Village Voice No 235 June 2012
Melbourne & District
‘MUD MOUNTAIN’ DELAY PROTESTS by DAVID BELLIS AN unprecedented number of Melbourne residents attended the June parish council meeting, some to raise objections to a planning application for 55 Derby Road and others to express their ongoing concerns about the lack of a district council report on what is commonly referred to as Melbourne's 'Mud Mountain'. The continuing delay in making public the promised report of an independent expert on the new Melbourne Sporting partnership's project has worried residents who live below the playing fields in Washington Close, and some parts of Ashby Road. The hold-up might also mean that the football pitches planned for the site may not be ready for use in the coming season. The report first promised by South Derbyshire District Council for publication in early April has been inexplicably now delayed until June. At a local district council Area Forum meeting (reported in May's Village Voice) residents were angry that the original published plans had not made clear the build-up of soil, which seemed to them to threaten their homes. Councillor John Harrison, who had been unable to attend the Area meeting because of his county council duties, has now spoken exclusively to Village Voice. He sketched out the background to the work being done in the modernisation of the playing field, to create a multi-sports venue. "Levelling work, to make best use of the site, needed to be done, to maximise the area available for pitch use. The Environmental Agency agreed for the dumping of inert material – with nil toxicity – which came from a total of eight separate sites, with regular tests on the material to be monitored by the Agency and the district council." The independent consultant was appointed following strong reservations expressed by local residents. One of them, Dr Paul Grimley, pointed out anomalies between the published plans on the approved planning application and changes made to pitch sizes, and voiced considerable concerns about the ongoing stability of the site, from land slippage and the effects of heavy rain on stability. Cllr Harrison, echoing the comments of the Area Meeting acting chairman, Councillor Peter Watson, does not believe there is any danger of landslip or water erosion on the 30-degree slope now planned. Continued on Page 3.
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INSIDE STORIES
New Miss Melbourne – P.3
The Voice in Macedonia–P.5
In step for a record – P.12 ● Adults and children at Scallywags enjoyed the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in Melbourne (above) while Laurel and Hardy lookalikes led the Kings Newton parade (right).
FOUR-PAGE JUBILEE PICTURES PULL-OUT INSIDE
John’s air miles bid – P.13
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