LEISURE CENTRE USERS FROM BRIGG TAKE CAREFUL NOTE

Essential maintenance, re-decorating and re-flooring work is to be carried out within the sports hall and leisure suite at Ancholme Leisure Centre, serving the Brigg area.
The sports hall will be closed on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 April and then from Monday 11 to Sunday 17 April. There will be no activities running in the sports hall on these dates.
The leisure suite will be closed on Wednesday 6 April.
All other facilities at Ancholme Leisure Centre, off Scawby Road, Scawby Brook, including the gym and the swimming pool, will remain open as normal. 
North Lincolnshire Council, which operates the facility, has apologised for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closures. 
"We look forward to welcoming you back to a fully-open Ancholme from Monday 18 April 2016," it is telling the public.

PSYCHIC & CLAIRVOYANT FAIR IN BRIGG

A psychic and clairvoyant fair will be held in Brigg on Sunday (April 3).
The venue is the Lord Nelson pub, in the Market Place (10am to 4pm).
All welcome - admission £1 (payable at the door).

CUP FINAL AT BRIGG TOWN FC TONIGHT

There's a cup final in Brigg for football followers to watch tonight (Thursday, 31st March).

At The Hawthorns ground of Brigg Town FC,  Crowle Town Colts will meet Scunthonians in the Tortank Barton Brotherhood Cup Final (K.O. 7-30pm).

The appointed officials for this TSW Printers Scunthorpe & District League competition final are C Brine, J Hyke and  J Snowden.

Last Saturday, Briggensians  lost 3-1 at Limestone Rangers Reserves in a division three  game, Sol Hari scoring for the Brigg team.

There is no game for  Briggensians on Saturday (April 2).

DIVISION THREE                                  

                                                         P   W   D   L    F    A  Diff Pts

      THE BUTCHERS ARMS (champions)  14  13   1   0   62    8  54   40

      LIMESTONE RANGERS RES             16   9   3   4   48   28  20   30

      BARNETBY UNITED RES                  17   8   4   5   52   43   9   28

      A.F.C. QUEENSWAY                         15   7   2   6   47   27  20   26+

      COLLEGE WANDERERS   RES         14   8   2   4   40   29  11   23-

      SCOTTER UNITED RES                     18   6   4   8   41   49  -8   22

      BRIGGENSIANS                               14   6   2   6   32   26   6   20

      CROWLE TOWN COLTS RES          16   4   5   7   36   52 -16   17

      SANTON                                             17   2   1  14   21   82 -61    7

      MIDTOWN UNITED                          13   1   2  10   17   52 -35    5

BRIGG SIGNS ON RAILINGS CAN CONTINUE

Conditional advertising consent to display signage for Abbey Village, Brigg, and temporary banners, has been granted by North Lincolnshire Council.
The location is 34 Wrawby Street, near the A18 and The Monument war memorial.
Consent has been granted until March 2021, and there is a condition that banner adverts shall only be displayed on the site one week in advance of any events being publicised.
This is "to avoid unnecessary clutter" says the council, quoting policies in its North Lincolnshire Plan.
Another condition stipulates that no more than two banner adverts shall be displayed at a time.
A report by council planners said: "In this case, highways have raised no objections to the proposal and therefore in terms of public safety the proposal is considered to be acceptable."

PRAISE FOR BRIGG TRAIN CAMPAIGNERS

The campaigning Friends of the Brigg Line railway group has been praised by Town Mayor Coun James Truepenny.
Stressing how the town enjoys fantastic support  from The Friends, he said: "This is one of the most enthusiastic and well prepared groups, who work hard to keep all levels of government informed on how the line is genuinely affecting customers. They provide agencies with invaluable evidence and information."

BRIGG HOMES PLAN STILL WAITING

At the height of summer last year we attended a Brigg Town Council Planning & Environment Committee meeting when councillors considered an application from a Lincoln company to build six new homes, with garages, on land to the west of Almond Grove.
We remember it was a pleasant evening so after the deliberations had concluded we took a walk to the proposed site, viewing it on three sides - from Ash Grove, across the Donkey Field play area and from Atherton Way.
Now we are about to enter April the following year and North Lincolnshire Council has still to deliver a decision on an application registered way back on July 29, 2015.
Most of the consultation replies came in last August (including Brigg Town Council), with The Drainage Team responding during September, North Lincolnshire Highways in October and the Environment Agency  in November.
A Noise Impact Assessment of the site also reached planners that month. We can't trace any further correspondence since then.
North Lincolnshire Council has now afforded "Pending" status to this application. We hope it isn't going to take much longer to deliver a decision.

BRIGG CONTRACT WORKERS ACCOMMODATION APPROVED

North Lincolnshire Council has now approved the change of use of the Riverside Mews Residential Home in Brigg town centre to provide accommodation for contract workers.
The site at 34 Market Place is within the Brigg Conservation Area and the building is Grade II listed, overlooking the Old River Ancholme and being close to the County Bridge.
A report prepared by council planners said: "The use, as proposed, has been in operation for approximately 18 months and has not resulted in any known complaints or objections from surrounding properties. There are no physical works to the building itself. Therefore, there is no adverse impact on the character of the listed building, the setting of the listed building, or the character and appearance of the listed building. No objections have been received from neighbours, the town council or any other consultee. The use itself is similar to that of a hotel/guest house and is not out of keeping with the town centre setting. It is considered that the use is acceptable and is in accordance with the policies in the local plan and core strategy."

QUALITY FLATS PLANNED FOR BRIGG TOWN CENTRE

Permission is being sought to create four flats in Brigg town centre.
An application seeking approval to change the use of existing rear office space to form four one-bed flats, including external alterations to 6 Market Place,  is now being considered by North Lincolnshire Council.
Approval is being sought by  Mr & Mrs Grimley, of Market Court Developments.
It is proposed to convert   the rear element of the building  from office space "to high quality residential  flats in the heart of the Brigg town centre."
A December application to change the use of existing rear office space to form six one-bed flats, including external alterations, at 6 Market Place was subsequently withdrawn.

BRIGG TOWN MAYOR EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE

Brigg Town Mayor Councillor James Truepenny told the Annual Town Meeting in the Angel Suite: "I have to say that the future of our town is looking very bright indeed."
He added: "The facelift the town has been given, along with the support of the ever-vigilant Brigg Town Business Partnership, has led the town to runner-up spot in the Great British High Street competition.
"This is incredibly important national recognition for the town. The continuing improvements to the services offered in Brigg reflect the hard work that the business owners have put into developing their public face.
"The Vale Academy will celebrate the opening of its new school site later this year.
"The nearby Newlands Estate will be transformed over the next 12 months with new road systems to support a densely populated area of the town.
"The new Riverside path has been completed, giving everyone a better access to the countryside. Longer walks mean healthier and happier citizens.
"Finally, to complete the theme of renewal, the Angel Suite lift is in the process of being replaced, allowing for continued disabled access for the local groups who ue this building and specifically this beautiful ballroom."

£10,000 AVAILABLE TO BRIGG GROUPS

Brigg Town Mayor Coun James Truepenny delivered his  report to the Annual Town Meeting in the Angel Suite, during which he highlighted sporting and cultural successes of the previous 12 months.
He also explained how £10,000 is being made available to help local organisations.
The Town Mayor said: "When the Town Council budget was set in January, the concensus of opinion was that there needed to be a larger pot of money to enable the Town Council to support local voluntary organisations with their work for the Brigg Community. As a result the budger for grants and donations was raised from £1,500 to £10,000.
He added: "This year the Town Council has made donations to St John's Church Hall for the purchase of a newe cooker for the refurbishment of the hall. A donation has also been made to St John's Singers for the purchase of a replacement keyboard.
"Finally, a donation has been made to Brigg Bowls Club to help fund ground works for disabled access to the bowling green.
"The town can also be proud of some superb sporting achievements this year. Both the Koku Ryu Karate and the Wado Ryu Karate Clubs go from strength to strength with some magnificent achievements at national and international levels.
"The Under 12 teams of Brigg Town Junior Football Club made it through to the semi-finals of the Lincolnshire Cup, having faced teams in four other rounds. They lost to Market Deeping Rangers on Sunday, 6th March. Nevertheless, this is a great achievement.
"The U14, U15 and U16 teams at Brigg Netball Club are all league champions this season."

WORTHY NOMINATIONS FOR FREEMAN OF BRIGG HONOUR

Freeman Tom and Maureen Glossop

FROM KEN HARRISON

Brigg Town Council created precedence some years ago and made a very deserving candidate, Tom Glossop, a Freeman of the town.
A grand gesture that recognised Tom's hard work and devotion to Brigg.
But are there others, presently in the shadows, who could qualify to be seriously considered to be similarly recognised?
Personally, I would suggest, at least, two town-folk - Tom's wife, Maureen; a major force   in the past for organising the Poppy Appeal, as well as her unselfish work with the Senior Citizens' group.  Similarly, we have a quiet man and gentleman, Tony Parker, our voluntary footpath warden. His coordination with NLC has maintained that the extensive network of public footpaths about Brigg and district are accessible to all to enjoy.
I certain that neither Maureen, nor Tony has sought public recognition, but this should not deter BTC from assuming the initiative and to consider such town people as potential Freemen of Brigg.
N.F. adds: The term "Freeman" seems to be applied to female holders of this title.

Tony Parker helping with a riverside spring clean in  Brigg

APPLY FOR FUNDING FOR BRIGG COMMUNITY PROJECTS

FROM NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL

Could your community project benefit from funding? The SSE North Lincolnshire Sustainable Development Fund could help. You can apply for the funding by submitting an expression of interest before the deadline on 11 April.
SSE North Lincolnshire Sustainable Development Fund run by North Lincolnshire Council provides funding for projects that can make a difference to local communities.
The Fund is worth over £200,000 and you can apply for funding from £10,000 upwards. It is to be used to provide support for strategic projects in North Lincolnshire. Successful projects will have the potential to make a significant and sustainable difference to people within North Lincolnshire.
Priority areas have been set for the funding and applicants must meet one of these:

• Increase job opportunities and employment in North Lincolnshire through activities or support focused on increasing an individual’s chances of entering employment, remaining in employment and/or progressing further in employment.
• Enable communities to develop renewable energy schemes or energy efficiency programmes which are of benefit to the local community and could generate social, environmental or economic benefit.
• Enhance North Lincolnshire’s natural and built environment for the benefit of local people and the attraction of visitors; activities that retain, enhance or build upon natural and/or local heritage.

If you would like to find out more information on the funding or to apply, you can do this on the council’s website www.northlincs.gov.uk/community-advice-and-support/community-rights-funding-and-grants/sse-keadby-wind-farm-community-fund/
You can also call 01724 296926 or email fundingprogrammes@northlincs.gov.uk

The deadline for applications is 16 May 2016.
The Sustainable Development Fund is provided as part of a community benefit programme for SSE’s Keadby wind farm and is expected to deliver over £5m in support during its 25 year lifetime.
Coun John Briggs, chair of the SSE North Lincolnshire Sustainable Fund Panel, said: “The SSE North Lincolnshire Sustainable Development Fund is a great initiative that supports local community projects to improve employment opportunities, benefit the economy and enhance the environment.
“If you have a project that aims to help your local community, complete an expression of interest and we will consider your application. The deadline for expressions of interest is 14 April, so make sure you don’t miss out.”

BRIGG MOVES FROM PAUSE TO PLAY & SOUNDS THE RIGHT NOTE

 

The theme of  our Brigg Town Annual Meeting was Renewal, and Town Mayor Coun James Truepenny delivered a reflective report which highlighted a number of successful developments.
Being a musician, he outlined how, during the previous 12 months, Brigg had moved from Pause to Play in many directions and in many ways.
The Town Mayor said: "It has been incredibly satisfying to see new business develop. Even some of the stickiest of old buildings have found new tenants.
"The former Lidl building, on Spring's Parade, will soon be occupied with another national retailer, giving the shopper a further reason to come to Brigg. There are potential new developments on Cary Lane and at the former Grimley-Smith building."
He added: "The Britannia Inn, along with the Black Bull, has had a facelift over the past year.
"These businesses are very important to the ongoing makeover of the town. They create more jobs, attract different clientele and people to the town.
"Later this year, the Civic Dinner will also take place in a new venue; the Mumbai Lounge. Even though the dinner will be returning to an old favourite venue, it is yet another example of new businesses investing their time and money into the town, once again contributing to the town's growth and development."

BRIGG RECREATION GROUND REVAMP PICTURES

Now planning permission for the overall development has finally ben sorted, they have wasted no time in pressing ahead with the £2.4 million project to rebuild Brigg Recreation Ground, off Wrawby Road. 
North Lincolnshire Council has drawn up the long-awaited scheme. 
Another planning permission has now been submitted to amend the lighting specification for the all-weather hockey pitch, previously approved under permission PA/2014/0913 issued by North Lincolnshire Council.
The intention, now awaiting approval, is to split the lighting into three zones which can be controlled separately, and to raise the LUX levels to comply with English Hockey guidance.
The actual playing surface will be Tiger Turk Evo Pro sand-dressed synthetic turf with lines for hockey and football. The plan of the pitch indicates  eight  13.5m high floodlighting columns.

WHEN WILL BRIGG CAFE BECOME NEW TAKEWAY?

Whenever we walk past this former cafe in Brigg Market Place we take a look for any signs of re-development taking place.

Last July, planning permission was granted for conversion to a takeaway specialising in hot chicken dishes. The applicant was from the south of the UK.

At the Annual Town Meeting this week, Jenny Bell, a former councillor, claimed this building "in the centre of Brigg" had become what she called "an eyesore" and suggested something needed to be done.

Coun Rob Waltham, deputy leader of North Lincolnshire Council, noted the comments made. He said the  building was not unsafe and had valid planning permission in place.

Brigg Blog likes the idea of a new chicken takeaway. It's some years since Simon Ho's premises in Bridge Street - opposite the China Royal - stopped serving such tasty fare. There is a definite gap in the market here for someone to fill.

GLANFORD BOAT CLUB LIFTING DAY ON THE RIVER ANCHOLME IN BRIGG

More pictures taken on the River Ancholme and showing the craft of Glanford Boat Club members being returned to the water to be used during the warmer months of the year. 

BRIGG POLICE SURGERY A SUCCESS

Brigg now has a neighbourhood police constable and PCSO who are working from the Angel Suite and going out on patrol in the town.
This is a new arrangement and  includes surgeries during which interested member of the public can meet the officers and raise issues.
Brigg Town Council's monthly meeting heard that the initial surgery had proved very successful.
Meanwhile, work continues off Cary Lane to provide an overspill car park for the town's Barnard Avenue police station.
It no longer provides a base for neighbourhood and traffic officers but instead houses a specialist force unit dealing with family protection issues.
A new fence has already gone up to mark out the boundary of the car park, and the next stage will be providing the top surface.

BRIGG TOWN MAYOR'S IRISH BALL

Brigg Town Mayor Coun James Truepenny has announced details of The Mayor's Irish Ball.
Colourful posters have been printed to publicise the event on Friday, April 15 in the Angel Suite, from 7pm.
The event is being hosted by Brigg Music Club and Brigg Town Council and all proceeds will go to Macmillan Nurses.
Tickets are now on sale and cost £9.50p, inclusive of food. A raffle will be held on the night.
Entertainment will be provide by Suburban Blues, Rachel Cooksey, Pat Corrigan's All Irish Showband and Sheriff Lonestar & The Deputies of Heartbreak.
You can get tickets from Brigg Town Council's offices in the Angel Suite. Call 01652 659402.

WHAT'S BEING DONE FOR BRIGG

The Annual Brigg Town Meeting in the Angel Suite on Monday night received a yearly report from the three Brigg & Wolds Ward councillors - Rob Waltham, who presented it;  Coun Carl Sherwood, who was present; and Coun Nigel Sherwood, who tendered his apologies and was attending a  parish meeting in Barnetby that night.
The report outlined what's been done for Brigg by the unitary authority.
We've picked out a few of the items mentioned...
RECREATION GROUND: The first sod has just been dug in a £2.4 million project to revamp the facility, off Wrawby Road, providing all-weather surfaces and new changing rooms.
FOOTPATH/CYCLEWAY: Progress continues on creating the Ancholme Way riverside link all the way to South Ferriby.
CAR PARKING: Brigg's municipal car parks offer free parking all day Saturday and Sunday.
IMAGINATION LIBRARY: Offering regular free books to young children, this has done a massive amount to help literacy.
BRIGG LIBRARY: A well used facility in the Angel building.
SURGERIES: Couns Rob, Carl and Nigel continue to hold regular surgeries where the public can raise any issues with them.
NEWLANDS SCHEME: Work still in progress.
With regard to Newlands, where drainage, roads and footpaths are being improved in a major contract, former councillor Jackie Brock, who lives on the estate, thanked North Lincolnshire Council for the improvements.

BRIGG PRAYER TRADITION PRESERVED

A quick tally leads us to think that Brigg councillor Rob Waltham has 18 roles in his extensive portfolio of local government duties, including being deputy leader and a member of the cabinet controlling North Lincolnshire Council, an elected member of our own Town Council and a member of various committees and groups.
On Monday night he added another to the list, when he called the Town Council to prayer!
The Mayor's Chaplain  was unable to be present at the start of the meeting. And now the Rev Alec Depledge is no longer a member of the Town Council, there was no-one available to lead the council in prayer, which is a long-standing tradition.
The meeting seemed set to resume without having made a collective request for guidance and wisdom  to The Almighty. But then Coun Waltham  suggested councillors said The Lord's Prayer together. Which is what happened. 
We can't recall this happening before, and we've been attending Brigg meetings for more years than we care to remember.
Prayers don't form part of town council meetings. Councillors actually vote to suspend the meeting while prayers are said and then re-start proceedings after that's been done.  

BRIGG APPRENTICESHIP - AN INTERESTING IDEA

Could Brigg Town Council one day take on an apprentice? 

During the latest meeting the council was discussing whether it might, at some point in the future, decide to take on more duties, as some other town and parish councils have done.  
This is part of what the government calls Localism - devolving more powers to the lower, or lowest, tiers of administration.
Currently, the Brigg authority has a number of "service agreements" under which it pays North Lincolnshire Council to attend to things on its behalf, such as grass cutting, flowerbeds, toilets and salt bins.
Coun Rob Waltham (pictured) said there might be potential to create an apprenticeship for a young person.
Coun Mike Campion said any apprenticeship needed to be worthwhile with the likelihood of a job once the training period ended.
Coun Brian Parker said he would like to see something done about litter in the town.
Town Mayor Coun James Truepenny suggested that councillors needed to think about the scope of what the authority did, or might do, and pass on their thoughts to the Town Clerk.

ACTION CALL OVER OLD COURTS ROAD TRAFFIC LIGHTS IN BRIGG

 

Brigg Blog's very long experience of reporting local topics sometimes permits us to forecast what's going to happen. And such was the case when, last weekend, we took the above picture of cars at the town's main set of traffic lights, on the A18 Barnard Avenue, which serves Old Courts Road (to the left, behind the vets) and Wesley Road (to the right).
Sure enough, the issue of waiting time and the lights changing sequence was raised at Monday night's Annual Town Meeting - by former councillor Jenny Bell.
She made the point we've reported before about some drivers who wish to go straight on at these lights setting off when they are still on red because they have observed drivers alongside them getting a green for go to turn right into Wesley Road.
Jenny described drivers proceeding on red as "unbelievable" and suggested the lights needed to be altered "or there will be an accident." She pointed out  the sequence of  lights had been changed.
Ex-councillor Jackie Brock then raised a lights-related issue about difficulties experienced by pedestrians crossing the A18.
Coun Rob Waltham, deputy leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said they would feed it back to the highways department.  He said the new system was less than a year old but said a request would be made for the issue to be looked at and reviewed. He added that there was no longer the build up of traffic there had been in the past.

UNOFFICIAL BRIGG CROSSINGS GO PUBLIC

Former Brigg councillor Julian Kidd raised an interesting point about traffic humps during the Annual Town Meeting in the Angel Suite on Monday night.

He explained that school pupils use one of the traffic-calming measures on Grammar School Road (near Springbank) as a convenient crossing point, although it is not a crossing.

As this is already taking place, Julian wondered whether North Lincolnshire Council would consider transforming the hump into an official crossing.

Jackie Brock, another former councillor attending in the public gallery, said people also used the traffic hump near Boyes' store (pictured above) as a crossing point to and from the main car park.

Coun Rob Waltham, deputy leader of North Lincolnshire Council and also a member of Brigg Town Council, noted the suggestions and added that there was some money available for resurfacing work on Grammar School Road.

Brigg Blog has made the point about the crossing point near Boyes several times. It is not a crossing but many people seem to treat it as one. Thankfully, the nature and layout of Old Courts Road means no-one should be driving at great speed so collisions between cars and pedestrians seem unlikely.

We'll be interested to see whether Julian Kidd's suggestion for Grammar School Road is put in place by the highway authority.

DO YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH PLANNING THE FUTURE OF BRIGG?

The Brigg Neighbourhood Plan was discussed during the Annual Town Meeting, held in the Angel Suite this week.
Coun Mike Storey (pictured), who is chairman of Brigg Town Council's Planning & Environment Committee, explained that the plan is a vision for the future of the town.
It is currently being put together and its Neighbourhood Group needs members of the public to serve on it, give their opinions and put forward suggestions.
Once the Plan has been finalised, there will be a public referendum to decide its adoption.
Tom Glossop, Freeman of Brigg and former long-serving councillor, attended the Annual Town Meeting and asked about the timescale for the plan. 
He was told there will be further developments in April.
A very helpful member of staff from North Lincolnshire Council, the planning authority, has been visiting Brigg Town Council's offices to help with progressing our Neighbourhood Plan. 
But it's important to note that the plan is not Brigg Town Council's; it belongs to the community as a whole.
If you want to know more and perhaps get involved, contact the Town Council Office in the Angel Suite, or email enquiries@briggmarkettown.co.uk 

NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING EXPLAINED BY THE GOVERNMENT
Neighbourhood planning is a new way for communities to decide the future of  the places where they live and work. 
They will be able to: 
• Choose where they want new homes, shops and offices to be built 
• Have their say on what those new buildings should look like and what infrastructure should be provided 
• Grant planning permission for the new buildings they want to see go ahead 
The government has introduced the community right to do neighbourhood planning through the Localism Act. 
Read a full run-down on neighbourhood planning and what it means to you

Some time ago a Community-Led Plan was drawn up for Brigg and adopted. Neighbourhood Plans are the next stage in the process. The public's wishes, expressed through the contents of a Neighbourhood Plan, need to be taken into consideration as part of the planning process, when developments are revealed and permission sought.

BRIGG FOOTPATH WARDEN REVIEWS PAST YEAR

Long-serving Brigg Footpath Warden Tony Parker delivered his report to the Annual Town Meeting, held in the Angel Suite on Monday night.

He said there had been few matters of concern and anything that might arise was promptly dealt with by public rights of way staff at North Lincolnshire Council.

Tony said work was continuing on creating the Ancholme Way beyond Broughton, with South Ferriby the intended destination. 

This was a "valuable asset" to be enjoyed by walkers and cyclists "and a good way to access the countryside."

GLANFORD BOAT CLUB CRAFT BACK ON THE RIVER ANCHOLME - FIRST GALLERY OF PICTURES

Craft at Glanford Boat Club were lifted back onto the River Ancholme on Saturday.
MORE PICTURES TO COME IN A FUTURE POST.