footpath sign was erected at Woodhouses on the Melbourne to Staunton Harold Road (where the path from Pool Farm meets the road at Tutholme). This path is on the Definitive Map (Melbourne FP 36) and must by law be marked from the road. Within a couple of weeks it had gone! Where? I contacted the ROW officer who confirmed its disappearance and said that a replacement would be on its way. I suggest its replacement is made of metal and well concreted in. Melbourne Paths Melbourne Civic Society recently received a copy of the Definitive Map for the area. This has been placed in our archive and is available for consultation by arrangement with the archivist (Ian Turner). Did you know that there are 39 official paths within the parish boundary? Barry Thomas (All views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Society)

HOLY WELL SIGN

The sign pointing towards the Kings Newton Holy Well was damaged by the farmer’s flail hedge-cutter in late summer. Committee member John Shephard has made a new one and this has now

been put up on the old post. Very splendid it looks, too. Thank you, John. Ian Turner

MEETING REPORTS

GUIDED WALK AROUND REPTON – by David Guest, July 2009

After we were comfortably seated in the church pews, David Guest opened his address by reminding us that there are few more ancient places in England than the historic village of Repton, which has evolved over a period in excess of 1000 years. During the 7th to 9th Centuries, the area was a principal residence of the Mercian royal family, who are credited with introducing Christianity to the region. With its royal and religious significance, the community flourished. However in 873 all this was to change when the marauding armies of the Vikings arrived in Repton. For three hundred years after the Viking incursion, Repton’s history is unclear. What we do know stems primarily from the archaeological investigations undertaken between 1974 and 1988 by Professor Martin Biddle and others, which reveal details about the Church and surrounding area, including Viking defensive ditches, a stone chapel and burial mounds. In the 12th Century the Countess of Chester gave the site of Repton for the founding of the Augustine Priory and for nearly 400 years, until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538, Augustinian Canons ministered to the local parishes. Before visiting the Crypt, David drew our attention to the many interesting aspects of St. Wystan’s Church interior – architectural styles, the Crypt and Chancel, Anglo Saxon round columns, narrow windows, stained glass, various monuments and plaques to the great and the good. The Crypt was constructed in the first half of the 8th Century, embellished in the 9th and became the final resting place of the Mercian royal family. It can claim to be amongst the oldest intact buildings

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in England, and with its unique columns, vaulting and chancel, is regarded as one of the best examples of Anglo Saxon architecture. The Crypt was rediscovered in the 18th Century when a workman digging a grave in the Chancel floor broke through the vaulting and tumbled into the cavity! In 1557 one of the few remaining habitable parts of the Priory became the original home of Repton School. The School, now grown in size and fame, has spread throughout many parts of the village and the oldest part can be seen through the medieval Priory Arch, near the Parish Church lychgate. Our visit ended with a brief tour of the School yard, with David pointing out clear examples of architecture from almost every century between the 8th and 20th. It was fascinating to note that the Old Priory, which became the original home of the School, remains in constant use today. Reference was made to the distinguished sportsman and writer CB Fry, whose gravestone is situated close to the north wall of St. Wystan’s, and to other important and eminent past scholars and headmasters, including Dr. William Temple and Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, who both went on to become Archbishops of Canterbury. Having expressed our thanks to David for a most interesting and enjoyable tour, we adjourned to the vicarage garden for tea. Edward Mitchell

BATS – A DERBYSHIRE VIEW - presented by Bill Cove, September 2009 Bill Cove entertained the September meeting with a talk packed with information on these fascinating and surprisingly long-lived animals, which are found throughout the world ranging in size from fruit bats to the aptly named bumble-bee bat. New facts and new species are still being discovered thanks to the introduction of electronic detection and monitoring equipment which aid nocturnal identification. A recent addition to our own list is the charmingly named soprano pipistrelle. Flying is a high-energy activity and even the smallest of bats consume a huge amount of insects, incidentally, not solely by “radar” as bats are not blind! Bill explained that “batology” was a young science thanks to these scientific advances and information is still being gathered on roost sites, seasonal gatherings and possible migration, often by amateur observers. Many species have a close relationship with us and are adept at using man-made structures, needing only a minute gap to gain entry thanks to a flexible skeleton. Those mouse droppings in your loft could be bat produced. However this relationship does have dangers: Bill produced a slide of a bat caught in a mousetrap, surely not attracted by the cheese, and another snared by barbed wire. It is possible that some may have been trapped by the recent re-pointing of Swarkestone Bridge in spite of bat friendly regulations. Bill ended by describing the various types of boxes aimed at enhancing the population of these marvellous creatures. Neil Wright

EAST MIDLANDS AIRPORT (EMA) DRAFT NOISE ACTION PLAN

Following an EU Directive, all major airports in the UK are required to produce a noise action plan with the objective of limiting and reducing the number of people affected by aircraft noise. EMA has issued a draft noise action plan for consultation, which is severely lacking in any new proposals to manage aircraft noise. The Directive requires the airport to analyse aircraft noise according to a standard method, and then to assess any noise problems. In EMA’s assessment, the effect of night noise is minimised. EMA argues that there are no noise problems and that current noise levels are acceptable. We find this astonishing! In our view, night noise is a significant disturbance to many people and has been unacceptable for many years. Based on the airport’s arbitrary assessment that noise levels are acceptable, EMA proposes to take no further measures to control or reduce aircraft noise. This lack of action is simply incredible:

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we can only conclude that it reflects a complete disregard for the local community, and demonstrates deplorable complacency on the part of EMA managers. Previously, the EMA Master Plan postulated a massive increase in night flights and proposed to increase night noise back to 1996 levels - the loudest year on record. The draft noise action plan simply endorses the night noise increases, rather than taking any action to limit noise levels. So this ‘noise action plan’ denies the night noise problem, refuses to take further actions to control aircraft noise, and simply allows night noise to increase back to the loudest levels ever recorded. This is not a noise action plan but a Noise Non-Action Plan. Melbourne Civic Society has sent a detailed response to the airport on your behalf, exposing the faults and omissions in EMA’s assessment of aircraft noise problems. We have also suggested a large number of positive actions which the airport could take to control and reduce aircraft noise. You can, of course, make an individual response to the consultation. The draft noise action plan is, however, a highly complex document, not really suitable for public consultation, but you don’t need to respond in technical terms. If you disagree with EMA’s assertion that current noise levels are acceptable, then please let the airport know how aircraft noise disturbs you, and ask them to reduce the nuisance. The Plan is on the EMA website: http://www.eastmidlandsairport.com Responses should be sent by October 21 to: Noise Action Plan Office, East Midlands International Airport Ltd, Building 34, East Midlands Airport, Castle Donington, Derby, DE74 2SA. Email: noiseactionplan@eastmidlandsairport.com

If you do have concerns about aircraft noise, then we strongly urge you to respond to this consultation: the more people who reply the greater the chance of some action from EMA.

Paul Grimley

SOME OTHER LOCAL EVENTS

Repton Village Hall - 7.30pm. History Group on Tuesdays/Village Society on Thursdays Tuesday 20th October 2009 The Story of Burnaston Airfield Alan Thompson

Thursday 5th November 2009 Tower Clocks Through the Ages Nicholas Smith

Tuesday 17th November 2009 The Gardens at Calke Abbey Steve Biggins, Head Gardener

Sharpe’s Pottery Centre - 10.00am. West St, Swadlincote DE11 9DG www.sharpes.org.uk Please ring to confirm before attending. 01283 222600

Saturday 24th October 2009 Mary Queen of Scots – Her Downfall David Templeman

Saturday 7th November 2009 The Gunpowder Plot Sally Henshaw

Ticknall Preservation and Historical Society at Ticknall Village Hall - 7.30 pm. Friday 30th October 2009 And So To Bed Fiona Ure ( to be confirmed)

Friday 27th November 2009 Chickens and Knickers Christopher Baily

Friday 11th December 2009 Victorian Ghost Stories Gareth King

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PLANNING APPLICATIONS The society has considered the planning applications listed below and made representations to South Derbyshire District Council as indicated by the following symbols:

O= no objection; X= objection; S= support; D= detailed comments

9/2009/0461 D 29 Church St. - Demolition of bungalow and erection of new dwelling and studio

9/2009/0498 O 21 Station Road – Two storey bathroom extension

9/2009/0502 O Station Yard, Station Road. – Erection of storage building

9/2009/0515 S 63 Castle Street – Alterations and repairs to the front elevation

9/2009/0538 O Rugby Ground, Cockshut Lane – Erection of 5 portacabins and floodlighting

9/2009/0561 O 81 Spinney Hill – Erection of pedestrian gate to Cockshut Lane

9/2009/0563 O 6 Penn Lane – Amendment to porch roof

9/2009/0569 O 35 Melton Avenue – Erection of conservatory and additional front hardstanding

9/2009/0615 S Melbourne Hall, Church Square – Felling of eleven lime trees

9/2009/0628 O Melbourne View, Ramsley Fields – Formation of embankment

9/2009/0630 O 201 Station Road – Erection of extension

9/2009/0631 O 7 Potter Street – Single storey rear extension

9/2009/0637 S 1 Chapel Street – Replacement sash windows

9/2009/0656 O 18 Market Place – Felling and pruning of ornamental trees

9/2009/0660 O ‘Surf’s Up’, The Common – New roof and loft conversion – amended plans

9/2009/0672 O Ramsley House, Station Road – Erection of stable block

9/2009/0685 O The Training School, Chapel St – Change of use to 2 self-contained apartments

9/2009/0708 O Budgens Store, Derby Road – Display of illuminated and non-illuminated signs

9/2009/0715 O 11 Castle Mews – Extension and replacement first floor side window

9/2009/0724 S Melbourne Hall, Church Square – Removal of hedgerow

9/2009/0725 O 81 Castle Street – Replacement windows

9/2009/0728 D The Hermitage, Penn Lane – Pruning of copper beech tree

9/2009/0731 O 14 Grange Close – Erection of detached dwelling

9/2009/0749 D Former Shoe Factory, Castle Street – Use as a dental surgery and erection of

extension

ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER If you would like to receive your newsletter via email rather than in printed form, please send your email address to Pam Adams at pamadams56@yahoo.co.uk or Hilary Turner at hian@turnermel.fsnet.co.uk

NEWSLETTER EDITOR Please send any articles for publication to:

Hilary Turner, The Old Brewery, 12 Church Street, Melbourne, Derbyshire DE73 8EJ Tel.: 01332 862629. Email: hian@turnermel.fsnet.co.uk