COMMUNITY AND ESSENTIAL SERVICES

CHURCHES

The parish church of St Peter’s and the resident Rector provide Anglican

services and pastoral care for the whole community; in the appraisal this

building was highly valued by 87% of respondents. The Methodist Church

on Main Street not only provides religious services for the community, but

is also used as a meeting place for village activities.

SCHOOL

St Peter’s Church of England School is attended by approximately 90% of

the village’s primary age children. It is highly regarded both by the

community and OFSTED (almost a quarter of respondents to the appraisal

indicated that the school was one of their three top ‘most liked aspects’ of

the village). There is also a well regarded Pre-school Playgroup and St.

Peter’s School plays an active part in the life of the community. The local

secondary school is Toothill Comprehensive in Bingham

HEALTH

The Medical Centre in its new premises on Butt Lane caters for East

Bridgford and the surrounding villages. It’s improved facilities incorporate

substantial healthcare services and a pharmacy. There is a voluntary

Care Group and a private physiotherapy practice located elsewhere in the

Village.

SHOPS & SERVICES

The Post Office & Village Shop, the Newsagent and Hairdresser, provide

valued services and are supported by nearly every household within the

village on a regular basis. There is a wide selection of tradesmen providing

building, plumbing and decorating services who are used by the village

residents. East Bridgford has two public houses, the Reindeer Inn on

Kneeton Road and the Royal Oak on Main Street, each providing their own

individual styles of facilities.

10 East Bridgford Parish Plan 2004

POLICING

No Police officer is currently based within the village and although there are day centres located at

Bingham and Radcliffe-on-Trent, the main station at West Bridgford is the nearest 24 hour centre.

88% of appraisal respondents ask for a greater police presence. There is a fully co-ordinated

Neighbourhood Watch Scheme covering the village and liaising with the Police; they also advise

on additional security measures householders can take. The twelve-month moving average of

offences in the village has increased to 8.16 crimes per month (February 2004), more than twice

the level of two years ago. In the appraisal, the majority of those residents responding to the

relevant questions are concerned about burglary, anti-social behaviour and vandalism (with figures

of 57%, 43% and 42% of the total respondents respectively). However, in spite of these concerns,

a large majority of residents feel safe within the village.

RECYCLING AND RUBBISH COLLECTION

There is a well-used paper collection point in the village car park and further recycling centres are

situated in surrounding towns/villages. There are also a number of Nottinghamshire County

Council Household waste sites within a 10 mile radius. A large percentage of the community

recycles waste material. The majority of appraisal respondents rated the rubbish collection highly,

although large-item rubbish collection is rated fair to poor. One in three respondents claimed that

they could be persuaded to recycle more waste if facilities were available. In September 2003

(after the appraisal was conducted), Rushcliffe Borough Council introduced the Recycling-2-Go

scheme encouraging more use of recycling within the household. Differently coloured bins have

been provided to separate refuse into household and garden waste. Card and paper waste is also

collected.

UTILITIES

The main drains & sewage systems are considered as excellent or good by 49% of the appraisal

respondents. The relevant organisations recognise that these services have reached capacity.

The essential services of electric, gas, water, telephones and mail delivery are all rated good.

However services to properties are still below current environmental and technological

requirements. There are still many unsightly overhead cables. Broadband internet access is

currently unavailable within the village.

East Bridgford Parish Plan 2004 11

SPORTS, LEISURE AND SOCIAL FACILITIES

SPORTS AND LEISURE

Butt Close is a large grassed open space, providing a focal point for all outdoor sports. 9 out of 10 regard it

as an important or very important part of the village environment. It provides cricket and football pitches,

three hard tennis courts, a bowling green, children’s play area and a skate board ramp. There is also a

well-equipped Sports Pavilion. Butt Close is a vital facility for St Peter’s Primary School. There are two

additional grass tennis courts else where in the village. All sports and play facilities are very well used.

The outdoor sport and leisure facilities are considered to be ‘very good’ or ‘good’ by at least 50% of all age

groups. The facilities for the disabled are, however, considered ‘poor’ by 60% of respondents. (See

adjacent graph)

MEETING PLACES AND INDOOR FACILITIES

The Village is well endowed with meeting halls. The Village Hall is the centre for indoor sports and

activities and is also used for entertainment, fund raising and meetings. Behind the Hall are the King

Edward Snooker Club and a Scout Hut. The WI Hut situated in the corner of Butt Close, and is used for a

wide variety of meetings and activities including the Pre-school Playgroup. The Methodist Church can also

be hired for village activities and meetings and both public houses offer facilities. The appraisal shows that

nearly all villagers use one or more of these facilities at some time or other, however disabled access is a

problem at some of these indoor facilities. (See adjacent graph)

The indoor facilities for young adults, for teenagers and the disabled are considered poor by a majority of

respondents. About half of the young people who completed the Youth Questionnaire think that there is

nowhere to ‘hang out’. In contrast, facilities for mature adults, the elderly and young children are

considered to be adequate or better.

CLUBS AND SOCIETIES

There are over 35 sports and social clubs, societies or associations within the Village. They provide a

wide and differing range of activities for all age groups. A list of all these is annually updated in the Village

Magazine’s December edition which is distributed to every household in the Parish.

The appraisal recorded membership and awareness of clubs and associations. The organisations

concerned are being informed of the findings.

CONSERVATION, PLANNING AND THE ENVIRONMENT

12 East Bridgford Parish Plan 2004

A self-contained Village Design Statement has been produced to help guide future change in a way that

will enhance rather than detract from the quality of life in the village. The VDS draws on results from the

Parish Plan Appraisal as well as including more specialist conservation input provided on a voluntary

basis. It also takes into account current national Planning Policy Guidelines. It has been submitted to

Rushcliffe Borough Council for adoption as Supplementary Planning Guidance,. Once adopted the VDS

will be used as a consultative document in any planning issues. The full Village Design Statement is

appended (see page 31) but issues that arose in the consultation process are included in this section of

the Parish Plan.

CHARACTER AND FEATURES

East Bridgford is regarded by the respondents to be a good blend of a traditional and a commuter village,

but with a tendency to be seen more as a commuter village. It is considered to be good blend between

being progressive and reactionary, but with a leaning towards being a village that wants little change.

Residents consider that the buildings, environment and location create the special character of the village.

There is clear agreement among 9 out of 10 respondents on the seven best features of the Parish's

environment; which are the Church, the surrounding fields, Butt Close, the old houses, the footpaths, the

location above the Trent, and the mature trees.

CONSERVATION AREA

The majority of respondents think that the Conservation Area is important, and 58% favour extending it.

Its boundary is complex and confusing. 19% percent of the respondents did not know whether their house

is or is not in the Conservation Area. (See map page 47)

DEVELOPMENT

The majority of residents think that the village is being over-developed. There is a mixture of opinions on

whether there is too little variety in the type of new houses available. On balance, most villagers prefer

more traditional styles of architecture to modern styles. There is a diversity of views on the aesthetics of

specific properties. A number of buildings and extensions erected in the mid twentieth century (e.g.

entrance extension to the village hall) are considered by both the appraisal respondents and the VDS

photographic volunteers to be out of keeping with the village and that these are areas which could be

enhanced.

East Bridgford Parish Plan 2004 13

PLANNING ISSUES

Many people are opposed to more housing within the parish, but would support better

shopping facilities (since the appraisal the village shop has been extended). If new homes

have to be built in the parish, there is general agreement that housing for the elderly and

starter homes are the priority. Least favoured is the four-bedroom executive home. It was

felt that pedestrian and vehicle access is an important issue for new housing developments.

The conversion or replacement of existing buildings, followed by infill with single dwellings is

more acceptable than large-scale housing developments. Over half reject all development

at the edge of the village and there is strong rejection of even carefully designed larger

developments outside the village envelope. However, a number of the residents taking part

in the Visioning Workshop considered that breaching the boundaries to avoid excessive infill

would be acceptable. There is support for craft workshops and businesses employing local

residents but there is opposition to light industrial units.

Respondents to the appraisal strongly hold the opinion that, should any developments

outside the village envelope be approved certain features should be incorporated. These

are trees and green areas, a height limit of two storeys, that the belt of fields between the

village and main roads should be maintained as a buffer, and that any industrial/business

developments should have both adequate screening and easy access to main roads other

than through the village centre.

On consultation with the residents it was considered that any development outside the

village envelope and those inside which are significant (over 5 houses) should be subject to

village consultation by the Parish Council.

It was considered that changes to village character should be monitored within the Parish.

CONSERVATION, PLANNING AND THE ENVIRONMENT

A number of buildings and extensions erected in the mid 20th century are

now considered out of keeping with the village setting.

14 East Bridgford Parish Plan 2004

TRANSPORT AND ROADS

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

There are currently two scheduled bus services linking the village to Nottingham, Newark and

Bingham. A significant minority (19%) considers the bus service plays a vital role in their day

to day lives. The service to Bingham and Nottingham is considered irregular, particularly at

weekends and evenings. It was noted that the Newark to Bingham service via the village,

although regular, had no displayed timetable, this has now been rectified.

The nearest rail links are Bingham, Radcliffe and Lowdham. These are currently only used by

a small percentage of the village, but the appraisal results show that this could be increased if

there were a shuttle service to the stations.

HIGHWAYS, PAVEMENTS AND FOOTPATHS

The single most disliked aspect of life in East Bridgford is its ‘poorly maintained streets and

pavements’. In the appraisal over 50% cite this as a problem. Other concerns are street

cleaning/litter, winter weather services (for example gritting), poor drainage and over-grown

hedges. Lack of pavements and of signage are both mentioned. The litterbins are often

overflowing and there are inadequate dog bin facilities. Surface water running down Trent

Lane remains a persistent problem in wet weather.

East Bridgford has an extensive network of footpaths and bridleways. These are regarded by

86% of respondents as a ‘very important’ or an ‘important’ feature of the village that should be

preserved. They are exceptionally well monitored by Footpath Wardens, who also organise

guided walks along the paths during the spring and summer months. A ‘Parish Paths’ leaflet

was distributed in January 2003.

Currently there is poor pedestrian and disabled access to the Medical Centre along the south

side of Main Street from Ludgate Drive, and access from via the north side of Main Street

necessitates crossing two roads. Disabled provision within the village needs to be reviewed

and updated in accordance with current legislation.

The exits and entrances into the village at the A46 and Trent Lane junctions are perceived as

a ‘problem’ by over two thirds of respondents.

PARKING

Inconsiderate parking and special events parking are highlighted by 94% of

respondents to the appraisal. The parking black spots identified are the school,

residents’ street parking, the Village Hall, the Post Office, Butt Close, the

Newsagent/Hairdressers, the Church and the Methodist Church. Respondents

also commented that it is difficult parking close to meeting and sporting venues.

There is strong support for: persuading parents/carers not to use cars for the

school run (78%); extending the Main Street car park/creating additional car

park capacity (63%); introducing double yellow line restrictions at black spots

(58%) and enforcing existing yellow line restrictions (55%). Other suggestions

include parking permits, encouraging other modes of transport and off road

parking for residents.

East Bridgford Parish Plan 2004 15

TRAFFIC AND SPEED

Considering the high proportion of car ownership and usage within the village,

East Bridgford has a good safety record. There have only been two reported

minor traffic accidents in the recent years, and these did not involve pedestrians.

A majority of residents consider the sheer volume of traffic to be too high, and that

there are potential problems with ‘rat run’ traffic, speeding, parking and the school

runs.

In response to concerns about the ‘rat-run’ traffic, the Parish Plan Committee

conducted a traffic survey in June. Traffic flow was measured along the village

approach roads during morning and evening rush hours and late morning. The

findings largely support the residents’ view. For example, during the morning rush

hour 67% of the traffic entering the village from the A46 cut straight through.

The speed limit within the village is 30mph, however there is a widespread

perception that traffic speed is a problem (87% of respondents). There are major

concerns about safety for both road users and pedestrians. Alternatives to car

use could be explored along with traffic calming measures, especially along Main

Street and Kneeton Road. When asked for their views about the best way to

reduce speed, two thirds of households suggest illuminated 30mph signs, a

pedestrian crossing outside the Medical Centre and enforcing the existing speed

limit. Half the respondents opt for speed bumps at the Village entrance/exits.

TRANSPORT AND ROADS

MAIN RESULTS OF TRAFFIC SURVEY

Morning Rush Hour

67% of traffic entering via A46 cut straight through the village (86 vehicles/hr)

34.7% of traffic entering via Trent Lane cut straight through

31.3% of traffic exiting via the traffic lights had cut straight through the village

279/hr flow of vehicles exiting via the traffic lights during morning rush hour

Evening Rush Hour

31.4% of traffic entering via A46 cut straight through the village

40.2% of traffic exiting via A46 had cut through the village

27.7% of traffic entering via Trent Lane cut straight through the village

Only 13% of traffic entering via the traffic lights cut through the village

124/hr flow of vehicles entering village via traffic lights

133/hr flow of vehicles exiting village via the traffic lights

EFFECTS OF THE PROPOSED DUALLING OF THE A46

A separate consultation project addressed this, and the village concerns are now being put

forward in the consultation process by the A46 Action Committee and the Parish Council.

The proposed A46 plans will affect the flow of traffic through the village; the current

Highways Agency proposals will probably reduce cut-through traffic significantly but will

create a high-level lit roundabout in close proximity to the village. The widened A46 will

contribute to noise and light pollution in the immediate area, and this would be

exacerbated if the new road comes closer to the village. A number of bridleways and

footpaths to the south of the village may also be affected.

CYCLISTS

The majority of households own bicycles but there are currently no cycle routes in

and out of the village or on the adjacent main roads. A majority of respondents

have concerns about the safety for cyclists on the A46 and A6097. More than half

would like to see a cycle lane from Gunthorpe to Bingham, linked with East

Bridgford.Disabled provision within the village needs to be reviewed

and updated in accordance with current legislation.