East Leake
VILLAGE GRANTS ON OFFER. Nearly 400 years ago a village charity was set up in East Leake by decree in 1637, with its aim being “for the good and ease” of the residents of the village.
Based at that time just on the revenue of about 25 acres of farm land (a little over 10 hectares), the Trust’s assets now total nearly £56,000, with over £2000 per annum available for distribution. The charity still remains active to today under the title the East Leake Town Lands Trust.
Donations from the Trust over the last hundred years have included paying for such as street lights, coal for the unemployed hit hard by the Depression, restoration of the Church clock, layout of the Memorial Garden, a flagpole, a Maypole, numerous benches, school football kits, computer benches and software for schools, camping equipment for the Guides, repairs to the Scout Hut, stage lights for the Village Hall, cleaning of the War Memorial, tree planting, toys for Playgroup, wet weather wear for school activities, Christmas hampers for senior citizens, display cabinets for the Parish office and more.
The Trust secretary Conrad Oatey says the Trustees welcome requests from both groups and individuals, so long as they fit the founding principle of helping the community of East Leake.
“Grants are usually made to organisations or groups, but in exceptional circumstances may be available to individuals,” says Conrad.
He goes on to add that there is a preference from the Trustees for capital projects and not running expenses and support will only be given where funding for the whole of a project is assured.
Mr Oatey, who is also chairman of the parish council in the village, says the project or need must be East Leake based and some form of justification will be expected.
“Single grants are very seldom over £500,” he says.
Informal advice from the Conrad can be obtained by phone on 01509 852549 or email -- conrad@eastleake.net.
Formal applications in writing to East Leake Town Lands Trust, 7 Hall Gardens,
East Leake, LE12 6NA
STUDENTS SETTLE IN. New Year 7 students at East Leake academy have settled in really well for their first term.
The principal Kath Hardy says: “They are very excited, full of beans and raring to go….”
VILLAGE SHOW FUTURE. Last weekend would have been the one allocated each year for East Leake Show, but there was no event for 2017, and it seems unlikely the event will now be revived. Lack of support - both from an entry point of view and from volunteers to run it – caused the organisers to say the 2016 show had to be the final one.
While that one was a success financially – it made over £700 for village hall funds - entries
and exhibitors were down on the previous year.
Chairman of the event for the last 10 years, Mrs Hilary Morrissey said the annual event it took a good deal of hard work by a number of people to arrange but the help they got just wasn’t sufficient to carry on.
She confirmed no one has come forward to offer to secure the future of the Show, usually held each September and therefore the decision was inevitable.
Hilary said the numbers of exhibitors, exhibits and visitors from the community were all down, which followed the trend of the last few years.”
“This obviously results in a drop in the amount of money raised and the Committee reluctantly feel that the Village Show in its present format is not what the community wants.”
Whether the show now becomes a thing of the past as far as East Leake goes is a matter of conjecture, but for it to be resurrected it can’t happen unless new people come forward to back it.
The former chairman of the Village Show Committee added: “We have tried over the last 10 years to change the format and the categories, introducing photography, changing the categories for cookery and art and introducing many more categories for juniors to enter but this has not increased interest and participation.”
“In truth, the show needs a total revamp and if there is anyone in the community who has any bright ideas or indeed wishes to reform a committee to organise things, then please contact the Parish Office,” she added.
There are numerous villages in the area smaller than East Leake where successful shows are staged each year while at Sutton Bonington one of the biggest similar shows to East Leake takes place each September, and attracts entries in the region of 600 – 700, several hundred more than East Leake.
The village show at East Leake is however not alone in having difficulty in finding helpers and other villages have similar problems.
Some of the trophies that were won last year are now in safe keeping by the parish council in case there is a revival possible.
REMPSTONE ROAD ONBJECTION. A revised planning application for a property to be built on land South East of Woodgate Farm on Rempstone Road at East Leake is being objected to the parish council. They had objected to the initial plan which called for a four bedroomed property. The revised plan showed five bedrooms.
A second application also being put in as a revised plan for another area at the same site for a detached two storey dwelling and garage was also opposed by the parish council.
CARE ASSOCIATION MEETING. East Leake Community Care Association are to hold their annual meeting on Monday next week, September 25. It will take place in St Mary’s Hall and start at 8pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.
VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS WANTED. Volleyball enthusiasts in East Leake and area are being invited to consider joining others who play the sport at East Leake Leisure Centre.
Two local guys are asking others if they have ever played or wanted to play Volleyball.
“We are a group of enthusiasts who would welcome a few extra players to our weekly sessions at the Leisure Centre and we are aged between 18-60 and meet every Tuesday at 8.30 and play until 10pm.
The two leaders – Peter on 01509 853412 and Bob on 01509 852995 -- say after the games some of them go to the pub for a debrief.
Attendance at the group for the first week is free, and so the group say what can be lost. “Just turn up and find us in the Sports Hall, you may find out that you are better than you think. Good fun, exercise and social contact is assured.”.
HOUSING PLANS REPORT. The Planning Committee at East Leake Parish Council is one of the busiest of the council, meeting as it does meet up to three times a month depending on applications coming forward.
And the applied for new housing developments in the village – for many hundreds new homes -- generate a heavy workload.
But committee chairman Carys Thomas has assured everyone that the more routine work of the committee goes on in parallel, with the majority of applications for extensions etc by residents being supported by the Parish Council, in some cases with comments made on particular aspects of the work.
Meetings are open to the public and the chairman says anyone is most welcome to attend. “You may be given the opportunity to address the meeting if you wish to,” she says.
It has been well over a year now since the East Leake Neighbourhood Plan came into force, after the village voted it in overwhelmingly at referendum. Neighbourhood Plans are not allowed to be against development, but they can shape it.
Says Carys: “I would like to be able to report that this is what has happened, but this has been a year where successes have been outweighed by frustrations.
“Firstly we have had to take issue with Rushcliffe Borough Council for not enforcing the policies of the Neighbourhood Plan. The most striking example was the approval of two new detached 4 bedroom houses on a site in the centre of the village, directly contravening policy V1 of the Neighbourhood Plan which states that any new housing in the village centre should be targeted at older people. We had a meeting with Rushcliffe officers to discuss this and they surely cannot overlook this policy in the future.
“Another policy we are concerned they are not enforcing correctly is H3, which specifies the mixture of housing types to be built for sale in East Leake. The H3 mix was determined using Rushcliffe’s own data about housing need, plus a consultant report we commissioned to interpret the data in the context of East Leake. The mix also reflects the views expressed by residents in the Community Plan consultations. Despite the policy being in place, developers continue to favour building houses at the more expensive end of the market instead of the starter homes and homes suitable for older people that are needed, and Rushcliffe has, in our view, been approving these applications against policy H3 without giving adequate justification.”
Carys says the parish council. will continue to press Rushcliffe using all means at our disposal on this issue and any other policy that they do not seem to be giving due weight to when they decide on planning applications.
“On the plus side, we have noticed that various bodies are starting to refer to the Neighbourhood Plan in planning applications and decisions, the most recent being the refusal of 235 homes on Rempstone road, where the decision notice cited policies H6(a) which defines a 1.25 km maximum walking distance from the village centre and H1(b) about providing infrastructure.”
The planning chairman says their other major frustration is that Rushcliffe have not moved forward on Local Plan part 2. “They don’t have enough sites for houses to satisfy the government and in this situation East Leake continues to be targeted as one of the few larger settlements in Rushcliffe with no green belt protection.”
After a year Rushcliffe is now out to consultation again, having to allocate more housing sites as they have failed to make progress on the large housing sites they allocated in Clifton, Edwalton, and Gamston/Tolerton.
“They are not recommending further housing for East Leake, but 6 more potential sites have been put forward here by landowners and developers.”
The Parish Council responded to the consultation in detail, and organised a consultation event in the village in March to assist residents in responding themselves.
Some 300 residents attended and completed feedback forms which were sent to Rushcliffe.
Coun. Thomas says residents have been making their feelings known about the volume of development, and it has been heartening to see that people have become engaged and are making their views felt.
“The greatest single concern heard is lack of infrastructure to support the new homes, particularly primary school places and a new Health Centre, and to date it is still not clear how these issues will be resolved.”