Council tight-lipped over Halley field plan
SOUTH Holland District Council is remaining tight-lipped about proposals which could see Spalding’s Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field paved over as part of a major retail development.
Since the revelation in last week’s Free Press that the field could be used for new shops, opinion has been firmly split between those opposed to the loss of green space and those in favour of a boost to the town’s economy.
But all sides are calling on the district council to act in the best interests of everyone, with one reader, John Tippler, accusing the council of “covert” behaviour by trying to get the scheme “cut and dried” before going public (see Letters to the Editor, page 4).
The main sticking point with those who are against the plans is the loss of green space in the town centre, particularly as the Sir Halley Stewart is held in trust “in perpetuity” by the district council for the benefit of Spalding people.
Bill Johnson, of King’s Road, said: “It is once again necessary to point out that the people of Spalding, in whose name the Sir Halley Stewart Field was left in trust, do not want this piece of green space in the town centre built on.
“Why do we need to become like all the other small towns all over England with the same shops, built in the same soulless fashion?
“Come on, South Holland District Council. We have a charming market town that has a great deal of potential – develop that.
“These developers are only interested in making money, not in what the local people really want.”
But the developer’s assurances that the field would be replaced with “better” green space within the town have allayed some readers’ fears, with one spaldingtoday website visitor calling for the trustees to take the “pragmatic approach” by allowing the development to go ahead.
Spalding Jerry added: “The investors will go elsewhere with their millions if we turn this down and then what’s left – decades of decline and decay. I know which option I want for my children and I believe our councillors have a responsibility to act in the best interests of the town.”
A spokesman for the council said: “We are aware that there are proposals to use some of the land for development but at this stage there has been no formal planning application for the site.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Spalding
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North east
Comments
There are 15 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Rodney Sadd
Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 12:35 PMFirstly the Sir Halley Stewart playing field has been an ideal location for football over the past decades and I have been a supporter of a refurbishment because of the central location. But the facility has been run down and the council will not redevelope the site for sport. They would sooner spend £10 million on the Castle Complex and that would exclude outdoor activities such as football and tennis. Secondly if the current site was turned into a central park, all we would be left with is empty bottles and beer cans. As a football club, Spalding United deserve better and a facility could be developed for sports for all. It is time to moderise and move on for the benefit of Spalding and the surrounding areas. Also with the Winfrey Avenue development proposals, this should have happened years ago, instead Springfields outlet was born and Spalding Town centre started to die. If the authorities get it right this will be good news for the people of Spalding and the regeneration of the town centre.
geoffdorrofield
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 08:36 PM'no formal application at this stage' says a council spokesman so who is trying to wind everyone up ? or is it a way of testing peoples opinion before deciding what to do ?
Mr Angry of Tonbridge
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 07:31 PM@joggaju. I still go out and meet people. Restaurants, pubs, the library and the homes of family & friends are all still places of social interaction. I also readily admit to being old fashioned enough to want to check the fresh fruit and veg before I buy it. But, electrical goods, clothing and other non perishables can all be bought on line cheaper than in shops. My point, is that it is unlikely that there will be any long term benefit to putting more shops on the Sir Halley Stewart field, even ignoring the covenant as to its use.
joggaju
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 01:32 PMOh well Mr. Angry that will be the end of social interaction then - let's just sit at home and click on the acomputer keyboard and do all our shopping - my god is that really supposed to be progress?
Mr Angry of Tonbridge
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 11:04 AM@James Mark. Thanks for the clarification. I am certainly not against progress and I am concerned that we are not looking far enough ahead. I'm an old f@rt and can see that even I am doing a lot more buying on the internet. More and more older people are becoming aware that they can save money and get as good or better service by shopping on line. Business people need to be finding ways of developing that on line experience to make their profits because it is more cost effective in terms of labour and premises upkeep. This means that people who work in shops will also need to educate themselves with a view to moving on too.
Adamlfc9
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 10:54 PMany good news for the town should be welcomed. It's not a museum piece. Things change.
James Mark
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 10:43 PM@Mr Angry. You misunderstand my comments. I didn't meet Sir Halley personally but I understand his intention was to help the people of Spalding. The current set-up does not do that. If something can be done to improve our lot then I want to hear about and I want to see it. That's all.
fenlander
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 10:19 PMThe town centre was largely killed off when it was pedestrianised, at least Holland Park has vehicle access and parking. As for the Halley Stewart being a green space for the people of Spalding to enjoy - there's only 22 people a week get to do that and half of them are bussed in to play.
ysandy
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 08:58 PMCouncil may well be tight lipped about it all, after all they would'nt want another white elphant, like the red quarter.
ysandy
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 08:28 PMRemember curries, well let me remind you its still empty, that book shop in town , molsons, think about the shops empty in town before you start taking the green greeen grass out of town and putting some big store their to compete with another or more small shops which will no doubt end up empty, or even another shop wanting to have a liecence to sell ALCOHOL.
Poacher
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 08:25 PMSir Halley Steward field first then you see will Ascoughfe Gardens be next Spalding councilers all standing in a row waiting for their brown envelopes thank you very much sir . We all know money talks volumes.!!
springs
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 08:11 PMWell said James Mark most of my friends and all my family want to see new things happening in Spalding instead of it becoming a ghost town like others which have gone against development.
Mr Angry of Tonbridge
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 07:20 PM@James Mark. You are in favour of completely disregarding the wishes of the person who donated the field to the people of Spalding and set conditions on it that the council agreed to. Is that correct?
James Mark
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 04:54 PMGive that man Bill Johnson a medal. In one fell swoop he demonstrates the most staggering hypocrisy - how can he say on the one hand that the developer must not be so arrogant as to presume to know what the people of spalding want or do not want, but then he goes on to claim that he does!!!! Here's news Mr Johnson - you do not speak for me, my family or the vast majority of friends and neighbours I speak to. We want exciting new plans for the town thank you very much.
Mr Angry of Tonbridge
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 12:50 PMWhere is this "better" green space within the town? Are they going to turn Market Place into a field? As I've said elsewhere here, shops are going out of fashion as more people buy goods on line. The evidence is clear in the accelerating amount of money being spent through internet sites, the number of charity shops in the town centre and the churn of those at Springfields.
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.