Grimsby's MP Candidates views on Peaks Parkway

Quoted from VickyDunnGreen

Hello folks.
I'm Vicky Dunn, the Green Party PPC for Grimsby.    At risk of being unpopular, I told the truth as I see it.  I've come on here rather than Twitter because 140 characters is a bit limiting.

I think Peaks Parkway is the wrong site for a new stadium + shops/supermarket + housing.   There is no place anywhere in the area for another out of town shopping development, and I believe we should consolidate the shops in the town centres.    As for housing, what the town really needs is affordable housing not the expensive variety.  The recent news that the Birds  Eye site and the old Western School site may be set for housing is welcome.

I do think a very close by rail link is needed for easy transfer of away fans to the stadium.  As I've been informed on Twitter, few fans currently travel by train, but I believe that will and must change over the next 20 years.

The local residents are very unhappy, and I have been told (I am trying to gather more information) that the postal questionaires about the issue mysteriously missed Weelsby Avenue out!   As for the allotments, the occupancy rate was a lot higher than 50% before this saga began.   I love my allotment (OK, cue hippy remarks now) which is on another site, but if I'd had one on that site I'd be seriously considering giving it up. Allotments are a really important community facility, and I believe they will  become more important in coming years.  We shouldn't get rid of any, and if the council/community groups can bid for funds to extend the number and diversity of people growing their own food, then that is an important thing.  It's important for physical and mental health, provides space for wildlife, and has no food miles or packaging involved.   That's why I believe the allotments are an important piece in this puzzle.

Lastly, does anyone have any information on whether, if the Freeman St flats came down, that site would be suitable in size?  I've met some of the residents there and seen their heartfelt misery at the prospect of being evicted and I hope a solution (repeal of bedroom tax to solve underoccupany?) can be found.  BUT, if those flats come down it seems a better site for transport, for shops, and for affordable housing and a Stadium if it would fit.  I'd welcome more information on this.

Yours,
Vicky Dunn, Green Party PPC for Grimsby.

Thanks for taking the time to come on here. I'm not a Green supporter but a member of your family I believe is a contributor on here!
I think we both know that there are reasons totally unrelated to football why town centres are declining. Not least of those is what are deemed to be the high rents charged by Freshney Place which discourage local businesses from setting up there and the move to internet shopping neither of which will be lessened whether GTFC build on The Parkway or not. It is also quite difficult to get into Town on busy days due to the mess made of the road network round the town centre. One of the things Grimsby is crying out for is a Park and Ride scheme (should tick Green boxes). A P and R on the Parkway ground site would serve the villages around such as Waltham, New Waltham and to some extent Humberston and could be used to great advantage on the 30 or so Saturdays when the car park wouldn't be used by match-goers, during the week and the busy build up to Christmas.
The point about affordable housing is I believe a very good one. I haven't seen anything which confirms that there won't be an affordable element to any housing on the Parkway (although I concede it isn't likely!!)
As regards rail links, if you accept that GTFC do need to move, then with the exception of the Docks (the cost of buying land from ABP makes this somewhat prohibitive) there is no site that has been mentioned with proximity to the somewhat restricted rail network "enjoyed" by Grimsby. Add to that the fact that however admirable it is to seek the increase of usage of the network (I don't drive a car) people will vote with their wheels. If we are to plan the building of a new stadium the planners will have to deal with the "here and now" which is catering for motorists. You cannot plan for something which due to cost etc. may never happen.
I would query your assertion that the take up of the allotments was higher "before this saga started". I have to go up that way often and have since 2007 when my wife died and we buried her ashes in the cemetery. A lot of those allotments looked overgrown then. That aside, there are noises being made that spaces will be provided elsewhere for would be current allotment holders.
This is a football site so probably not the right place to have a debate about the rights and wrongs of the decision to knock down the flats. Many people have mentioned the suitability of the site but I don't know who owns the land. If you are concerned about the effect on Town centres then perhaps a thought for the need to build affordable housing on that site to maintain the numbers of people living within a stones throw (nearly if you have a good arm) of the town centre might be the way to go rather than depending on a football/community stadium that won't have people in it 24/7 365 days of the year but I'm no politician. I suspect it is an absolute non-starter to consider putting a stadium AND affordable housing on a site that you may just squeeze a stadium onto.

After reviewing Melanie Onn's and Vicky Dunns profiles on their website for research purposes

[IMG]http://i59.tinypic.com/25altzo.png[/IMG]

I have come to the conclusion that they need to mud wrestle together to raise money for the new stadium.

Unfortunately the Green Party lost my vote a long time ago, more serious issues.

Quoted from Green Party

Britain will leave NATO, end the special relationship with the US, and unilaterally abandon nuclear weapons. A standing army, navy and airforce is “unnecessary”. Bases will be turned into nature reserves and the arms industry “converted” to producing windturbines.

Without our nukes Russia would own us in a conventional war.  Dropping out of Nato?  Madness - no one to defend ourselves except ourselves, we are not the military might we once were.

If Russia sent up every Tupolev Tu-95 Nuclear Bomber, we woudn't have enough planes to deal with them all before they drop a payload of Nukes on London, once they have entered UK airspace.

It's bad enough the EU pushing Russia into a corner with sanctions etc, "Mutual Assured Destruction" - Kept us safe for the last 70 years.

Anyway, back on subject - Football.

Quoted from Nelly GTFC

Unfortunatly the Green Party lost my vote a long time ago.Without our nukes Russia would own us in a conventional war.  Dropping out of Nato?  Madness - no one to defend ourselves except ourselves, we are not the military might we once were.

If Russia sent up every Tupolev Tu-95 Nuclear Bomber, we woudn't have enough planes to deal with them all before they drop a payload of Nukes on London, once they have entered UK airspace.

It's bad enough the EU pushing Russia into a corner with sanctions etc, "Mutual Assured Destruction" - Kept us safe for the last 70 years.

Anyway, back on subject - Football.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new.....lan-for-Britain.html

Quoted from Nelly GTFC

Unfortunately the Green Party lost my vote a long time ago, more serious issues.Without our nukes Russia would own us in a conventional war.  Dropping out of Nato?  Madness - no one to defend ourselves except ourselves, we are not the military might we once were.

If Russia sent up every Tupolev Tu-95 Nuclear Bomber, we woudn't have enough planes to deal with them all before they drop a payload of Nukes on London, once they have entered UK airspace.

It's bad enough the EU pushing Russia into a corner with sanctions etc, "Mutual Assured Destruction" - Kept us safe for the last 70 years.

Anyway, back on subject - Football.

Would they use the new stadium as a stalag ffs? This is a debate about whether or not we should / should not move to a new ground, not as to whether or not we'd be puppy feed for Putin?

Dear Vicky,

We have needed a new stadium for years,

After years and years and expensive studies and planning,

The only site that ticks all the boxes is Peakes Parkway,

Forget about Freeman St and the multi storey flats they have been studied and ruled out,

Please do not come on here and try and force your views on us,

No offence intended but you will have no clout when these plans are passed.

Luckily, planning is a local issue and not for MPs to be concerning themselves.  The only potential exception to this could be if the Secretary of State is asked to be involved and the MPs lobby them.  In this instance, Martin Vickers would be for the move and whoever the Grimsby MP is (presumably Melanie Onn seeing as Grimsby would vote for a raving alcoholic sex paedophile if it were wearing a red rosette apparently) would have to decide what to do.

Ignore the Greens.  Sorry Vicky, but you have no chance of winning so your opinion counts for about as much as that of Screaming Lord Sutch.   As far as Melanie Onn's position, I sympathise with her to an extent as she is trying to hold off UKIP and won't want to annoy those residents near the proposed site.  My guess is that if the studies come down in favour of the development, then she'll support it.

All of this shows though just how low the calibre of local politicians is.  There's no champion for the area and our councillors, of all parties, have no idea of how to improve the area and seem content for it to remain a backwater.  Down in London, love him or loathe him, we have Boris Johnson, who is always banging the drum for the capital and trying to get new schemes (fair enough, many of them pretty harebrained!) and investment for the city.  He exudes positivity.  Who in North East Lincs has any vision?

Quoted from grimsby pete

Dear Vicky,

We have needed a new stadium for years,

After years and years and expensive studies and planning,

The only site that ticks all the boxes is Peakes Parkway,

Forget about Freeman St and the multi storey flats they have been studied and ruled out,

Please do not come on here and try and force your views on us,

No offence intended but you will have no clout when these plans are passed.

Bit harsh (although you did say please!)

Quoted from jock dock tower

Good on you Vicky for taking the initiative and coming on here to try and add to the debate, and despite what the other candidates have said - or not as the case may be - you're the only one who's actually come on here and risk the brickbats that will undoubtedly come your way.

Comment has already been made about town centres dying on their feet, and that you're out of touch to want to keep and regenerate them. I'm with you on this. I well remember the Freeman Street of the 1960's and 1970's and how it was the very nerve centre of the town with a wonderful market, great boozers, 4 butchers that I remember and most other kinds of shops as well. It was vibrant. Compare it with now, and then consider what it used to be like before the advent of Sainsburys, Asda etc. These retail behemoths haven't improved the quality of life of any town, any where, since they got their big expansionist plans off the drawing boards. They've killed communities, every bit as much as Thatcher did.

There's absolutely no reason why town centres can't be regenerated again, with living accommodation, shops, and the leisure facilities already mentioned. Rents would have to come down of course, and the local councils could actually lead the way here with proper planning for such schemes, and the compulsory purchase of empty properties bought for speculation.

"Reflecting the opinions of the electorate" I wholeheartedly agree with you Chris, once a politician is elected. At the moment what Vicky is saying are her views of the situation, and I think you'll probably find that all candidates will do likewise, albeit I doubt any of the others will air their views very openly on here. To be fair though, it is a decision for local councillors rather than the MP who is elected, whoever they may be, albeit I fully concur that the weight of any such backing from the MP might carry considerable clout. I think Vicky's savvy enough to realise that it would be highly unlikely she would be fulfilling that role come May 8th.

UTM.

The reason Freeman was so busy was it's close proximity the Docks and the thriving fishing industry. The whole surrounding area , all the side streets off Freemo and the East Marsh, housed vast numbers of people employed in the fishing industry. Freeman Street started to decline at the same time as the fishing industry declined and the housing clearances in the area. This also coincided with the development of Top Town. Very few towns of Grimsby's size can accommodate two large shopping areas and Freeman Street was the one that suffered. Regardless of whatever is done to revitalise Freeman Street it will never compete with Top Town. Unfortunately it's time , like BP , is past and nothing will change that.
The Top Town area is constricted and restricted by the road system surrounding it with the resulting traffic congestion. It makes perfect sense to have a shopping development away from the town centre, but not too far out, to serve the areas of Waltham , New Waltham, Holton-le Clay and Scartho Top.

The Parliamentary candidates may not be involved in the planning process but if we have a pro-stadium MP they might be able to present the positive aspects of the plan to local residents. I will be moving back to Grimsby permanently in the autumn and I know I won't be voting in May for somebody who doesn't appear to want to take the town forward. The Stadium could be a big part of a new image for the area.

Isn't New Waltham in the Cleethorpes constituency? The stadium site isn't exactly far away from there and the Parkway itself is obviously the main route into town from there. Maybe we should be seeing what the candidates for that seat think too?