PONTELAND • MILBOURNE • MEDBURN • PRESTWICK • KIRKLEY ISSUE 141 | JUN 17 FREE monthly community magazine for Ponteland and district New county council leader’s green belt pledge Flower Show celebrates All the fun of the 40 years Meet your new Town fair at Kirkley Councillors www.pontelandtowncouncil.co.uk pontnews&views 1 Thinking of retiring? Unsure of your options? Speak to a pensions expert For your free initial consultation give us a call on or (01661) 821110 EXECUTIVE 8 SEATERS AVAILABLE email us at [email protected] CFS Independent Financial Advisers, Lower Blyth Suite, Kirkley Hall, Ponteland, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE20 OAQ CFS Independent Financial Advisers is a trading style of Connacht Financial Services Agents for Golden Charter Pre-Need Planning 2595 from 2844 390 Pont News & Views is published by Ponteland Town Council in conjunction with Ponteland Community Partnership. Inclusion of articles and advertising in Pont News & Views does not imply Ponteland Town Council’s or Ponteland Community Partnership’s endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided. If you would like to submit an article, feature or advertise contact: T. (0191) 3408422 E. [email protected] W. Westray, 16 Sunniside Lane, Cleadon Village, SR6 7XB. 2Produced bypont Ciannews creative&views pr email:email: [email protected] [email protected] Countryside Festival attracts thousands to Kirkley Hall Thousands of people from across the region flocked to Kirkley Hall for its annual Countryside Festival. Attractions included fairground rides, a dog agility show, horse riding display, countryside activities, cattle and sheep displays, plant sales, stalls, woodland walks and access to the Outdoor Adventure Academy with its zip wire, high ropes and climbing wall. Kirkley Hall Zoological Gardens - which boasts over 200 species of animals, reptiles and birds including alpacas, ring tailed lemurs, marmosets, capybara, wallabies, kookaburras, snakes and lizards – was also open during the two day event on May 13th and 14th which an estimated 4,000 people attended. Photos by The Image Farm www.pontelandtowncouncil.co.uk pontnews&views 3 The Clear Alternative to Braces Achieve the smile you have always desired! “Straightening my teeth with Invisalign changed more than just my smile.” FREE EVALUATION WORTH £250 There has never been a better time to find out if Invisalign is right for you with: • FREE smile evaluation • FREE 3d smile simulation • FREE tooth whitening • FREE removable retainers • FREE fixed retainers (01661) 872979 higginsandwinter.co.uk [email protected] Higgins & Winter Dental Practice, 17 Bell Villas, Ponteland, NE20 9BD OPENING TIMES: Mon 9am-5.30pm, Tue 8am-8pm,Wed 8am-7pm, Thu 8am-8pm, Fri 8am-4.30pm, Sat 9am to 12noon 4 pontnews&views email: [email protected] ADVERTISING FEATURE The Clear Alternative to Braces “A development that is good for health will Achieve the be a better development and will be more smile you have attractive and pleasant for people who live, always desired! work or visit it.” “Straightening my teeth with Invisalign changed more than just my smile.” Building strong communities and a healthy place to live It has always been better, more productive For those who do need confined to their homes. ways, healthy places to support, more innovative our intention to build We also plan to design something special - live can also contribute residential care facilities FREE to the long term financial may be combined with healthy workplaces, a development that sustainability of the NHS. flexible housing options schools and leisure EVALUATION is sustainable and and step-up or respite facilities that make the designed for the Many areas already care. most of opportunities WORTH £250 people that will live in promote health and to encourage physical it long term. wellbeing through “place- Our priority is activity, healthy eating shaping”, including better tackling unhealthy and positive mental health To achieve this aim we housing and urban design, (and “obesogenic”) and wellbeing. intend to develop new and access to well- environments by creating and more effective designed public spaces walkable neighbourhoods, We will consider how There has never been a better time to ways of shaping new and facilities. delivering radically Dissington Garden neighbourhoods with improved infrastructure Village will contribute to find out if Invisalign is right for you with: strong communities Our ambition is to go for safe active travel reducing the causes of that promote health beyond existing good and more accessible ill-health, improving health • FREE smile evaluation and wellbeing, prevent practice, to develop new public transport, and by and reducing health illness and keep people and creative approaches providing easy access to inequalities within the • FREE 3d smile simulation independent. that offer the potential healthy and affordable village. to make a substantial food in the local area. • FREE tooth whitening Good urban and housing contribution to achieving This includes the impact design promotes healthy a real channel shift in Our intention is to on creating a healthy • FREE removable retainers lifestyles and can help connecting public health create connected living environment (eg prevent illness. It can to housing development. neighbourhoods, strong noise levels, air and water • FREE fixed retainers also keep older people It is also to drive closer communities and quality) as well as how independent and healthy, collaboration between inclusive public spaces the development supports supported by the latest local authorities, planners, that enable people of all people in making healthy technology to live in their developers and the NHS. ages and abilities from all choices (eg being more own homes rather than in backgrounds to mix. physically active, healthy care homes. Building healthier homes eating and drinking) and (01661) 872979 and environments that Examples include New developments also ‘dementia-friendly’ design what makes these choices support independence at easier. higginsandwinter.co.uk give us the opportunity to all stages of life and ensuring that public radically reshape health spaces include features [email protected] and care services, testing We will explore new ways such as public toilets or what can be achieved with of integrating housing, benches that can make fewer legacy constraints. care and communities to the difference between Higgins & Winter Dental Practice, 17 Bell Villas, Ponteland, NE20 9BD By keeping people well keep people independent people being able to get and providing services in and in their own homes. out and about and being OPENING TIMES: Mon 9am-5.30pm, Tue 8am-8pm,Wed 8am-7pm, Thu 8am-8pm, Fri 8am-4.30pm, Sat 9am to 12noon For more information email [email protected] or visit dissingtonestate.co.uk www.pontelandtowncouncil.co.uk pontnews&views 5 Newly elected Conservative county council leader hopes to halt green belt developments Northumberland County have planning permission and are likely The county council has been accused to be called in by the Government? of forcing through unpopular proposals Council is Conservative over the past year, including the Coun Jackson said: “Planning controlled for the first education reorganisation and major applications and the Core Strategy itself planning applications, despite clear time since the 1974 local was rushed through without taking into opposition. Pledging a full review of the government reorganisation account the thousands of comments £57m education and leisure scheme and objections made by residents. There after the party’s stunning proposed for Ponteland and already are obvious flaws in the Core Strategy performance at the May local given planning approval, Coun Jackson process. In terms of Ponteland said the new administration would take a elections. Chris Jennings met applications they were rushed through much different approach. new Council Leader Peter weeks and months before the election. “What we are very keen to do through Jackson to find out his plans. “This is one of the issues where we have the local area councils is to make sure to take serious legal advice so at the The Northumberland Conservatives that local regeneration projects are moment officers are preparing options election manifesto made some bold supported by this council but are also papers on all of those issues. We haven’t pledges: stopping the County Hall worked up in conjunction with local had the options papers yet. relocation; halting the march of the communities. developers; scrapping post-16 travel “My view is that there is no justification “So we are not going to impose on charges; axing development company for building anything in existing green any local community any unwanted Arch; a £100m war on potholes; revising belt so our aim is to provide sufficient developments and we want to see the Core Strategy; and creating five local housing in Northumberland for proven a more even spread of regeneration area councils to give communities back needs while protecting the existing projects across the county.” the power to make planning decisions. green belt and we will do everything But what can they actually deliver on within our power to deliver that, but we He added: “Residents have been key issues for Ponteland like green have to take into account the legalities of feeling disconnected from an autocratic belt development, which the party has where we are in all the various