Tell us what you think

I think it's about time that we exerted as much pressure on the council about this issue as we did about Red Cottage. I am fed up of the sound of screeching tyres and idiots mounting the footpath to try and overtake cars waiting to turn onto Stokesley Road. There needs to be a safe place for kids to cross. Once again, it looks like we can't leave it up to our local council to look after our community interests, so we'll have to take matters into our own hands.

Regarding thinking about reopening Gypsy Lane, as already mentioned in the article about Guisbrough Road "there is a particular concern for the safety of pedestrians using the Guisborough Road footpath – especially school children". I would like to remind everyone that Gypsy Lane is what it's name implies a lane and there is limited footpath on one side only. To consider the possibility of reopening the lane and return to the rat run it used to be would put school children’s lives at risk everyday they walk to school.

The clocks have gone on, summer is officially here and already the aroma of garden fires can be smelt all over Nunthorpe. Despite recycling and garden waste bags and the council willing to collect any large items of household waste, people still think its fine to pollute the atmosphere and spoil the outdoors for everyone around them. Is there anyone else who is fed up of this every summer, or would a firestarter like to explain why they have to do it?

As most of us are aware the Golden Living development is nearing completion so there is little point in debating the merits or other wise of the development.
We can however learn a lesson from the breaches of planning permission and general problems with parking that have occured on the site and Redcar & Cleveland Council's inability to deal with them. It would be unfair to suggest that the council officers are incompetant as what they are up against is a large company who know how to play the game so when a resident complains the council write to Golden Living, who write to their agent, Spawforth, who write to the contractor, HR Russel. Allowing 7 days each time for the letter to reach it's recipient and the same ammount of time for the replies. The result is that it can be 6 weeks or more from complaint to reply and during that time the contractor will just continue with the practices in this case working all day Saturday and Sunday.
The lesson is to remember that companies like this have little or no regard for the planning process and local residents and will use every trick in the book to by pass the process and increase their profits, you should let them in at your own risk!

Golden Living Apartments

I sent an email to Redcar & District Council on 11 September 2007 about my concern over a potential fire hazard in the new apartment block, currently being built opposite the shops, near the railway station at Nunthorpe.
I feel that it might be helpful if I shared it with your readers, together with the reply from Redcar & District Council.
In the email I stated that I had walked past the apartment block on numerous occasions during the last few weeks and had noticed that there was a considerable amount of woodwork being installed throughout as relatively thin separating partitions/walls as well as flooring. Quite apart from my commiserations to the future residents of the apartments for the noises that they may have to endure from next door neighbours in the block, I felt particularly concerned at the fire risk potential and, equally importantly, the risk of rapid fire spread throughout the building and to nearby properties.

I went on to say that they may know that there was no such risk, because, for example, all the wood had been thoroughly treated with a fire retardant and, in any case their inspectors would know fully what was happening. I did not know this.

If, however, in the future the block was engulfed in flames and residents were put at risk, I would hate to feel that I had thought about the possibility and then done nothing about it.

I ended by saying that I had delayed contacting them before now, because I kept on arguing that it was not my concern. I did feel, however, that it was my moral duty to raise the matter with them, hence, at last, this email.

I received the following prompt and courteous reply on 12 September 2007

Dear Mr. Smith,

Thank you for your recent email regarding the above. I can assure you that the design for this residential development has been examined and does indicate compliance with the Building Regulations, including those that cover fire safety and sound transmission. As the structure is a timber framed type, there will appear to be a lot of timber visible initially, until the masonry outer leaf is constructed around the building.

Additionally, I have been inspecting the work on site and will continue to do so as work proceeds.

Regards,

Tom Hill
Redcar & District Council