In Memory of Vincent Dobson

No doubt most people will by now have heard of the death of Vincent Dobson who represented Barnby as a County Councillor for many years. ln Barnby we will remember him particularly for his generous grant which enabled the Parish Council to resurface the Village Hall car park, his campaign for safety improvements on the A17 which resulted in the central reservation for traffic turning into Long Lane, and his donation towards the new door for the Village Hall, among his many other achievements in our area. Since his retirement in 2013, his wife Maureen has been our County Council representative carrying on Vincent’s work with the same dedication and drive.

Thank you Keith

Sadly, the Parish Council has received the resignation of Keith Johnstone as Village Hall Caretaker. We are very grateful for the way that Keith has looked after the Hall for so many years, but he now feels that it is time to retire. The job does carry a small remuneration, and if anyone is interested, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council.

Litter

Several people have commented on the amount of litter in and around the village. Unfortunately it is a problem everywhere — much of it seems to be food wrappers etc thrown from cars. With a shortage of funds for everyone, the District Council no longer carries out routine litter picking, but they will try to help if asked from time to time. Some larger parish councils can afford to employ their own litter pickers, but in Barnby we can only ask all residents to help by picking up any rubbish lying around, and say thank you to those who are already doing this on their walks. Both litter and fly tipping can be reported on the Newark and Sherwood web site or referred to the Parish Clerk to report.

Wind Turbines: Latest news

Wind Turbines: Latest news

It looks as though March is going to be busy month as far as turbines are concerned. We are at long last expecting that the application for 5 x 126.5 meter high turbines at Temple Hill will go before South Kesteven Planning Committee tftis month. (This application has been delayed for over a year while some additional information was gathered, and has been further delayed in the last few months because of planning officers’ workloads.) We very much hope that the application will be turned down: both Barnby Parish Council and Newark and Sherwood District Council have objected to the scheme because of the detrimental effect it will have on views from Barnby over the unspoilt rural landscape eastwards towards the Lincoln Cliff.

Meanwhile, the scheme for a wind farm on Fulbeck Airfield may also be submitted to South Kesteven later this month, if Energiekontor stick to the timetable outlined at their presentation in February at Stubton Village Hall. This scheme  will be far more damaging for our area, because it is for twice  as many turbines and because Fulbeck Airfield is only 3.5km  from Barnby. The turbines will be an unavoidable feature of  our landscape as we walk in the countryside or drive to and fro. With the 3 x 126.5 metre high turbines already approved at Hawton, 4 more under appeal, and 6 proposed at Long Bennington, our landscape is going to be blighted by these industrial-scale structures in every direction.

You should by now have received a leaflet and some survey forms from VETO, a group of local residents from affected villages who believe that industrial-scale wind farms should only be sited in appropriate locations, NOT in unspoilt countryside. Please take the time to read the leaflet and fill in the form (it will only take a few minutes) and return it to Celia Derbyshire at Barnby Hall or Janette Barlow at Gables Cottage. The more people object to this wind farm, the more chance we have of getting it turned down.  YOUR OPINION MATTERS — PLEASE HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Dog Mess

Dog Mess

In spite of previous requests, it seems that people are still not keeping their dogs on leads when walking over farmland. This is extremely important for the protection of livestock and local farmers are again appealing for your co-operation.  Dog mess continues to be a problem. Clearing up after your dog should always be done — on grass verges and public footpaths just as much as on the pavement.