Welfare action demand
6:09am Thu Jan 19, 2012
Enforcement action is being urged if the administrators of the former miners’ welfare site in Ollerton don’t take steps to clear and secure the site.
The building on Whinney Lane was demolished last year and has since been left as a pile of rubble.
Ollerton and Boughton Town Council clerk Mrs Karen Wakefield said Newark and Sherwood District Council had written to the administrators, Bradford-based firm Auker Rhodes, but had received no response.
She said she would now try to arrange a meeting between the town and district councils, MP Mr Mark Spencer, and Auker Rhodes to try to get the site cleared.
Mr Ray Shilling said the town council needed to take the initiative.
“We cannot take our foot off this,” he said. “We need to keep it going and set a deadline to have this meeting.”
Councillors said the site was a health and safety hazard.
Mr Shilling said it was not clear if the utilities had been shut off. The site is surrounded just by temporary fencing.
“We need to be clear about these things,” he said. “They have left the site in a disgraceful condition when the brief should not only be to leave it secure but in a reasonable condition.”
Mrs Stella Smedley said: “We have a major health and safety hazard on our hands. We are not sure if the services have been shut off, the fence is obstructing the pavement and it is opposite a primary school.”
Mr Stan Crawford said the town council should ask the district council to take action, and should not wait if the administrators could not attend the meeting.
“We need to go to the district council and say that the site needs securely fencing off and the services disconnected.”
The Advertiser contacted Auker Rhodes but no one was available for comment.
Please note: If this is your first comment on the new system, you are required to verify your email address before your comment will appear.
