South Yorkshire Times February 16 1946

Overtures to old Denaby
Village Unenthusiastic About Mexborough Bridge Scheme

Old Denaby parish council had before them on Friday an intimation from Mexborough Urban Council that they are to make representations to the West Riding County Council with a view to securing a bridge at Old Denaby over the railway, or a tunnel under the railway and other obstacles there. The Urban Council added that the Parish Council might desire the support their application.

The Parish Council decided however, to take no action in view of their own scheme for the provision of a Bailey bridge, and to ask the County Council if this scheme could be included in the County estimates this year.

A Big Scheme

The chairman, Mr A. R. Earnshaw, commented that Mexborough’s proposal would be a big scheme, and, in order to obtain sufficient gradient for a bridge, the bridge would have to begin in the vicinity of Ferry boat Inn.

Miss T. Shah suggested that a better position would be an approach from the Station Road direction of Mexborough, but the chairman pointed out that that would necessitate the provision of a road through on the old Denaby side.

Mr Earnshaw remarked that Mexborough had never shown Old Denaby a willing hand, with the exception of just recently – now they wanted some building land, and Mr Earnshaw are felt that now they had got so far with the County Council with their own scheme he for they should not have “interlopers” coming in. Mexborough’s approach was too late in the day, but if Mexborough wanted to develop on the old Denaby side there was nothing to prevent them going forward. If the scheme for the provision of a bridge did not progress any more speedily than the high street widening scheme he was afraid that none of the council would live to see it.

In appealing for their scheme to receive attention this year, the council had decided to point out that the ferry had been closed five days that week, and as Mexborough was Old Denaby’s shopping centre the lack of direct communication caused considerable hardship on local residents.

Lines and Lights.

The council also decided to renew their request to the counter authority for the provision of white traffic lines at certain points in the village, and to assess the Electrical Distribution of Yorkshire, Ltd., to ensure that the early-morning streetlight began at the agreed hour of 5 a.m. It was stated that the lamps were lighting up at 5:30 a.m. and remained unnecessarily lit during hours when it was daylight.

Council Shaw asked the Clerk, Mr R Dunn, for a statement on the latest position with housing plans for the village. Mr Dunn replied that the whole of the housing plan of the Doncaster rural Council, was going to be reviewed the following day, and he had an undertaking that after the meeting he would be given the exact position so far as Old Denaby was concerned.

In an effort to improve the present system whereby all Denaby residents required the use of an ambulance had to wait until the vehicle arise from Bentley, 10 miles away, the council decided to ask the Don and Dearne Ambulance Joint Committee if they could consider Old Denaby paying a retainer so that local residents might have the use of the committee’s service. The committee was asked to state the amount of such a retainer.

Lights for Crossing?

The Clerk reported that he had been in communication with the LNER with a view to securing an improvement of the approaches to the railway crossing and to the crossing itself and, also, for the provision of lights on the crossing bridge. At their request, he had sent them a sketch plan, and the company had replied that the matter was receiving attention.

It was stated that the condition of the crossing itself was now satisfactory, but the railway company held that the light question was not theirresponsibility.

It was decided to approach the Doncaster Rural Council, as the lighting authority, on the matter, and to ask the County Council and the railway company to “thrash” out between themselves who was responsible for improving the surface condition of the approaches to the crossing.

Councillor H. Ogley stated that there was still a complaint about people having to wait at the crossing for goods trains to pull clear. Only the previous week a woman with a baby held to wait an hour until someone arrived to help them over the bridge.

The matter is to be referred to the LNER.

It was reported that as a result of action by the Clerk a local old-age pensioner had been able to secure refund from the assistance board of taxi fares to as a result of hospital treatment, although the authorities had at first refused the man’s application. The Clerk said that the Mexborough assistance board had been extremely courteous; in these days one heard so many criticisms of public offences that such treatment was worthy of record.

Mr J. Clarkson, of the “South Yorkshire Times” editorial staff, reporting his first meetings of the Council after 5 ½ years, RAF service, was welcomed at the opening of the meeting.