Villagers are ordered to remove stone planter to mark centenary of Women’s Institute after it was branded a ‘health and safety risk’ to passing traffic
- Planter in Holbrook, Derbyshire, took volunteers more than 100 hours to build
- Council received a single complaint and ordered the floral display to be removed
- Derbyshire County Council said the stone planter is not safe on the 60mph road
Villagers have been told to remove a memorial planter built to mark the centenary of the Women’s Institute after it was branded a ‘health and safety’ risk.
The picturesque floral display was erected by the side of a road in Holbrook, Derbyshire, in August this year after being built by a group of volunteers.
However town hall chiefs have now told residents to tear down the stone planter after receiving a single complaint.
Villagers have been told to remove a stone memorial planter that was built to commemorate the centenary of Holbrook Women’s Institution in Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Council said the planter (pictured) could be a ‘health and safety’ risk as its too close to a 60mph road
Derbyshire County Council believe the current location on the 60mph road is dangerous because motorists could crash into it.
But villagers have attacked the decision, pointing out that the planter sits next to a stone wall anyway and questioned whether every tree, lamppost and road sign should also be removed.
The Holbrook Community Action Group said it had taken 100 man-hours to build after they were granted permission by the parish council.
The display is surrounded by a stone structure with a plaque on it that reads: ‘Commemorating 100 years of the Women’s Institute in Holbrook, 1918 – 2018.’
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Volunteer Ronald Brien, 87, a grandfather-of-three, who was part of the team that spent painstaking hours building the memorial, said: ‘It’s absolutely ridiculous.
‘We were granted permission from Holbrook Parish Council to build this memorial so we thought we had gone through the right channels.
‘But somebody then complained about it and didn’t like that fact it was there and they got the county council involved. They stepped in and said it was dangerous and it’s got to come down.
‘We’ve done everything we can to persuade the county council to let us keep it. It had taken over 100 man-hours to build – it was a long process.
The memorial floral display was created to mark the centenary of the WI in Holbrook and took more than 100 man-hours to build
Volunteers have said it’s ‘absolutely ridiculous’ that the planter has to move as ‘there is a kerb and walk path (pictured) before you even get to where the piece is’
‘Me and few others built it because we were asked by the local Women’s Institute, who paid for most of the material.’
Mr Brien said he didn’t understand why the planter was a health and safety issue as there’s a path between it and the road.
He said: ‘I don’t really understand because there is a kerb and walk path before you even get to where the piece is.
‘There’s all sorts of other dangerous things on that stretch of road before you even get to the memorial.
‘Its ludicrous. Will we now have to remove every tree, every footpath sign, every lamppost and every other thing that the council consider an obstruction? It’s health and safety gone mad really.’
A statement on the Holbrook Parish Council website said: ‘It has been a very distressing time for all the individuals who have worked so hard to create the floral tribute.
Derbyshire County Council said they met with the Women’s Institute and the parish council and it has been agreed the memorial can be moved to the front lawn of the parish hall
‘Derbyshire County Council Highways Department have requested the stone structure is removed as they see it as a hazard and a danger.
‘This has been a very bitter pill to swallow, especially when we have the Church wall spread across Portway, the dangerous issues on Stoney Lane and the ever present problems from parking and traffic at the Autism Centre still unresolved.
‘The Parish Council made arrangements to insure the structure and be covered with public liability insurance for £10 million. DCC Highways said this was not an accepted solution and have expressed that the structure needs to be moved.’
A spokesman for Derbyshire County Council said: ‘We appreciate residents were upset that we asked for the planter to be moved which is why we met with them to discuss alternative sites.
‘We raised concerns because the current location is unsuitable on a 60mph road where it could pose a significant safety risk if someone crashed into the stone structure.
‘Anyone wishing to place anything new near one of the council’s roads has to apply to us for a licence to ensure all safety issues are considered and unfortunately on this occasion this did not happen.
‘We met recently with the Women’s Institute and the parish council and during that meeting a walk around the village revealed a more suitable location and it was agreed that the planter could be moved to the front lawn of the parish hall where people could safely enjoy it.’
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