Page 4 - tmp

www.ilkestonlife.com ILKESTON LIFE February 2022 4
Mail
HAVE Well done to all involved theatre for Ilkeston?’ Meeting for
Meeting for
Responses to ‘How
those in
those in
about a community
with the restoration of
YOUR our iron wonder Caroline Greatorex writes about the Due to the positive response to the
favour
favour
possibility of a community theatre
idea of an Ilkeston Community
for Ilkeston (‘Have Your Say over-
Theatre and a week-long Ilkeston
Festival, there will be a meeting on
flow’ January 2022).
SAY This is a great idea and it would be Friday 18th February at the canteen
hard to envisage a better location for
of the Ilkeston site of Derby College
it than the old Ritz cinema, subject
(behind Scala Cinema) at 3pm, held
by myself, to discuss this further
of course to availability. One could
with any interested parties. This is
also envisage putting on productions
there which reflect our particular
community.
situation. an independent meeting for the local
So what do you need from us Car- Anyone who wants the theatre and
oline, to help make this idea into a the festival to become a reality, think
Most people know I am a life mem- Many of us have long walked over reality? of how you can help to make this hap-
ber of Friends of Bennerley Viaduct. (and under it) and climbed slippery Richard Shaw pen. It’s now time for Ilkeston people
The now defunct Great Northern slopes and even used ropes to get After reading the letter from Caro- to engage. If you want a community
theatre/festival and feel you can offer
Railway (GNR) line from south of up and down, but now it is possible line Greatorex, I fully agree. In your support in any way towards this,
Derby to Nottingham passes behind from the Erewash Canal to walk up fact, I wrote a letter myself in then please attend the meeting.
our house and any section which is a gentle ramp with optional stairs lockdown but never sent it stating Let’s make Ilkeston a place to be
walkable I have walked. I am pas- and over the Viaduct and down steps that dance schools like those run proud of, that people will want to
sionate about the engineering marvel the other side to access the Notting- by Diane Levers and Kerry Ledger visit, with a local community theatre:
of the Victorian built ‘Iron Lady’. ham Canal. had to take their events out of town. a venue for local and visiting plays,
You do not need to be an engineer Parking is limited but it is possible Also Ilkeston Theatre Club. bands, choirs, singers and entertain-
to appreciate this World Heritage to park free, and I believe an oppor- There is plenty out there who could ers. We can also help plan a week-
Wonder and marvel that if it were tunity for everyone to experience. use the place. It has already got a long festival packed with activities.
possible, the whole bridge could be It’s a wonderful piece of industrial kitchen facility. It could be opened Working together, as a community,
Get in touch with lifted up and taken away because the architecture - British engineering at during the day for a place to have a we can succeed. We need to work
your views 18 spans are not fixed to the ground its best. coffee, tea, etc. with the community, for the commu-
but just sit on the plinths.
There will be an official opening
nity, so that Ilkeston becomes a hub
Since the Coop shut the place is
By email preferably: Largely hidden from view, even ceremony later in the year but in the dead. Why not keep the talent we of activities and community engage-
letters@ilkestonlife.com from the canal alongside, it is now meantime, have a walk across our have got in our town? People don’t ment, pulling together for the benefit
By post: open to the public, free to walk or Iron Giant and celebrate the resto- want and can’t always get to see of all.
If you want it to happen, you need to
concerts being shown out of town.
The Editor, Ilkeston Life, cycle across with views south over ration which has come to fruition. It would get Ilkeston moving again help make it happen! See you on the
fields and north over the original
Well done to everyone involved.
1 Bath Street, Ilkeston, coal mines and blast furnaces of Terry Hall instead of it being a dead town. 18th!
Derbyshire DE7 8AH industry. C. Roberts Caroline Greatorex
‘Residents Against Response to
‘Residents Against
‘Horsey
Sewer Pollution’ hairdresser’
Sewer Pollution’
article
are fighting for a
are fighting for a Re the report in the December issue

cleaner Erewash
cleaner Erewash of Ilkeston Life, Horsey hairdresser
is not giving up her bid to convert
stable into a home, this is my re-
This is a contravention of Green
Water companies are earning huge profits sponse to Lorraine Moon:
Belt Policy in the minds of many
year on year, with Severn Trent’s profits and I am horrified that Planning
increasing from £563.3m to £568.2m in Committee were not fully with the
the 12 months to 31st March 2020. Despite idea that houses are inappropriate,
the COVID-19 pandemic, profits in the 12 supporting by Erewash Borough
months to 31st March 2021 were still Planning. In Stanley Village we are
£473m. currently fighting a case related to
The Golden Brook in Long Eaton’s W
est Park. Photo: AdamThompson
Meanwhile, the water companies are allowing The Golden Brook in Long Eaton’s West Park. Photo: AdamThompson living accommodation with stables,
raw sewage to flow into our streams, rivers and overflows spilling into the River Erewash and tive party policy allows this practice to hap- where living accommodation has
eventually the sea. The Golden Brook, which the Nut Brook in Ilkeston, near to planned new pen, and the Tories from Westminster to our not been approved but there is little
flows from Breaston, through West Park and homes. In 2020, untreated sewage entered the local town halls are complicit. Raw sewage space left to have the huge number
much of Long Eaton towards Attenborough Erewash River on 130 occasions for a total of was allowed to enter our waterways 400,000 of horses she has.
(where it joins the river Erewash), is routinely 515 hours in the Ilkeston area. times last year , for a total of about 3,100,000 When surely you have a choice and
polluted with raw sewage during heavy rainfall. Large public spaces also do not escape, with hours. This practice must end. can buy a house with a field!
On Wilsthorpe Road, in 2020 the sewer storm West Park in Long Eaton being regularly used With the council’s requirement to build This is not new. Green Belt is so
overflow spilled into the Golden Brook twelve to capture flood waters. The proximity of the thousands of new houses and poor efforts in very important and in Erewash it is
times for a total of 105 hours, while on Marl- Golden Brook to the children’s play area in planning these new builds, it is clear that the what provides us with countryside
borough Road in Breaston, in 2020 the sewer West Park is of particular concern, with flood current infrastructure can’t cope, and that we and pleasant walking, as opposed
storm overflow spilled 3 times into the Golden waters polluting the park directly with sewage are all going to be here when things go wrong. to ‘industrial development’. We
Brook for a total of 3 hours (data from the during extend periods of flooding. This practice needs to end, and our Conserv- need to be constantly protecting
Rivers Trust ). Evidently, the sewers are inadequate, even ative MP voted to continue to let this happen. Green Belt and we need to remind
Councillor Howard Griffiths and I have raised without the extra water run-off from thousands I’m putting together a local campaign against Councillors to do so. Well done to
this issue locally and noted that Erewash Bor- of extra houses planned in Ilkeston’s green this practice – for further information please Sandiacre and Risley Parish Coun-
ough Council want to build thousands of hous- belt. see our Facebook group at https://www.face- cil. Keep it up!
es in the green belt around Ilkeston. It is clear, This news is, frankly, utterly disgusting. It is book.com/groups/raspinerewash Beverley Rhodes.
however, that infrastructure can’t cope with the unacceptable that water companies be allowed Adam Thompson Ecologist
current housing load, with various other storm to pollute our waterways like this. Conserva-