Contacts
Contacts
Contacts
Contacts
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News and Developments
Access Glossop meetings are now held during the daytime at Glossop Labour Club, usually in the first week of the month. Details can be obtained by emailing us at accessglossop@hotmail.com
Access Glossop held their Annual General Meeting on 1st May 2007, at the Central Methodist Church in Chapel Street. See Chairs Report.
March 2007
Every year, the Small Group Project (at High Peak CVS) holds a Special Event, a celebration for all the small voluntary groups who are supported by Sandy and the other Project workers. This year it has been decided that Glossop will host the occasion, which will be held during May at Bradbury House. We are happy to report that Bradbury House management have revised the policy on mobility scooters, which are now able to access all ground floor rooms and the accessible toilet. Motorised mobility vehicles are requested to use slow speed within the building, eg. 2 mph or less.
Members of Access Glossop are busy working on an update of the Access Guide to Eating Out in Glossop, which we hope to launch at the Special Event.
Report on access at National Coal Mining Museum
Glossop and High Peak Shop Mobility - October 2006
Access Glossop is delighted that Glossop Community Transport now have their Glossop and High Peak Shop Mobility scheme up and running. They are now able to offer manual and electric powered wheelchairs plus 3 & 4 wheeled mobility scooters for short or long term hire. Membership of the scheme will cost £12 per year and then members will pay £4 per 3hr session to hire a scooter/wheelchair. For non-members, the cost will be £10 per 3hr session. A longer term booking can be arranged, subject to availability. For details, contact:Glossop Community Transport, Tel 01457 861635, Email admin@glossopct.co.uk
Mettricks Butchers
John Mettrick has asked us to make it known that he has purchased a ramp for his Glossop High Street West shop in order to give access to wheelchair users. So this means that more of us can sample his award winning sausages and High Peak lamb (check out the web site www.mettricksbutchers.co.uk - there is a mail order service for those who live outside the area). All we have to do is ring the bell at the side of Mettrick’s door and the ramp will be produced. Things are looking up!
High Peak Borough Council
There is now an Access Officer in the Building Control department at HPBC. He is Rob Miles, and members from Access Glossop and Access Buxton met him at a recently held Derbyshire Authorities Access Forum held in Chapel-en-le-Frith.
Harehills Park
Plans are being made for work to start early next year in Harehills Park. Members of Access Glossop have met with a representative from the Mersey Basin Campaign to discuss the placement of Interpretation Boards within the park, with a view to making them accessible to both wheelchair users and people with a visual impairment. It’s early days, as HPBC have not revealed any detailed plans yet, but public consultation will begin very soon so there will be a lot of work to do before the end of the year.
Manor Park
Work is in progress on the Corn Street car park, where there will be three accessible parking spaces. The pavilion is in line for a massive make-over, and the accessible toilet in the building is to be extended and re-fitted, with new ramps to allow access to the shop for the first time.
Access Glossop will be on hand at Glossop Carnival, Day in the Park, Saturday 1st July, with copies of our new Guide to the High Street fresh off the printing press!
Wren’s Nest
The development is almost finished, and still there is disappointment with the quality of the paths and disabled crossings. There will also be no pedestrian crossing at the High Street – Glossop Brook Road junction, as the developers say it would be too expensive to install one. In our opinion, this development fails to cater for any disabled shopper who is not in a car, though once inside, the shops, pub etc are accessible (see our Guide to the High Street!)
Bradbury Communiity House
The Management of Bradbury House has suddenly, for no apparent reason, decided to ban mobility scooters from the building on the grounds that they constitute a hazard to other people in the House. Naturally, we are challenging this decision, as it is clearly discriminatory and therefore in contravention of the Disability Discrimination Act. Advice is being sought from the Disability Rights Commission after all attempts to treat with Bradbury House have failed.
Derbyshire Authority Access Forum
The High Peak now has a designated Access Officer at High Peak Borough Council. He is Rob Miles, and he was one of the Access Officers who attended the DAAF meeting held this month at Chinley Council offices, also attended by representatives of two High Peak Access groups. Discussion ranged over a number of topics, and proved that access issues are being taken seriously by Derbyshire, and some Access Officers, at least, are on the ball!
Glossop Town Partnership - Glossop Vision
Both organisations have changed the venue of their meetings. Historically, they have met at Bradbury House. However, because of the mobility scooter ban, which would have meant the Access Glossop representative being unable to attend, they have elected to meet at Glossop Police Station, where mobility scooters are welcome!!
Report on DDA training day - March 2006
Report and minutes of Mar 2006 AGM
Report on access to Glossop Town Hall - by residents of Merseybank.
Report on disabled access in Blackpool - by residents of Merseybank.
Comments on High Peak Regeneration Strategy (Oct 2005)
Lyn has made comments on the Strategy:
- Problems with parking on pavements caused by high density of housing developments.
- Poor planning of business developments.
- Need to support outdoor market - relocation would make it more accessible.
- Lack of consideration of disability in the Strategy.
- HPBC under-resourcing of the Action Plan for Glossop.
Opticians (March 2006)
Access Glossop members have recently completed an audit of the High Street shops and businesses, to which we plan to add an up-dated audit of the cafes and pubs in that area. Work has started on collating and preparing the information, ready for publication of our third Guide.
There are two OPTICIANS in Glossop High Street. Both have moved their businesses into different premises during the past year. Now, neither of them is accessible to people in wheelchairs. One has a doorway which curves round a corner, in a position where the pavement drops substantially, so that the step at the door is an inch deep at one side and several inches deep at the other. Once inside, the floor is level, but getting in is the problem. The other has a very deep step at the doorway which is almost impossible for a wheelchair, and yet another deep step at the back of the shop at the entrance to the examination rooms. Ramps would offer no solution at either premises, and in any case are not available.
However, here is the good news -There is an OPTICIAN in Hadfield whose premises are accessible. Not only that, but she offers a domiciliary service, and will visit customers at home to conduct tests and issue prescriptions and spectacles. She has been in Hadfield for two years, and during that time the home visits have grown to represent approximately 20% of the business. Sarah Dineen is registered with the Tameside and Glossop PCT, and the area she covers includes Glossop, Simmondley, Gamesley and so on into Manchester. She is also planning to extend her coverage into the High Peak. Details can be obtained from: Sarah Dineen Opticians, Station Road, Hadfield, Tel. 01457 868111.
October Developments (2005)
Derbyshire County Council Local Transport Plan states their intent to ‘decriminalise parking offences', with the responsibility for these offences being taken from the police and put into the hands of DCC. The scheme will be self-funded
Focus Do-it All has opened on the Wren Nest Mill site! At present, access for wheelchairs and mobility scooters is difficult though not impossible, and will improve considerably once the remainder of the site is completed. When access is gained to the building it is easy to negotiate, as aisles are wide and goods are not stacked too high. There was no sign of mobility scooters or wheelchairs on loan inside the building, so bring your own!
We understand that pedestrian crossings on High Street West at the cross roads with Glossop Brook Road and Queen Street are to be part of the development, and something long overdue.
The Mersey Basin Campaign has produced a Glossop Brook River Valley Management Plan which will be considered by Glossop Vision Board at the October meeting. This includes access audits of large areas covered in the Plan, some undertaken by Access Glossop, and places a high priority on access for the disabled. Eventually, it is hoped to create a walkway along the brook from Manor Park at the east end of the town, around the Howard Town Mill development, through Harehills Park, crossing the A57 to link up with the Wren Nest Mill development and so out of Glossop to the west. An ambitious plan, but wonderful if it comes off, especially if it is as accessible as proposed by MBC.
Another item on the agenda for the GVB October meeting is the Townscape Heritage Initiative Submission for further funding to start work on the sites identified for improvement. Access Glossop is monitoring the sites proposed, and has recently conducted a survey of some in order to be prepared with suggestions, when the time comes, for pathways, surfaces, etc. We do not oppose the re-instatement of cobbles and flagstones, but wish to ensure that there are sufficient alternative ways for the disabled to make full use of the new town centre facilities.
High Peak Borough Council does not have an Access Officer, or any one person to whom access issues can be directed. They are, however, looking to recruit a Project Manager and Lead Architect to oversee all the town centre improvements which are starting soon. Access Glossop has asked that HPBC employ people who are fully conversant with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act, and to this end two members of Glossop Vision Board, one of whom is now a member of Access Glossop, were invited to be involved in the tender process for Project Manager and Lead Architect.
Glossop Rugby Club (Oct 2005)
Access Glossop has managed to confirm that the new clubhouse at Glossop Rugby Club will be accessible and have a disabled toilet. The clubhouse will be available for hire when completed, and has a bar!
Update - The Rugby Club has applied to the Town Partnership for £10,000 for a new clubhouse. This will include an accessible entrance, accessible toilet and baby changing facilities. Lyn has a copy of the plans.
Glossop Library (Sept 2005)
Lyn is in contact with Derbyshire County Council Highways Department, about cars obstructing the dropped kerb to the disabled car parking space at Glossop Library, so that people with mobility disabilities cannot get to, or from the space.
Wren Nest Mill development (Sept 2005)
Members of Glossop Vision Board were asked to study plans for pedestrian access (some new, including an extra bridge over Glossop Brook) at the Wren Nest Mill site. Access Glossop pointed out that pathways must be wide enough to accommodate two wheelchairs or provide adequate passing places at regular intervals. There was also a choice of surfaces for paths and certain areas of the development, for which we recommended the best option for wheelchairs.
Jo Brooks has requested advice of Access Glossop on making the development of the Howardtown Mill accessible. It was agreed for the Group members to walk round the area in order to better understand the plans
Glossop Vision (Sept/July 2005)
Access Glossop has received 5 lots of plans for comment, regarding the regeneration of Glossop. A copy of the plans are available from Lyn, and any comments to be passed to her to feedback to the Glossop Vision Board.
Glossop Vision Board members met with HPBC Conservation Officer to hear details of the funding bid being submitted later this year which could attract another £2.6 million to the town for works over the next three years. Several sites have been identified as worthy of Heritage funding, and it was proposed that a walk around these sites should take place instead of the usual formal Board meeting. However – this being Glossop – the weather was against it. Heavy rain meant that the walk had to be postponed, much to the disappointment of the Access Glossop delegate, who had been looking forward to educating the other Board members on the access difficulties of a mobility scooter user!
Townscape Heritage Initiative
Under this scheme, seven projects are being proposed, including Harehills Park,
where Access Glossop was involved in an audit recently. However,
none of the other sites have been audited to our knowledge, so there
will be a lot of work to do when planning starts in earnest. In the meantime,
the Conservation Officer is making herself available to accompany the
mobility scooter user, along with any Board member who may be able to
join them, round these sites in the near future.
Norfolk
Arms
Access
Glossop has received a telephone call from the landlord of the Norfolk
Arms on the High Street to say that he does have a disabled toilet
on his premises, and likes to think he is accessible to all. This
has been checked out, and we have to apologise for getting it wrong
in the Eating Out Guide. There is indeed a very accessible
disabled toilet Radar
key required - but no signage to point it out, so perhaps that’s
how the mistake was made. This error will be rectified at the next
re-print of the Guide, and Access Glossop thanks the landlord for
his time and patience.
Glossop Visitor’s Guide
The end of May finally saw the introduction of the new Glossop Visitor’s
Guide, which will be available from the Tourist Information Offices in
the area. For the first time, Access Glossop was involved in the design
and content of this leaflet.
A working party was formed at the beginning of the year, with representatives from various organisations and High Peak Borough Council officers meeting to decide how the leaflet should look. Access Glossop was given it’s own space in the leaflet, and also had the opportunity to conduct a telephone audit of the accessibility of some of the pubs, hotels and B&B’s which appear.
They were rated using the same symbols which were used in the Access Glossop Eating Out Guide, and a key to the symbols was printed with the Access Glossop contact details. Our thanks must go to all those who made this possible.
Access Glossop Training
In partnership with DCIL and the other access
groups Access Glossop did an NAS training
for the staff at Losehill Hall on Wednesday 11 May. This includes an
introduction to the scheme, some personal experiencies and what makes
a
good first impression, particularly in regards to hotels and holidays.
The
group do a survey of Losehill Hall and report back. We then have a question and
answer session. These programmes
have proved to be very successful and Losehill Hall
have invited us back to do further sessions.
Friends of Manor Park
Access Glossop received a request from a member of Friends of Manor
Park to join him on a walk around the Park and discuss some of the
latest plans for repairs to the river and bridges damaged in Glossop’s great flood. There
had been extensive damage to the river banks, which will all have to be built
up and secured - a costly exercise! Bridges which had previously been
low over the river were ruined and in some places washed away. High
Peak Borough Council plan to remove three of these bridges and replace them
with one at either end of the Park. This would not allow access to
certain key areas of the river and wild woodland, and would do nothing to
improve disabled access in the Park.
Access Glossop members felt that an opportunity was being missed to make a real difference and open up areas which have been denied to those with mobility problems. HPBC is currently allowing it’s Manor Park Management Plan to be viewed by the public and is inviting comment. Access Glossop intend to formulate and submit their comments in the very near future. If you have anything to add please contact us.
Barclays Bank
Access Glossop received a complaint from a wheel-chair user that she was unable
to get into Barclays Bank on Glossop’s High Street because of two steps
up to the door. A telephone call to Barclays head office in Manchester -
it is no longer possible to speak to anyone in your local branch! - resulted
in information about a side entrance along a passageway which allowed wheel-chair
access. Upon investigation, this proved to be partly correct. There is a
doorway on the side of the building, on Norfolk Street, but no passageway.
There is nothing to indicate that entrance can be gained via this doorway,
nor that it is intended for wheel-chair users. When an Access Glossop member
in a wheel-chair tried, the doorbell wasn’t working and he had no way
of attracting the attention of staff inside the bank.
Much of the High Street in Glossop is designated a Conservation Area, and Barclays Bank is a listed building, which prohibits alteration to the front entrance. However, Access Glossop have asked that some signage be placed in the windows to point a wheel-chair user in the direction of the side door, and that the doorbell be made - and maintained - fully functional!
Update - They have now put a bell to ring for attention, but it is surrounded by a 'cage' (to prevent vandalism) and is too high to reach from a sitting position. October - John has revisited Barclays Bank as part of his audit. A sign, indicating the accessible entrance has been put up but the bell is still too high. Barclays have promised to put it back in its original position.