Following his open letter to the residents of Keyworth, the Council chairman, Tony Grice, has written to the owner of 2 Bunny Lane (the site of the current war memorial) as follows:
WAR MEMORIAL – 2 BUNNY LANE
Further to my letter dated 28 June 2011, the Parish Council has been considering the situation in the light of events on Remembrance Day and comments subsequently received from members of the public, and this letter was approved by the Council at a meeting last night. As you know, the Council has decided to pursue the idea of establishing a new war memorial in the centre of the village; a suitable site has been identified, and an application has been submitted for a grant to cover the cost.
The Council appreciates that a new memorial not far from the one outside your premises at 2 Bunny Lane might seem incongruous and could cause confusion. It also understands concerns regarding the cost of a new memorial, albeit that the intention is to raise the money by way of a grant rather than using Parish Council funds. It does, however, believe that Keyworth should have a memorial which is accessible to everyone and, in particular, to anyone, without exception, who wishes to lay a wreath, and this is the overriding principle behind the Council's thinking on this matter.
Having said that, all options, as I pointed out in my previous letter, are still open at this stage, and, if you were prepared to give the Council your assurance that the memorial at 2 Bunny Lane would be accessible to all in future, that would, in all probability, render a new memorial unnecessary. If you are not disposed to give such an assurance, then the Council will continue to pursue the idea of a new memorial. If, however, you feel that there might be another way forward, you are, as I have said before, welcome to contact me.
29.11.11
(response to be considered at the next Full Council meeting)
Click on the link below to see the open letter referred to above: