Brinsley Headstocks: Consultation plan fails to reassure campaigner

A campaigner has called on officials to provide more information ahead of a consultation over a Nottinghamshire landmark's future.

Brinsley Headstocks - a rare example of a wooden pit winch - were removed in December over safety fears.

Some residents are demanding their return and want to know where surviving parts are being stored.

Broxtowe Borough Council has now confirmed it will hold the consultation on the matter in early May.

However, the details of the consultation, which will consider "a number of options", are yet to be revealed.

The pit, which dates back to 1872, once employed the father of author D.H. Lawrence and features in one of his books.

The headstocks moved to another pit when Brinsley closed and went to a mining museum in 1970, before being rebuilt close to their original location.

But last year a series of inspections showed the structure was becoming increasingly unstable, the council said.

Campaigners have called for the headstocks to be returned, saying they were removed without notice and unnecessarily damaged.

Nigel Harrison, who has organised two public meetings about the issue, welcomed the consultation but said campaigners were "very concerned that it is done properly and fairly".

He said: "We have seen mention of a £50,000 budget, which is what a 'low level' memorial - a winding wheel on a plinth - would cost, and the headstocks are worth so much more than that.

"So we want to know it is going to be a fair consultation, not a foregone conclusion.

"We also want to know where the other metalwork - fences, walkways and so on - is being stored. We also want to know whether the contractors, who cut up the headstocks, were told that 'careful dismantling' had been recommended.

"And who will be allowed to take part in the consultation? There are lots of people nearby who care about this who don't live in Brinsley, who don't live in the Broxtowe council area."

Confirming the consultation, council leader Milan Radulovic said: "We know how important the headstocks have been to our residents over the years, for both local residents and visitors outside of the borough, with its links to our mining history and also the open green space that surrounds it.

"That's why we want to make sure they have their say when it comes to the replacement options for the headstocks.

"We are proposing a number of options and hope that as many people will have their say to enable to us to work towards a replacement that residents want."

A spokesman added the consultation would be open to all and said the metal parts of the structure were being stored at Kimberley Depot.

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