TIMELINE 6 - The 21st Century
2000 AD |
2000 21st June. Foundation excavations at the rear of St. James church
for a new extension. Large blocks of Attleborough Sandstone
rubble which may have been parts of the original Church were found as well as
an unknown skeleton. The official “dig” had revealed nothing. 30th Oct. 6th Nov. 8th Dec. River Anker flooded the parish fields |
2001 AD |
January. River Anker flooded the local fields |
2002 AD |
May. The housing market was lively, many semi-detached houses |
2004 AD |
2004 Building commenced on the new Church Hall with houses to be built
on the former allotment land at the rear. A piece of enabling work was done by the council to downgrade Weddington's open green field land from the status
as “Area of Restraint”. This would allow any developer wishing to build on it
to do so, given planning permission. Local opposition voiced. |
2005 AD |
Launch of the ‘Weddington Castle – An
Online History’ website (www.weddingtoncastle.co.uk) by John Brookes. 'Weddington Castle - A History'
released on CD-Rom (featuring the above
website). |
2006 AD |
Several new houses built behind the new Church Hall off Church Lane.
The access road named ‘Swinnerton’s Heritage’. The Swinnerton family were major farmers in the area.
Robert Swinnertonlived at The Grove in the
C19th and there is an impressive memorial for the Swinnertons in
St. James Churchyard. |
2007 AD |
The Fox & Crane restaurant (formerly "The Grove"), is
purchased by AR Cartwright Ltd builders. The restaurant scheduled to close on
17th January 2008, and it was rumoured that the building is to be either
converted to flats or turned into a retirement home. |
2008 AD |
The Fox & Crane restaurant (formerly "The
Grove") finally closes to the public on Tuesday 15th January.
Planning permission granted to convert it into 6 flats, with 18 houses in the
grounds, on 15th December 2008. |
2009 AD |
A sign depicting Weddington's history
and its Castle is erected on Weddington Road,
near the Cricket Ground. A piece of glass, depicting the crest of the Adderley family,
is found by a local resident in the former Castle grounds. The Grove remains derelict. The borough council is told by the government that it has to build
10,800 more homes by 2026 and could also have to accommodate a 3,500
overspill from Coventry. Proposals are drafted to build thousands of new homes
on Green Belt land in Nuneaton and Bedworth. Weddington,
Bedworth Woodlands and Keresley on the
fringes of Coventry are three of the areas most affected. |
2010 AD |
Development works begin on "The Grove" site: now named
"Grove Park". The grounds (including the former bowling green) are
dug up to make way for foundations for the new houses. The outbuildings and
side buildings of The Grove are demolished in March 2010. August: most of the housing has been constructed. The Grove itself is
to be converted into six 2-bedroom apartments. The main access road to Grove
Park, off Weddington Road, is named
"Lionel Close", after the former owner of Weddington Castle
& The Grove: Lionel Place. November: Weddington Village is
once again under threat from developers. Hallam Land Managementannounce plans
to build 333 new houses on Church fields next to St James' historic Church in
the village. A local campaign is been set up to oppose these plans called
S.W.O.R.D - Save Weddington: Oppose the
Residential Development - www.saveweddington.org.uk |
2011 AD |
The so-called "transformation" of the Grove has yet to
happen. It remains a sad shell: exposed to the elements, daubed with graffiti
and with no obvious work going on with it, surrounded by largely empty new
houses which have failed to sell. Apparently at least one new house will need
to be demolished as it contravenes planning regulations. March: formal planning application
for 326 houses on Church Fields is lodged by Hallam Land Management. SWORD
Campaign to oppose this grows, and local residents battle to defeat plans
during a 21 day consultation period (this period is subsequently extended as
not all consultation docuemnts are
uploaded onto NBBC website in time). 15th May: Over 120 local residents
gather in Weddington's Church Fields to
protest against ongoing plans to build a housing estate there.
Nuneaton MP Marcus Jones also attends and a petition opposing the plans with
over 3470 signatures is presented. 17th August: Plans to build 326
houses on Weddington's Church Fields are
narrowly REFUSED by the Council Planning Committee. Read a newspaper report here. However the developers plan to Appeal the decision. Sometime between 4th and 6th
September: Weddington St James' Church is
vandalised. Burglars cause thousands of pounds worth of damage, smashing
glass and ransacking the church - making off with just £5 and a
camcorder. 26th September: Nuneaton and Bedworth
Volunteer Centre launches a `History of Volunteering Project'. Funded by the
Heritage Lottery Fund, its aim is to research and record the volunteering
history within the borough from 1900 to the present day. Part of this will delve into the time
when Weddington Hall was given over to
the military to become a hospital for the wounded of World War I. 1st November: Cartwrights Homes apply to DEMOLISH The Grove.
Nuneaton & Bedworth Council state that: "the proposal is to
demolish the existing building and replace it with a new building in a very
similar design to the existing containing 6 apartments that the original . Reading the design and access statement
submitted with the application, it appears that it is going to be
economically unviable to convert the existing building." 21st December: Council Planning Committee vote unanimously to
REFUSE permission to demolish The Grove - mainly due to its historical value. |
5th January: Weddington Castle's
website is selected for inclusion in the British Library's 'UK Web Archive'
Programme. Ensuring that it will be preserved for future generations. 20th February: following a public
inquiry, the Planning Inspectorate APPROVE plans to build 326 houses on Weddington's Church Fields. In response, the SWORD
(Save Weddington: Oppose the Residential
Development) campaign announces plans to register the fields as a
Village Green. This application is later rejected |
|
2013 AD |
The green fields of Weddington continue to
be threatened with the Council seeking to build 4000 in the area. The Council’s
failure to produce a Local Plan for development is raised in thre House of Commons by Marcus Clarke MP for Nuneaton. SWORD continue to fight planning applications on
Church Fields next to St James Church as well as across Weddington
Road on Lower Farm land. Part of Church Fields is successfully registered as
a Community Asset by the group. The Grove / Fox & Crane remains derelict. September: A new and redesigned version of the Weddington
Castle website is launched. The web address remains www.weddingtoncastle.co.uk December: A grant of £150 is received from Warwickshire County Council
to allow the promotion of the Weddington Castle
website and Weddington history to local schools and
community groups. |