Make most of the web - Community - Morpeth Herald

Make most of the web - Community - Morpeth Herald

Ponteland homes development plans to be unveiled

Ponteland town councillor Robin Ramsey

MULTI-million-pound development plans which could see more than 1,000 new homes added to one of the region’s most affluent communities are set to be unveiled to local people soon.

Land on the edge of Ponteland and Darras Hall has been earmarked by two separate developers for projects which would potentially transform the 11,000- population community.

The project could also mean major new investment in its services and infrastructure. Government moves to release the shackles on development in the countryside are being seen as one of the main reasons why green fields surrounding the sought-after commuter town are now being targeted.

Banks Property – part of the North East-based Banks Group – is working on plans to build about 500 new homes at Clickemin Farm, to the south-east.

The company says initial proposals will be made public this summer, and claims the scheme could result in improvements to Ponteland’s sporting and leisure facilities.

At the same time, planning experts are working on behalf of the Newcastle-based Lugano Property Group, which is interested in brokering major new housing development and a wider master plan for the future of the town.

It is looking at investing in sites which are said to have the potential for up to 1,000 new homes in and around Ponteland and Darras Hall, depending on the local appetite and support for new building. Consultants acting for the company – whose chairman is Tyneside businessman and landowner Barry Moat – will hold a public engagement event next month to get early ideas on how local people see the future of the town.

This will be used to help frame detailed development proposals for housing, shopping, business and leisure.

The prospect of large-scale new housing was yesterday greeted with concern by community representatives, who say significant benefits will be required to justify such development.

Peter Jackson, one of four county councillors for Ponteland, said: “We have only had a sketchy outline of these proposals, but we think the scale of the development will have a detrimental impact on existing residents.

“The infrastructure of Ponteland, in terms of shops, leisure and other facilities, is inadequate for a community of the current size, let alone for one that is going to get even bigger. We would be talking about concreting over green fields and I can commit to leading the opposition to both of these proposals.”

Ponteland town councillor and former mayor Robin Ramsay said: “Obviously there are some big issues facing us, and we need a solution that is to the long-term benefit of the community.

“With these numbers of new houses, we are also faced with the problem of how it will impact on facilities such as schools and how it will affect the existing regeneration plans for the town centre.”

Brian Prickett, who chairs the Ponteland Community Partnership, urged as many people as possible to attend the forthcoming public events planned by Banks and Lugano.

“We have found it difficult to tie Lugano down to specifics about their proposals, but we believe they have options on land next to Darras Hall.

“We can’t just put another 500 to 1,000 houses in without having an impact on current services such as schools, doctors and dentists.”

Scott Munro, planning director at Lugano, said: “We are interested in the future needs of Ponteland and Darras Hall as sponsors and investors, not as landowners or applicants.

“There are lots of requirements and demands there and we are interested in finding out what local people want to see happen.

“The current town centre regeneration scheme has stalled, there are traffic issues and the statistics tell us there is a significant requirement for new housing in that commuter housing market.”

Mr Munro said Lugano was looking at land with the potential for “anything between 10 and 1,000 new homes”.

“One of the questions we will be asking is whether people in Ponteland and Darras Hall want to see large-scale new housing,” he added.

BANKS Property says its proposed 500-home scheme at Clickemin Farm will deliver a high-quality, family housing development and significant new community facilities for Ponteland.

It has begun discussions with local community leaders and says detailed proposals are currently some distance away. Outline ideas will be discussed at a public exhibition this summer.

Initial plans include a major upgrade of sports and leisure facilities, and Banks has been working with local clubs to bring forward a Ponteland Sporting Club project. The company says the housing development will address Ponteland’s need for new homes, and support the town’s long-term wellbeing by attracting and retaining young people and families.

There is also the possibility of the project providing land and accommodation for employment purposes.

Michael Shuttleworth, managing director of Banks Property, said: "Ponteland has proved itself as a fantastic and popular place to live, but the recent lack of new development and associated investment means that its supporting infrastructure is not everything it should be.

"When compared with other similar settlements, Ponteland has fewer facilities when it comes to sports and leisure provision, retail choice, community and public buildings and family housing supply. The scheme that we are developing has the potential to make a significant positive impact across all these areas.

"The involvement of local people will be central to taking the design process forward, and we will provide every possible opportunity over the coming months for all interested parties to put forward their ideas about how this scheme might be shaped."

Source: Journal Live

Ponteland High School Takes Third Place in National Karting Final

Third place at the British Schools Karting Championship (BSKC) 2012 National Final was taken by Ponteland High School, with world champion karter, Matthew Graham (17) and his team mates, Christian Harrison (17) and Daniel Barber (18). 

Over 600 teams entered the championship this year, meaning more than 1850 students have taken the chequered flag at karting circuits around the country during the competition. 

Will Tew, Championship Director at the BSKC said: “The skills of the teams are improving with each year and that has been demonstrated in the tightest final yet. The BSKC was started to give young people a chance to experience the thrill and excitement of motorsports, and excitement is certainly what we got in the final.

“What has impressed me the most is how racing has instilled a sense of responsibility in the teams taking part.  They should be incredibly proud of themselves. I have never seen such a professional display from such young men and women.

“Almost 7000 young people have participated in the competition since it started. It is a great way to give students who are not interested in football or hockey a chance to reveal hidden talents. Many schools have also told us that taking part has built the confidence of the drivers and this has helped them both on the race track and in school too.”

The BSKC is an arrive and drive karting championship that aims to bring competitive, cost effective karting into UK schools. Since it began in 2006 with just 22 teams competing, the popularity of the championship has grown and this year, there are 617 teams competing to win the title of British School Karting Champions 2012. 

For details of the karting finals or more information on the BSKC, visit www.bskc.co.uk. You can also follow them on Facebook and on Twitter at @karting_bskc. 

Pressure to make public transport more punctual

MOVES are under way to improve the punctuality of bus services in Ponteland.

The town council arranged to meet senior managers at Stagecoach to discuss a range of issues after it received complaints from residents who were finding the services unreliable.

Members of the authority are pleased that the company is already taking action to try to get their vehicles running closer to timetable at peak times and they have pledged to do all they can to help the situation.

To start, they are running a petition to try to convince Northumberland County Council to put in yellow lines near Darras Hall First School as they believe this will improve traffic flow.

At the meeting, Stagecoach explained that since the end of January, buses from other routes were being combined with those used on the Ponteland services so any late running vehicles are replaced at Eldon Square by an ‘on time’ bus. This had already brought better reliability to the network.

Ponteland Mayor Peter Cowey said: “It was a very productive meeting and good to hear that Stagecoach wasn’t disagreeing much with what we had to say.

“If there is a five or ten minute delay in Ponteland or Darras Hall, it is very difficult to make that up on the way to Newcastle. Therefore, we’re pleased that different buses will be used on the route, not just one going back and forward.

“The company is willing to look at what else it can do and the managers told us that it is developing a bar code technology for bus stops where people can use certain mobile phones to scan it and they will get live service updates.

“They also said there were some reasons for delays that were not in their control, such as inconsiderate parking by building contractors and by parents at school times in Darras Hall and roads on the bus route not being gritted during bad weather.

“We’re currently getting signatures for a petition to put yellow lines on one side of Middle Drive, where it meets Linden Way.

“This would create a pull-in for vehicles and help the traffic flow because at the moment buses are often getting stuck behind a row of parked cars.

“Hopefully, this will get things moving quickly with the county council.”

More meetings will take place in the coming year, with the next one scheduled for April.

In the meantime, residents can email their comments about bus services to bususers@pontelandtowncouncil.co.uk

Source: Morpeth Herald

Cowells garden centre recognised as UK's best in national awards

Martin and Jane Cowell with parents Mavis and Alan Cowell.

The Cowell Family; father Alan, daughter Jane, mother Mavis

One of the last remaining independent garden centres in the North East has once again been named the UK’s best, after topping two categories in a national awards programme for the second-year running. 

Family-run Cowell’s Garden Centre in Woolsington has been named ‘Garden Centre of the Year 2012’ by industry body the Garden Centre Association (GCA), following a judge’s rigorous inspection visit. 

Martin Cowell of Cowell’s Garden Centre said: “We are delighted to have won such a prestigious award from our industry trade body that recognises Cowell’s Garden Centre as a continuing centre of excellence.  Our staff work hard to make the centre a place for amateur and professional gardeners to access the widest selections of plants and gardening products and we are proud to be flying the flag for the region as a North East Garden Centre with a leading national reputation.”

Cowell’s Garden Centre employs over 50 full and part time staff from its base in Woolsington Village, near Newcastle Airport.  Staff range from garden enthusiasts to trained horticulturalists and the GCA award recognises the significant involvement of the team in contributing to the success of the business.  The GCA singled out Cowell’s as a national leader thanks to its plant-oriented focus to meet the needs of its well- established and loyal customer base  

Originally opening its doors in 1978, Cowell’s is one of the few remaining independent garden centres in the region and prides itself on the breadth and variety of its plant selection, as well as giftware and garden furniture.   The extensive range of plants available led to a second recent award from the GCA, the ‘Ruxley Rose Plant Area 2012’ award in acknowledgement of the quality and choice of plants on offer.  

Jane Cowell continues: “The gardening sector is very buoyant at present, in part thanks to strong demand for grow-your-own fruit and vegetables, which is encouraging more amateur gardeners to create at-home vegetable patches or herb gardens.  In addition to our more everyday plants, we also source specialist stock internationally and have just renewed our partnership with a European-based nursery.  This exclusive partnership offers North East customers access to the type of niche plant collections which truly set us apart as a garden centre focussed on offering only the very best to the everyday horticulturalist.”

“Winning recognition from the GCA has been a great way to kick-off the spring gardening season and we look forward to welcoming customers to view our 2012 range in our award-winning centre.”

Ponteland Churches Easter Services 2012

Procession to start Holy Week

At St Mary’s we start at 10am on Palm Sunday April 1 with a procession from Richard Coates School with Jazz the donkey. 

We will walk up Thornhill Road to church, remembering Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem at the start of Holy Week. During the week there is a service every evening at 7pm - Compline is the late night service of the monasteries - half an hour of peace and quiet. 

On Maundy Thursday we remember the Last Supper, and on Good Friday the Cross will be raised on the Green. Easter Sunday is a day of celebration, and the main service in St Mary’s is at 10am. St Mary’s Organ is now fresh, clean and wholesome.

Lightbown the organ builder has removed all 700 pipes and cleaned away 40 years of dirt. Then they managed to put all the pipes back in the right place! 

On Sunday April 29 at 6.30pm we will celebrate with a short Songs of Praise, some music by the choir, and several pieces played by Shaun Turnbull (our organist) which will, no doubt, show how good the organ is now sounding. All are invited to this very special celebration - and a huge ‘thanks’ to everyone who helped pay for the work.

By The Reverend Peter Barham, Vicar of Ponteland

United Reformed Church, Broadway

Wednesday 4 April Passover Service 7.00 pm

Good Friday 6 April   10.00 am

Easter Sunday 8 April 10.00 am

St Mary the Virgin, Ponteland

Palm Sunday 1 April Holy Communion 8.00 am

Procession starts at Richard Coates School 10.00 am  

and proceeds down Thornhill Road to Church

(if you cannot walk come to Church at 10.00 am)

Mon 2-Sat 7 April Compline and Address 7.00 pm

Compline is the late night service of the monasteries, half an hour of peace and quiet

Maundy Thursday 5 April Choral Communion  7.00 pm then a Vigil until Compline 9.00 pm

Good Friday 6 April Morning Service 10.30 am

Penguins Children’s club meet 11.30 am-12.30 pm

Afternoon Vigil  1.30-3.00 pm

Easter Sunday 8 April Holy Communion  8.00 am

Festal Communion 10.00 am

Evening Service  6.30 pm

Holy Saviour, Milbourne

Palm Sunday 1 April Holy Communion 11.15 am

Easter Sunday 8 April Holy Communion 11.15 am

Methodist Church, Milbourne

Palm Sunday 1 April  6.30 pm

Good Friday 6 April 7.00 pm

Easter Day 8 April  6.30 pm 

Methodist Church, Ponteland

Palm Sunday 1 April Palm Cross Sharing  10.00 am                  

Churches Together Service     6.30 pm

Monday 2 April Holy Week Reflection  7.30 pm

Maundy Thursday Upper Room Communion  7.30 pm

Good Friday 6 April Morning Service 10.00 am

Circuit Choir sings ‘Crucifixion’ at Westerhope 6.00 pm

Easter Sunday 8 April 

Sunrise Service at Bolam Lake  6.00 am then breakfast at Church      

Holy Communion 10.00 am

Evening Worship 6.30 pm

St Matthew’s R.C. Ponteland

Holy Thursday 5 April Mass 8.00 pm

Good Friday 6 April Passion 4.30 pm

Holy Saturday 7 April Easter Vigil 6.00 pm

Easter Sunday 8 April Mass 10.30 am

RAISING OF THE CROSS - GOOD FRIDAY - 11.15 a.m. VILLAGE GREEN PONTELAND 

Refreshments in the Methodist Hall after the service

Park project gets back on track

A PROJECT to improve accessibility in a section of Ponteland Park is back on track after an insurance issue was resolved.

In November, the Friends of Ponteland Park (FOPP) group was successful in its application to the Big Lottery Fund for almost £10,000 to make it easier for people to get up and down the slope at Oxbow Lake.

The funding will enable steps and a boardwalk to be built down the approach on the east side of the sheltered lake in order to access a new dipping platform.

As the FOPP has no public liability insurance, the town council was asked to place the orders.

But the Big Lottery Fund would not allow the money to be transferred to the authority and this caused a short delay to the project.

It has now been sorted as a formal agreement has been reached with FOPP to ensure that it is covered by the council’s public liability insurance and design warranties for the work can be switched.

Once the scheme has been completed, the authority will take over maintenance of the boardwalk and the site.

There will also be some planting as well as the installation of seats, nest boxes and bat boxes.

Along with pond dipping, people of all ages will be able to observe the wide variety of bird and aquatic wildlife in the area.

Source: Morpeth Herald