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Betty and I were married in 1960 and immediately moved into
a 1956-built detached house on Bankfield Drive. At that time the estate was
still being developed with empty plots on many roads. The comer plots on the
junction of Bankfield Drive and Sandringham Drive were vacant as was the section
of Balmoral Drive leading to the post office, now occupied by the chalet bungalows.
Bankfield Drive seemed to be alive with small children in
those days and we did our bit by adding two more to the pack which made good
use of the vacant plots as play areas. Rumours that the two comer plots were
reserved for commercial development were confirmed as fact when we found that
the Nottingham Co-operative Society had bought one plot and Hardy and Hanson
Brewery the other. While opinions in the road were generally divided on the
idea of the erection of a Co-op shop, there was quite a vociferous opposition
to the idea of a pub. Opposition basically came from those who objected on principle
to new licensed premises and those with worries about noise, traffic and the
resulting risks of accidents to the many children now living and playing out
on the road.
The brewery put up notices stating that they were applying
for a licence at the next brewery session, and this made the residents aware
that we had to do something quickly, if we wanted to put up an effective opposition
to the granting of the licence. We were advised to find out the wishes of the
residents of the whole estate on the subject through a survey. This was done
and there was an overwhelming majority against the granting of a licence. We
were also advised to employ counsel to represent us at the licensing hearing,
and people generously backed their opinion with cash.
The case was heard and we were represented by a young and
enthusiastic local barrister, Brian Appleby, who received the magnificent sum
of five guineas for his services at the first hearing!
We won due to Brian's enthusiastic handling of the case. He
seemed to run rings round the brewery's London barrister who had apparently
previously made his name in famous murder trials. Not surprisingly, Brian has
now moved on to greater things as Judge Brian Appleby.
I think we went to court on at least two further occasions
and won both times. By then, our children were growing up and needed more space,
so we moved to Balmoral Drive in 1968. Perhaps other families had moved on as
well and finally opposition petered away and the brewery got their licence and
built the pub that still stands today. The Co-op built their store which then
became, in quick succession, a frozen food outlet (Ice King) and then a DIY
store. With no takers when they left, the building was fmally demolished and
housing was built on the site.
'What', you may ask, 'has this to do with the Bramcote Hills Community Association?'
Well, at the same time as Bankfield Drive folk were worrying about noise and
disturbance from a pub, people on the other side of Thoresby Road were worrying
about the prospect of a petrol station being built on Balmoral Drive on the
site adjacent to the Post Office. In retrospect, such a venture seems ridiculous
but, back in the 1960s, major oil companies were buying up small garages for
huge sums in the mad rush to maximise their petrol sales, so this site was seen
in those days to have great possibilities as a petrol outlet. A group of residents
on that side of the estate carried out a similar exercise in canvassing public
opinion and, in the end, the planning application was abandoned and the site
sold for housing..
With other problems looming, including the extension of Thoresby
Road down to Wollaton from its ending at the top of Bramcote Hills and the conversion
of the A52 to a dual carriageway, it seemed to be a good idea to link the two
action groups into one organisation to look after the interests of the residents
of the whole estate. The result was the formation of the BHCA which is still
looking after our interests today, some thirty years after the events which
precipitated its foundation.
I visited the pub for the first time a few months ago to meet
Walter Grauberg and a few others to talk about the history of the Association
and, in retrospect, wonder why we got so excited back in the 1960s. The pub
never developed into what we then called a roadhouse and would now probably
be called a theme pub, with people coming from miles around to clog up the adjacent
roads and leave, noisily, in the late hours.
I was very sorry in some ways that the Thoresby Road extension
was built. When it was just a narrow sandy track, I particularly enjoyed the
challenge, on a dark wet winter's night, of riding up the hill on my motor scooter.
There was a tree in the middle of the track at the steepest bit and the trick
was to get round it and up to the top without stalling or putting a foot down.
The only excitement today is when pedestrians try to avoid being run down by
cyclists who seem to think the pavement is a designated cycle track!
The conversion to a dual carriageway of Derby Road also caused
us a few headaches. Originally there was no proposal to put a gap into the central
reservation. This allows vehicles to turn out of Thoresby Road towards Derby
or, similarly, for cars to return to the estate from Nottingham without going
down to the Sherwin Arms island. The BHCA protested and I think we frightened
the planners into providing the traffic lights and gap. We simply suggested
that drivers would choose to turn right at the Priory roundabout and that Woodbank
Drive would thus become a 'rat run', to the severe detriment of the residents
and children living in that road.
We still need a group today, not only to provide the
facilities currently offered by BHCA but also to be available to spring into
action when anything is proposed which could endanger the lifestyle which the
longer term residents have come to appreciate over so many years. The advantages
of living on the Bramcote Hills estate attract many newcomers to the area. For
old and new residents the BHCA provides just such a group and the subscription
of £1.50 is a small insurance premium to pay for this cover.
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