Historian 'angry' after council rejects help offer

A heritage campaigner and historian has said she is angry after her offer to look after a historic site in Nottingham was repeatedly rejected.

Janine Tanner, who led the eight-year restoration of Long Steps in the Lace Market, had noticed an area of blocked caves on nearby Cliff Road had become overgrown, so asked to be allowed to tidy it up.

But despite making effort to work with the city council's protocols, she said she was eventually told the authority did "not wish to enter into any agreement with yourself and the group".

The council said it had a duty to make sure any work was "undertaken safely, appropriately and in line with relevant policies" and would continue to monitor the site.

What is now Cliff Road was once Narrow Marsh and Red Lion Street, a series of notorious slums which were largely cleared in the 1930s.

The location is where some of these buildings once stood, next to the former Loggerheads pub, now apartments, which is one of the few original buildings left.

Tanner said: "It was quite overgrown with bushes and weeds and all manner of rubbish and people had just been dumping stuff there.

"Me and my team were looking for a new project so I contacted the council and said could we clear and maintain it?

"They came back and said no because there could be sharps in there and we said 'fine, you clear it and we'll maintain it' because once they've gone away the weeds come back very quickly.

"We've got our own public liability insurance, our own PPE and lots of experience of this."

But the city council eventually rejected the offer of any help.

Tanner previously disagreed with the council over the Sneinton Hermitage Caves, where, after being allowed to clear the site, she was told she could not take on their continuing care.

But she felt this was a more straightforward location.

Tanner said: "I was angry and upset.

"That's a nice area on Cliff Road that looked completely unsightly because it had just been left to get overgrown.

"There are no caves to worry about. All I was asking was, 'can we take this piece of land on the street and keep it looking nice?'

"We've got a team of volunteers and we'll keep it neat and tidy and while the council has now cleared the area, how long will it stay like that?"

A council spokesperson said they recognised the "passion and dedication" of volunteers who supported the city's heritage.

"However, due to the nature of the location, there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account, including public safety, liability, site management responsibilities and the potential presence of hazardous materials or other risks.

"As the landowner, the council has a duty to ensure that any work carried out on its sites is undertaken safely, appropriately and in line with relevant policies and procedures.

"For this reason, we are not currently seeking to enter into maintenance agreements for this particular site."

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