CIVIC AWARDS 2013

Tags

Awards, Borough Council, Community, Competitions, Conservation, Developments, heritage

It is once again time to be on the look out for projects to nominate for this award.

This scheme, run jointly by the Civic Society and Borough Council, aims to promote good design and workmanship in buildings and development of land within the Borough.

There are three categories :-

A   New buildings

i. Residential

ii. Commercial and other

B   Conservation / Refurbishment

i. Residential

ii. Commercial and other

C   Landscaping and development of land

In categories A and B work must be completed between 1st January 2011 and 31st December 2012 and in category C between 1st January 2009 and 31st December 2012.

Anyone may nominate a project for consideration but all nominations must be received by 1st August 2013. Details about nomination forms will be available shortly.

Winners of the awards in 2011 were :-

Category A (ii)  Newcastle-under-Lyme College

and Stoke City F.C. Training Facility

Category B (ii)   Lancaster Buildings

Look out for possible projects to nominate as you travel about the Borough.

Civicwatch Survey

As part of the annual Civic Day 2012 celebrations Civic Voice organised a national “civic pride survey”.

This survey is known as Civicwatch.

Civicwatch is the civic movement’s annual contribution to finding out how proud we all of our towns, villages and cities. The results from Civicwatch are used locally by each civic group and by Civic Voice to capture the “civic state of the nation”. It is a “civic snapshot” of the country on a particular day.

Hopefully Civicwatch will give us a greater insight into how people feel about their towns and villages then any survey that has gone before.

 

Our members “manning” The Civic Society stall at the market on Saturday 23^rd June asked forty four members of the public the following questions as part of the Civicwatch survey. Seven Society members also responded.

 

		Yes	No	Don’t Know
Question 1.	Are you proud of where you live ?	42	6	3
Question 2.	Do you feel part of your local   community ?	36	11	4
Question 3.	Do you feel as though your voice is   listened to ?	14	21	16

In addition to the Civicwatch questions our members also asked……….

 

What do you like most about Newcastle-under-Lyme ?

What do you most dislike about Newcastle-under-Lyme ?

How do you think Newcastle-under-Lyme could be improved ?

 

 

The responses received are summarised below :

 

 

What do you like most about Newcastle-under-Lyme ?

Public   response –   It is a market town   The market (although considered to be deteriorating)   Friendly people   Compact centre   Old buildings   The town’s remaining history   Parks/gardens/roundabouts   Beautiful surrounding countryside

Members   response -   Historic market town   Surrounding countryside   Floral displays   Access to countryside and major towns and cities

 

What do you most dislike about Newcastle-under-Lyme ?

Public   response –   Uninteresting modern buildings   Demolition of old buildings (esp.Municipal Hall)   Too many empty shops   Too many charity shops   No big store   Decline in range of shops and character of town   Deterioration of the market   No go area at night time   Drunks in Grosvenor Gardens   Pigeons – nuisance   Thought of possible link to Stoke   Threat to open green spaces   Lack of respect for environment – uncared for   Litter

Members   response -   Threat of amalgamation with Stoke   Loss of cattle market   Too many vacant shops   Too few quality shops   Litter

 

How do you think Newcastle-under-Lyme could be improved ?

Public   response –   Covered bus station   Cheaper / free parking   More small (quality) shops   People to be more  responsible   for the state of the town   More live music / arts   Decision-makers to listen to the ”people”   Make town cleaner   Department store   Cheaper rents   Subsidised units for community use   Fewer charity shops   University information centre   Retain old buildings   Fewer pubs/nightclubs   Indoor market

Members   response -   Make town centre safer in evenings   Enforce pedestrian areas (cyclists/mobility scooters)   Cheaper / free parking   More small quality shops   Make market stalls more attractive

 

Heritage Open Days 2012

6^th to 9^th September 2012

 

NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME

 

Unitarian Meeting House (1717 & 1926)

 Saturday 8^th Sept   11.00 am – 4.00 pm

Sunday 9^th Sept   12 (noon)  – 2.00 pm

 

Newcastle Cemetery Chapel  (1866)

 Thursday 6^th Sept    2.00 pm – 4.00 pm

 

Holy Trinity Church (1833)

 Saturday 8^th Sept    10.30 am – 5.00 pm

Sunday 9^th Sept    1.00 pm – 5.00 pm

 

St. Giles Church (1876)

 Friday 7^th Sept    10.00 am – 12 (noon)

Saturday 8^th Sept    10.00 am – 4.00 pm

Sunday 9^th Sept    12 (noon) – 1.00 pm

 

 

KEELE HALL, CHAPEL AND GARDENS

  Sunday 9^th Sept     l0.00 am – 5.00 pm.

 Raven Mason Ceramics Collection on display.

 More details:   www.heritageopendays.org.uk

 

Also as part of Newcastle Library’s History Month

 GUIDED TOURS OF 3 NEWCASTLE BUILDINGS LED BY

ANDREW DOBRASZCZYC

Numbers limited

Tickets available at Newcastle Library,

(desk on 1^st floor)

 ———————————————————————————-

Friday 7^th Sept  -  10.00 am – 11.00 am

A Victorian School:

The former Orme Boys School, Pool Dam

———————————————————————————– 

Saturday 8^th Sept  -  10.00 am – 11.00 am

A Victorian Barracks:

The former barracks in Barracks Road

 ————————————————————————————-

Sunday 9^th Sept  -  2.00 pm – 3.00 pm

A Victorian Villa: 20 Sidmouth Avenue

(Now occupied by Newcastle Registry Office)

————————————————————————————

 

Margaret Clews Memorial Plaque

Tags

Citizenship, Membership, Plaques

Margaret Clews

(died December 1980)

Margaret was the eldest daughter of Mr. & Mrs. F. H. Clews. She was educated at Newcastle Grammar School and qualified to become a primary school teacher, subsequently teaching on the Westlands, where she lived.

Her strong affection for Newcastle led her to become an active founder member of the Civic Society, as were her parents.

Together with them, she was a member of the Unitarian Meeting House, being the Secretary from the mid 70′s until her death.

Members, friends and local organisations contributed to a memorial fund that financed the commissioning of the plaque from the Royal Label Factory, now part of Leander Architectural, and its installation in Merrial Street by the Borough Council in 1986.

Dr Henry Faulds

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Henry Faulds

On Saturday 8^th October 2011 Mr Akira Mitsuzane (retired Chief of the First Criminal Investigation Division of the Tokyo Police Department), accompanied by his wife and an interpreter, presented to the owner of 1, James Street, Wolstanton a framed bronze cast portrait of Dr Henry Faulds. The portrait will eventually be installed above the front door and a brief description will be produced following discussion with both the owner and tenant.

The party then visited the plaque in Castle Comfort Centre and laid flowers on Dr Fauld’s grave in Wolstanton Churchyard.

C.J. Wain (Jim) (Died 14th July 2011 – Aged 92 years)

Tags

Membership, Newsletters, Notable Local People

Jim was the son of a local pharmacist and spent all his life in Newcastle apart from the time he spent serving his country during WWII.

On his return he became a well – known local character and ran a photographic and music centre shop originally next to his brother Roger’s pharmacy in the town centre.

Jim had a deep interest and care for his home town and watched its development keenly, sometimes seeming to spend more time in the Civic Offices than did those who worked there.

He was a determined, tenacious campaigner – a wonderful ally but a fearsome opponent !

Jim was a founder member of Civic Society and was, for some years, its Honorary Secretary. He championed many local causes the most recent being the Listing of Lancaster Buildings.

He was so highly regarded he was made an Honorary Member of the Society, one of only three in the Society’s history.

He was also, for many years, a member of Newcastle Rotary club taking particular interest in the activities of its Community Service committee.

He was kind hearted and generous and seemed to have an endless supply of sweets and cakes which he distributed freely.

Jim will be greatly missed by all his friends and colleagues in the Society.

Partnership Scheme in Conservation Areas (PCISA) Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre

Tags

Borough Council, Community, heritage, Newsletters

Contributed
by Jim Worgan

In June 2009, Newcastle Under Lyme Borough Council joined English Heritage in progressing PCISA for part of the Town Centre Conservation Area. The scheme was launched in April 2010 and its objective is to contribute towards the re-generation of the Town Centre through the re-invigoration of its historic environment. It will provide repairs to key historic buildings and re-instating traditional features and enhancing the Conservation Area within the commercial core.

The scheme will run for 3 years and a steering group, which meets at regular intervals, comprising Officials and Councillors from the Borough Council, English Heritage, the Civic Society and Chamber of Trade and Enterprise, was set up to oversee the scheme.

So far grants have been given to:-
a)    Lancaster Buildings for shop front improvements and re instatement,
b)    Lighting scheme in Market Lane, which will be the first of its kind anywhere in Great Britain
c)    “Mellards warehouse” in Market Lane.

Discussions are currently being held with the owners of Farmers Shoes, Comwalls Chemist and the agents of the Castle Hotel.

The Borough’s Conservation Officer and the steering group will continue to promote the scheme and encourage as much publicity as possible.

Heritage Open Days 2011

Tags

Community, Conservation, Education, English Heritage, Events, heritage, Newsletters

 

Contributed
by Diana Bevan

Heritage Open Days are to be held this year from Thursday,   8^th  to Sunday, 11^th September.

Some of Newcastle’s most interesting and historic buildings will be open to view, including  St. Giles Church, The Unitarian Meeting House, The Chapel of Rest, Holy Trinity Church and  St. Margaret’s, Wolstanton.

Each has a fascinating history and a wealth of architectural features.

There will be three heritage walks too, a combined Whitmore / Maer walk, a mining heritage walk in Silverdale and a walk at Mow Cop led by local historian, Philip Lees.

All events and openings are organised by enthusiastic volunteers. Take part in ‘Heritage Open Days’ this year and enjoy the history on your doorstep !

Look out for more details in August, in Newcastle Library , in ‘The Sentinel’ or on the Heritage Open Days website.

The Local Register

Tags

Borough Council, Citizenship, Community, Conservation, heritage, Newsletters

Contributed by

Angela Drakakis-Smith

 

The Local Register is the ‘new’ name for the Local List which was initiated last year.  The first round of buildings to be ‘listed’ now form the basis for this new Register.  At the time ‘foul’ was called when it appeared that some areas were over-represented on the list to the exclusion of others in terms of items to be listed and accepted.

 

If you sent in any items for inclusion and they were not selected, do not despair since the Newcastle Borough Council is calling for more items to be included this year – deadline August 2011.  Hopefully this time a more equitable way of judging items will have been drawn up and implemented.

The idea of a Local Register is a good one, since not all buildings, features and monuments etc., close to a community’s heart can be listed or protected by English Heritage, neither are they covered if they are not in a Conservation Area.  It was thus understood that being ‘registered’ would give such buildings / monuments / features etc. within a neighbourhood some protection, particularly against developers who appear to be
less than sentimental when it comes to removing anything that gets in the way of their development.

 

Unfortunately, we are told that this is not the case and being Registered does not necessarily protect an item. It means, only, that when a planning application is made note will be taken of any item which has been Registered and which may be endangered by the plan.  In essence this means that it will be up to the NBC Officer in charge of the proposal to judge the importance of the item to be removed by the developer.  This could be a stumbling block since not all Officers are au fait with some of the landmarks that residents hold dear within their neighbourhoods.

 

Residents in Thistleberry are still fighting the decision by Officers, both paid and elected, to remove the historic bridge parapet wall on the A525 which was replaced by a metal crash barrier by the developer, and people of Newcastle borough still smart when the demolition of the Municipal Hall is mentioned (which was replaced by a 1960s concrete block with little or no architectural merit and even less aesthetic value!).

At the moment we wait to see how this Register will pan out in practice.  The only recourse for residents is to keep a close eye on planning issues and to lobby really hard for the preservation of those buildings that deserve to be kept for posterity – and there aren’t many of those left in Newcastle.

 

The Civic Society exists to protect the best of the built environment that the Borough has to offer.

 

Use it or lose it!

 

The list to date can be seen on the NBC web site.

http://www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk/planning_content.asp?id=SXDC2D-A7811886&cat=1489

 

To include a new item an application form has to be completed and photographs and a history of the items have to be included if it is to be considered by the ‘judges’.

 

Don’t delay – do it now !

Civic Day 2011

Tags

Community, Events, Newsletters

Contributed
by Joan Howe

We had been paying more than usual attention to the weather forecast in the days leading up to the 25^th of June. To mark the first ever Civic Day we were taking over a stall on the market.

Civic Voice, the national body for Civic Societies had requested that Societies organise various events during the week Saturday 25^th June to Sunday 3^rd July to raise the profile of Civic Societies and publicize the work they do.

We were lucky ! The weather was fine if a little chilly at times.

The Business Development Officer of the Borough Council co-operated with us on this event and organised various activities of an historic nature during the day.

We met an Anglo Saxon warrior who encouraged us to visit the displays of the Staffordshire Hoard being held in Lichfield, Tamworth etc. Many ‘new’ items are on show having been cleaned and conserved.

King Henry II visited the market and medieval musicians preformed while more energetic spectators joined in some dancing.

A gentleman dressed in Georgian costume took time out from performing at the New Vic Theatre to visit the market.

Children could enjoy the Jester in the Roebuck Centre and play traditional games.

A short walk up to the Museum enabled you to ‘touch the past’ with some hands-on activities.

If you were feeling energetic you could pick up leaflets to guide you on an Inner Town and an Outer Town Heritage Trail. There was a quiz for families to complete as they walked the trails, and a children’s “I Spy around the Guildhall” quiz.

Members of the Society produced the Trails in conjunction with the Borough’s Business Development Officer.

Our leaflets about our Blue Plaques Scheme were available together with our Town Centre Plaques Trail leaflet.

There was considerable interest shown in our display and publicity materials.

Eight members of the Society helped on our stall during the day and answered questions from members of the public.

We were very fortunate in having a stall in a very prominent position and were looked after extremely well by the Market Manager, to whom we extend our thanks.

As this has been a new venture for the Society we had no idea how successful it would be but feedback from all those involved indicates that it was considered to be very worthwhile from every point of view.

Finally thanks to everyone who helped in any way towards the success of this new venture – who knows ? – it may become a regular event !