Ashby Town Council have announced success in their bid for Green Flag status for the Bath Grounds. The Friends of Ashby Bath Grounds congratulate the council on this achievement and look forward to continuing to work with the council to further improve maintenance standards and facilities in the park. In order to acheive this award, the Town Council has developed a Maintenance Schedule for the Grounds which provides a template for the upkeep of the park. This Schedule was shared with the Friends' Committee prior to submission and we were pleased to make constructive suggestions regarding its content.

The Royal Hotel car park, which was closed to public use last year, is currently being used as a depot for the contractors laying a new gas main along Tamworth Road. Unfortunately, this is not counted as a change of use and does not require new planning permission. We understand that they are permitted to work on the site between 7:30am and 6:30pm.

Here is the full text of a communication from the Ditrsict Council explaining the planning position.

Class A (gas transporters) of Part 15 (Power related development) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) (‘The Order outlines that permitted development (i.e. development which has deemed consent) includes:

 (a) The laying underground of mains, pipes or other apparatus; and

 (d) The placing and storage on land of pipes and other apparatus to be included in a main or pipe which is being or is about to be laid or constructed in pursuance of planning permission granted or deemed to be granted under Part 3 of the Act (control over development).

 The reference to ‘Part 3 of the Act’ is reference to Part 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 which specifies under Part (2) criterion (c) that the carrying out by a statutory undertaker of any works for the purpose of inspecting, repairing or renewing any main pipes, including the breaking open of any street or other land for that purpose, is not considered to involve “development of the land.”

 Development ‘permitted’ by Class A of Part 15 is subject to conditions and one particular condition, in this case, would be condition (b) which states that:

 “in the case of any Class A(d) development, on completion of the laying or construction of the main or pipe, or at the expiry of a period of 9 months from the beginning of the development, whichever is the sooner, any pipes or other apparatus still stored on the land are removed and the land restored as soon as reasonably practicable to its condition before the development took place (or any other condition which may be agreed with the local planning authority).”

 Separately to this Class A (Temporary Buildings and Structures) of Part 4 (Temporary Buildings and Uses) of The Order outlines that permitted development also includes “the provision on land of buildings, moveable structures, works, plant or machinery required temporarily in connection with and for the duration of operations being or to be carried out on, in, under or over the land or on land adjoining that land.”

 Development ‘permitted’ by Class A of Part 4 is subject to the following conditions which apply when the operations have been carried out:

 (a) Any building, structure, works, plant or machinery permitted by Class A is removed, and

 (b) Any adjoining land on which development permitted by Class A has been carried out is, as soon as reasonably practicable, reinstated to its condition before that development was carried out.

 Overall I would be of the view that the proposal has deemed consent via The Order and a formal planning application would not be required for the works which have/are to be carried out.

Great news! On 10th September 2018, Ashby Town Council voted unanimously to "enter into a dialogue with Oakland Hotels to acquire the freehold of the Bath Grounds in its entirety and to make it clear to the land owner that the TC will not surrender the lease to the Bath Grounds either fully or partially now or in the future and also on expiry of the current lease the TC will pursue a renewal of the lease for a similar length of time as the current lease provides". This is a great start to our campaign. However we still have to persuade the District Council to turn down the planning application when it is submitted. We will let you know about sending letters of objection when the time comes.

Ashby's electorate passed the Neighbourhood Plan with a 92% "Yes" vote  in the referendum held on Thursday 22 November 2018. The article below gives the background to the Neighbourhood Plan and explains its significance in boosting the planning protection for the Bath Grounds and Ashby's other green spaces.

The full result was;

YES - 2246 (92% of votes cast)

NO -  183

The turnout was 22%. 

The plan still has to be formally "made" by North West Leicestershire District Council but will be taken into account in all relevant planning applications form now on.

Many thanks to everyone who voted "YES". This is a significant step forward in our campaign to prevent house building on the Bath Grounds.

On Thursday 22nd November, residents of Ashby will have the opportunity to vote in a local referendum on Ashby’s Neighbourhood Plan. The Friends of Ashby Bath Grounds are encouraging everyone interested in protecting the Bath Grounds and other green spaces in the town to turn out and vote in favour of adopting the plan. Committee member Dave Bigby said, “A high turn-out and strong vote for the Ashby’s Neighbourhood Plan is particularly important at a time when our Bath Grounds are, once again, threatened with building development”.

The Friends have been heavily involved in seeking the strongest possible protection for the Bath Grounds in the Neighbourhood Plan. If adopted, the plan will become part of the statutory Development Plan for the area and must be taken into account in all relevant planning decisions. It designates the Bath Grounds and Ashby’s other parks as “Local Green Space”, which provides an additional layer of planning protection as if they were Green Belt. Specifically, the draft Plan states that, “new development [on these sites] is ruled out other than in very special circumstances” and “the construction of new buildings on Local Green Spaces is inappropriate”. The Neighbourhood Plan also describes the Bath Grounds as “Playing Fields” which should assist in renewal of the lease when the time comes.

Ashby’s Neighbourhood Plan has been developed over a period of 5 years and is based on extensive work by a series of local focus groups, covering the areas of Housing and the Built Environment, Economic Growth, Accessibility and Transport, Town Centre Vitality and Education and Leisure with the whole process overseen by a Steering Group consisting of 4 Town Councillors, a representative from Ashby Civic Society, a representative from Ashby Town Team and Town Council officers. Several drafts went through a series of Community Consultations before being examined by a Government Planning Inspector in the spring. The 22nd November referendum will be the final stage in bringing the Plan to fruition.

Dr Bigby continued, “Whilst I and many others would have preferred the Neighbourhood Plan to have been stronger in limiting further housing development in Ashby, unfortunately it is a legal requirement that it does not conflict with strategic policies in the current District Local Plan. Despite these limitations, the Neighbourhood Plan will provide significant additional protection to the Bath Grounds and Ashby’s other parks. It also addresses important issues such as future housing mix for both market and affordable housing, design criteria for new housing and the need for a Masterplan and Design Code for the new Money Hill Development agreed in conjunction with the Town Council.”

The Friends of Ashby Bath Grounds are also pleased to report that they have now received over 7400 signatures for their petition against any house building on the Bath Grounds. This will be presented to the District Council if and when the threatened planning application is eventually submitted.

We hear there are new plans a foot to build houses on the Bath Grounds. Keep an eye on our facebook, twitter and website page and invite your facebook friends to follow our page. We will post more information very soon

The "Pride in our Bath Grounds" campaign was launched in July 2015.

The campaign has focussed  on three areas;

1. Dog mess - "bag it, bin it"

2. Litter - "bin it, take it home"

3. Unwanted behaviour - "not welcome here"

We have been working with; Ruth Mulvany (District Council), Matt Longley (Chairman of The Cricket Club), Mark Arjoo (Leicestershire Police), Jack Fargher (Clerk, Town Council) and, of course, the general public.

Bag It, Bin It

We have started by;

• Temporary stenciling paths and walkways asking people to pick up and bin dog waste.
• Highlighting irresponsable dog management with small flags stuck into the ground next to offending poo asking people to bag and bin it.
• Asking dog owners to pledge to pick up, always pick up and help others to do the same.

We had great support with the dog flagging initiative in 2015, raising awareness and resulting in a 65% reduction in dog mess on the Bath Grounds over the last 6 months. We will be progressing this initiative again this year.

Litter

We had 2 successful litter picks in 2015 and are now arranging to be involved once again in the Big Ashby Litter Pick in April 2016. You can sign up to get involved here http:/www.bathgroundsfriends.com/pride-in-our-bath-grounds

We will be encouraging Police and Friends' presence on 'high risk' litter days in 2016.

The litter campaign is being organised by Annie Ingram, our Pride Co-ordinator, in association with NWLDC Street Action Team and Ashby Town Council. It is clear that the Pride in our Bath Grounds Litter initiative is supported by the Ashby community and that there is a great desire to look after the Bath Grounds.

Unwanted Behaviour

The new footpath and the work being carried out on the railway arch path are helping to open up the Bath Grounds and reduce dark areas which can attract anti social beaviour (ASB).

We have continued working with the police to ensure regular foot patrols.

Please continue to report ASB activity to NWLDC on their website  www.nwleics.gov.uk/pages/antisocial_behaviour and to the Police on their non-emergency number, 101, at the time the incident is happening or at their webiste http://www.leics.police.uk/local-policing/ashby/team#.U8LioJRdWJB. You can ask to remain anonymous if you prefer.

The Rotary Club of Ashby de la Zouch Castle are putting on a Santa Fun Run & Walk starting and finishing on the Bath Grounds on Sunday 29th November. It consists of a 3km run or walk around Ashby de la Zouch dressed as Santa!

The main beneficiary of the event will be Hospice Hope, a very worthy local cause. For further information please go to:

 www.ashbysantarun.com

 www.facebook.com/ashbysantarun

 Ashby Santa Fun Run (@AshbySantaRun) | Twitter

We are please to confirm that the Friends of Ashby Bath Grounds in partnership with Ashby de la Zouch Town Council have received £44,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting project led by volunteers to create all weather footpaths and a heritage trail around Ashby Bath Grounds. The HLF funding, together with £20,000 previously awarded by North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC), means that the Friends of Ashby Bath Grounds have now raised the full £65,000 required and work will commence this autumn.

There will be opportunities to get involved with a wide range of activities including discovering archaeology using surface techniques, performing a ballad, creating a mosaic and taking part in a programme of lectures and guided walks. If you are interested in taking part please come along to the project launch event at Hastings Cricket Club on the Bath Grounds on Sunday 20th September 2015 starting at 11:30am. All are welcome. There will be a brief introduction to the various planned activities and a celebratory drink and buffet. You can also keep in touch with specific project activities and events via the new Project website www.bathgroundspath.com.

Commenting on the award, the Secretary of the Friends of Ashby Bath Grounds, Clare Birch said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund. We believe that this project will develop community pride and knowledge of the history of the Bath Grounds as well as providing a much needed, all weather pedestrian route between the two entrances. This will be particularly useful for elderly residents and parents with push chairs as well as attracting tourists through the park. We are hoping for a big turnout at the launch event on 20 September.”

On the 28th May 2015 we submitted our bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Project Title is "Ashby Bath Grounds - Improved Accessibility and Community Heritage Project." The Project is designed to raise the match funding required to complement the NWLDC £20,000 awarded last year towards the Bath Grounds Footpath between the South Street and Prior Park Rd entrances, but also includes many Community Heritage Educational activities to be undertaken in around the Bath Grounds over an 18 month period from September 2015. Ashby Town Council are partners on the bid and we have signed a parnership agreement with them. We are also working closely with Ken Hillier and Ashby Museum, the Cricket and Bowling Clubs, Pudding Bag Productions (Wendy Freer) and many other volunteers.

The Activities included in the bid are as follows:

• Project admin, monitoring, evaluation and reporting
• Project website and social media
• Improved accessibility path around the Bath Grounds
• Bath Grounds heritage trail
• Community archaeology
• History of the spa and Bath Grounds film
• Ballad of the Bath Grounds - to be filmed and recorded during the Ashby Arts Festival 2016
• Community mosaics
• New edition of "Ashby - The Spa Town" book
• Ashby Spa and Bath Grounds education boxes
• Ashby Spa and Bath Grounds lecture programme
• Spa and Bath Grounds stall and exhibitions for local events
• Bath Grounds trail walking tours
• Heritage trail guide
• Project launch and completion events

The total Project value including the £20,000 already awarded by the Distrcit Council is £64,702. Further details can be found on our Projects page.

We are expectiong a decision from the Heritage Lottery Fund in early August 2015.