Shirebrook at Glapwell Parish Council meeting
This article was supposed to be one of the series “A visit to …”, but what I heard and saw at the Glapwell Parish Council meeting is so connected with our town that I decided to describe my visit to GPC briefly and focus on what I found out there about Shirebrook.
However, I must point out in advance that what I will describe below has no roots in our town or Shirebrook Town Council. Instead, this story is one example of how something that happens “behind the fence” can affect your life. In addition- I have something new: a map. But let’s start from the beginning.
YOGA BEFORE COUNCIL MEETING
Glapwell is one of the smallest settlements to host Parish Council meetings in our District. Their meetings take place in the small Glapwell Center building, a mini equivalent of our Village Hall (really mini). Before the GPC meeting, yoga classes were held in the meeting room, proving how “wealthy” GPC is. I must admit, however, that the room has excellent acoustics because even though it is much larger than the STC Chamber, I could hear everything without any problems.
COUNTY COUNCILLOR VISIT
Again, I had the opportunity to compare the work of our CC with the work of other CCs. So I compared “nothing” with “something.” Our CC does not visit STC, so I have not seen her even once despite the year of my work and presence at every STC meeting. However, from what I understand, Cllr James Barron shows up at meetings regularly. I don’t think I need to add who our CC represents and who is represented by Cllr James Barron. As usual- the socialists take the people of this District for granted.
WHO ELSE CAME?
In addition to CC, in the room were me, a local resident running football activities for local young people who had come to report on the group’s activities and ask for funding to refurbish the changing rooms, and an official from BDC. This official was the highlight of the program I will write about in a moment. I’ll try to get to it quickly but can’t skip…
“VERY DODGY DEAL”
This is how the Chair of GPC described BDC’s decision to sell off a piece of land in Glapwell- a “very dodgy deal”. The area was under special protection, but that didn’t stop the Labour Party from pushing through a decision to raze the site to the ground and cut down trees that were home to many species of birds and bats to build a road there. Ecology Labour style!
I wrote about it some time ago but will sum it up quickly. A wealthy investor, who is allegedly a close friend of several local Labour Party politicians, bought himself land with a plan to build houses on it, sell them and get rich even more. A typical pink socialist… The problem was that in order to get to this piece of land, the investor had to buy another piece of land on which unique trees grew. To build the road, the oldest trees in the Bolsover District had to be cut down. The Labour Party encountered resistance from the people who fought for over a year to save this piece of priceless nature. The Labour Party is supposed to be the Party of the little guy, so naturally, they chose to represent the interest of a wealthy investor.
How did the Labour Party show what it thought of the ‘little people? Somehow, residents forced BDC to vote to block the development, except that Labour Party politicians predicted victory before the vote. Hence, they allowed the developer to bring heavy equipment into the area in advance! So while residents went to Clowne to observe the BDC Chamber vote – the developer brought construction equipment onto the disputed land, surrounded the plot with a fence and started work. The developer did this because he probably secretly received approval from the Executive Council of BDC- wholly ruled by the Labour Party. So one can guess that the action was carefully planned – to deceive the residents of Glapwell.
Then the unthinkable happened – Labour “local business supporters” lost the vote at the full BDC meeting! Of course, socialists don’t give a damn about democracy as long as the interests of their supposed friends are at stake. Especially if those friends are rich. So despite losing the vote – the decision to cut down the trees was not changed, and in a radio interview, Steve Fritchley said it was… democracy. Don’t believe it? You can listen to a recording of this interview yourself; you can find an audio excerpt in one of our previous articles here:
GLAPWELL IS… ANGRY!
Although months had passed since that ‘deal’ when the discussion about new housing plans in Glapwell began, I felt the air had become thick and heavy. Independent councillors still hold a massive grudge against their “Bloody Rose” colleagues. One Labour councillor tried to defend herself by saying she knew nothing about this “deal”, which for me is the best indication of how Labour governs the region. Another councillor, I suspect not from the Labour Party, outright stated that the decision was made in… Shirebrook. Shirebrook councillors are 3 of the 8 Executive members. So how did “our” elected members vote? We don’t know – as I said, the Executive Committee’s decision was secret until the scandal broke, and since I’m not a BDC councillor- it’s hard for me to follow events there. As usual- Labour Party is very secretive about what they are doing.
There is no other word for it – the Labor Party stabbed a knife in the back of the residents of Glapwell and its councillors in Glapwell. Will the Glapwell residents remember this in the next elections? We will see in May 2023.
A MAP THAT FELL ON THE TABLE LIKE A TON OF BRICK
The BDC official spoke for a moment about the new zoning plan (unfortunately, I did not write down the plan’s name, but I asked him if Shirebrook has one – he replied: no.) This plan is being created in connection with the release of a large area of agricultural land for housing. At one point, the BDC official got up, unfolded a large map of our District’s central part, and invited councillors to gather to show everything he was talking about on the map.
Yes- Shirebrook is in the central part of the District, so naturally, I also approached the map (I stayed behind councillors so as not to interfere). Anyway- The Chair allowed everyone to come closer to the table and even ask questions. I must admit that the Chair conducted the whole meeting in a very friendly and open style. No one who had a question was left without an answer. There was no reproving, forbidding. Despite many questions, the meeting went smoothly and in a constructive atmosphere.
However, the atmosphere turned murky when one councillor asked an official: “how many houses do you plan to build here?”. BDC employee answered and… uuuuuuu something like that I have never seen at a Parish Council meeting before. It was literally as if someone had dropped a ton of bricks on the councillors’ shoulders, and the lights in the room dimmed. You could feel a change of atmosphere in the air.
LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
I mentioned the map. It is time to look at it – I have pasted a few important fragments of it below, and we will analyse it together. If you want to see it in its entirety, you can find it here:
https://www.bolsover.gov.uk/component/edocman/12009-policies-map-central-area/download
Before we move on to Shirebrook, I must explain why the councillor asked the question he did. Glapwell is one of the few settlements in our area mentioned in the Doomsday Book, so it has historical significance. Some of the trees felled by the Labour Party decision were 400 years old. However, despite such a long history and a rather picturesque location- the settlement has not developed to any significant size. According to the 2011 Census, Glapwell has a population of just 1503. Note: on the map below, the green colour indicates the land allocated by BDC for housing development, which is due to finish around 2034 (I have not written down the exact dates).
As you can see, the area to be developed is practically six times the current size of the village. When a councillor asked how many houses were planned and heard the answer, a heavy “uuuuughhh” went through the room. Why? Because BDC in about ten years intends to allow the building of about 2500(!) houses in Glapwell. Multiplying this by the average number of residents per house in BD (2.4) means that Glapwell will grow from a village of 1,500 to a town of 8,000 in just a decade!!!
It’s as if Shirebrook in 2034 had a population of 40,000, and in 2022 there is no plan what to build in addition to thousands of new houses. No parks, no GP surgeries, no bike roads- nothing. Can you imagine that?
This official turned up not only to announce it but also to start a debate about what councillors (and residents) would like to see built for residents in the new ‘village’. Better later than never, I suppose. Clearly, such a huge investment should be followed by money for residents’ amenities. There should be new roads, bus stops, playgrounds, some sort of residents centre, and parks. Will this happen?
Well- we Shirebrook residents have direct experience of this type of decision. Just look at our Meadow View. What has been built there for the residents? To date, there is not even a footpath linking that part of the town with the rest of the town (I don’t mention Stinting Lane as it is an overgrown weedy, unlit, muddy path). This area with Bracken Road area built 15 years ago has not a single public building- all of them are placed in the North part of town.
WHAT GLAPWELL WANTS IS NOT WHAT THEY GET
Glapwell wanted to save the District’s oldest trees. Labour showed them the middle finger. One guesses that if Labour wants to keep their councillors in office – they will have to “suck up” to the residents somehow. I got my hands on footage of Labour Party councillor Tom Kirkham at a BDC meeting enquiring about the possibility of a loan from BDC – so I guess Labour will “suck up” with taxpayers’ money. On credit. Labour style!
The discussion turned to a road that would lead to the M1 motorway but would not run through the middle of the village as it does at the moment. Shirebrook was also mentioned here, as the supposed road serving as a bypass for Glapwell would also be a road directly linking our town to the M1. However, I suspect that BDC will grant planning permission for houses without looking at such details as a bypass, parks or amenities. We will see in 10 years or so. Today I predict that the new Glapwell neighbourhood will be like Meadow View- one big bedroom.
HOLD YOUR HAT IF YOU LIVE IN NORTH WARD
Let’s face it – building new housing in Shirebrook has only increased the tax revenue that flows in and out of STC. So as I was thinking about those hundreds of thousands taken out of the pockets of working people, my gaze wandered across the map to the Shirebrook area. I looked for a moment for areas in my own neighbourhood marked in the same colour as those in Glapwell (earmarked and approved for housing development), and just when I thought I would find nothing – my gaze came across something shocking: a huge area north of the Shirebrook marked same as development in Glapwell.
Obviously, this area is not within the boundaries of the STC. We have nothing to do with that land- it’s within the boundaries of Langwith Parish Council. However, I can very easily imagine that if the site is comparable to that at Glapwell, then north of Shirebrook (almost on the very boundary of our town) some 2000 new houses will be built to house around five thousand people. Langwith will go from being an outsider to one of the larger centres in the region.
There will be a lot of people with children. They will come to Shirebrook, use LC, and use our roads to get to the motorway or Mansfield. They will go through an already tricky to cross in peak hours double T junction near the cemetery. To see how big an area I am talking about, just compare it with Meadow View.
Meadow View has a significant impact on the rest of our town. Hundreds of homes, thousands of new residents, GP patients, and school children. The neighbourhood is still being developed, and any day now, the third phase will start, which is to finally connect the neighbourhood to the playground on Bracken Road. So people living there will have easier access to that part of the town, which will probably somehow affect the life and peace of mind of people around Bracken Road. The same will happen on the northern edge of Shirebrook. The residents of the new Langwith area will have as much impact on Shirebrook as Langwith itself.
IT IS INEVITABLE
Unfortunately- the expansion of residential areas is inevitable. The UK suffers from a massive housing shortage. The country’s population is swelling by 300,000 people a year despite Brexit and attempts to stop immigration. The many politicians and activists on the left side of the UK political spectrum are nevertheless calling for a complete opening of the borders to immigration. If Labour wins the next General Election, there could be a repeat of Tony Blair’s open-door policy- that won’t help with the housing crisis. Not even looking far into the future – already now, the market would easily absorb any amount of housing, which can be seen from the increase in prices on the market.
The government – this one and every previous one – tries to change the law to meet the market’s needs and make housebuilding cheaper and more manageable. While researching this matter, I found ideas from the 1960s that are still waiting to be implemented because any attempt to change the status quo is met with fierce opposition from one social group or another. No matter who was in power – Labour or Conservatives – it seemed that the market was unsatisfied, and all proposals fell victim to protest.
The BDC doesn’t have much choice either – houses have to be built somewhere. Hence the pressure to turn agricultural land into housing areas. I hope, however, that this time the BDC will make sure that something more is built besides housing. Something that will add value for residents, and keep youth from wandering into Shirebrook. That has not happened at Meadow View.
Virtually no one who has already bought a house wants more housing to be built in their neighbourhood because it increases traffic, crime, noise, air pollution, etc. However, people have to live somewhere, and as we can see from the rising prices and new houses selling “on the dot”- people still earn well enough to afford the risk of taking out a housing loan.
I wonder what will happen when interest rates shoot up in pursuit of inflation. However, that’s a topic to ponder for those thinking of buying a house…
Sylwester Zwierzynski info@shirerbook247.com
