No more waste to be tipped on Gilberdyke Landfill Site from 1st Jan

Yesterday the Environment Agency announced they were issuing a revised operating permit for the landfill waste site at Gilberdyke, which will see no more waste tipped on the site from 1st January 2013 and will bring about the closure of the tip.  

This is very welcome news although it long overdue in the eyes of many, not just people living in the vicinity of the tip but also those from far and wide who have witnessed the actions of tip operators City Plant Ltd over many, many months - including their cynical disregard for the conditions contained in the planning consent.  Newport residents have had to put up with thousands of massive HGVs travelling through their village, the most appalling stink, litter, dust, mud – and the imposition of an enormous artificial mountain overlooking their community as a permanent reminder.

There are outstanding issues with the site remaining that need to be addressed, and there is a planning application winding its way through the system.  I still have serious concerns amount the long term impact of the tip on the community, particularly the issues of surface water run-off, capping of the site and risks of pollution. (see previous posts).  But we have to accept that the changes to the permit is a major step in bringing about completion of the site.

The Environment Agency state:

From January 1 2013, the tip’s operator City Plant Ltd will no longer be able to deposit general waste at the site. The new permit restricts tipping to inert substances, such as capping soils that will seal the waste site for restoration to a natural appearance.

The Environment Agency issued the permit variation on Friday 30 November, as the site has reached its maximum capacity for general, non-hazardous waste. It is expected that all of the capping materials will have been deposited by November 2013, although tree planting and other landscaping works may continue after this date.

City Plant Ltd has also applied to change its existing environmental permit for the site. The firm's applications specify the overall size and shape of the site and how the site will be managed after capping, looking at aspects such as surface water management and gas extraction. The details of the applications are currently being considered by the Environment Agency.

Peter Stevenson, Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “This is a significant milestone in the lifecycle of the landfill site at Gilberdyke. Once capping begins in January, no more general waste will be allowed, and that means that any problems of odour or unsightliness of waste will be reduced in time. Ultimately we are looking forward to seeing the site entirely finished, with the surface restored to its natural state - and that goal is now in sight.

“We will of course continue to work closely with City Plant Ltd, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and local residents to ensure that the tip is managed appropriately and that it has a minimal impact on the local environment and community.”

Gilberdyke & Blacktoft snow clearance measures go exactly to plan

Last evening we saw some 100mm of snow falling across the Blacktoft and Gilberdyke area, the snow began to fall in the late afternoon and continued into the early hours. Gilberdyke and Blacktoft Parish Councils had put together a joint plan after the serious snow of last winter, and based on the weather forecast and information from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) put the appointed contractor on standby, a local farmer (Martinsons from Blacktoft) with a 4x4 tractor fitted with a snow plough. Last night these measures put in place went exactly to plan.

The important lesson learnt from last winter was that it was essential to clear the snow from the roads as soon as possible after it fell, and before it became compacted by moving vehicles. Both Parish Councils accepted that the ERYC gritting and snow plough teams had responsibility for the primary highways and would be unlikely to plough the Parish roads, therefore they put together their own plan.

After a quick ring around, the Parish Council’s triggered the plan at about 10pm last night when it was evident that there was enough snow to plough away. The contractor, Andrew Martinson, then worked through until approximately 4.30am clearing the snow as it fell onto the roads in and out of the Parishes. After a few hours break Paul Martinson then took over for the morning shift, starting just after 8am.

This went exactly to plan and the roads in and out of the villages are now wet and more or less clear of all snow, whilst roads around other villages are still covered with compacted snow, although this is now thawing.

The cost for this is shared between the two Parish Councils, and will hopefully be reclaimed from a winter maintenance grant.

Are those lights from a 'piste machine' on a ski slope or just Gilberdyke's Landfill Mountain?

I heard an interesting comment from a Gilberdyke resident over the weekend, “I feel like I’m on a skiing holiday, when every evening I look across to see a piste machine battering the ski slopes of the mountain over there.”

Needless to say he was referring to the lights from the machinery working on the Gilberdyke Tip, which has grown to such heights to be frankly laughable, if it was not so serious.

I recently chaired a difficult meeting of the Tip Liaison Committee when it was confirmed that the tip has recently changed hands and is now both owned and operated by City Plant Ltd, it was also established that the operators had deliberately breached the planning conditions by tipping at considerable heights above the permitted 8.0m level, with the reality being that the company have actually tipped to a level which has effectively doubled the permitted height, and they had recently breached the Environment Agency permit regarding mud on the roads surrounding the site. But most worryingly, due to ‘misunderstandings during the planning process’ the community was now faced with a further two years tipping to fill or perhaps overfill the site rather than the one year envisaged.

The City Plant Ltd consultant, Kevin Wanlass, was asked when the levels of the tip would be reduced to the permitted height; I was very disturbed to have my fears confirmed that instead of reducing the tip height to the permitted 8m level, the operators are likely to submit a planning application to maintain the existing levels. I view this as a disgraceful, deliberate and cynical ploy on the part of City Plant Ltd, and I will be consulting with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) to take appropriate action to make the height of the tip compliant as soon as possible.

I made it quite clear that I was not happy for anything other than the permitted heights to be met on the site and it was highly unlikely that anything other than this would be supported by the local community.

Fellow community representative and Newport Parish Council Chairman Roy Hunt and I also raised the issue of mud on the roads from the tip, namely Newport’s Leatherdog Lane and Thimblehall Lane, and the many complaints received. It was confirmed that many calls of complaint had been received by the ERYC, the Environment Agency and the Parish Council; it was interesting that one of the tip representatives said it was only muddy on one day; this was robustly challenged and contradicted by Roy Hunt, who confirmed that he’d witnessed and had photographs of mud on a number of consecutive days.

I find the mud on the road to be totally unacceptable, and subsequent to the meeting rode along the roads, and witnessed the crude attempts at wheel washing by the operators. I raised this issue again with the Environment Agency the following week and demanded action. It was later confirmed that on 20th December an enforcement notice on City Plant Ltd was issued for a breach of the permit conditions relating to mud. Failure to comply with the notice by the end of January will be an offence, which I am hoping will spur City Plant Ltd into installing proper facilities as soon as possible to stop the mud leaving the site rather than trying to clean the roads with road-sweepers afterwards. It seems incredible that this site was allowed to continue to operate after the previous facilities were removed with the obvious impact on road users, particularly during wet weather.

The operators have installed gas collection equipment on the tip, including a new gas flare at the site entrance, although very welcome as this should reduce some of the foul stink emanating from the site, the gas flare was installed without planning consent.

Clarification was also sought regarding lorries NOT using the site weighbridge, it was alleged by City Plant Ltd. that all lorries entering the site to tip waste passed over the weighbridge, although lorries bringing material to the site for engineering operations would not as they were not delivering waste. Further clarification was sought on this by the community representatives because of multiple claims that lorries were seen entering and leaving the site without passing over the weighbridge either on entry or exit.

It was established that any complaints from residents about the operation of the tip should be made to the Environment Agency by telephone on 0800 807060.

The issue of site working outside the permitted hours of operation was also raised. I stated that it would be a lot better for the local community if the company could let people know what was happening on the site and what measures they were being taken to resolve any problems. A pro-active as opposed to a re-active approach should be promoted. The Council Planning Officer said that the operators should let the local Council know if they were planning on doing any work outside the parameters of the planning permission. This could then be shared with community representatives and agreement reached before the activity took place.

Democracy prevails in Gilberdyke - but at what cost?

I don't normally allow posts by others on my blog, but Gilberdyke Parish Council Chairman Nick Norris (pictured) has asked me to post the following on his behalf regarding this past week's Gilberdyke Parish Council by-election.

Congratulations to Chris Newsome on winning the Gilberdyke Parish Council by-election and I look forward to working with him in the future.

Needless to say Gilberdyke taxpayers have had to stump up some £3,000 to pay for this by-election, an election called by just 10 Council tax payers as is the minimum required. The 10 in this case were family and neighbours of Mike Whitley, the losing candidate of the two who stood for the election and someone who has form when it comes to using £1,000’s of taxpayer’s money to further his own agenda.

The Gilberdyke Parish Councillors were democratically elected in May of this year; Mr Whitley failed in his quest to be elected by a considerable margin at that election. Due to one of the Councillors having to step down on health grounds a vacancy arose, and the decision of the 10 in calling the by-election after just 7 months means the taxpayer is saddled with having to pay for two elections in the one year.

I fully agree with the democratic process and everyone’s right to call for an election, and for anyone to put their name forward and be able to lay their case before the electorate. What I do not condone is the actions of a person, whose family and friends calling an election which resulted in that person receiving so little support - namely 83 votes out of a possible 2,557* and much, much fewer then he polled in the May election. This, when Chris Newsome was prepared to be co-opted onto the Parish Council at no cost to the taxpayer before the election was called.

I also have real problems with Mr Whitley when in his by-election literature it states that those Gilberdyke Parish Councillors elected in May, had somehow prevented a fair election at that time. I am tempted to ask for this disingenuous and offensive statement to be investigated, but to what end? For him to be reprimanded or censured after a lengthy investigation, costing and ultimately wasting even more taxpayer’s money.

I take the view that this by-election result shows conclusively that the Gilberdyke electorate has seen through Mr Whitley’s wild accusations, and seen his actions in delaying the flood relief work for what they were – the pursuit of a personal agenda that has resulted in increased costs and wasted time. They have also seen through his frivolous vexatious complaints about Parish Councillors, and particularly our ward Councillor Paul Robinson to the ERYC Standards Committee, they’ve seen through his threats, his complaints to the police, his letters in the press and statements on his website.

The Parish Council now has the opportunity to move forward on many important projects, and hopefully will not have to spend time on defending itself against the constant barrage of complaint and question from Mr Whitley as it as in the past. But unfortunately he will not be totally absent from our thoughts as we have to find some £3,000 from next year’s budget to pay for this by-election, so we will not be able to do as much as we’d planned.

The only reason that I have taken the time to compose this letter is that prior to the election result even being announced, Mr Whitley while standing alongside me actually said to another person present, ‘To be honest I didn’t think I had a chance of winning’. This admittance only confirmed to me that he was well aware that every single person within the Parish of Gilberdyke would have to pay for this election however he didn’t really care about the result.

Finally I would like to thank the people of Gilberdyke for sending out a clear message to Mr Whitley that enough is enough.

*Number of Gilberdyke voters at 1st December 2010

Nick Norris

Chairman, Gilberdyke Parish Council

Gilberdyke Flood Relief Work Restarts After Delays

After all the delays, frustrations and the waiting, construction of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council funded second and third phases of the new Gilberdyke surface water drainage system is underway and should be complete within a few weeks. This £85k to £90k investment includes a 300mm diameter culvert which will connect the previously flooded properties on Westbrook Close and Westbrook Road to the new 900mm diameter culvert, funded by Gilberdyke Parish Council as phase one of the overall scheme. This first phase was completed some months ago by the same contractors and performed as designed during the heavy rainfall experienced on August 3rd this year - which offered some peace of mind for the residents flooded in June 2007.

Once complete this new drainage scheme will take a significant amount of surface water out of the village during heavy rainfall, reducing the pressure on the Yorkshire Water system, and existing surface water systems (which have also been improved by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board and Network Rail), therefore almost all Gilberdyke and Sandholme residents will benefit from a reduced flood risk in the future.

Although the conventional wisdom is that this type of work is best not done in the winter, but the on-going delays resulting from the mischief making from a very small number of residents have left the Council and their contractors with little option but to push on regardless.

I know that the delays experienced on the first phase did cost the Gilberdyke taxpayer more financially, and has had a knock on effect - but we are very lucky that this section was up and running before the rains seen in August.

Credit for this should be given not just to the Parish Council and the Flood Action Group, but also the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Land Drainage section, the consultants Mason Clark Associates, and the contractors L & K Warkup – all of whom had to put up with so much, but prevailed.

I hope that fewer problems are experienced on the second and third phases and the work is completed as soon as possible.

Gilberdyke's Community Funded Drainage Culvert Worked During Heavy Rainfall

Although Gilberdyke didn’t get anywhere near as much rainfall as Goole yesterday it was great to see the new community funded culvert taking all the water. I’m reliably informed that some 25mm of rain fell in the village and although some water levels did rise on some of the roads and at least one garden saw some localised flooding, I’m not aware of any flooding in people’s houses.

The water entered the culvert at the western end without obstruction and flowed out into the large dyke known as Far Drain at the eastern end. The head of the water forced its way out of the culvert and into the dyke even though the level in Far Drain was above the level of the culvert during the peak flow.

Needless to say the culvert did exactly what it was supposed to do, we would not have seen the water move so quickly through this section prior to the work taking place, as the narrowness of the former dyke and capacity of the previously potted sections with their ‘protective grills’ would have created the pinch points and impeded the flow, as highlighted in the survey conducted by Mason Clark after the 2007 floods. The report from this survey subsequently led to the culvert being installed.

All in all it was rewarding to see the system work, and I look forward to the remainder of the work being completed in the near future enabling the culvert to be extended to drain surface water from those at risk properties in Westbrook Road. This of course puts less pressure on the existing surface water and foul water systems in the village meaning that the flood risk to the whole village is reduced.

Many thanks to Gilberdyke Parish Council and the Flood Action Group, the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Drainage Engineers, and the community for their support, a great result of what can be achieved by working together.

Phase 1 of Gilberdyke Flood Relief Scheme Approaches Completion

Gilberdyke Parish Council is pleased to confirm that the much anticipated phase 1 redevelopment of the critical drainage system in the village will soon be completed, and work will then continue onto phases 2 and 3 on Station Road, Westbrook Road and Bellasize Park.

During the public session of the recent Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 12th July 2011, the individual who has fought the Parish Council ‘tooth and nail’ for month after month delivered what is hoped was his final inaccurate salvo, when he stated that in his opinion the new system will not work. It was pointed out that the system had been designed by Mason Clark Associates in conjunction with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s drainage engineers and the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board, and the likelihood of all the professional people involved in designing and putting the project together, and the contractors, all getting it wrong was slim. It was also pointed out that all his concerns had been previously addressed by Eddy Allen, the Clerk to the Drainage Board.

It was further explained in considerable detail how the system within the village dovetails with further works planned to lower and widen the dykes down to the river at Blacktoft, where a new large pumping station is to be installed. This larger project will benefit the much wider area than just Gilberdyke, and will also prevent the tidal effects we see in Far Drain as the water rises and falls at the outlet to Phase 1.

As the work on phase 1 reaches its conclusion the Parish Council has to consider the future of this important section of the redeveloped drainage system. It has been established that the strip of land above the run of the new culvert (that was the original dyke) is still in the ownership of the developer.

The Parish Council is very concerned and disappointed to learn that even before the first phase is completed some residents of Scalby Lane and Chestnut Drive properties are attempting to ‘land grab’ sections of this strip of land as theirs - even though it is owned by another party. This ‘land grabbing’ has to cease and it has to be realised that such actions compromise the future maintenance of this critical drainage system for the whole of the village and surrounding area.

It was agreed by the Parish Council that the next important step was to ensure the future safety and secure maintenance of the new system, and would approach the actual owner of the strip of land above the run of the drain, with a view to the Council taking on the responsibility for and to ensure control of this section. A meeting has been arranged for early August.

“I was disappointed that even after the work has been almost completed the Parish Council is still subject to accusations from the same individual, who has been lightening quick in attempting to claim part of the land above the run of the new culvert for himself. I have visited a number of the properties affected by the work and spoken to many residents, most of which seem very impressed by the standard of work and the way the site has been left, as with projects of this size there are always some very minor issues around replanting of shrubs and landscaping that require addressing – but which I’m confident will be cleared up as soon as possible. More importantly the affected residents I have spoken to are very happy with how their gardens have been left, and I hope this serves as a reassurance to those residents who will be affected by the further two phases which are to be carried out shortly”.

Gilberdyke Parish Council says No to extending the life of local tip

At last week’s meeting of Gilberdyke Parish Council the members decided to oppose the planning application to extend the life of the Gilberdyke Landfill Site on Leatherdog Lane.*

Eleven Newport residents attended and were given the opportunity to put their concerns to the members. It was accepted that over the long years of operation of this particular landfill site there had been many complaints to the Parish Council, and it was believed complaints had also been to the Environment Agency.

The Parish Council agreed that the site should be allowed to run until November 2011, then for operations to cease for good, but raised concerns that the amount of traffic, the size of the lorries, and the fact that long hours during the 6½ days the tip is open is affecting the day to day living experiences of the residents on Thimblehall Lane and through the village of Newport. Concerns were also raised that HGVs were also using other routes to the tip including Newport’s Mill Lane.

The Council also raised concerns regarding health and safety in respect of litter from the tip being allowed to blow over the surrounding land and nearby properties.

It was demanded by the Parish Council (not requested) that a classified vehicle count be conducted at the entrance to the site, to indicate the size, type and number of vehicles using the site and at what times, and this should be done immediately.

In conclusion Gilberdyke Parish Council requests that both parts of the planning application be refused and use of the site ceased for good in November 2011.

(*As an ERYC Councillor who presently sits on the Planning Committee that will ultimately decide the future of the site, I took no part in the debate or the decision making – so as not to pre-determine my position which could prevent me from voting on the application as a Planning Committee Member)

Newport littered by plastic bags blowing from tip

I’ve had a number of calls recently regarding the amount of litter and in particular plastic bags blowing across the fields from the west towards Newport.

When I checked, I found this is coming from the tip alongside the M62 adjacent to Gilberdyke’s Leatherdog Lane, blowing across the fields and getting caught in the hedgerows and fences, particularly along the side of Newport’s Thimblehall Lane and the hedgerows between.

When I looked closer the amount of litter coming from the tip is quite widespread and clearly not acceptable. I have asked the Council’s public protection officers to look into this. I have also had a number of historic complaints from the farmer of the land south of the tip regarding surface water run-off and potential pollution.

The owners of the tip have recently made an application to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to extend the life of the site. This follows a similar extension approved in 2006. Whilst the site is technically in Gilberdyke Parish the HGV movements to and from the site are almost all via Newport’s Thimblehall Lane. A number of people have raised issues around this application to vary the condition on the life of this site.

I hope that this application will be heard before the Council’s Strategic Planning Committee (which is made up of Councillors) rather than be determined by Council Officers under delegated powers. This would allow for a full and frank debate and for residents to be given the opportunity to put their points to the Committee.

I feel that Newport Parish Council should be fully consulted on this planning application because of the HGVs travelling to the site down Thimblehall Lane.

Details of the application can be found by clicking here

If you wish to comment on the application please write to: Pete Ashcroft, Head of Planning, ERYC, County Hall, Beverley, HU17 9BA – or by email at pete.ashcroft@eastriding.gov.uk quoting reference. Application 11/00931/STVARE, Gilberdyke Landfill Site, Leatherdog Lane, Newport

Gilberdyke Flood Relief Project Begins!

After all the organisational work, all the arguments and all the hassle - construction work has finally started on the Gilberdyke Flood Relief project this morning. Those who were affected by the June 2007 floods will, I’m sure, be looking forward to the work being completed and the risk of future flooding being vastly reduced.

Once the new culvert is installed there will be less pressure on the Yorkshire Water sewage system (into which an amount of the surface water discharges at present) and the other surface water drains, therefore this culvert will have a positive effect for most of the village.

This is the first of the three phases and the section which takes the surface water from most of the village, once completed the other two phases can then follow on soon after, looking towards a completion date for the whole system in the spring.

There will obviously be some minor disruption during the undertaking of the work, some people have raised the issue of the pipes being stored near the Health Centre and another raised the issue of the spoil being temporarily piled at the side of the public footpath. Hopefully the pipes will soon be buried in the ground and once the job in completed the spoil and waste materials will all be removed.

This work is a great example of a community working in partnership with organisations such as the Parish Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board.

Many thanks to all those people who have stuck with this.


(Pictured with the contractors who had to hand dig the first section)

Gilberdyke Flood Relief Scheme - The pipes have been delivered!

The pipes have been delivered – this being the first sign of the work starting on the new culvert running behind Gilberdyke’s Scalby Lane and Chestnut Drive, to enable the surface water to run out of the village during times of heavy rainfall.

This is the first phase culvert, that once complete will allow the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to install and connect the next two phases of the new drain up to the properties on Station Road, Westbrook Road and Westbrook Crescent that were flooded in 2007.

The whole project will lessen the flood risk to all properties in the village by reducing the pressure on the Yorkshire Water pumped sewage system during times of heavy rainfall, which we saw during the floods.

There were times in the past 2½ years when I wondered if the village would see this work start, but needless to say after all the obstacles put in the way of the Parish Council and the community as a whole we are moving ahead.

Thanks to Eddy Allen of the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board, East Riding of Yorkshire Council Drainage Engineers, Gilberdyke Parish Councillors, members of the Gilberdyke Flood Action Group and most importantly the residents for sticking with this through some particularly difficult times.

Gilberdyke Flood Relief Scheme latest

Over many months since the flooding of 2007 Gilberdyke Parish Council along with residents, engineers from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, consultants Mason Clark Associates and the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board worked to put together a comprehensive flood relief scheme for the village. The scheme is in three phases with the Parish Council responsible for funding the 1st phase through a £80,000 public works loan, which was approved earlier in the summer.

(Pictured with Gilberdyke Parish Councillor John Jessop)

Needless to say after many hours of work by many people, last week this project to prevent future flooding in Gilberdyke was effectively stopped, because consent to allow access to the dyke into which a new 900mm diameter culvert is to be installed was being denied by three residents. This was subsequently detailed in the article published in the Goole Times Thursday 2nd December 2010.

The Lower Ouse Drainage Board (LOIDB) had worked with the Parish Council to obtain the consent from residents to access the existing dyke running at the rear of their properties on Scalby Lane and Chestnut Drive. The final deadline for this consent was noon on Friday 19th November, to allow the work to commence the following Monday.

The Parish Council held an extra ordinary meeting where it was agreed to pay for any damage caused by gaining access to the dyke over the one key property on Scalby Lane, it had previously been resolved to precept an amount each year to contribute to the maintenance and cleaning of the new culvert. Sadly this was not enough to satisfy the key householder. The deadline passed and the contractors who were due to start the work on 22nd November were stood down as the required consent from the one key householder in particular, plus his two sons who live in two different properties had not been forthcoming.

The Parish Council then held another extra ordinary meeting with the only item on the agenda being how the essential flood prevention work could be progressed. The key householder and one of his sons who had also not given consent, along with three residents whose homes were flooded in 2007 attended. The Parish Council agreed to give the key householder and his family one more opportunity to give their unconditional consent for access for the duration of the work, and gave Friday 26th November as the new deadline.

An email was received on 25th November from the key resident indicating that he was willing give his consent in writing and would speak to his sons to persuade them to give their consent too.

Again the revised deadline passed with no written consent from the three householders, and the Parish Council was left with no option but to put the scheme on hold.

The parish council also held a Parish Surgery on Saturday 27th November 2010 in the Common Room on Scalby Lane. Many of the concerns raised by the residents who called in were regarding the flood prevention work and much anger expressed as to why it has stalled at such a late stage.

Thankfully on the morning of Friday 3rd December the key householder delivered his signed letter along with similar letters from his sons to the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board offices, giving access across their properties. Ironically this was the day after the Goole Times published the article.

The Parish Council has held discussions and been able to renegotiate the Public Works loan, and also informed the contractor that the work can now go ahead. The Council is looking at the work starting on this much needed flood prevention scheme as soon as weather conditions allow, and hoping along with residents that a rapid thaw does not occur to cause further flooding.

I am pleased that common sense has prevailed and I look forward to seeing the work completed as soon as possible.

Gilberdyke and North Cave Parish Councils take the lead to clear snow in their villages

Both Gilberdyke and North Cave Parish Council’s took the lead and employed diggers to clear the unprecedented levels of snow from the streets within their villages.

After numerous complaints and requests from residents Gilberdyke Parish Council employed Sweeting Brothers who provided a tractor with a snow plough blade to clear the streets within the village. Local framer Miles Kirk from Oxmardyke also provided his loading shovel driven by local businessman Howard Malcolmson to remove some of the snow from the roads where it would create problems for pedestrians if the snow was pushed from the road onto the footpaths. The Parish Council's road sweeper, Parish Councillors and volunteers also donned shovels to help with the work.

After receiving similar requests from residents North Cave who were finding it difficult to get their vehicles from their driveways to the main roads in the village, employed local farmer Dick Brown with his loading shovel to clear the streets in Manor Road, Blanchards Lane and others.

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) has done a sterling job in keeping the 800 plus miles of A and B roads clear, but simply does not have the resources to work on all the minor roads and streets within villages. This is why I feel it is important that the communities pitch in to do their bit, and as we have seen in Gilberdyke and North Cave - the Parish Councils have taken the lead.

I acknowledge that there are going to be lessons learnt from this recent period of snow. Perhaps we need to look back to the past when we had farmers ready to go to clear the minor roads using their tractors. I remember when I was growing up in Faxfleet the local farmer had a snow plough that he attached to the front of a tractor.

If we had been able to call on an army of farmers with their modern 4 x 4 grain shovels or using simple snow ploughs, the snow could have been cleared before it turned to ice, and we would not be witnessing the inches of compacted and frozen snow on minor roads and streets within our villages.

People say it’s the compensation culture that is preventing people from clearing the snow from outside their properties and more so shopkeepers from clearing the snow form outside their retail premises. The East Riding of Yorkshire Council has issued guidance to Parish Councils but I feel more needs to be done to dismiss the rumours surrounding this compensation culture where people are afraid to become involved in helping themselves and others for fear of being sued.

Gilberdyke's new roadsweeper/gatemen

I would like to take the opportunity to recognise the services provided to the village of Gilberdyke by two recently retired employees, Bryan Coultish who for many years kept the village clean and tidy as the road sweeper, and Mel Gregory who was a part-time play area gateman.

The retirements meant that the remaining gateman, volunteer parish councillors and Memorial Hall Committee members stepped up to open and close the play area gate every day. This also gave the Parish Council time to re-evaluate the position of road sweeper and gateman, and subsequently one job-share position has been created.

The Parish Council is pleased to announce that as from today Terry Wilcox and Stephen Carlill (pictured with Parish Council Clerk Sue Nicholson and I) start in their new role as road sweeper/gateman on a job share basis. Dave Branton will continue in his part-time post of gateman for the play area.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank both Mel and Bryan for their long service and hard work over the years, especially Bryan for keeping the village spotless and so tidy, and to wish both a long and happy retirement.

All aboard the 'Wallingfen Way' open top bus tour

On Sunday people from Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave took part in a consultation event with a difference – a continuous open top bus tour between the three villages, dropping off at a presentation held at Newport Village Hall as part of the Wallingfen Way project.

(Pictured with Sheffield University Student Kate Jackson and North Cave Parish Council Chairman Steve Skipsey at the beginning of the bus tour)

The Wallingfen way project is a visionary initiative, set up by the three village Parish Councils aiming to remove a ‘scar on the landscape’ (the B1230) and replace it with a distinct rural community corridor, known as ‘The Wallingfen Way’. The project aims to reinforce the distinctive character and identity of three Howdenshire villages, Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave, to reclaim the road for the local community.

The project began when Newport and Gilberdyke Parish Councils came together because of a mutual dissatisfaction with the main road through the two villages. The road was bisecting the villages and became a ‘bully’ that prevented growth of the communities and their identity. North Cave joined the working group shortly afterwards with a different set of problems. The narrowness of the road caused many traffic problems, which need resolving, and it was hoped that the introduction of North Cave would have a positive effect on the project as a whole and add weight to the argument for the rural community corridor. An Urban Analysis team was brought on board, led by Dr Lindsay Smales, and, following extensive community consultation and analysis, a design brief was drawn up.

Leeds Metropolitan students were also involved to uncover the real problem areas along the road and pose suggestions for solutions.

Initial funding was won from LEADER, a program financed by the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development and DEFRA. The program is being overseen by Yorkshire Forward as part of the Rural Development Program for England.

As part of a six- week live project, students of the University of Sheffield joined the design team in October this year.

Following discussions, it became clear that the problems the villages were facing did not just end with the B1230. Gilberdyke and Newport were suffering with a lack of visible community identity and the road was exacerbating this problem. The students conducted further community consultations to uncover the true identity of the villages. ‘Roadworks?’ events were held in the three villages over the course of a week. Workshops were also run at Newport Village School to understand the younger community’s aspirations.

The consultations highlighted not only the lack of awareness about the project itself, but also the frustration of the community, waiting for long-term improvements. The students have developed short- term and long- term visions for not only the B1230 but also the surrounding public spaces that could be developed. They looked at short-term ideas that could be instigated by the community itself and would allow tangible improvements over the next few years, at little cost. It was hoped that by populating empty spaces along the road the village identity would become more apparent to drivers and this would encourage them to travel with more care.

The ideas and findings were presented on the continuous open top bus tour. Special bus stops were placed in each of the villages, which gave the community a chance to see the students’ ideas and catch a ride down to the accompanying exhibition in Newport Recreation Hall on the vintage open top bus.

The event was well received by the 40 + passengers who attended. We received positive feedback regarding the exhibition and the bus event itself - people used that opportunity to discuss their ideas, give us direct feedback on our proposals and voice their opinion regarding the future of the Wallingfen Way and its villages. There was some concern amongst certain residents that this would not necessarily lead to any developments due to a lack of funding – but they appeared to be reassured when the different time frames for various parts of the project were explained, ranging from the next 12 months to the next 20 years.

Hopefully this event raised awareness for the project, and that it is moving forward, and gave the community another chance to give feedback on the project as a whole. I hope that the work will spark enthusiasm, publicity and support for the project and leave a legacy of ideas for the local communities to take hold of and adapt as they see fit.

For more information on the Wallingfen Way project please click here

Proposed 20mph casualty reduction scheme for Gilberdyke

Gilberdyke Parish Council is working with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) on a proposed 20mph casualty reduction scheme or zone for roads ‘within the village’. The Parish Council consulted residents at a public meeting in August at which people were able to put forward their views. The proposal was quite popular with residents and received a great deal of support.

By cutting average speeds to 20mph or less, experience has shown that injuries on the road can be reduced significantly. This is because road users have more time to react to danger.


As well as reducing the chance of collisions, slower speeds can mean that in any collisions that still occur, injuries are less serious. Young children and vulnerable road users are especially at risk and a 20 mph zone can help to reduce this risk. The casualty history in the area is that there have been 7 casualties, including 4 serious injuries in the previous 5 years. The scheme is to be funded from the ERYC Capital Programme and is "ring fenced" to contribute towards the Councils casualty reduction target.

Following the public meeting, the ERYC conducted further consultation over the affected area, with every household receiving a consultation leaflet. Residents were asked to complete and return the consultation form. Of the 364 leaflets returned, 291 (80%) were in favour of the scheme, 64 (18%) were against, and 9 (2%) were returned with no clear decision.

It has been confirmed that after feedback from residents and others, that no speed humps are proposed for the scheme. However two 2 speed reactive signs are planned to be installed on Clementhorpe Road/Scalby Lane to remind drivers of the speed limit on the long straight.

The next stage is for the ERYC engineering team to draw up the scheme and for the formal traffic orders to be progressed, which, upon completion of due process, will render the 20mph legally enforceable.

I have also asked the ERYC to look at the feasibility of having a ‘Peak Hours Waiting Restriction’ for the section of Clementhorpe Road that runs from the Memorial Hall corner to the school and beyond. This would be in addition to the 20mph zone and would address the parking problems we see outside the school at drop off and pick up times.

Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave 'Wallingfen Way' project hits the road

Wallingfen Way is a visionary concept aiming to remove ‘a scar on the landscape’ (the B1230) and replace it with a coherent boulevard known as Wallingfen Way, a distinct rural community corridor. The Project aims to reinforce the distinctive character and identity of three Howdenshire villages, Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave, to reclaim the road for the local community.

Following recent 'Roadworks?' public consultations the Live project team present an open top sightseeing tour.Look out for the 'wallingfen way' bus stops on the day or check http://www.wallingfenway.org.uk/ for more information closer to the day.

An accompanying exhibition of our visions for the future of the B1230 will be on display for one day only at the Recreation Hall in Newport on the 31st October between 1pm and 4pm.

This event is organised by Students of the University of Sheffield as part of a 6-week live project focused on generating short term and long-term visions for how the B1230 can be improved.

'The Wallingfen Way' is an initiative of three Howdenshire parish councils of Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave. For further information please visit http://www.wallingfenway.org.uk/

Students from University of Sheffield descend on the villages of Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave to consult on the future of the B1230 road

Pictured with the University of Sheffield studensts and North Cave Parish Council Chairman Steve Skipsea

Students from University of Sheffield are descending on the villages of Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave as part of the award winning ‘Wallingfen Way’ project, looking at how the B1230 road running between and through the three communities can be improved in the long term.

The students are holding a series of consultation events to gather information from local people on the possible improvements they would like to see to the road and it’s environment.

The first event was held in North Cave today (Tuesday 12 October), with two further events being held at Newport’s Canal crossing and outside Gilberdyke’s shops - both starting at 10am on Friday 15th October.

A further inducement can be seen in the photograph left - I did try one cake, but only one - it would have been rude not to!

Yes to Coalbed methane exploration in Howdenshire - But No to walking over local opinions

Scottish energy company Composite Energy will have to go back to the drawing board for a proposed 900m deep exploratory borehole in the search for coalbed methane on a site near Marr Grange Farm in Oxmardyke near Gilberdyke.

The Government’s planning inspector Mr K Williams ruled to uphold the decision of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Planning Committee to refuse the application due to unresolved access issues.

At the time when the application was before the Planning Committee the members supported my proposal that the Marr Grange site be refused on the grounds of the access along Marr Lane, a very narrow road with a history of subsiding into the dyke alongside, and repeated damage to the water main in the roadside verge. It was determined that the road was unable to cater for a great number of 32 or 34 tonne lorry movements. The preferred access was a more direct and shorter route directly from the much wider and more substantially constructed Tongue Lane. The Market Weighton Internal Drainage Board and Gilberdyke Parish Council had highlighted this, and the Committee agreed the risk was unacceptable.

The ERYC Planning Officers had recommended approval and subsequently employed a consultant, but unfortunately neither could support the reason given for refusal. This led to the Council Officers offering no evidence at the public inquiry held as part of the appeal process. It was left to Peter Clark, the recently retired Clerk to the Market Weighton Drainage Board and I as the local Councillor to come up with and present the evidence, challenge the applicant’s witnesses and be challenged by their Barrister. But I guess the end justified the means and we won the day.

The company use a pioneering method of drilling, it is hoped they are successful and that a large and reliable gas field is found, as this would bring a tremendous boost to the local economy. It would also help to reduce the imports of gas from foreign lands, some of which are controlled by unstable and unpredictable governments.

I therefore hope that the company will learn from this appeal decision and realise they can't walk all over local opinion, and now go back to the landowner and renegotiate a more direct and shorter route from Tongue Lane to the proposed site. Ironically this would mean any temporary road from a highway to the drilling site being much shorter than originally proposed from Marr Lane.

Gilberdyke Flooding and Memorial Hall Funding Issues

Gilberdyke residents may have received a letter from a Mike Whitley in which he details what he believes to be the flood relief scheme in Gilberdyke and the funding plans for a replacement Memorial Hall. He also makes serious and false accusations about the Parish Council as he seeks to satisfy and further his own agenda. Most residents are aware of the proposals and the funding arrangements, and the Parish Council has published a rebuttal document to clarify the details of the scheme and address Mr Whitley’s accusations directly.

Mr Whitley appears to have totally misunderstood the scope of the flood relief works, how it is to be funded and how the consultation process was carried out. He also fails to understand how Gilberdyke people feel about their Memorial Hall.

The document can be found at: http://gilberdyke.org.uk/

Gilberdyke Parish Council has unfortunately been subject to Mr Whitley’s actions for many months, which have cost the Parish Council a considerable amount of extra money and wasted time. The Parish Council has been open about the scheme and the cost implication from the very beginning, and has consulted extensively with residents. Now is the time to move forward with the flood relief scheme - as any further delays may well result in the work not being completed this year.