News: Tunnel Saga

Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 03:18 PM

Steve Rollin has been fighting with the council over the state of the Park Tunnel which may or may not be their responsibility. He has agreed to publish the details of his correspondance on this website and you can read about it here.

Hi Paul

I would welcome you publishing the correspondence and as they are public representatives or public employees this should be no problem. Keen to get
any support on this I can.

The interesting dilemma is that the Tunnel is a 'public right of way' and is 'owned' by the Council via Chamber Estates (if the info I have is correct),
but it is not denoted as 'public highway' so they say they do not have to maintain it. All requests to the Highways Department ends up petering out (i.e. an email indicates they will do something, they do not).

When I first approached the Council they claimed it was the responsibility (and owned by) The Park Estate. Later, Councillor Trimble emailed me to say that after investigation they realised it was owned by The Council via the Chamber Estate: so lets assume that is correct.

With the dark nights coming soon, I will have to take a morning off work and just go in and see them: otherwise there is no way people will use the
Tunnel at night like last year if it is unlit (although I do sometimes).

In the dark, I end up walking around 'the long way' with my girlfriend, while my neighbours Dave and Michelle actually get a taxi from the Hand and
Heart rather than use the dark tunnel! Dorothy, my retired neighbour, uses it often during the day. Ask her about how awkward the surface is to walk
on.... (so much for The Big Wheel if you actually live in the City).

Councillor Trimble said in January an order had gone thru to Building Maintenance to fix the lights (you've got that note, good one to publish) and a meeting was going to take place to discuss the maintainance of the Tunnel. The lights still do not work so read what you want into how the meeting went.

The Park Estate seems reluctant to do anything, although they did report on it in the Park News. Quote from Barry Hill (Park Estate Limited Estate
Manager) in Park News, November 2002 (page 18) says:

'TUNNEL PROBLEMS As some of you are aware, the tunnel leading from the Park to Derby Road belongs to the City and they are responsible for its upkeep. However, it seems to be very low on their priority list and is seldom cleaned'

So apart from acknowledging the problem, they do not want to do anything except build sexy new gate posts. Can see their point if they do not own
it, but I feel they should be putting more pressure on the Council to do something rather than just pretending the Tunnel is not there. Meanwhile I
pay them and the Council, but walk to work in the mud and in the Winter, the mud and the dark! Luckily I am six foot and 210lbs, but v. frightening for other users of the tunnel at night when they hear me moving towards them ;^)

Note - Councillor Trimble now says, following the May elections, that it is something that should be addressed by Councillor Katrina Bull. Katrina by
copy, can you take some action on this please? Plus, heard a rumour that the Council have decided the new paving in the City Centre is too 'bright'.
Apparently, they plan to rip it all up and put in new stone over the next couple of years. What a waste of money if true - but can we have some of
the slabs in the tunnel? Just need an 8 foot wide path for people to walk on - and if it is too bright it may be the perfect solution for an unlit tunnel ;^) Katrina - is this true about the new paving? The manager of the Limelight says he has even seen the memo to the Contractors telling them to stop laying the paving.

Cheers

Steve, 7 Tennis Mews

----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Hempstock" <webmaster@theparkestate.com>
To: "Steve Rollin" <steve.rollin@ntlworld.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 11:51 AM
Subject: RE: Tunnel Road footpath to Derby Road (via 'tunnel') from Park Estate


> Hello Steve
>
> Thanks for copying me in on this correspondence. Do you think it is
> public-domain? I mean, would it be OK to publish it on the website?
>
> Regards
>
> Paul Hempstock
> webmaster@TheParkEstate.com
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Steve Rollin [mailto:steve.rollin@ntlworld.com]
> > Sent: 20 July 2003 16:46
> > To: Stewart Thompson
> > Cc: Dave Trimble; highways@nottinghamcity.gov.uk;
> > webmaster@theparkestate.com; mohammad.aslam@nottinghamcity.gov.uk;
> > contact@cllr-katrina-bull.new.labour.org.uk;
> > afzal.khan@nottinghamcity.gov.uk; mail@nottinghamparkestate.co.uk
> > Subject: Tunnel Road footpath to Derby Road (via 'tunnel') from Park
> > Estate
> >
> >
> > Hi Stewart
> >
> > Picking up where I left off in January (you had mentioned that the Park
> > Tunnel would be 'looked at' in the 2003/2004 fiscal year, which we are now
> > in).
> >
> > - the lighting has at no time worked between early summer last
> > year and July
> > this year, despite my 'complaints' of January this year ie Building
> > Maintenance are not repairing the lights. (note to Dave T: you obviously
> > thought an order had gone to Building Maintenance to do it: well there has
> > ben no result). Big Wheel should also consider how this impacts their
> > mission statement.
> > - there has been no plans I have heard of announcing an improvement on the
> > lighting or foot surface of the Tunnel, are there any plans?
> >
> > I have tried to involve the 'Big Wheel': but there website is not working
> > (under contact us). As the Big Wheel also has a focus on walking and not
> > just tram lines and bus lanes, I think they should start looking
> > at this as
> > well. Further, I would like to pass on my feedback that the
> > parking at the
> > top of Mount Street should be removed (2 onroad metered spaces), because
> > cars driving up the hill are positioned dangerously as they overtake the
> > parked cars: hence cars turning the corner and down the hill of
> > Mount Street
> > in the opposite direction are meeting vehicles coming up Mount
> > Street at an
> > unnecessarily compromising position. An interesting occurence happening
> > more regularly since making Friar Lane one way.
> >
> > Thought I may as well start this one off again in the hope we can have the
> > lights switched on by Christmas.......
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Steve Rollin
> > tel 0780 824 8099
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Stewart Thompson
> > To: steve.rollin@ntlworld.com ; dave trimble
> > Cc: dave trimble
> > Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2003 1:47 PM
> > Subject: FW: Tunnel Road footpath to Derby Road (via 'tunnel')
> >
> >
> > Steve,
> >
> > I have undertaken some more enquiries about the tunnel, especially because
> > we have an adopted highway network perched above the retaining walls and
> > structures.
> >
> > The structure of the tunnel, inside the tunnel, and the steps in
> > the opening
> > are owned by the Chamber Estate which is managed by Property Plus. Recent
> > investigations of the structures have shown that maintenance work
> > is needed
> > to protect the long term integrity of the highway. Consequently
> > maintenance
> > works are planned for the 2003/04 financial year. This will be paid for
> > mostly from our structural maintenance budget with a contribution from the
> > Chamber Estate. During these investigations I found that Building
> > Maintenance have also been repairing the lights in the tunnel.
> > However, our
> > legal services section is currently trying to clarify the responsibilities
> > in this area which are far from clear at the moment. However, my comments
> > about adopting the tunnel as part of the highway network remain unchanged.
> >
> > Stewart
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Dave Trimble" <dave.trimble@nottinghamcity.gov.uk>
> > To: "Steve Rollin" <steve.rollin@ntlworld.com>
> > Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 4:59 PM
> > Subject: Re: Tunnel Road footpath to Derby Road (via 'tunnel')
> >
> >
> > > I've established that the tunnel is in the ownership of the City Council
> > > through the Chamber Estate. An order has gone in to building maintenance
> > > to do the lighting. I'm told it will be discussed at a Management team
> > > meeting next week regarding other issues such as anti pigeon netting,
> > > floor surface, structural stability etc.
> > >
> > > Thank you for raising it. It might not have been progressed if you
> > > hadn't.
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>