The survey results from Ashby Civic Society on the proposed closure of Ashby and District Hospital were presented to the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group. Of the 3,000 surveys completed, only 27 voted to close the hospital. Ken Ward from the Civic Society expressed concerns about where inpatients would go and outpatients would have to travel to without the hospital. Councillor Jim Hoult supported the petition against closure, hoping the NHS would listen to local opinions. Professor Mayur Lakhani from the Commissioning Group said they would consider the points carefully but difficult decisions must be made.

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TIMES POSTBOX PAGE 16 LEISURE TIMES PAGES 19-26 TIMES SPORT PAGES 35-40
Friday, October 10, 2014 No. 6194 EST: 1893 PRICE: 51p
An edition of the Coalville Times
Ashby Times
RESULTS from a recent
survey about the closure
of Ashby and District
Hospital have been pre-
sented to the NHS
Clinical Commissioning
Group.
Last month, the Times reported
that Ashby Civic Society had
launched their own survey asking
people whether or not the hospital
should stay open after the NHS
West Leicestershire Clinical
Commissioning Group decided to
close the 117-year-old building in
May.
Of the 3,000 forms completed,
only 27 had voted to close the hos-
pital.
Ken Ward, chairman of Ashby
Civic Society, said: “Ashby and
District Hospital has proved a
valuable asset to the community
for many years.
"A number of people who com-
pleted our survey expressed real
concerns about where inpatients
would be placed now there are no
longer hospital beds in Ashby and
where outpatients would have to go
if its outpatient services are
moved.
"We have put it to the NHS that
there must be no question of losing
or decommissioning the site unless
people are convinced over an ade-
quate timespan that services have
actually been improved.
"There needs to an overhaul of
the thinking behind the move to
close Ashby & District Hospital,
otherwise we could reach a ‘point of
no return’ beyond which the hospi-
tal is lost in perpetuity.”
Several examples were quoted to
the NHS at the presentation where
people claimed
they were
already losing
out from ser-
vices being with-
drawn.
Cllr Jim
Hoult, who rep-
resents Ashby
Ivanhoe on
North West
Leicestershire
District Council,
said: "I am real-
ly passionate
about this and it
is devastating
that it's happen-
ing.
"The petition is a great idea and
I am behind it, I just hope the NHS
listen to it and takes it in."
The NHS had conducted its own
comprehensive survey earlier this
year on the proposals which com-
prised of a pre-consultation public
engagement exercise.
This included one-to-one and
group discussions across the com-
munity over several months.
This was then followed by a for-
mal public consultation.
Professor Mayur Lakhani, GP
and chair of West Leicestershire
Clinical Commissioning Group
(CCG) said: “We were delighted to
receive a presentation from the
Ashby Civic Society.
"We are grateful to them for
their excellent efforts in getting
this petition together and we are
certainly looking forward to contin-
uing to work with them.
"Submissions like this are very
useful to our Board and we will
consider the points discussed care-
fully.
"I am sure that people will
understand that the CCG frequent-
ly has to make difficult decisions.”
ONLY27OF3,000FORMSWEREINFAVOUROFFACILITY’SCLOSURE
By NICK REID
Planningchiefsreject
70-housedevelopment
PLANNING chiefs from Ashby
Town Council have rejected an
application by Miller Homes to
build 70 houses on part of the
Money Hill site, in Ashby.
The proposed development,
accessed from Nottingham Road,
through Woodcock Way, includes
public open space, a children's
play area and National Forest tree
planting. It was opposed by the
town council's planning committee
at a meeting on Monday, October
6.
The Nottingham Road Action
Group (NoRAG) has campaigned
against any new housing develop-
ment using Nottingham Road for
access due to the impact on traffic
levels.
Mike Ball, spokesman for the
group, said after the council meet-
ing: “Nottingham Road is already
used by 15,000 vehicles a day, and
that’s before the residents of the
1000 new homes already approved
for Ashby start driving to and from
Tesco and Aldi, or to and from
the A42 J13 to commute to
work.
"We face gridlock already, to
approve yet more houses
would be reckless.”
Despite the protestations, the
final say on whether the applica-
tion goes ahead rests with chiefs
on North West Leicestershire
District Council's planning com-
mittee which could be put before
them in the near future.
In May, The Times reported how
chiefs at the district council
refused an application to build 605
homes on the Money Hill site due
to unsuitable access arrangements
through Nottingham Road and
Woodcock Way.
This was not the first time the
plans had come before the district
council and had been refused
before this for the same reasons.
Those proposals included 605
houses, a health centre, nursery
school, community hall, a conve-
nience store and public open
space.
Chris Tandy, vice-chairman of
the Ashby Civic Society, described
the application to build the 70
homes as “completely unneces-
sary."
He said: “Ashby has already had
more than enough houses
approved to cover its allocation up
to 2031."
To have your say on this plan-
ning application or for more infor-
mation about the development
visit:
www.nwleics.gov.uk/planning.
For more information on
NoRAGs campaigns visit:
www.norag.co.uk.
The petition is a great
idea and I am behind
it. I just hope the NHS
listens to it and takes it in
-CouncillorJimHoult
“
”
HOSPITALSURVEY
RESULTSPRESENTED
CHALLENGE
Mum Emma to trek up
Kilimanjaro as part of her
40th birthday celebrations
SEE PAGE 9
IN THE BUFF
Young farmers from
Market Bosworth strip off
for charity naked calendar
SEE PAGE 2
FIRST DAY
Smiles all round for
youngsters as they start
their new schools
SEE PAGES 14 & 15
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