Rocket Park: 1 July 2011

Reporter: Mr Patrick Henshaw. patrickhenshaw@ymail.com

The central area of Rocket Park is being laid out in a large circle, outlined in light coloured bricks. I like the four new footpaths now being laid which lead into the centre of the Park, its all going to look really nice when its finished, I have lived here for a number of years and this is a big improvement from before. Work began at the end of May, so a lot has been done to Rocket Park over the last 4 weeks.

Dennet Close Bottom-row: 1 July 2011

Reporter: Mr Richard Pearson. richard.pearson53@yahoo.co.uk

Work is well advanced on this row of houses, the wooden roof beans are now in place and it just gives the appearance of Coronation Street, up north. I can imagine nipping into The Rovers Return for a quick pint, and chatting to Ena Sharples in the street. I really like these houses, and they are proper houses made of bricks, and are far superior to the Wimpey's built houses nearby.

Eastham Close Site: 1 July 2011

Reporter: Mr John Bailey. johnbailey78@ymail.com

I live on the Estate and today there is only two topics of conversation: how fast the new houses and flats are being built, and to such a high standard of workmanship. The second is the small size of the two houses which are being built on Eastham Close. They are quite prominent and look quite nice from the outside.

The House plans published on this blog two weeks ago tell a different story. I just cannot understand why there is no closet downstairs, a small room to hang up your coats, and put cleaning stuff in like brushes, mops and a vacuum cleaner. The kitchen seems small as well, I don’t think there would be much room to use the ironing board. There is also nowhere to put your washing to dry if its raining out, or if you have to go to work during the day. The person living here would have to use a clothes horse, and ironing board in the living room.

The block of houses being built nearby is now up to the third level, and seems so high. I agree with Richard Pearson about the bottom row. I asked workmen on the site and they said that these were all kitchens. The living rooms are on the middle level they said, so the bedrooms must be along the top. My wife and I cook a Sunday roast each week, and with three large saucepans boiling away there is a lot of steam. Even with a window open it still condenses on the cold window glass and walls. In the ground floor kitchens of this new block of houses there are no ventilation grills. Nowhere for the steam to go except onto the walls and in the air. The people who do move in are going to have a big problem with mould and damp, I wouldn’t like that at all.

The photographs below show the Eastham Close Site as it is today.

The bottom photograph shows the same block of houses as seen from Eastham Close Road.

Pevril Pub Site: 1 July

Reporter: Sharon Easom. sharoneasom@rocketmail.com

It was quite a delight to see the new block of flats from Beacon Hill Rise, and the new houses along Eastham Close Road nearing completion. I have lived on the Stonebridge Park Estate for over 12 years now and remember the Pevril pub very well. It was once a very popular venue for locals, and I went in quite often. Laying the foundations for the new block of apartments along Dennet Close must have been quite difficult. Workmen dug a deep trench and poured concrete into moulds to form the walls. Now that the foundation is in place it would seem that work will now begin on the new apartment block.

The new block of flats at the front of the site has maroon coloured doors, and white double glazing and finished in sand coloured bricks. Everyday work men are inside this block finishing the interior.

The photographs below show the Pevril Pub Site as it is now. It seems unbelievable, but only 22 weeks have gone by since Lovell first began building on the Stonebridge Estate and work has advanced to fast.

 

Video: Old St Ann’s Pt 2

Added By: Patrick Henshaw. patrickhenshaw@ymail.com

 

 

A decade ago St Ann’s library on the Robin Hood Chase began a unique project, ‘A Day of Memories’ and invited the people who once lived in this town to return and reminisce about the good old days, and it became an annual event. People brought in old photo’s of the town as it use to be. This special presentation is a slide show of over 200 images set to music. This video is part two.

Lovell: Dust, Power-cuts & Cameras

Reporter: Mrs Janis Dodson. janisdodson@ymail.com

Around the Stonebridge Park Estate Building Contractor Lovell are continuing to cause a lot of nuisance for tenants & residents with all of the dirt and dust being blown off the building sites onto nearby parked cars, dirtying windows, and locals are walking it into their homes. This subject was raised at the Stonebridge Park Tenants & Residents public meeting in April, and despite reassurance from City Council officers that they would talk to Lovell about this nuisance to stop it from happening, the problem continues today. Lovell has made no apology to locals about this continuing problem, or made an effort to stop it from happening.

There have been three power cuts on the Stonebridge Estate over the last month, the most recent on 28^th June was caused by Lovell workmen accidentally cutting through electric cables. The power cut lasted 4 hours. Another inconvenience for tenants & residents.

Mr Robert Whyman ventured onto the Eastham Close building site in May to protest about the building of two controversial houses 9 feet away from his Lytton Close home. The incident could have been handled sympathetically, however, Lovell decided to be heavy handed and have this resident arrested.

Despite having permission from LHA to take a few photographs on the Eastham Close site on 14th June, Lovell informed Mr Richard Pearson that he should not take any further photographs on their land!

So this construction firm does not have a good reputation when it comes to building good relations with local tenants & residents.

Video: Old St Ann's Pt 1

Added By: Patrick Henshaw. patrickhenshaw@ymail.com

A decade ago St Ann’s library on the Robin Hood Chase began a unique project, ‘A Day of Memories’ and invited the people who once lived in this town to return and reminisce about the good old days, and it presentation is a slide show of over 200 images set to music. This video is part two.became an annual event. People brought in old photo’s of the town as it use to be. This special presentation is a slide show of over 200 images set to music. This video is part one.

Fairholm Court Site: 1 July 2011

Reporter: Mr John Bailey. johnbailey78@ymail.com

The work is complete on this area of land at the bottom of Flewitt Gardens. The ground has been levelled, and a layer of top soil has been spread all over.There is not much else to say because the photographs speak for themselves.

Magson Close: 1 July 2011

Reporter: Sharon Easom. sharoneasom@rocketmail.com

A lot of work has been going on on this land behind the Coop, digging trenches, sorting bricks, and levelling the ground for months, but it just looks like Lovell’s have only just moved onto this piece of ground; its deceptive. I can see that the concrete base for new apartments is now in position so building work cannot be that far away.

I was talking to some of the people who live in the houses opposite, they are so annoyed about all of the dust kicked up by the work. It covers there cars, sticks to there windows and gets treaded into their homes. Lovell’s just don’t seem to care about any of this. On the day I visited Magson Close there was a power cut on the Stonebridge Estate caused by workmen cutting through an electric cable on Eastham Close. It lasted 4 hours, and this was the third power cut in a month. Again Lovell’s have never apologised to locals for the inconvenience; its not clever customer service.

Long Hedge Site: 1 July 2011

Reporter: Mrs June Gaskell. junegaskell@yahoo.co.uk

This is the first time I been to the top of Magson Close for a very long time. None of these new houses were built back then, now it has some nice big houses, and they look quite lovely; I wouldn’t mind living in one of these. The doors seem a bit odd along side the windows. From the back the big house on the front of this site seems to be ‘looking’ at you. The top windows are the eyes and the door is the mouth. I do hope that they open a show house here soon, I would like to have a look around inside them.