Pontefract Voice - June 2017

PONTEFRACT VOICE JUNE 2017

FERRYBRIDGE MULTI-FUEL 1 VISIT FULL REPORT ON PAGE 12

CIVIC DAY 2017: The Big Conservation Conversation

Pontefract Civic Society will be leading the town’s plans for Civic Day with partners closely aligned to our views in promoting the positive aspects of the town. To that end, the civic society will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding with WMDC at Pontefract Castle on Sat 17 June. Another announcement that was trailed at our AGM, was the informal working through the ‘Pontefract Cultural Consortium’ which sees our friends in Pontefract Heritage Group, Friends of Friarwood Valley Gardens, Pontefract Lionesses and The Crescent Project working closely together at this and other events, this year and beyond.

The concept of conservation areas was introduced in England, Wales and Scotland by the Civic Amenities Act 1967 through a private members bill led by Lord Duncan Sandys, Civic Trust founder. 50 years on from when the Civic Amenities Act 1967 was introduced, Civic Voice will be leading the ‘Big Conservation Conversation’ to celebrate conservation areas and what they have done to protect and preserve the historic character of Britain’s cities, towns and villages.

“...the civic society will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding with WMDC at Pontefract Castle on Sat 17 June.”

Registered charity number 513509

Pontefract has four conservation areas which we will focus on, these being Market Place (which is actually most of the town centre), The Castle, The Mount (which the civic society was responsible for achieving). Similarly the adopting of the Button Park & Friarwood CA was heavily supported by the civic society.

Our 2017 event will be centred on Pontefract Castle with outposts at Friarwood Valley Gardens and the Town Hall. The town centre will be used to promote and communicate conservation to people young and old through an exhibition on CAs and Pontefract Townscape Heritage Initiative, anti-litter poster campaign involving Carleton Park J&I School and the King’s High School (reported elsewhere in this edition), and a photographic display of Pontefract’s shops and businesses in earlier times. We should also not forget our prequel talk from Kevin Trickett – an event not to be missed!

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

2

Pontefract Market Place Conservation Area and the Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Civic Amenities Act, in 1967, which provided better protection for areas and buildings of architectural and historic interest. This was at a time when there was growing concern about the increasing redevelopment of many towns and cities and the potential damage to important historic places and buildings. Pontefract Market Place was one of the first Conservation Area to be designated in May 1969, just 2 years after the establishment of the Civic Amenities Act. Pontefract Castle Conservation Area was designated in the same year. Two new Conservation Areas (The Mount and Friarwood and Button Park) have been designated more recently.

Registered charity number 513509

Between them, these 4 areas cover a large part of the town centre. All Conservation Areas are protected because of their unique architectural and historical character. This means that planning permission is usually required to demolish or make material changes to buildings within the area. This includes, but is not limited to, changes to windows, doors, roofs, rainwater goods and shopfronts.

The Market Place Conservation Area covers the middle of the town, between Southgate, Horsefair and Jubilee Way. The area contains over 70 listed buildings (buildings considered to be of national significance) and many more buildings considered www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

3

to be of local or regional significance. The area was developed as the commercial centre of the town from the 12th century onwards and retains many visible traces of that development over the past 800 years.

An important characteristic of the Conservation Area is the many narrow yards and ginnels that run off the main streets. These follow Pontefract’s medieval street pattern, where narrow ‘burgage plots’ were developed, stretching back from the main streets. The majority of the current buildings in the Conservation Area date from the 18th and 19th centuries, although many have much earlier origins and some even have medieval cellars and roof timbers. There are also a number of notable buildings from the early 20th century, when the town saw a rapid growth of local industries, including sweet-making, coal mining, sand quarrying and iron production.

However, despite its historical significance, by the early 21st century the town centre was facing a number of economic challenges. A number of

Registered charity number 513509

landmark buildings had started to fall into disrepair, and incremental changes to shopfronts and signage were starting to erode the area’s unique historic character. Since 2011 the Pontefract Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) has therefore been working with building owners within the town centre to fund repairs to historic buildings and to improve the historic townscape of the Market Place Conservation Area. The scheme is co-funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Wakefield Council. So far, the THI has funded repairs to 12 historic buildings, including 1 Market Place / 3 Gillygate (Kozzzey Homes) and 26 Market Place (William H Brown). A number of other projects are in the pipeline for 2017. For more information please visit the project webpage – www. wakefield.gov.uk/pontefractTHI Tegwen Roberts Townscape Heritage Initiative Officer Regeneration Team, Wakefield Council

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

4

Junior Civic Society Contributes to Civic Day

For Sue Gilbert, Christine Cartwright, and me, what a treat judging the Civic Day Litter Poster Competition turned out to be on Fri, 26 May at Pontefract Library!

display in Pontefract Library, where we hope to stage a prize-giving presentation, in early June.

The standard of entry was very high from Carleton Park J&I School and the King’s High School, making the task even harder than we had imagined. After much consideration of all the entries submitted, we sifted these down to a shortlist, and then made final choices to have a winner and two runner up awards for each school.

It is hoped though, some of the posters can be reproduced and placed in the public realm to deter people from littering, which will make Pontefract an even better place, though we are awaiting the support of Wakefield Council to finalise those arrangement. In the meantime, our thanks must go to Liz and staff at Pontefract Library for their support with this venture.

All entries, along with the winning posters, will be on

Gill Lodge

Town Crier Trials Hear Ye , Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Pontefract Heritage Group will be holding trials to discover the loudest voice in the town at their Town Crier Trials during Civic Day at the Castle on Saturday 17 June.

All ages are welcome to try!

So if you think you have the biggest mouth in the West Riding, come and put it to the test.

Trials will be held morning and afternoon.

Jayne Poppleton Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

5

CHAIR’S REPORT • Rail Sub-Group postcard and business card printed and being distributed • The general high level of social media engagement resulting from daily updates

What could be better?

Since our Executive Away Day, the Futures Group have been reviewing the output from various sessions including SWOT analysis, PESTLE, and the Civic Voice Healthcheck; the result of this is being converted into a gap analysis which will deliver an action plan for the remainder of 2017 and beyond. Although not covered at the Away Day, this has prompted a a further gap analysis of what is really being delivered by our committees and sub-groups against the agreed Terms of Reference; reality dawns!

The state of the public realm in the main precinct, and around King Charles II House, remains an issue.

This is partly down to poor workmanship by utilities companies, and we have urged WMDC to take them to task, though other areas relate to general maintenance where there seems to be an absence of a budget for repairs. Beyond, these areas, the ginnels which ought to be little gems appear to be beset with multiple ownerships, and a general lack of interest from absentee landlords and on site tenants

What is clear is that we can’t implement all the necessary changes without new blood on the Executive and our committees, aided by more active volunteers at grass roots level. We have much to do, which requires the support of members and those outside of the society. This is your chance to step up to the plate.

What have we seen that is positive?

• Support negotiated with William H Brown for an advert and a flyer for Civic Day / Armed Forces Day / Proms at the Castle (10,000 letterbox drop).

• Independent shopping - It’s sad to see Belles Café close, though it’s good to see Ropergate Health officially opening, Your Image 2.co.uk on Ropergate End, plus a new salon opening soon at the bottom of Gillygate, and work on Pickering’s Butchers underway • ‘Pontefract’s Chequered History’ by Roger Ellis selling really well Registered charity number 513509

My diary since the April issue of Pontefract Voice: • Futures Group meeting (21 Apr) • Leeds Funding Fair with Christine Cartwright (26 Apr) • WMDC MOU meeting with John Hufton (27 Apr) • YHACS Meeting (Barnsley) with Christine Cartwright & Rosemary Barnes (29 Apr) • Pontefract Town Hall MOU meeting with Mike Denby & John Hufton (4 May) www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

6

• BBC Radio Leeds interview at Pontefract Castle (5 May) • Prince of Wales Liaison meeting (10 May) • Illustrative talk delivered to Howden Civic Society on Pontefract and the civic society (10 May) • Pontefract Cultural Consortium meeting (12 May) • PEA meeting (15 May) • Civic Day meeting with Ian Downes and Jayne Poppleton (17 May) • Civic Voice Regional Forum in London (18 May) – thanks Grand Central for good service • Friarwood Valley Gardens AGM (18 May) • Rail Sub-Group meeting (19 May) • Pontefract Printery exhibition launched (24 May) • Rogerthorpe Business Networking with Karl Gilbert (25 May) • Civic Day schools litter poster judging by Gill

Lodge, Sue Gilbert & Christine Cartwright (26 May) • The Crescent Project x 2 meetings

What to look forward to: • Heritage walk for Howden Civic Society (7 Jun) • Wakefield Business Week (13-16 Jun) • WMDC/PCS Memorandum of Understanding signing (17 Jun) Paul Cartwright Chair

New Member Recruitment 2017 - Tell your friends Individual Member Individual 2nd Member in the same household Bronze Business Member Silver Business Member Honorary Membership Junior Civic Society Membership

£15 £5 £40 £75 No fee No Fee

Executive Committee Contacts Chair

Paul Cartwright

01977 708658

chairman@pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

Vice Chair

Ian Hookham

01977 705030

vicechair@pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

Secretary

Karl Gilbert

01977 218835

secretary@pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

Treasurer

Ian Wood

07806 916 937

treasurer@pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

LUT Chair

Peter Cookson

01977 792530

p.cookson@talktalk.net

PEA Chair

Mike Skidmoore

01977 709327

mskid672@talktalk.net

CEP Chair

Peter Taylor

01977 703050

p.taylor569@btinternet.com

Co-opted & HODs

Claire MacDonald

01977 709268

cmacdonald@doctors.gov.uk

Co-opted & Pontefract in Bloom

Colin White

01977 795074

whitedrc@sky.com

WELCOME to: The Kings High School Pontefract (Junior Civic Society member) Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

7

COMMITTEE REPORTS Conservation, Environment & Planning Report We are pleased with the progress being made in improving the historic environment of the Market Place Conservation Area through the Pontefract Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) scheme. The initiative is a £1.5 million scheme funded jointly by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Wakefield Council in order to fund urgent repairs and frontage improvements to historic properties within the designated area. Recent completed projects include 1 Market Place, 3 Gillygate, and 45 Ropergate (now Ropergate Health). There are a number of projects that have started or are near to starting such as 1113 Gillygate, 2-4 Gillygate and the Red Lion Hotel, and there are various other property projects in the embryonic stage that will hopefully be instigated before the March 2018 deadline/scheme end date.

The THI scheme continues to have a positive impact on the town centre and in rejuvenating parts of the town, especially Gillygate.

“...a vision of connecting and bringing together the town centre and the castle...”

• A 16 bed HMO could imply 32 occupants in a small space, and each tenant would only have private accommodation equating to a bedroom.

All other rooms (kitchen, dining, & shower room/ toilet) are shared. This number of tenants will require a significant number of external bins which will negatively impact on the Market Place conservation area • Part of the accommodation is adjacent to and over a butcher’s shop, which is not ideal, and delivery lorries will approach the shop premises early each morning, which tenants will not appreciate • Although it is not a legal requirement to provide car parking spaces, the number of occupants and visitors will result in congestion with cars, bicycles or even taxis, which will not be visible to pedestrians on Southgate, when leaving the location • Furthermore, we question if there is a market for small spaced accommodation

The committee have also reviewed planning applications in the locality and in the main have supported these applications, however, there were a number of concerns regarding a recently submitted application for 31 Market Place and a written objection to the scheme was submitted to the planning authority, as detailed immediately below: 17/00681/FUL - Change of use of ground floor (in part), first and second floors to 16 bed HMO | 31 Market Place Pontefract WF8 1AG We objected to planning application 17/00681/FUL based on the following factors: Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

8

Other committee plans includes our annual Design Awards, which is a year round process and we have been reviewing the awarding criteria and are in the course of viewing properties in relation to the 2017 awards.

constructive comment about traffic circulation in that part of the town, to that end, the society was recently represented in a meeting on highways and rail at Wakefield One by Derek Vaux, Ian Hookham and myself.

The committee have also been out in the field and have undertaken ‘walkabouts’ in both Micklegate/ Horsefair and Stuart Road with a view to making suggestions for improvements especially along Micklegate with a vision of connecting and bringing together the town centre and the castle for the benefit of locals and tourists. Incorporated into the discussions/suggestions were thoughts regarding environmental projects in association with Groundwork.

“The Colonel’s Walk access is also proving troublesome, as there seems to be nothing more than a cosmetic improvement of the underpass proposed...”

Planning for Civic Day has been ongoing with regard to publicity, staffing, activities and arrangements on the day – lots of behind the scenes work involved, including liaising with other groups/societies.

The committee have also been discussing ideas in relation to archways in the town centre, the availability of ‘Pontefract’ publicity and information for visitors to the town as well as town centre trails, developing our ‘green heritage’, and Community Art projects.

Philip Henfrey CEP Vice-Chair Written during the recent absence of Peter Taylor, who has been unwell, but is on the mend – we wish Peter a speedy recovery

Land Use & Transport Report Readers may have noticed CCTV cameras from Southgate to Bongdate, which have been installed between Stringer’s garage and Cobblers Lane to monitor traffic flows for one week in May. Work on junction improvements is to start later this year and the evidence supplied by these cameras will influence the re-design of these junctions. It is important for these schemes to be seen as a whole, because interventions at some junctions will have a direct effect on the performance of other junctions.

The civic society is working with WMDC to make Registered charity number 513509

We heard at the recent Prince of Wales Liaison Meeting that house building is continuing at apace at the Prince of Wales site and the development is rapidly moving along the line of the railway line towards Skinner Lane. There will be a cycleway/ walkway parallel to the railway throughout its length, and road access from Skinner Lane is likely to be built later this year, when remediation works to deliver the eastern part of the site are completed in the autumn.

The Skinner Lane railway bridge remains a serious concern as no improvements to it are proposed, beyond a widening of the footpath. The civic society is pressing for traffic lights to be installed to control traffic at this bridge, as the present give-way system is likely to prove problematic when traffic densities inevitably increase.

The Colonel’s Walk access is also proving troublesome, as there seems to be nothing more than a cosmetic improvement of the underpass proposed, together with a temporary path for access to the housing for some time to come. Our fear is that this will discourage people from using this route until the whole scheme reaches its final stages and this may encourage residents to feel they are living in a separate place, rather than feeling part of Pontefract.

We continue to make our representations to the POW Liaison Committee.

Peter Cookson LUT Chair www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

9

Rail Sub-Group

The Rail Sub-Group is currently dealing with the public consultation following the release of the proposed new timetable for 2017/18. More details on this will be given in a later edition but one minor (yet important) improvement to the poor service at Baghill has been secured in an extra service to York at 9:10am and a later return arriving at Baghill at 5:29pm, allowing a full day in York for the first time in many years. We are now trying to secure further improvements, so that the overall service will at least be basically usable – which currently, it is not.

The sub-group has also released its own marketing collateral (in the form of postcard size and business card size) which will be put in public places and also given out to passengers on the stations to publicise our work and - it is hoped – attract more members to our social media presence and via email contact.

Internally, as well as being Sub-Group Vice-Chair, David Hogg has agreed to take on the additional role of Secretary for our meetings. Carole Reeves (who was Secretary) will continue to support our efforts remotely, and we offer our thanks for servicing meetings over the past six months.

There remains much to do.

Peter Cookson Rail Sub-Group Chair

Publicity Events and Administration Report You’ll recall from our April issue, that local historian Roger Ellis gave a talk in March entitled J S Fletcher’s Local Scenes - A novelist’s journey through Osgoldcross, and now he’s published a book on Chequerfield and the surrounding area. The book is priced at £10 and can be purchased from the civic society, the library, Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel, the Earl of Pontefract, and directly from Roger.

On Wednesday evening, 5 April, in St Mary’s Community Centre, we had a talk on The Growth, Prosperity and Identity of the Five Towns. This was given by Adrian Spawforth, Managing Director of Spawforth’s - who are a large company of award winning innovative architects involved with town planning and urbanism throughout England. It was indeed an honour to have such a speaker.

“...a lot is happening in Pontefract and it is mostly because people are willing to give up their time for free...”

Adrian produced a sequence of slides that were the result of research work. These included what people wish for themselves economically in their area; and how developers build the houses, the amount of land and area used, types of housing and siting of developments; all this plus an estimate of the numbers of people that will move into the Five Towns area in the near future. There were a lot of statistics, but highly interesting. Subjects on this scale involve all of us in the Five Towns, for our future, as well as our children’s and grandchildren’s future. One thing is certain, there will be several thousand new dwellings built in and around Pontefract in the next five to ten years.

On Wednesday 24 May, the Civic Society arranged a tour of the Multifuel 1 plant in Ferrybridge. Detailed information of that is included in a separate article.

Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

10

On Wednesday 14 June, we are holding an illustrated talk by Kevin Trickett, President of Wakefield Civic Society, and having attended talks by him before we are looking forward to this one. It is entitled Is Heritage A Load of Old Hat? The talk will be held in the St Mary’s Community Centre, Chequerfield, starting at 7.30 pm.

Moving on, there’s several important events for the town coming soon, commencing with Civic Day on Saturday 17 June. This will be celebrated at Pontefract Castle, at our unique and historic town hall, and through a number of guided walks; the pinhole camera (former aviary) in Friarwood Valley Gardens will be open too.

Sunday 18 June sees Armed Forces Day held in Pontefract Park, for the second year. Last year, this turned out to be a massive success; the weather was great and the crowds greater. This year, I’m sure, will be even better; if that is possible.

by David Wilcox, and on 11 October our last talk for 2017 will be Eric Houlder, no less, entitled Coaching Memories.

I realise all this information might seem like a lot to take in, but a lot is happening in Pontefract and it is mostly because people are willing to give up their time for free which ensures that these events are successfully delivered for all to enjoy.

So we in the Civic Society say thank you to the volunteers, and to all those that participate and get involved, not forgetting the thousands, and there will be thousands, that turn out to watch the major events.

Mike Skidmore PEA Chair mskid673@gmail.com

On the evening of the 24 Jun there will Proms in the Castle, another Wakefield Council organised event.

The performance starts at 7.30 pm, so be sure to get there early. Advance tickets are £6 for adults, £4 for children; bringing a picnic is encouraged.

As a civic society, we are looking forward to the Heritage Open Days between Thursday 7 and Sun 10 Sept, inclusive. For 2017, there will more events than last year, which will give the public access to and information about buildings and locations in Pontefract, some of which do not normally allow visits by the public; fascinating, interesting and a must for both adults and families.

As a society we are proud of Pontefract’s heritage and would like as many people as possible to feel the same way. It is also important that the younger generation realise what Pontefract stands for in the way of its history and local culture. Fortunately schools locally do promote this.

There are many more things happening in Pontefract in the coming year. The Liquorice Festival, Yorkshire Day, a talk on 13 September entitled History of Ferrybridge from Stone Age to Present presented

Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

11

FERRYBRIDGE MULTI-FUEL VISIT

A sunny afternoon was the setting for our visit to the Ferrybridge multi-fuel plant. The first impression when you get up close is the size of the main boiler house building. The plant cost ÂŁ300m and processes over 500000 tonnes of processed waste each year whilst generating 70MW. Compared with the old Ferrybridge C Power Station which generated 2000MW it is on a much smaller scale but more environmentally friendly. The plant employs almost 50 staff.

where we saw the shredded waste on arrival and grabbed into the boiler hoppers. The fully automated control room was very impressive and the staff were very open to questions about the running of the plant.

The boiler has a moving grate arrangement which we could observe. We also had a trip to the top of the boiler where outside we had an excellent view of the next phase of the development; an identical station which is scheduled for operation in the next 18 months.

Steve Tosney, Operations Manager, greeted us and gave a 20 minute talk on the plant and the issues faced by the team. Unusually for the power station, they are actually paid for the fuel which they then incinerate and where possible generate electricity.

They still however process waste irrespective of whether or not power is sent out. The waste arrives from a variety of sources, including the Shanks reprocessing plant (the subject of another visit

by PCS) and the lorry movements are carefully controlled to minimise disruption to local residents.

It’s clear that the plant has some reliability issues as not many other plants have been built to this scale.

There are, however, a number of similar plants at Leeds, Wetherby, and Rotherham.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the visit and the staff made us welcome and were very happy to take questions throughout the visit. Due to the high interest shown by members to attend this visit, it is hoped to repeat the visit later in the year.

Ian Hookham Vice Chair

The plant visit took us round the fuel reception area Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

12

OTHER SOCIETY REPORTS

The Crescent Project

Pontefract Lioness Club

The past few months have been very active for The Crescent Project.

Pontefract Lioness Club and Castleford & Pontefract District Lions Club will also be holding fundraising stalls at the following events:

The management team have been busy giving talks to local groups, attending funding fairs, as well as overseeing the successful move of the Community Cinema to the Pontefract Squash & Leisure Club.

Since then the Crescent Community Cinema has seen an increase in attendance, which in part is due to the new films being shown, and the warm welcome the Squash Club has given us.

Whilst attending a funding fair in Leeds, the Board became aware of further options on relevant legal structures, leading to ownership of the Crescent Building, as an asset for the benefit of the local community. This has made us take a further look at how we can achieve the necessary direction, ensuring we are serving the community interest as best as possible. We knew from the start that the task of bringing this iconic building back into full public use would be a road full of twists and turns, and so far this has proven to be true. Our determination as a team will see us achieve our plans and ensure this one-off opportunity is delivered.

• • • •

17 June Civic Day (Pontefract Castle) 18 June Armed Forces Day (Pontefract Park) 8 July Picnic in the Castle (Pontefract Castle) 9 July Liquorice Fayre (Friarwood Valley

Gardens / Town Centre) • 1 August Yorkshire Day (Friarwood Valley

Gardens / Town Centre) The flower troughs in Pontefract town centre will also be planted in the next couple of weeks ready for Pontefract in Bloom Summer Judging.

Jeannette Morgan Treasurer Pontefract Lioness Club

Phil Cook Chair Website www.the-crescent.org.uk Facebook Crescent Cinema Pontefract Twitter @TheCrescentWF8

Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

13

Friends of Friarwood Valley Gardens The main news is that the building of the stage/ bandstand started on 15 May, but was held up in the first few days because of the rain. It should be finished early June. The Pontefract North Ward councillors obtained funding from the Wakefield Council’s Local Capital Fund for 5 new benches and shrub clearance to the “Secret Garden”, the secluded area on the south slope. We also obtained funding from WDH Community Fund for another picnic table.

The new benches and picnic table will be in place soon. Work on the “Secret Garden” has taken place, opening up the area so that it is less secluded and less attractive to anti-social elements that tended to gather there for drinking parties. Anti-social behaviour is again blighting the Valley Gardens with litter and broken glass an almost daily problem.

Dr Colin White FFVG Chair

Registered charity number 513509

Pontefract in Bloom The main news is that the building of the stage/ bandstand started on 15 May, but was held up in the first few days because of the rain. It should be finished early June. The Pontefract North Ward councillors obtained funding from the Wakefield Council’s Local Capital Fund for 5 new benches and shrub clearance to the “Secret Garden”, the secluded area on the south slope. We also obtained funding from WDH Community Fund for another picnic table.

The new benches and picnic table will be in place soon. Work on the “Secret Garden” has taken place, opening up the area so that it is less secluded and less attractive to anti-social elements that tended to gather there for drinking parties. Anti-social behaviour is again blighting the Valley Gardens with litter and broken glass an almost daily problem.

Dr Colin White PiB Chair

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

14

Pontefract Heritage Partnership PHP obtained a Resilience Grant of £38,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for professional fees (mainly architect and solicitors) to negotiate with the Mid Yorkshire Trust for the asset transfer and to prepare for the main Heritage Enterprise Grant application of £2m for the first phase of the renovation. We’re about to launch a campaign to raise the £200,000 match funding required which will include a community share issue asking the community to invest and “Save Our Dispensary and Hermitage”.

Dr Colin White PHP Chair

Friends of Pontefract Park FoPP were planning to hold The Big Lunch at the beginning of June but had to postpone the event until later in the summer because of the current lack of any toilet facilities in the Park. FoPP are hoping to be given use of the golf hut by the Council, so that toilets will be available for events. The provisional date for holding The Big Lunch is now Weds 16 Aug, assuming that access to the golf hut is agreed.

A memorial plaque for the Pontefract WW1 Airfield has been installed and an interpretation board will be erected soon, explaining about air defence against Zeppelin raids in WW1. The inscribed granite plaque was provided by Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust (abct.org.uk), stone mason’s work to install the plaque was paid for by a grant from Wakefield Council’s Neighbourhood Improvement Fund and the interpretation board is being provided by FoPP. There will be a dedication ceremony on Armed Forces Day, Sun 18 June.

Dr Colin White

Image copyright Johnston Publishing Ltd.

Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

15

Societies should consider requesting that any planning policies they quote in an objection to an application should have comment in the case officer’s report on the way each policy applies.

Second homes

Civic Voice Regional Forum 18th May, 2017 – Key Messages

Issues with second homes are considerable in London, rural and coastal areas, some of which are overseas-owned, but largely unoccupied homes.

Civic Voice should urge the new Government to implement the proposals in the Housing White Paper to address foreign ownership of property left unused and permissions not built.

Conservation

Membership

The value placed on local listing varies considerably between local authorities. Societies should propose properties for Local Listing.

Civic societies should try and attract individuals to specific new roles on their committees and create themed working parties or sub groups. Younger people need support to take on roles of responsibility and then could gently be encouraged not rushed to become trustees.

Civic Voice

Societies should ensure there is an up to date CA Appraisal and a CA Management Plan for all CAs in their locality. Where there is no updated assessment of conservation area appraisals, the status of such conservation areas may be questioned by politicians and developers.

Planning Local Plan adoption is very patchy and in some places progress is extremely slow. (Inside Housing in 2016 found 60% of 322 English councils were in the process of updating their Local Plans.) Societies should chase their local authority to get a new Local Plan adopted with site allocations defined for each development area. On local decision making, there’s a need to get campaign groups to collaborate and speak with a single voice, which is where Pontefract Civic Society comes in. However, there will always be some authority figures (developers, councillors, planning officers and MPs) who advocate against collaboration.

Civic societies should try and get closer to decision makers and build relationships with case officers.

There is a need for training for society members (and other campaigners) in how to quote policies in their planning comments and how to use the NPPF. Registered charity number 513509

There is a need for societies to undertake succession planning for key roles and to conduct analysis of the organisation’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (Pontefract Civic Society has been doing this for some time). Plans should be prepared to counter weaknesses and threats and strategies developed to exploit strengths and opportunities.

Small societies in particular need to capacity-build and consider their benefits to their community.

Election Need to approach to ALL candidates about the civic agenda.

Civic Voice needs to hit the ground running after the general election; so should societies and regional associations. We need to know what pending legislation the new Government will drop, or implement in some way that has to be interpreted.

The Rhodes’ proposals to reduce Local Plan content are a threat to community engagement in having plans that will be meaningful and will control development. www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

16

A concerted effort is needed to encourage MPs and peers to join the APPG. We should ask them to say why they won’t join.

Notes from the Chair – Helen Kidman, edited by Paul Cartwright for this publication

Other comms from Civic Voice HQ New HQ in Birmingham - We have moved!

Note our new address: Civic Voice, The Coffin Works, 13-15 Fleet Street, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, B3 1JP Ian Harvey, colleagues and trustees have been out and about over the past couple of months promoting the civic movement and raising issues based on the current strategy covering Civic Design Awards, urban planning, Local Heritage Lists, the Big Conservation Conversation including the lack of Conservation Officers

Yorkshire & Humber Association of Civic Societies Members’ Meeting 29 April, 2017 Cooper Gallery Barnsley This was the first time I had attended a YHACS meeting and I found it an inspiring experience. It was useful to meet members from other societies and to catch up on the news affecting the region, however the highlight for me was the walk round Barnsley and the visit to the Experience Barnsley Museum.

Our guide for this was our guest speaker for the day, Dr John Tanner from Barnsley Council’s Arts and Heritage Service.

Barnsley is managing its transformation from an industrial heartland to a hub for shopping and the arts while at the same time respecting and validating its industrial past. It is now being recognised that the area was at the forefront of the industrial revolution due to its production of iron and later its mining output. New memorials are going up to the workers who in the process of driving forward the country’s economy put their own lives at risk. The explosion at the Oaks Colliery in 1866 claimed 361 lives. A memorial in the town’s Civic Quarter will commemorate this tragedy.

Experience Barnsley Museum is housed in the Town Hall, itself built using local labour during the 1930s. The exhibition celebrates the town’s social and economic history, very much of and for the local people who were encouraged to donate exhibits with personal resonance. The response shows that Barnsley has much to be proud of. One of the highlights is several elements from a merry-go-round once sited in the indoor market which provided a lot of entertainment in its day.

Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

17

On our town walk we visited the markets area, the heart of the town which is the focus of serious investment by Barnsley Council. New big-name stores will attract shoppers back into the town centre, helped by a transport interchange situated directly opposite.

Barnsley is on the up. I was impressed by the enthusiasm of the local Civic Society members who told me about the educational facilities in the town, encouraging people of all ages to engage with higher education at an affordable cost.

At the afternoon session Dr Tanner spoke about the museum provision across the district, in particular the village of Elsecar (part of the Wentworth Woodhouse estate) that has just been allocated as an Heritage Action Zone, which can be described as “an authentic Beamish with no admission fees”!

We were welcomed by the Mayor of Barnsley who had to leave early to watch Barnsley FC play their last match of the season.

Other speakers included Kevin Trickett, YHACS Chair, who updated us on current developments in Wakefield and reminded us of the part Civic Societies can play in preserving historic areas such as St John’s Square which was under threat in the 1960s.

Craig Broadwith of Historic England gave us a Yorkshire-wide overview of conservation areas, showing how towns such as Rotherham overcame the loss of their industrial base and fought back against out-of-town developments, such as Meadowhall.

Initiatives such as the Tour de Yorkshire have also helped turn round the fortunes of conservation areas at risk such as Haworth.

Martin Hamilton of Leeds Civic Trust had news on the proposal to refurbish the White Cloth Hall, and a new programme of guided walks with a focus on looking at conservation areas.

Future YHACS meetings and events: • Futures Workshop Wakefield Town Hall

Fri 23 Jun

• Summer meeting Hornsea Floral Hall

Sat 29 Jul

• Autumn meeting Bradford City Hall

Sat 30 Sept

• Winter meeting & AGM Sat 27 Jan, 2018 Harrogate Cedar Court Hotel

Donations & Bequests Have you thought of making a donation to Pontefract Civic Society during your lifetime, or leaving us some money in your will?

This newsletter and the Annual Reports on our website show the tremendous work the society and our members are doing to make Pontefract a better place. To continue our important work at its present level, or in fact expand it as we plan to do, then we have a pressing need for more resources.

The beneficial position of the society is both it’s independence and non-political stance, and that we do not rely of public sector grants to conduct our core activities. As the town’s watchdog on planning, architecture, heritage and public amenities, we can speak on behalf of those who live and work in Pontefract, without fear or favour.

We would be absolutely delighted if you would make a donation or a bequest. Both the Chair and the Secretary are available if you wish to discuss this in more detail.

Finally Kevin Trickett informed us of future events in Wakefield including Civic Day guided walks, plus a YHACS Futures Workshop on 23 June, and the Civic Voice Convention & AGM at the Cedar Court Hotel in October.

Rosemary Barnes

Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

18

2017 Events Community Events Sat 17 Jun Sun 18 Jun Sat 24 Jun Sun 9 Jul Tues 1 Aug Thurs 7 – Sun 10 Sep Sat 16 Sep Sat 14 Oct Sat 11 - Sun 12 Nov

Civic Day Armed Forces Day (Pontefract Park) West Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra (Castle) Pontefract Liquorice Festival Yorkshire Day Heritage Open Days Five Towns Community Day Pontefract Lantern Parade Armistice and Remembrance Sunday

Civic Society Events Weds 14 Jun

Weds 13 Sept

“Heritage: A Load of Old Hat?”

“History of Ferrybridge from Stone Age to

Kevin Trickett, St. Mary’s Community Centre

Present Day”

Sat 17 Jun

David Wilcox , St. Mary’s Community Centre

Civic Day

Weds 11 Oct

The Big Conservation Conversation, Various locations

“Coaching Memories”

Tues 4 Jul

Eric Houlder, St. Mary’s Community Centre

Shanks Recycling Centre Visit

Dec - 7pm

Thurs 7 - Sun 10 Sept

Annual Christmas Dinner

Heritage Open Days

Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel

Various sites around the area

Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

19

Crescent Community Cinema Proudly Presents

Sunday 11 June Show starts at 7.00pm Pontefract Squash and Leisure Club.

Tickets £5 Supporters voucher £4 Box Offices:Perfect 10 Gillygate ETSY Shop Cornmarket Remaining tickets on the door

Supporting The Crescent Project Creating a prestigious environment for entertainment, culture, media and sport Making Pontefract Proud Find us on the web www.the-crescent.org.uk

Crescent Cinema Pontefract

@TheCrescentWF8

Crescent Community Cinema Proudly Presents

Sunday 9 July Show starts at 7.00pm Pontefract Squash and Leisure Club.

Tickets £5 Supporters voucher £4 Box Offices:Perfect 10 Gillygate ETSY Shop Cornmarket Remaining tickets on the door

Supporting The Crescent Project Creating a prestigious environment for entertainment, culture, media and sport Making Pontefract Proud Find us on the web www.the-crescent.org.uk

Crescent Cinema Pontefract

@TheCrescentWF8

Registered charity number 513509

Crescent Community Cinema Proudly Presents

Friday 30 June Show starts at 7.00pm Pontefract Squash and Leisure Club.

Tickets £5 Supporters voucher £4 Box Offices:Perfect 10 Gillygate ETSY Shop Cornmarket Remaining tickets on the door

Supporting The Crescent Project Creating a prestigious environment for entertainment, culture, media and sport Making Pontefract Proud Find us on the web www.the-crescent.org.uk

Crescent Cinema Pontefract

@TheCrescentWF8

Crescent Community Cinema Proudly Presents

Friday 21 July Show starts at 7.00pm Pontefract Squash and Leisure Club.

Tickets £5 Supporters voucher £4 Box Offices:Perfect 10 Gillygate ETSY Shop Cornmarket Remaining tickets on the door

Supporting The Crescent Project Creating a prestigious environment for entertainment, culture, media and sport Making Pontefract Proud Find us on the web www.the-crescent.org.uk

Crescent Cinema Pontefract

@TheCrescentWF8

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

20

Sunday 18 June 2017

Pontefract Racecourse, Pontefract WF8 4QD

www.wakefield.gov.uk/armedforces

Proms in the Castle Pontefract Castle Saturday 24 June 2017

Enjoy an evening of classical music from the West Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra in the historic grounds of Pontefract Castle

Tickets available from Pontefract Library and online at pontefractcastle.co.uk* *Small booking fee applies

Pontefract celebrates Yorkshire Day with fun for all the family.

Discover history and heritage, family entertainment and competitions.

172403 Yorkshire Day Poster.indd 1

Registered charity number 513509

16/05/2017 14:45

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

21

PONTEFRACT’S CHEQUERED HISTORY YORKSHIRE DAY Window Display Competition

Tuesday 1st August 2017

A new Pontefract book by Roger Ellis.

Now available to purchase from Pontefract Library, Pontefract Civic Society or by contacting the author on 01977 793943

Let’s show our pride in Yorkshire Day! To promote and celebrate Yorkshire Day 2017, we will be holding another window display competition. Town centre shops and businesses are encouraged to dress their windows with all things Yorkshire. Think flat caps, rugby, terriers, sweets and tea…

If you would like to enter your shop or business into the competition, please contact info@pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk. Displays must be completed for judging by 25th July.

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk Registered Charity No. 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

St Giles with St Mary’s Pantomime/Theatre Society PROUDLY PRESENTS

By Alan P Frayn

Available to purchase now from: • Pomfret Gallery (cash only) • Advanced Skin Clinic • Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel • Earl of Pontefract Or by contacting: • info@pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk • Pontefract Heritage Group

Sunday - Saturday 14th - 20th January 2018 (EXCLUDING WEDNESDAY )

Adults £9

Concessions £7

Sunday and Saturday Matinee 2pm 7pm Show nights Pontefract Town Hall Tickets on sale from 4th November Tel: 07563 952832 Email: tickets@stgilespanto.co.uk

www.stgilespanto.co.uk

Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

22

| OWL ENCOUNTERS | | HAWK WALKS |

| HANDLING ENCOUNTERS | | FULL FALCONRY DAYS |

K L FA L C O N RY D E L IVERING KNOWLEDGE AND E X PERIENCE IN THE ART OF FALCONRY

| PO NTEFRACT |

| W EST YO RKSHI RE |

| 07525467491 | | INF O @ KLFALCO NRY. CO . UK | | FACEBO O K | | TW I TTER |

Carleton Neighbourhood Watch

New Discoveries in Local History An illustrated talk by Eric Houlder on various new subjects

Friday, 30th June 2017 at 7.30 pm The Grange, Carleton Community Centre Tickets £4.00 Available from 01977 705037 and on the door Refreshments and Raffle

| P H OTO GR A P H Y D AY S | | EVENTS | | GR O U P V I S I T S | | E D U C AT I ON A L V I S I T S |

All funds raised go towards the purchase of a Defibrillator (AED) for Carleton

Pontefract Museum The museum has recently reopened after refurbishment and now includes an activity area for families and schools to use as well as new displays about the history of the town.

The current exhibition is:

Pomfret’s Printery 13 May – 16 December 2017.

Holmes Printers were in business for over 100 years. This exhibition celebrates their trade and looks to the future use of the print works on Gillygate with support from the Townscape Heritage initiative.

The Robsons - Malters of Pontefract Thurs 15 Jun 12.15 – 1pm Lunchtime Talk with Roger Ellis

Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

23

Silver Business Members:

Bronze Business Members: Pomfret Gallery St. Mary’s Community Centre

Registered charity number 513509

www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk

24