Category Archives: Spalding

Little London Bridge

Posted on by • Posted in Everyday life, Spalding • Tagged , , , , • Leave a comment

Mock-up of London Road Bridge twinned

Whilst idling my time away on the sick list, I’ve been playing around with a few ideas for the ongoing problem of the junction at Little London, where London Road meets Cradge Bank. I’m sure the locals have a name for it, but I can never recall it! (If you’re a road map nerd, it’s the B1172!).

This should be a pretty straightforward crossroads, but a combination of the adjacent bridge, the very well used Hawthorn Bank close by and the busy BP garage almost opposite, make it a driver’s nigthtmare at busy times of the day. This is one of the major routes in and out of Spalding and given the new A16 to Peterborough, it can only get worse.

Looking at the road layout, courtesy of Google Maps, it’s obvious that it would take a bit more than a bit of adjustment to the road layout and nobody in Spalding would wish to see yet another set of traffic lights installed! At the other end of Spalding and crossing the same river, is a bridge known locally as twin bridges, so why not do the same at Little London? See the photo.

That Dog Won’t Hunt

Posted on by • Posted in Government, Spalding • Tagged , , , , , , , , , • Leave a comment

The Americans have a very appropriate saying for something that does not ring true, ‘That dog won’t hunt’, and given her dog walk analogy, this fits perfectly when applied to Julie William’s myopic piece in last week’s Spalding Guardian (Thurs 21st April).

She suggests that, apart from a few people, who through no fault of their own, have found themselves homeless, everything is all sweetness and light when it comes to the huge increase in population our area has seen since the previous government’s foolhardy throwing open opening of the immigration door several years ago.

Her narrow focus on the lack of law breaking, as proof that all is well, totally ignores the real concerns that local people have about the massive strain that has been placed on local services such as our hospitals, schools and doctors, not to mention our police and social housing. 

Even if it is only a few miscreants, their impact is significant and disturbing when witnessed by local people attempting to go about their everyday life, particularly in Spalding town centre. 

Local politicians, including John Hayes MP, would be remiss in their duty to taxpayers of all nationalities, if they did not make their concerns known and suggest that urgent solutions were required. 

John Hayes has been consistent and honest in raising these concerns over the years and far from being right-wing rhetoric, I think his words will ring true with many people, whatever their political persuasion. 

Indeed, one could suggest that only those blinded by their own political dogma, or maybe even by their embarrassment at being supporters of those who caused of the issue, would seek to criticise those now endeavouring to find pragmatic solutions.

Network Rail – not our job guv!

Posted on by • Posted in District council stuff, Spalding, Spalding Wygate ward, Uncategorized • Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , • Leave a comment

Having tried and failed to get Network Rail to actually do something with the sub-standard Stepping Stones Bridge they dumped on Spalding last year, it now seems that the one solitary light that serves the bridge is the responsibility of the Lincolnshire County Council Highways Dept, even though the lamp-post itself is inside the Network Rail fence.  Likewise, even though the bridge’s top walk way floods and freezes in the cold weather, or just simply floods in the rain, this is again the county council’s problem not Network Rails!

So, as well as all the potholes around the district, county highways will have to add Stepping Stones Bridge Spalding to their list of things that need sorting even though their budget keeps getting smaller.  Meanwhile, Network Rail can smugly continue to do things we don’t want them to do and then pass the buck when it starts to cause a problem!

Meanwhile, Bill Bryson the Anglophile American, who now resides in England and leads the Campaign To Protect Rural England (CPRE), has come up with a bright idea on how to kick organisations such as Network Rail, when they ignore their duty to keep their house in order.  Something called a Litter Abatement Order appears to be a good tool for the job according to Bill and although it’s all a bit tedious to do, the simple threat of doing it can have the desired effect.

http://www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/stop-the-drop/litter-and-fly-tipping/litter-campaign-update

I will be taking this to the next meeting of the Spalding town Forum to see what they think about threatening to use these on some of our more uncooperative companies.

No Big Society for Network Rail

Posted on by • Posted in District council stuff, Spalding, Spalding Wygate ward • Tagged , , , , , , • Leave a comment

In my long running battle to get something done with the new ‘second-hand’ Stepping Stones Bridge in Spalding, I have been communicating with Network Rail, the company that installed this poor excuse for a pedestrian link across the railway line.

Two issues have been raised time and time again by residents since the bridge was installed and in an effort to get these resolved, I registered a formal complaint with Network Rail’s customer contact line.  Up until now, the people I spoke to on the phone were polite and helpful, as was a Community Relations Advisor in our email exchanges.

However, I have now run in to one of those faceless, self important bureaucrats, otherwise known as a brick wall, that one sometimes encounters in these big organisations.  Below is an email response this person sent to me tonight (Tues) and I think most reasonable people would find its tone extremely high handed and completely dismissive of the concerns that I have raised on behalf of Spalding residents.

Dear Mr Gambba –Jones

Thank you for your comments on the replacement steppingstones footbridge which is a standard design used extensively across the infrastructure.

Regarding time scales for a response to your queries.

I will be in a position to respond regarding the weep holes in 2 weeks

Regarding the lighting I would suggest you note my earlier comments, the light is the responsibility of The Council, Network Rail has no obligation to light public footpaths, you should make contact with the relevant Highway Department, neither am I prepared to permit you sight of agreements between Network Rail and The Council without a formal request from the relevant party in The Council.

Should the Council wish to access Network Rail land to repair this light arrangements can be made through our Asset Protection team, again I would be happy to provide them with a contact on request.

Regards *** ***** (name removed to protect the guilty)

Having re-read this person’s email (note that I’m avoiding any reference to their gender), I actually find their tone pompous, arrogant and mildly offensive and can almost picture them at their desk in a stiff, anal retentive posture, punching out this dismissive missive.

This individual has obviously failed to catch the drift of David Cameron’s Big Society and its drive to give local people the backing to make a difference in their communities.

Not to be beaten on this (yet) I have now contacted a colleague at the county council, to get their view on these issues.  I will update this blog with any outcomes in due course.

Meanwhile, if anybody else wishes to annoy Network Rail and let them know of their dis-satisfaction with this bridge, please feel free.

Network Rail National Helpline 08457 114141. The reference number to use, if they ask, is: 2779146. Or you could start your own complaint and get a new number.

Spalding Post Office on the move again

Posted on by • Posted in Everyday life, Spalding, Spalding in general • Tagged , , , , , • Leave a comment

How disappointing it was to see the Spalding Post Office once again under threat of extinction, following a commercial decision by person or persons unknown.

When the current location, within the Co-op centre in Winsover Road was first proposed, I made my reservation clear, particularly with regards to its location within the bowels of the building. When the proposals were first made public, I asked what would happen if the Co-op decided to move on and what guarantee would there be that any new owners would want to continue to run a Post Office slap bang in the middle of their retail operations? As it happens, I have been proven right, with the new owners wishing to evict the Post Office operation.

Also, not only was it a far from obvious location, sandwiched between the food and furniture departments, it was also one of the most uninviting and depressing places I had ever seen a shop located in. It was bad enough just being a customer waiting in line and staring at the blank magnolia walls, what it was like to work in that windowless tube day in day out, one can only imagine. A plea to the management to put up some posters and place the odd artificial potted plant fell on deaf ears, like most communications with Post Office management.

The loss of the experienced, dedicated and well liked staff of the original Sheep Market Post Office was immediately noticeable, as was the apparent under-staffing, as queues regularly formed well beyond the opening – entrance is too grander term.

We are now told that the Post Office is to move next door to No 7A Winsover Road, a modest shop front previously home to an insurance broker. We are also told that the nearest car park is only 50 yards away. What they don’t mention is, that this is the old the car park, but is now around the back of the building and without direct access.

Given Spalding’s current lack of any meaningful parking enforcement, I imagine it won’t be long before we see traffic backed up due to drivers pulling up in front of 7A in order to just ‘nip in’ to post a parcel. 

As I said, the shop front is modest and it is difficult to judge exactly how much space will be available to customers. However, I’ve a strong suspicion that at busy times, queues could well be out of the door and on to the street.

On the plus side, the place will now have some natural light from the shop frontage, so the staff should find it a much more pleasant place to work. I just hope the rest of us find more pluses than minuses come from this latest move of our Post Office.

Check the Conservative Group website for the latest
information on what’s happening in the Spalding Wygate ward
  

Pinchbeck Road/Woolram Wygate junction

Posted on by • Posted in Spalding • Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , • Leave a comment

The County Council Highways Dept has agreed with the two developers that they would issue the necessary Orders themselves, rather that the highways dept, directly to the various Utility Companies (water, gas, electricity, telephone) for the works required to relocate or protect their underground services, mainly on Woolram Wygate.

The two developers delayed the issue of those Orders until they had their planning permissions in place, which was understandable, as any delay in gaining planning permission would probably have meant that any Orders that were already in place would of run out of their time limit.  The successful outcome for the applications at the Development Control Committee meeting on 5 January 2011,  means that both developers have now commenced arrangements for the issue of the Orders.

A programme period for the work required once the services are moved etc, has been produced, but the start point for this will depend on when the Utilities works are completed.

Initially, it was hoped that all the Utilities works would be finished before the 2011 Flower Parade, so that the remaining works could start soon after the Flower Parade.  However, this may need to be revised, dependant upon the requirements and constraints of the Utility Companies and how the remaining work can be fed in to work schedule of the County council’s road works contractor.

Check out the Conservative group website for more news about Spalding Wygate ward http://southhollanddcconservativegroup.co.uk/3818/welcome