HEAGE 'IDLE LAND' SELL-OFF

An article appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph regarding residents in Heage who are opposed to Derbyshire County Council plans to sell off the site of the former Parkside Primary School. The land was given in 1878 by Albert Hurt, of Ambergate, to the Heage School Board. They want to stop the sale and instead construct a community building for young people and garden for the community.

Under section 43 of the Charity Commission rules, proceeds of such sales must be invested to produce an annual income while safeguarding the original investment. A county council spokesman said that individuals or groups in Heage could apply for grants from the charity to increase educational opportunities for the under-25s.

Maurice Gent, councillor for Heage and Ambergate, then wrote:

"With reference to your report regarding the school site at Brook Street, Heage. The land was given to the village by the Hurt family, with the proviso that, when not required, it would be returned to the family. The report mentioned the "Nether Heage" school - I imagine you meant the Ridgeway School at Crich Lane. Nether Heage was nothing at all to do with this. The school in question was the Upper Heage School, always known as the Green School.

Juliette Blake (who is the councillor for Heage) says there is little for young people to do in the area, yet to the rear of the piece of land there is a playing field with a fenced area fully equipped for smallchildren, and two football pitches for the use of Heage people. Her other suggestion was for a village hall with garden. In Heage, we have a community room at the sheltered accomodation bungalows, Parkside. In School Lane, there is a village hall, and the school further along this road hires the school hall.

Car parking would be addressed at the planning stage.

You failed to state that both Heage School and Ambergate School will benefit from the proceeds of the sale. Surely this makes more sense than a piece of land lying idle for years? This old chestnut has been stirred up before usually just before an election - and the council elections are to be held in the near future."

Alexander Devlin, of the Friends of Elvaston, responded:

"Councillor Maurice Gent, believing an injustice had been done, quite rightly corrects a perceived mistake in a previous report. I do not doubt that the present community facilities of Heage reflect the financial strength of the fourth-richest nation on earth, as Mr Gent proudly claims. He states that Heage and Ambergate School will both benefit from the sale of the land which, many years ago, was gifted to the people of the Heage area by a local benefactor.

He donated this land specifically for educational purposes and his wishes should still be respected today by Derbyshire County Council, with all monies raised by the sale of this land going to local schools. It is not my intention to become an interloper in the local party politics of the Heage area but I would ask for clarity from Mr Gent on a statement which he made.

I quote, "Surely this makes more sense than a piece of land lying idle for years." I ask Mr Gent, "What is idle land?" In my dictionary, idle is defined as unemployed, lazy, useless, vain or groundless. I can only guess at what Mr Gent's interpretation of the word "idle" is in the context that he used but, if he means that it is not making revenue for Derbyshire County Council or that it has not been developed, then this is very frightening.

No green open space in Derbyshire is safe if this is the philosophy and policy of councillors. All green open space is of benefit and should be valued and protected, whether it be idle or industrious. I look forward to Mr Gent's interpretation of 'idle.'"

Councillor Maurice Gent has not replied. Perhaps the good Councillor doesn’t know the answer, or has lost his dictionary.

If Derbyshire County Council also considers Elvaston Castle Country Park to be classed as idle land then we are more than willing to provide them with dictionaries in order that they might define their colleague Councillor Gent’s definition of green open space more fully for us. Is this the same interpretation of green open space that Derbyshire County Council holds? We would of course deliver their dictionaries by tractor and trailer, some of them very rare heritage items from the Estate’s former Working Farm Museum, which itself formed the basis of an educational facility to 10,000 schoolchildren a year until permanently closed by Derbyshire County Council for their failed initial attempt at privatisation of the publicly owned open space.

Unfortunately, under the guardianship of Derbyshire County Council, they have all rusted away. We could have used one with no tinwork and its engine rusted solid; A David Brown; A Ferguson TE 20 (but the front wheels are missing, we believe this has been done to prevent the rabbits from having burn ups round the Park), a Fordson, an Allis Chalmers, (Originally manufactured in Milwaukee, for which we apologise to our American Friends for the way that Derbyshire County Council has treated their heritage too!), Standard Ferguson, a Chaseside Fordson, or even several engines which have rusted solid

A number of trailers could have been employed but they either have no wheels, the wheels are too rotten to support the weight, or, of course, to hasten their relocation, the County Council has burnt them! Bill and Ben

(Our good friend Little-Weed says there’s a lot of dead-heading to do at Matlock!)