Two new floral tubs confirmed for Manchester Road

The space outside Crosspool Tavern where two new planters will be located
The space outside Crosspool Tavern where two new planters will be located

Two new planters will be installed at the former entrance to Crosspool Tavern on Manchester Road.

The location will allow for continued pedestrian access to the pelican crossing, the pub entrance and the pavement in front of the pub.

The tubs will be delivered with soil and planting already prepared and Crosspool Forum will take on their future maintenance. An exact date for their arrival has not yet been confirmed.

This former entrance to the Tavern’s car park was earmarked for landscaping as part of the S10 corridor scheme in 2005, although this has not yet happened. The two new floral tubs are expected to make access to the pelican crossing safer.

In 2010 and 2011 Crosspool received Sheffield in Bloom awards for the quality of our floral displays in the precinct.

Crosspool won silver in the Sheffield in Bloom awards
Planters in Crosspool precinct

Rivelin Valley Conservation Group on canal voyage

Voyage into Britain is the topic for the next Rivelin Valley Conservation Group open meeting on Tuesday 13 March, where Mick Spick will be talking about canals.

Members of the public are invited. It starts at 7:30pm at Stephen Hill Church. There is a small charge for entrance fee and refreshments.

Rivelin Valley Conservation Group

Local sites earmarked for new houses – Crosspool meeting scheduled

Sheffield council has outlined plans to build new homes on Lydgate Reservoir on Evelyn Road, Hadfield Service Reservoir in Crookes and Canterbury Crescent, Fulwood in order to meet government housing targets.

The Lydgate Reservoir land is located at the end of the Evelyn Road cul-de-sac. It is thought that once the reservoir has been decommissioned, Yorkshire Water will market the site after 2017 or 2022.

The council is asking for residents and businesses to comment on the potential new housing plans between 16 January and 27 February 2012.

A drop-in session with Area Planner Sarah Smith has been called at Stephen Hill Methodist Church for Thursday February 2, from 3-8pm. If you have any questions about the consultation, please telephone the Sheffield Development Framework Consultation team on 0114 205 3075.

More information about the plans and consultation

One Evelyn Road resident, David Smithson, said: “If this pleasant and quiet dead end were to be the sole access to this site, the prospects of an unacceptable increase in traffic and the resultant noise pollution would have detrimental consequence on me and my neighbours’ health and wellbeing. 20 dwellings would probably mean 30 or more cars added to usage of the road.”

The sites are three of 18 in Sheffield earmarked as part of a strategy to build 1,110 new homes.

Bullet points from Crosspool Forum Open Meeting/AGM, Thursday 27 October 2011

Open Meeting/AGM at St Columba's
Open Meeting/AGM at St Columba's

Download as a PDF (74KB)

Chairman’s report for the year (Ian Hague)

  1. Planning – Turner Investments application for enlarging Motorworld was declined.
  2. The Crosspool Clarion is still very successful – reaching over 2500 houses, & is self-funding.
  3. Crosspool.info webpage has become very popular.
  4. Computer courses – St Columbas Fri – go from strength to strength.A new course will start in Jan 2012 – names to Ian.
  5. SWCA meeting – next one Wesley Hall, Crookes, Dec 15th. Council Cabinet Members will be available from 5.45-6.45 for questions.
  6. Community skip today – successful
  7. The usual car boot sales, Crosspool Festival & Summer Fayre, Christmas trees & floral displays – winning Silver again!- & daffs & crocus planting on the verges. The Christmas trees will go up in early December – helpers please (keep an eye on web site for date).
  8. The Forum continues to look after Hagg Copse.
  9. Stephen Hill/Benty Lane junction still on the agenda – hope to have a report in the next Open Meeting.
  10. 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)

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Car crime; there have been some break-ins to vehicles on Crookes/Crookesmoor. Residents were urged not to leave satnav cradles on display.
  4. 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

  1. A special limited edition of Crosspool cards is available from Craft Angels – £2.50 per pack.
  2. There will be a Christmas Disco at St Columba’s on 4th Dec; tickets from the Crosspool Pet Shop. Father Christmas will be there!
  3. The Sheffield to Castleton & Bakewell bus (operated by Derbyshire County Council) that runs along Manchester rd is to change to number 273/4/5.
  4. Ian Hague is hoping to get funding for an over-60s trip …. music will be involved!
  5. 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.
  6. 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.

Download as a PDF (74KB)

Rivelin Valley Conservation Group scoops environment award

Rivelin valley : the local conservation group has won an award
Rivelin valley : the local conservation group has won an award

Rivelin Valley Conservation Group collected top prize at the Sheffield Telegraph Environment Awards this week.

The organisation is now twenty years old and continues to encourage the effective management of wildlife habitats and to reverse the decline of the nature trail.

Volunteers from a membership of 500 meet once a month for regular walks, talks from both enthusiasts and experts and also to improve the Rivelin valley environment.

Sheffield Telegraph Environment Awards: meet our winners

Rivelin Valley Conservation Group

Spring bulb planting this Saturday – get involved!

Thanks for all your ideas for where to plant our spring bulbs. The three locations earmarked to receive this year’s allocation are the top of Stephen Hill, the triangle at the junction of Watt lane and Dransfield Road and on Manchester Road, possibly between the two churches.

Can you spare an hour on Saturday 15 October to help Crosspool Forum plant them on grass verges near to where you live? We’ll be meeting at 10am on the verge in front of the Crosspool Tavern.

If you fancy popping along then telephone 0114 335 1674, email  crosspoolforum@fsmail.net or just turn up. You don’t need to bring anything, but if you do have a small spade then please bring it along.

Spring bulb planting, Saturday 10 October
Spring bulb planting, Saturday 10 October

Lydgate Green clean up this Sunday

Lydgate Green
Lydgate Green

The Friends of Lydgate Green are organising a day to work on the flower beds.

This Sunday 2 October, volunteers will be weeding, moving plants, litter picking and tidying up.

They’re inviting anyone interested in helping to come along from 10am. It’s a family affair, the more the merrier – bring your forks, spades, barrows & buckets!

There are gaps to be filled so any spare perennials for donation are also very welcome.

Lydgate Green is on the Lydgate Lane/Lydgate Hall Crescent junction in Crosspool.

Lydgate Green
Lydgate Green: join in the clear up

Household waste survey

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.

You can take part in the survey by:

  • filling it in online
  • calling 0844 522 0100
  • collecting a copy from your local First Point Office, Housing Office or library.
Blue box: from April can be used to recycle bottles
Have your say on household waste in Sheffield

Lydgate Green clean up: your help is required!

Lydgate Green
Lydgate Green

The Friends of Lydgate Green are organising a day to work on the flower beds.

On Sunday 2 October volunteers will be weeding, moving plants, litter picking and tidying up.

They’re inviting anyone interested in helping to come along from 10am. It’s a family affair, the more the merrier – bring your forks, spades, barrows & buckets!

There are gaps to be filled so any spare perennials for donation are also very welcome.

Lydgate Green is on the Lydgate Lane/Lydgate Hall Crescent junction in Crosspool.

Lydgate Green
Lydgate Green: join in the clear up

Bullet points from Crosspool Forum Open Meeting, Thursday 28 July 2011

Crosspool Forum Open Meeting, July 2011
Crosspool Forum Open Meeting, July 2011

The bullet points from last week’s meeting are below. You can also download them as a PDF.

Everyone is welcome to attend the Open Meetings. The next is on 27 October 2011, 7pm, at St Columba’s.

Crosspool Forum Open Meeting 28 July 2011 bullet points PDF (70KB)

Bullet points from Crosspool Forum Open Meeting, Thursday 28 July 2011

Matters arising and Chairman’s report

  1. 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.
  2. A car boot sale is expected to take place on 10th Sep, Crosspool Tavern car park as usual.
  3. 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  6. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. “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.
  4. Stephen Hill/Benty Lane junction; after a survey the report is imminent.
  5. 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
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.