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.

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.