Tag Archives: West Deeping

West Deeping to Tallington #RunMyAge

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During January 2021, I am participating in Age UK’s ‘Run Your Age’ event by running a total of 51km. It would be great if you would SPONSOR ME to raise funds to support older people across the UK!

Today, 2nd Jan, I ran from West Deeping to Tallington and back. The wiggly route I chose was 8km bringing the total so far to 13km.

Today, 2nd Jan, I ran from West Deeping to Tallington and back. The wiggly route I chose was 8km bringing the total so far to 13km.

After the ‘brisk warm up walk’ that the C25K commentator always used to rave about, I started running from the Roman Road of King Street which forms the main street through West Deeping.

I followed the footpath which runs behind the pub and then splits; I followed the left fork which leads toward the Tallington. Meeting a couple of dogs, and their owners, along the way, I soon spotted the incongrous dry ski slope – you don’t get many of those on the edge of the fens! A little bit further and I arrived at the Whistle Stop PH next to the notorious Tallington level crossing.

Most of Tallington village is on the other side of the level crossing and after a few hundred yards I was able to follow a footpath next to the former post office which leads through to a well-equipped playground and onto a section of the Stamford canal. The canal was the first post-Roman navigation in the UK and was designed to take shipping from Stamford, through the Deepings and out to the sea at Spalding. It took over a hundred years to complete, leaving just a little bit of time for operations before being made irrelevant by the railway revolution. The sections in Tallington are well marked but mostly dry.

At the end of the village is the church of St Lawrence of Rome. It has closed due to Covid each time I have visited but a good description is here. In the porch there are some hints for how to be effective in worship, which have aged well.

Last time I ran this way I bumped into Parish Councillor Ken Otter a long-time campaigner for an alternative to Tallington Crossing. During 2020, Tallington Parish Council had published a proposal for a Stamford East-West bypass which would include a bridge over the railway which would reduce the current congestion and traffic in the village caused by the level crossing which is sometimes closed for more than 50 minutes in the hour! The route would also ease congestion in Stamford by providing an alternative route for vehicles heading from our direction onto the A1.

Stamford North Bypass
A Stamford bypass proposal presented by Tallington PC.

After a brief pause at the church I headed back to the Tallington crossing which, as per usual, had just closed. As a pedestrian I was able to cross via the footbridge.

I then turned left onto the public footpath which runs behind the Jet filling station and the concrete works. One of Tallington’s claims to fame is that it is was the UK birthplace of pre-stressed concrete. Production has recently been increased thanks to a contract to produce segments for a new 25km sewage tunnel under the Thames.

Ironically, sewage is a problem in Tallington as well as London. Some residents in West Deeping face regular problems of sewage backflow in their homes which Anglian Water claim to have been investigating for years. Sadly, there is still no firm conclusion regarding the cause or the solution to the problems.

Many have suggested that a contributory factor is the seemingly relentless increase in static caravans at Tallington Lakes Leisure Park being connected to the same sewer as West Deeping. Tallington Lakes was the next landmark on my run. The site was originally granted planning permission for a caravan park about 20 years ago on the assumption that there would be around 100 caravans. There are now around 400 households living on site as well as touring vans, campers, outdoor swimming, dry ski-slope, waterskiing and other activities. Undoubtedly, Tallington Lakes has a significant and positive impact on the Deepings local economy but there are also inevitably questions relating to the traffic, noise and other issues relating to the site. In February 2020, there was a multi-agency visit to the site involving Environment Agency, South Kesteven District Council and the police. It is my understanding that the investigation is ongoing and hasn’t been helped by the Covid pandemic.

The next milestone was the smaller water-ski operation of Moorelake House which was granted planning permission during 2020. I was originally concerned about the introduction of more caravans to Tallington but on reading the planning application I discovered that there would be no discharge of waste to the public sewer and so I was happy to speak in support of the application at SKDC planning committee. The new facility will enable people to learn water-ski and wakeboarding skills from professionals including wake-board legend Ollie Moore.

On reaching the junction with Stamford Road, I crossed over and found a clear path to run along behind a hedge for a few hundred yards. Sadly, when this path ran out I had little option but to run along the busy Stamford Road. For a few hundred yards there was no footpath or cycleway to keep me safe from the traffic and I felt very vulnerable in the middle of the day. It is a dreadful road to walk or cycle along especially when it gets dark. The foot-path alternatives are muddy, they have no lighting and they are not suitable for bicycles. Lincolnshire certainly has room for improvement when it comes to safe and sustainable transport!

Market Deeping to West Deeping #RunMyAge

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During January 2021, I am participating in Age UK’s ‘Run Your Age’ event by running a total of 51km. It would be great if you would SPONSOR ME to raise funds to support older people across the UK!

Today is New Year’s Day and so I put my best foot forward and ran a 5k from Market Deeping to West Deeping.

Starting on Godsey Lane, I ran along Bramley Road, then through the footpath to the Grove. I then ran up Church Street, past St Guthlac’s church and onto St Guthlac’s Avenue where I literally bumped into a friend from St Guthlac’s church almost knocking her into the hedge. Nothing broken, other than my concentration, and teaching me an important lesson of ‘look where you’re going’!

“The day is thine” – Architectural wisdom at St Guthlac’s church.

I then ran round Meadway and Sandringham Way across Tattershall and over to Millfield. The Mill Field is the subject of a long-running and ongoing planning dispute. The field is a popular and accessible open space with a public footpath across the middle. Lincolnshire County Council own the land and wanted to build 270 houses on it. Happily, their application was rejected by the South Kesteven District Council Planning Committee on 28th October after receiving many objections and representations from local people including a five-minute speech from me as Ward Councillor (Previous comments I made about the Millfield village green application, the previous year, can be found on YouTube or at the foot of this blogpost).

After crossing the by-pass, I followed the footpath through to Molecey’s Mill on Stamford Road and then another along the side of a Welland tributary which was muddy, but not too muddy. The sunlight and the birds and the river combined to make one forget that it is ‘bleak midwinter’.

This brought me to the Lane, West Deeping and through to the Red Lion PH which is sadly closed due to current Tier 4 Covid restrictions.

Heading South, I rounded the corner to St Andrew’s Church and slightly beyond to make the run up to a round 5km.

I visiting St Andrew’s a couple of times during runs in 2020. It currently hosts an informal lending library in the porch if you fancy a read. Inside the church is a comprehensive guide to the graves in the churchyard as well as some certificates celebrating successes in the ‘South Kesteven ‘Tourist Church of the Year’ of 20 years ago.

If you would like to know what St Andrew’s West Deeping is like today, I would thoroughly recommend attending one of their regular Sunday ‘Zoom’ services from the comfort of your own home. You will surely receive a warm welcome!

Does West Deeping need a roundabout? Residents meet MP to share safety concerns.

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A busy meeting with Sir John Hayes MP at West Deeping Village Hall

It may have been Friday the 13th but West Deeping residents were not afraid to visit the village hall last night to express concerns to their MP about road safety and water management issues in the village.

The meeting was convened and Chaired by Coun David Ward who sits on the village’s parish council although the meeting was not organised by the council and Coun Ward explained that he was acting in a personal capacity as a resident of the village and not on behalf of the parish council or anyone else. In fact, most Parish Councillors chose not to attend the meeting but instead published a position statement.

About 25 local residents attended the meeting along with the County Councillor and two of the District Councillors who represent the village. At the invitation of residents, Rt Hon Sir John Hayes who is MP for the South Holland and the Deepings also addressed the meeting.

The agenda focused on the safety of the staggered crossroads where King Street crosses the A1175 Stamford Road. There have been a number of accidents in recent years which have caused severe and minor injuries. There are a number of factors which contribute to the problem including the number of lorries using the junction, the speed of vehicles heading to and from the Tallington crossing and drivers using King Street as an alternative route to avoid the busy A15 near Glinton. Despite the level of concern, Lincolnshire County Council has ranked the junction 91st (ninety-first!) in a list of priorities for road improvements in the county.

A forthcoming planning proposal from Cemex to expand the works to extract aggregates is anticipated to increase the amount of vehicular movements by as many as 70 HGVs each day as well as dozens of ancillary vehicles. Furthermore an additional 42 dwellings are expected to be completed this year at the Tallington Lakes Caravan Park which now has an exit on King Street very close to the junction in question.

Coun Ward expressed a preference for a roundabout as a road safety measure but he acknowledged that any improvements would be welcome. These might include improved signage, speed restrictions, traffic lights etc.

Sir John Hayes MP with Coun David Ward.

In response to a question from District Councillor Ashley Baxter, there was some conjecture about the likelihood of a bridge alternative to Tallington level crossing where morning queues of traffic often extend back to beyond the junction. Despite many years of discussion between villagers, Highways England, Lincolnshire County and other stakeholders, the project has never made it beyond ‘the drawing board’. Neither the MP nor the County Councillor were aware of any firm or feasible proposals currently in progress.

Sir John Hayes MP made a number of pledges to the campaigners. Firstly, he promised to express his opposition to planning applications for further aggregates extractions unless they were accompanied by road safety improvements. Secondly, he promised to contact Lincolnshire County Council to established what action had been taken in response to a meeting between officers with parish councillors back in October 2019. Sir John also told the meeting that he would continue to lobby for a solution to the problem of Tallington level crossing.

Later in the meeting, residents also raised concerns about the continued issues of water and sewerage at the North of the village. Representatives of Anglian Water attended a parish council meeting on 12 February but the complex issues have not been satisfactorily resolved.