The Borough Elections are over and Labour added six more seats to the Erewash Labour Group. Not enough to take control but still a respectable performance. It gives us twenty-five out of fifty-one seats.
With the excitement of the Election receding we now need to get down to the job of doing the best for our constituents. It is tempting to see Council Chambers as a pale reflection of the Westminster Parliament. However, many of the issues that Council's deal with are not Party political and the general public will not look kindly on us if we just enter into a sterile dog fight between Labour and Tory.
 |
| STANTON H.Q. |
The Erewash Labour Group's highest priority is economic regeneration and the Stanton site could be key to job creation. My belief is that the Council should rethink its attitude to Stanton regeneration and be more practical. There is little or no local support for the thousands of houses proposed for the site. The road infrastructure is already stretched and cannot support a massive increase in vehicle movements. In my view the existing head in the clouds plan for the site needs to be replaced with positive practical measures to bring some of the land back into use for businesses as soon as practicable. We should be concentrating on meeting local jobs and local recreational needs, not catering for the housing needs of Nottingham and Derby. There are substantial areas of the site that are crying out for reclamation for leisure and ecological uses. Those sorts of uses could be of great benefit to local people and the environment without generating large amounts of extra traffic. The existing ponds could be improved and extended and the canal side enhanced with perhaps a marina and other waterside facilities. Action at the Stanton site is needed sooner rather than later. Realism needs to prevail. What is needed now is not grandiose plans but practical progress.
The sale of this huge area of land is a once in a lifetime opportunity to create something special in the Erewash area.
ReplyDeleteThere will have to be a trade off between high profit residential properties and low or no profit industrial / recreational space but the impact to the local area can not be forgotten.
Do we need another Derby 'Oakwood' or a 'Pride Park' ? A little of each ?
Pride Park has bought in both outside business's and enabled Derby based companies to expand into larger, modern and in some cases executive properties.
The area suffered traffic problems even when only Stanton were in full production.
A rail link would be ideal.
The site is already surrounded by two small industrial sites with the Quarry Hill Industrial Estate @ the Ilkeston end and the industrial units off Low's Lane.
The council do not need to rush into anything but they do need to give it their up-most attention and for them to be realistic and practical with their ideas else it will end up a white elephant like the development at the conner of Ford Street / Friar Gate in Derby.