Ferret has been approached by a representative of Hemsworth Miners Welfare F.C who states that they previously enquired about taking a lease on the former allotments site in Fitzwilliam with a view to creating a Rugby League Centre for the enjoyment of all and to help reintroduce the sport to our area.
Independent Hemsworth Town Council refused the request, as they said the land was for sale and the money had been earmarked to develop the former Sports Complex on Kirkby Road in Hemsworth.
As we are all now aware, the former Sports Complex on Kirkby Road no longer belongs to Independent Hemsworth Town Council. However, the former allotments site in Fitzwilliam is still in the process of being valued with a view to being sold.
If the site is to be retained, Ferret believes it should be developed into something for the whole community to enjoy.
Hemsworth Miners Welfare F.C have offered one proposal, Ferret would be interested to hear how the members of our Township feel about this?
Or are there any other suggestions on what you would like to see on the site?
Finally, Ferret believes the sale should be stopped and be subject to a full formal public consultation, which is open and transparent.
The outcome of which has a robust business case which will not become a burden on you the precept payers in years to come…
I’m fully convinced Kenyon will now carry out a “scorched earth” policy before he leaves HTC. In revenge for his inevitable failure.
Yes I agree, he needs dethroning and powers removed by councillors asap
I’m afraid the land will be sold for some more (much needed) housing, with the full support of WMDC to meet any future housing targets. If this goes ahead, it would be good to see far more innovative, eco-designed tiny houses, which low income first time buyers could consider as homes, rather than the more expensive (and more profitable) housing we have become used to. Maybe if the land ownership was transferred into a Trust and sold in small plots for ambitious folk to build their own houses, might be a better option? I just like the idea of an eco- village, where local folk are given the opportunity to learn and develop.
If not housing, I really do think that Fitzwilliam would benefit from a village green, with everything that could offer the village to bring the community together for events outdoors. A safe and central meeting place for everyone.
I have offered up these ideas before but, unless they are fully documented and supported, I’m not sure what effect this will have. It should be the role of our HTC to do this for us, but that’s not likely to happen. Do we need a separate community group, to look after ourselves in Fitzwilliam? We definitely need to start to shout about our thoughts, somehow.
I believe this land should be put to public consultation why does Mr kenyon have a say on how this land is sold and where the money WHICH belongs to Fitzwilliam goes
Keeping the land for recreational purposes would be an advantage to Fitzwilliam and put a start to leveling up on things that other villages have that Fitzwilliam doesn’t
Many people feel Fitzwilliam has always been left behind with things that they Nedd and want
I totally agree Fitzy.
It is possible to call a public meeting (by 10 residents) to discuss this and propose a ballot/poll be held to gage overall public opinion. The outcome would then go to the WMDC Monitoring Officer. BUT, I believe the whole of Ward 7 would be entitled to vote, so I’m not sure what the outcome would look like. If this could coincide with the May 22 local elections, it would reduce costs too.
I’m not sure is the land is currently on the market. I did ask Alan Draper some time ago but he said it was still being valued.
So, it is possible, but long winded.
I’m a Fitzwilliam resident born and bred in the city only yards away from the allotments. My immediate concerns are that HTC seem in one hell of a rush to cash in on valuable assets by way of land and property in Fitzwilliam. They wanted to sell land in the Newstead they wanted to dispose of the community centre (old folks centre) and now this and one can’t but wonder that any proceeds from those sales would have been used to finance the pipe dream of a football Mecca at the far end of Hemsworth so in effect the residents of Fitzwilliam would be paying for a facility used primarily by Hemsworth residents.
I’m not totally opposed to some kind of recreational facilities being developed there but my reservation on that is as follows. 1 Any such development must be self financing and all on-costs self financing and not down to solely HTC precept payers the day of double rating residents is over and needs to stop it’s not out of meaness but purely an acceptance of the financial reality of the world we now live in. We can’t keep expecting pensioners and people on low incomes to pay more and more.
If there is a justified need for more recreational facilities then a joint approach by all concerned HTC, district councillor’s and MP should be made and put with vigour to WMDC to provide those facilities. The sad truth is that WMDC have to their shame overlooked our area for years it’s not a myth it’s true and I speak as an ex employee.
Housing. There is a desperate need for social affordable housing in this area and we can’t keep kicking the can down the road in principle I’m not against the land being developed for such purposes. There is also other land within close proximity to it with potential development. I’m no planning expert but I believe the land would be considered brown belt and infill land given a development would not encroach on existing green belt land as is the case up near the park and neither would any development conjoin two villages either Ackworth or Kinsley.
The site as good transport links the railway station is only a short walk away giving access to Leeds Wakefield Doncaster and Sheffield. Whatever will be will be but in the meantime no sale should go ahead without proper public consultation and transparency throughout the process and on that point I doubt the current HTC will have the desire to deliver now a large spanner has hit them on their heads and woke them from their pipedreams of saturating the district with football pitches.
I believe that the sports club have a number of football pitches already, and don’t they also have the large cricket ground just adjacent to the main road behind the houses and old folks centre they got when the pit closed. That could be opened up for some public use and not locked off as it is now. It would make an ideal village green, it used to be used for the local galas, as well as continuing to be used for sports. Personally it looks to me that we have more than enough sports areas in our township to meet demands if utilised to their best potential. At the end of the day there are many more people not interested in sport than those that are, perhaps the money or area should be utilised to meet their needs, at the end of the day we all foot the bills for them.
Fair play for all no disrespect but the cricket pitches are in use throughout the cricket season which I believe is from April to October. I doubt they would want them using for other purposes more so in the winter months it would probably destroy the pitches. I believe the cricket and football clubs are now separate entities each having their own structure. As you say there is no shortage of fields there are two at the back of the main football pitch adjacent to the allotments and in the past have been used for rugby Hemsworth tigers played there for years
Another idea I had was to use the Club Terrace land as a hub to generate energy to enable Fitzwilliam to become a totally off grid village, using a variety of cutting edge technological thinking. We could generate thermal energy initially, then add in solar and wind later on. It would be an ambitious long term project but everyone would benefit and I’m sure it could attract grant funding. Other villages must be starting to think along these lines, so there would be opportunities for partnerships too. Obviously a feasibility study would be needed.