We request that Derbyshire County Council Highways Department urgently consider the dangerous nature of the Derby Road / Old Derby Road junction, particularly for pedestrians. With the significant increase in the number of homes and the opening of three retail outlets near this junction, a safe way to visit the shops on foot or by bike is needed.

Planners seem to have forgotten all about pedestrians in their approval for the opening of three shops on the edge of an industrial estate in the Derbyshire market town of Ashbourne. Documents from the County Highways department discuss at some length the movement of cars and lorries to and from the mini supermarket and fast food outlets but make no mention of pedestrians which seems strange when the local council talks about sustainable development in their Local Plan which (amongst other things) seeks to reduce the use of private cars.

The National Planning Practice Guidance (2014) means that when a developer applies for planning permission, they have to satisfy the planners that their proposed development will not significantly affect air quality both in the vicinity of the development or further afield, eg by increased traffic congestion.They also need to show that they are not going to expose the new residents of their estate to existing sources of air pollution.To do this they submit impressive looking documents full of computer generated figures and graphics which they believe show that their proposals will cause no harm.

This derelict eyesore, vandalised and partially burnt out was once a hospital in the attractive market town of Ashbourne in Derbyshire. Known then as the Ashbourne Victoria Memorial Cottage Hospital, it opened its doors in 1897 and was an imposing building on Buxton Rd., Ashbourne, next to St John's church. An Ashbourne landmark, there were even postcards issued as illustrated here; After closing in 1962 it was sold and eventually ended up in the hands of a landlord who let it out as flats, calling it Victoria Court Flats. Unfortunately this landlord, like many others, has failed to maintain the property, instead allowing it to become unfit to live in. Some have ventured inside to show just how grim it has become - see here for photos of the inside.

Town Cllr Dave Elsworth has spent the past two years or more trying to convince planners and highway engineers that the new housing developments off Chesterfield Road, especially the huge Gritstone / Pinewood Road site will inevitably create gridlocked local roads, including roads which converge on Crown Square, not to mention the public health impacts from air pollution.

Matlock's GPs are n ow warning us all about the threat to future health care provision, given the serious impacts of unsustainable new housing developments in Matlock and Tansley. The Wolds Action Group recently approached local health care professionals due to growing fears about overstretched facilities.
In response, our doctors say that building 100s more houses without the capital investment required to cater for them will inevitably add even more pressure to our creaking healthcare structure. So far, no extra money has been provided for GP practices, but even when it is it will be inadequate, so we will see queues for GPs getting longer.
While private developers are making profits of many £millions, any Section 106 agreements will be nowhere near enough to solve the problem, and will only be one-off payments, so the Government also needs to provide capital funding for a new health centre to serve Matlock and Tansley.

Most developers seem to be doing their best to avoid building the affordable homes required in our new Local Plan, by pleading poverty, all because of the cost of mitigating problems such as ground contamination or surface water flooding. This should not be tolerated, but developers exploit loopholes and local councils are rarely backed by the Tory Government when developers appeal against any refusal of planning consent. Councils also seem reluctant to challenge developers on such important matters, before planning consent is granted.Another problem is that for the last two years the District Council appears to have spent only a small proportion of their Section 106 receipts on new affordable housing schemes in the Dales, even though Matlock has done better than other places. It seems obvious that building such houses was much easier in the past when local Councils found sites and built their own houses, with much better control than at present. Surely the time has come for our Tory led Government to delegate house building powers to councils once again.

You wouldn't believe the fuss about replacing the long since felled Horse Chestnut tree which used to dominate the Smedley St crossroads close to All Saints Church in Matlock.
The long suffering Civic Association, along with County Cllr Sue Burfoot just want to get a replacement tree planted, preferably with a small area of paving or grass around it. However, red tape has held up the process for several years, with our Tory so called 'Enterprising County Council' insisting on doing all the work itself, at a cost of over £13,000, but paid for by the Town Council, Civic Association and perhaps community grant funds. Please note that not one penny was ever coming from the County Council ! We think most of the work, if not all of it, like supplying and planting the tree, could be done a lot more cheaply by a local, specialist firm and save everyone a lot of money. This is a case of 'Do what we say…and pay for it as well' ! Despite the intervention of Cllr Burfoot, a senior Tory Councillor has now rejected a compromise scheme. How long will it be before this eyesore becomes a traffic hazard?

Jeremy Corbyn was asked "If you could stop Brexit, would you?"
His response?
"We can't stop it. The referendum took place. Article 50 has been triggered."

But Brexit can be stopped through a People's Vote

Vince Cable

This demonstrates, if proof were needed, that Jeremy Corbyn is working hand in glove with the Conservatives to deliver their ideological Brexit.