Manchester Road: disruption for motorists on Sunday 6 and 13 November
Resurfacing work on Manchester Road in Crosspool is to cause disruption for motorists on Sunday 6 and 13 November.
On these two days, Manchester Road will operate under two-way temporary traffic signals. Sandygate Road will be closed at the Manchester Road junction. Local access will be maintained to the shopping centre and diverted traffic will use Selbourne Road. Lydgate Lane will also be closed at the Manchester Road junction with traffic diverted via Crookes Road and Fulwood Road.
These disruptions will only be on Sunday 6 and 13 November. Local businesses and traffic travelling through the area should see little disruption in the area Monday to Saturday.
Stephen Hill/Benty Lane junction still on the agenda – hope to have a report in the next Open Meeting.
Council grant for 20 Union flags & poles – to decorate the precinct in time for the 2012 Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and Olympic games.
Treasurer’s Report (Chris Batchelor)
Our bank account remains healthy– but this is because the grant for the flags has yet to be spent, and next years’ summer flowers will need to be paid for.
Crosspool Festival
This will start on 7th July with Crosspool Open Gardens, and end with the Summer Fayre on Sat 14th, & Open Air service on Sun 15th. The Festival Committee would like some more helpers – please contact Rev Frances Eccleston or Ian.
Police Report (Pc Louise Atha & Pc Dave Hall)
Allotment break-ins – especially to the society’s hut & container, from which several hundreds of pounds were taken, & a lot of mess caused. Residents were urged to post the serial numbers of eg lawnmowers and similar equipment on the website www.immobilize.com so stolen items can be traced back to them. Operation Herbaceous is in place to try to stop this.
Scrap metal & lead nicking; Operation Anchor has been targeting & stopping suspicious vehicles in Dore & Totley (19) and Bramall Lane & Ecclesall Rd (34) – & prosecuting those with unroadworthy vans or no waste carrying licences.
Car crime; there have been some break-ins to vehicles on Crookes/Crookesmoor. Residents were urged not to leave satnav cradles on display.
Operation Dark Nights is about to begin for Halloween & Bonfire Night, & shops being checked to ensure no underage sale of alcohol or fireworks is taking place.
Questions were taken on verge bollard use, bad parking on Manchester rd & the proposed closure of Manchester road round Stephen Hill, Delph Hse Rd & Selborne Rd for resurfacing.
Councillors’ Question time (Sylvia Anginotti, Brian Holmes & Geoff Smith)
Councillors answered questions such as a query on attic extension building and trespass by a neighbour, bus timetabling & the new Optio scheme (voluntary partnership agreement between Stagecoach & First – nos. 120 & 52 buses), and why the 51 never seems to come on time!
Residents were asked to keep details of timetabling failures & send them on to Ian Hague, or direct by phone to Pam Horner (SYPTE External Relationships Manager – 0114 2211452).
There were concerns over poor bus lane signage (Ripley St), silly bus lane sections (Mushroom Lane head), and why the 120 stop in town is Flat St & not the Interchange. The Vernon Tce bus shelter issue was raised again – & Cllr Anginotti suggested an online petition direct to Council about this.
Residents asked whether the post box could be moved from outside Craft Angels to a less congested spot in the shopping precinct, but this has been requested before & Royal Mail say they can not do so.
There was also a request to have the word ‘SLOW’ painted at the bottom of Sandygate Rd hill, where drivers come round the bend to the zebra crossing.
AOB
A special limited edition of Crosspool cards is available from Craft Angels – £2.50 per pack.
There will be a Christmas Disco at St Columba’s on 4th Dec; tickets from the Crosspool Pet Shop. Father Christmas will be there!
The Sheffield to Castleton & Bakewell bus (operated by Derbyshire County Council) that runs along Manchester rd is to change to number 273/4/5.
Ian Hague is hoping to get funding for an over-60s trip …. music will be involved!
Green Garden Waste bags; remember the last collection will be the week starting 31st Oct. A report on all aspects of waste collection throughout the city is expected, so until this is published there will be no green waste collections.
The Rivelin Valley Conservation Group has been given a Lifetime Achievement Award (collected by Graham Appleby & Keith Kendall).
The next Open Meeting will be Thursday, 26 January 2012. 7pm, St Columba’s.
Crosspool Forum Open Meeting/AGM
Thursday 27 October 2011 7pm
Chair’s welcome
Introduction of top table
Apologies for absence
Eighth AGM
Minutes of last meeting to be approved
Matters arising
Chairman’s report
Treasurer’s report
Committee members report
Related activities
Election of Committee members
No resignations or nominations received; 15 members max
Open Meeting
Minutes of last meeting to be approved
Matters arising
Police Liaison
An update on policing in the area
Questions & Answers with Local Councillors
Cllr. Sylvia Anginotti, Cllr. Brian Holmes, Cllr. Geoff Smith
Council officials
Tammy Barrass, Community Assembly Manager (responsibility for assembly activities)
Any other business
Next Open Meeting at St. Columba’s, Thursday 26th January 2012
Guest speaker Greg Challis, Planning and Highways
Benty lane /Stephen Hill junction with Manchester Road
Don’t forget that Geoff’s Crosspool surgery takes place between 12.30pm and 2pm on the third Wednesday of the month (except December) in St Columba’s Church on Manchester Road.
He is also happy to see constituents at other times – contact him on 0114 273 5588, 07581 214783 and geoff.smith2@sheffield.gov.uk. You can also follow him on Twitter at @geoffforcrookes.
Our local councillor Geoff Smith has published details of his monthly surgeries.
His Crosspool surgery takes place between 12.30pm and 2pm on the third Wednesday of the month (except December) in St Columba Church on Manchester Road.
The Labour councillor also runs a Crookes surgery between 6.30pm and 7.30pm, on the fourth Wednesday of the month (except December) in the Gilbert Room, St Thomas Church (opposite Crookes post office), Crookes.
He is also happy to see constituents at other times – contact him on 0114 273 5588, 07581 214783 and geoff.smith2@sheffield.gov.uk. You can also follow him on Twitter at @geoffforcrookes.
Crosspool won silver in the Sheffield in Bloom awards
For the second year running, the plants in Crosspool precinct have won silver in the Sheffield in Bloom awards.
The prize was presented to Crosspool Forum chairman Ian Hague at the Town Hall last month.
We’ll be aiming for gold in 2012 and also have plans to feature flags and bunting in the precinct as part of the Olympics and the Queen’s diamond jubilee celebrations.
The silver prize is presented to Crosspool Forum chairman Ian Hague by Lord Mayor Sylvia Dunkley at the Town HallSheffield in Bloom awards at the Town Hall
Controversial plans to change the status of Tapton secondary school in Crosspool to an academy have been put on hold due to legal issues raised by the school’s owner.
Private finance initiative company Interserve and its funders Lloyds Banking Group have concerns over how PFI schemes work with academy status, particularly over the way the council would make PFI payments on behalf of Tapton after it has become an academy.
The school is still committed to the conversion and barristers are working through the issue, although no new completion date has been announced.
The proposed move is unpopular with parents and teachers.
Have your say on household waste by filling in this council questionnaire before it closes on Friday 16 September:
We want you to tell us what’s important to you for your waste collection services and what you think our priorities should be over the next few years when we need to make savings. You might have strong opinions about how your waste and recycling is collected in the future. Whatever your feelings, let us know, and we can take your views into account when making future decisions about waste services in Sheffield.
There are plans to convert the The Bell Hagg Inn into a house
Plans to convert a derelict Crosspool pub into a seven bedroom house will be considered by the council planning board on Tuesday.
The Bell Hagg Inn on Manchester Road has stood empty for years but the new proposals would see the two buildings turned into a single dwelling and extended. A two-story structure would also be demolished. Planning officers are recommending that the new scheme is approved.
Loxley Valley Protection Society is critical of the plans, but Rivelin Conservation Group has welcomed the proposal.
The former pub is located opposite the entrance to Valleyside Garden Centre, and its position offers commanding views over the Rivelin valley.
Bullet points from Crosspool Forum Open Meeting, Thursday 28 July 2011
Matters arising and Chairman’s report
Funding has been granted for another computer course – start date 9th Sep 2011. As before an entry level course and an advanced course (spreadsheets, emails & the internet). Names to Ian Hague ASAP. If interested.
A car boot sale is expected to take place on 10th Sep, Crosspool Tavern car park as usual.
The Crosspool Festival was a great success – the Open Gardens took £2000, the pie & pea supper £230, the picnic in the park £300, and Summer Fayre £900. All this will go to charities and to Crosspool community use
Diamond Jubilee year 2012; Ian has secured some funding for flags and flowers ot mark both the Queen’s Jubilee and the London Olympics year.
The next Clarion will be out in a few weeks time; residents to send in any articles or ask these to be posted on the webpage
The ‘Crosspool Harvest’ scheme has a new name – Hillside Harvest – & an allotment site on Hagg Hill. The Forum is still looking after Hagg Copse.
There was no Treasurer’s report at this meeting and no police presence.
Councillors’ Report (Geoff Smith)
A lot of reviews and strategy meetings have been taking place in the Counci, and of interest to Crosspool are the following:
Broomhill air pollution issues; by the autumn they hope to have a strategy in place including ensuring vehicles with fewer emissions are using the Crooked hill gradient, and tackling the food outlet problems.
Mayfield Valley lorry problem; the Council is working with freight operators to designate.routes throughout Sheffield so that problems are not just moved from one road to another equally bad.
“Twenty’s plenty” campaign; a strategy is being developed to look, first, at making this the speed limit for roads round schools, and then secondly to work with Highways PFI to extend this further to other streets, from the autumn.
Stephen Hill/Benty Lane junction; after a survey the report is imminent.
Household waste review; the black bins will still be collected weekly, and blue ones fortnightly. In the trial areas of Sheffield where householders were allowed to choose which blue bin to hold which waste only 16 percent altered their use! This will not be extended, so Crosspool will use the wheeled blue bin for alu, steel cans, glass & plastic still.
Mr Smith listened to questions and arguments from the floor about commuter parking (from Derbyshire) on Crosspool streets, and local school car use (teachers & pupils). Erecting meters around Crosspool was suggested. He had not been aware of the long-standing Vernon Terrace bus shelter issue, but will take it on board. Residents are eager to see a satisfactory conclusion to this.
Guest speakers: magistrates Andrew Bentley, Anthea Peers and Grant Laughton
Magistrates at Crosspool Forum Open Meeting, July 2011
The JPs from Sheffield gave a most illuminating talk about the role of magistrates in the community, how the judgement is essentially fair and peer-led.
Almost anyone can apply to be trained to be a magistrate – age 18-70 – and can expect to be asked to sit on the bench for 26-35 half-day sittings a year. ( Employers are however not obliged to cover the expenses of their employees, which can be a problem).
The origins of the magistrate system go back to 1195 in this country, and there are now Adult, Youth & Family courts in operation, with 2 or 3 justices sitting in each court.
Sadly some 60-65 percent of the cases in front of them are drug-related, and the officers have the discretion to pass a serious case on to the Crown Court, or to hear the case and to discharge, fine (up to £5000), impose a community order (of up to 360 hours) or send to prison (up to 6 months) those found guilty. There is a large guideline document on sentencing and their powers, but discretion and common sense are also important – fining a youth with no money makes no sense, if it is the parents who will have to pay!
The justices regularly visit the local prisons and stressed they are not pleasant or comfortable places – indeed can be very intimidating, very smelly and noisy! – but neither is a community sentence a soft option.
Motoring offences were discussed, how all cautions etc stay on the individual’s permanent record for life, and how “crime does not pay” – the court will investigate thoroughly and claim back any proceeds from crime.
It was stressed that a motorist must be parked, with the car engine switched off, before using a mobile phone; penalties for misuse are about to be increased.
The main speed cameras in Sheffield are at Parkway Bernard Rd, Penistone Rd & Queen’s Rd (Earl of Arundel box junction).
AOB
The No. 51 outbound bus from town now runs from a stop outside HSBC (along with the 52) – though residents still feel there can be 3 x 52s in a row waiting so there’s a real worry of the 51 overtaking them & not picking travellers up!
Next meeting
The next Open Meeting will be 27 October 2011, 7pm, at St Columba’s.
Crosspool News - crosspool.info 