Trains and boats and roads!

I’ve commented many times of the changes happening in and around Sleaford: often taken from local newspapers and the TV. This week things seem to be coming to a head! All I could do was summarise and then catch my breath! I have concentrated on just a few but there are more! These are, I think, connected but perhaps not obvioulsy so. My comments are in the order in which they may be completed - but there are many ifs and buts. I have been in contact with Lincolnshire Highways and Eco2 for clarification.

So first there is the Biofuel development near Kirkby la Thorpe. I contacted the firm and they gave me this information: they are aiming to begin the construction programme in April 2010, although there won't be any significant activity on site until the end of the summer. There are procedures to be adopted. The plant should begin operating in autumn 2012. The proposed vehicle numbers remain at 100 per weekday (i.e. 50 in plus 50 out).

Secondly: the farm bridge development over the A17. This is progressing and will tie in with the cycle track netwok between Leasingham and Sleaford. It will phase in with the new houses, near the mini-rioundabout close to the main Holdingham Roundabout, which are expected to be near completion by end 2010. This will help relieve the A17 and open up the possibility of future developments near Sleaford Wood down to East Road.

Thirdly the Rec Road and the bridge over the railway line: which was approved by NKDC, as the responsible body, last June. Funding for this will come from a major retailer. Ordnance Survey is required to map this revision and will do so as part of their regular update process. Its’ exact number is not yet known as this will be determined following discussions between Highways and the Department for Transport.

Closure of the station gate: this will ultimately be decided by Lincolnshire Highways - in consulation with the Rail Authority.

Finally, for the time being, and maybe this is the real driving force: these developments may be to facilitate a link through Sleaford to the Werrington Junction near Peterborough. The link is to Doncaster: via Spalding and Sleaford. This may carry up to 100 Freight trains per day. This has been covered in a local weekly newspaper column ByTheWay by journalist John Pinchbeck’. Thanks John!

So it is, or may be, all happening. At least it offers a response to those who say Sleaford lacks development. However it represents a lot of change which some will welcome as the future for local jobs and security - and others won’t. The only anecdote to those who won't is:

I remember a story (apparently true) of a community in the Outer Hebrides who, at the Sunday Church, prayed for rain, after a long dry spell, as fresh water was in short supply. I can’t remember the exact words but the priest apparently said, sic, “Dear Lord, please send rain to help us in our daily lives”. For the next week it didn’t just rain, in literally “peed” down non-stop. The next Sunday a bedraggled priest and congregation assembled in Church: the Priest clasped his hands together, looked up, and said ”Lord, dinna be ridiculous!”

Ditto for Sleaford perhaps! Cheers!

Sleaford is in the prosperous part (really!).

Can we stay there?   Do we want to?

I spent part of the week trying to help where I could with drainage problems. The local papers were highlighting problems near Sleaford - and this seemed to be part of the same problem. To be fair Anglian Water and our own NK Environmental people did help to resolve matters. Whether or not 'real or imaginary' I was getting the impression that our infrastructure might be creaking a bit under continuous expansion. Things might just get worse without more investment!

So I was interested in the latest regional and national news about which parts of the Country were prosperous and which weren't. They were talking about economic well-being rather than quality of life which can mean different things. Even within a community like Sleaford there are haves and have-not areas.

There has been much talk recently about the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ and the divides within England and the UK in general. We are in the haves area but I am sure some will disagree. See this haves/have-nots map for an idea of what it means. It’s a bit broad-brush.

It was mentioned on the local news recently with interviews with residents in Beverley (in a have-not area) who seemed to think the criteria being used was wrong anyway. They were happy (probably Beverley is not typical of a have-not area!) but that’s the problem with these type of study. I think may places near the Lincolnshire coast would not think themselves as being in the haves area.

Anyway what is important is what makes up a have or have not town (like Sleaford I suppose but we are smaller in size) and cities. I got this data from a Centre for Cities report. For the ‘haves’ the five to watch were given as: Brighton, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Reading. For the have-nots: Barnsley, Burnley, Doncaster, Newport and Stoke.

The ‘have’ cities/towns have strong private sectors, high levels of entrepeneurship, highly educated work-forces and large shares of knowledge intensive jobs. Most of these are much larger than Sleaford but you get the drift. Added to that I would add; a strong infrastructure of drainage and transport; and the affordability of housing for starters. The have-nots were those with low business start-up and a high rate of residents with no qualifications.