Latest news with #publicspace
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Bid to turn former tip in Loughborough into public space dropped
A bid to turn a former rubbish tip in Loughborough into a new park or public open space has been dropped. Charnwood Borough Council says it planned to transform the former refuse site behind Loughborough recycling and household waste centre into a new public open space. However, no progress has been made on the plan in the last 20 years and the council says it has been left with "no route" to complete the project due to lack of cash. Officers have now asked the council's ruling cabinet group for permission to lease the site to a company nearby, which plans to install solar panels on the land to power its premises. A report compiled for the cabinet says the land is currently not occupied or maintained in any way and is not accessible to the adds there is a locked gate, but it is often "breached" and "used for anti-social behaviour purposes, such as motorcycle riding and illegal camping".The report says: "Local government now faces significant challenges, both in terms of funding and in terms of local government reorganisation, which may continue to prevent any meaningful redevelopment of the site."Officers had considered installing solar panels on the site themselves in 2022, but realised they would not be able to connect the panels to the National Grid for another 10 years. Instead the authority is now looking to lease the land to an unnamed company which plans to install its own solar panels to power its premises nearby. The council's cabinet is being asked to confirm the land is surplus to requirements and approve the lease at its meeting on 6 June.
The Sun
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Abandoned English lido delays reopening date after £6.8million restoration
MAKING WAVES Plus, the UK's best lidos that are open now Alice Penwill , Travel Reporter Published : 11:51, 28 May 2025 Updated : 11:51, 28 May 2025 WORK to upgrade the Grange Lido in Morecambe Bay began two years ago - but it's now missed its second opening date. The salt-water lido overlooking Lakeland Fells has been closed since 1993 with plans to refurbish it with £6.8million worth of funding starting in April 2023. 4 The Grange Lido in Morecambe Bay has been undergoing upgrades Credit: West Morland and Furness Council 4 The lido has been closed since 1993 Credit: Alamy When work began on the Grade II listed site at Grange-over-Sands, the project was expected to last 14 months. However the original reopening of summer 2024 was delayed, and it has been set back once again. The first phase of the restoration is to reopen the site with a temporary infill of the pool to create a new multi-use public space. The Westmorland and Furness Council said it was sorry to "disappoint" residents and it would announce a new reopening date in the coming weeks. There is good news though as council leader Jonathan Brook said most of the work on the project had been completed and it looked "fantastic". He added: "It is important that we get this right, understanding that the lido project seeks to restore this important structure after more than 30 years of closure and several previous attempts to bring it back to life." Completed works at the lido include an upgrade to the pavilion building as well as an accessible entrance from the promenade. The changing rooms have been upgraded, and works to the roof and terraces has been completed, along with security upgrades, cleaning, and external decoration. The lido fell into disrepair in 1993, so significant structural and architectural works have been undertaken - including concrete repairs to the diving board. A new playground area has also been installed on the site. New £4million lido to open in UK next year 4 The lido overlooks Lakeland Fells Credit: Alamy The Grange Lido is one of only four remaining listed coastal lidos in England, it was constructed in 1932 and remained open for 61 years. It was closed in 1993 due to low usage and rising repair costs. It remains the earliest and most complete 20th-century listed sea water lido in England. In 2011, the lido was granted grade II listed status and in the same year, the Save Grange Lido group was formed. The group has grown in strength with 18,000 people signing a petition calling on the council to include reopening of the pool in any plans to restore the lido. During the second phrase of the restoration project, the infill will be removed. The 50m pool will eventually be restored, fitting out changing rooms, and extending the central pavilion. This seafront English lido has been named one of the best in Europe. Here's another Edwardian lido that people say is like 'being in the Med' named one of the best in the UK. And the UK's best outdoor water parks and lidos to visit when the temperatures are set to soar. 4 The Grange Lido is set to be turned back into a pool during phase two Credit: Alamy
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Colorado residents fume over Denver's $20M pedestrian bridge: 'Who is this for?'
Colorado residents have been left scratching their heads over a new $20 million walkway in the state capital, branding it as 'completely unnecessary' and a waste of taxpayer money, with one even questioning: 'Who is this for?' The renderings for the project – meant to celebrate Colorado's 150th anniversary as a state – were unveiled by Gov. Jared Polis earlier this week, prompting less than positive responses online. 'I'm thrilled that Coloradans can now visualize this walkway and its amazing positive impact on our community,' Polis wrote. 'Now, when Coloradans of all ages come to visit our State Capitol, they can more easily access and enjoy Lincoln Veterans Park while enjoying and learning from art from local artists.' Comments from members of the public on Polis' social media posts about the project have been, for the most part, negative. 'I understand no public funds are being spent, however this is a public space,' wrote one user. 'This bridge feels like a clunky, over the top solution. Isn't there a simpler way to approach this that doesn't destroy the experience of civic center?' Added another: 'This is so strange. Who is this for? Where are they parking and where are they walking to? Us peasants simply take the bus to Colfax and Lincoln and use the crosswalk.' 'Just think of all the good this money being used could have gone toward', wrote a third, with another adding simply: 'Waste of time and money. Completely unnecessary.' Polis announced the plans to build the bridge last year, with a price tag of between $18 million to $20 million that would use both private and public funding. According to the governor's office, the bridge is intended to resemble Colorado's flowing rivers. John Deffenbaugh, President and CEO of Historic Denver, said the bridge was out of place in Denver's historic Civic Center area and does 'nothing right.' "It doesn't take pedestrians from A to B in a way which is convenient for them,' Deffenbaugh told 9News."It's a national historic landmark. It's a historic district. 'There are several layers of policy documentation to protect the evolution of this site to ensure it evolves in keeping with its historic characteristics. This bridge really plows right through everything that makes this park great." Historic Denver had been aware of the project since August of last year and was initially expecting a ground-level crossing improvement. "We were really hopeful that it was going to be a ground-level crossing experience with enhancements to crosswalks, enhancements to paving, really something to improve Lincoln and Broadway," Deffenbaugh Deffenbaugh told 9News. "Unfortunately, that's morphed into a huge raised overpass over Lincoln, which really just drops people off at the corner of Broadway and Colfax for no reason."
Washington Post
26-05-2025
- Washington Post
Miss Manners: On the proprieties of public photography
Dear Miss Manners: As a frequent tourist, I take lots of photos wherever I go. I try not to be intrusive, but it isn't feasible to ask permission of anonymous people in public spaces, and U.S. courts have ruled that nobody has a right to privacy in such settings. Everyone carries a phone these days, and the number of people taking photos has increased exponentially as a result. Candid photos are much more interesting than posed photos or photos without people. Social realism is a movement in art and photography.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wenny Meadow homes approved despite 551 objections
Formal approval has been given to plans to build 93 new homes on a meadow, despite more than 500 at Fenland District Council agreed nearly two years ago to approve the development at Wenny Meadow, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, but official permission has only now been given after the agreement of conditions and financial 93 homes are set to include four five-bedroom houses, 25 four-bedroom houses, 40 three-bedroom houses, 20 two-bedroom houses, and four one-bedroom are proposed to be part of a wider development to the east of the town of around 350 homes. In planning documents submitted to the district council, the developer said it would "provide a large amount of public open space incorporating a [play area], ecological benefits including the creation of new habitat, as well as economic benefits including increases in local expenditure and support for jobs both directly and indirectly through the proposed development."However, the project was met with backlash from people in Chatteris, with 551 formal objections lodged against the application was recommended for approval by planning officers, who said: "By providing a new community with accessible open and green space, in a high-quality environment, with easy access to local services, the scheme will make a valuable contribution to improving the overall health of the local community."When the application was considered by councillors in July 2023, they ultimately agreed to approve the plans, subject to the agreement of conditions and financial to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, an update report published by the district council in April recognised a "significant amount of time" had passed since that planning committee said amendments to some conditions had been made and financial contributions from the developer towards services in the town had now been said they still recommended the plans should be approved and the district council has now agreed to formally grant planning permission for the development. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
