Ashbourne News Telegraph
Parking and more charges could rise across region
RESIDENTS across the Derbyshire Dales could soon be paying more for everyday council services under a package of proposed fee increases. Derbyshire Dales District Council is set to consider changes to fees and charges for 2026/27 at its Governance and...
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PLANS FOR 250 NEW HOMES IN TOWN ARE SUBMITTED
EARLY plans to build more than 200 homes on the edge of Ashbourne have been submitted. The scheme, from Hallam Land Management, would see up to 250 homes built on land to the south of The Green on the north-eastern edge of the town, directly bordering...
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A MAXIMUM RISE IN COUNCIL TAX IS COMING
DERBYSHIRE County Council is set to roll out multiple years of maximum council tax increases. Budget papers published by the Reform-controlled authority for the next few years propose a maximum 4.99 per cent council tax increase for the coming...
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New M&S food store could be on its way to a place near you
MARKS & Spencer has identified a list of 500 potential locations for new or revamped food stores in the UK - including one in Ashbourne. The expansion plans form part of a vision to double the size of the food company, with M&S already looking to open...
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BACKING HOSPICE IN HONOUR OF FREDDIE THIS CHRISTMAS
NO parent ever imagines they will have to say goodbye to their child, let alone plan their funeral with them. For Derbyshire parents Greg and Karen, that unthinkable moment became reality when their son Freddie was diagnosed with brain cancer just...
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Convenience and character
A STONE-BUILT, single-storey building at the foot of Thorpe Cloud hill near Ashbourne that previously housed public loos is to go up for auction this month with a guide price of £15,000. Although measuring just 470 sq ft, the former public toilet...
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TRAVELLERS TO BE MOVED TO TEMPORARY SITE BY DUMP
A DERBYSHIRE council is set to move a homeless traveller family to its own depot, opposite a tip, cemetery, allotments and close to sewage works. Derbyshire Dales District Council is going to allocate its own depot in Watery Lane, Ashbourne, as a...
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THE LANTERNS ARE BACK IN TOWN AGAIN
JELLYFISH, gingerbread men, shoals of fish, a horde of mice, a polar bear and a dragon – just some of the characters in a cast of hundreds of lantern characters in the Ashbourne Christmas Lantern Spectacular thsi year. It takes place this Friday,...
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IS COUNCIL SET TO LOSE PLANNING POWERS?
A Derbyshire council could have its power to decide major planning applications seized by central government
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ONE COUNTY AND TWO COUNCILS PLAN BACKED
Turn to page three to see how County Council want change
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NEW HOMES ARE GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT NOW
MORE than a dozen homes can now be built in a rural Derbyshire village after a government inspector overturned a scheme rejected by councillors. Plans for 16 houses and two apartments have now been approved at appeal by Government inspector LN Hughes...
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TOWN SET TO FALL SILENT AS ANNUAL SERVICE TO BE HELD THIS WEEKEND
THE town will fall silent this Sunday as the annual Remembrance Service is held. The parade will start from the Market Place at 10am and make its way along St John Street to St Oswalds Church. There will be a church service at 10.30am. The parade...
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ANGER OVER PHONE MAST ISSUES IN VILLAGE
ANGRY residents in a Derbyshire Peak District village say the failure of an O2 mobile network mast has left them without essential communication for daily life, healthcare and business for three months. The mast serving Parwich, north of Ashbourne,...
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Tax cut would ‘affect residents badly’ says County Council leader
REFORM’S Derbyshire County Council leader says a council tax cut would “affect residents badly” after election pledges to decrease annual bills for residents. Cllr Alan Graves, a long-term Derby city councillor and now Reform’s Derbyshire County...
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8 PAGES OF PUZZLES!
PLUS GARDENING WITH DAVID DOMONEY & SEVEN-DAY TV GUIDE FREE INSIDE
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SALE OF HQ IS ‘NOT A STEP BACK’ SAY FIRM
DECIDING to put its proposed prestigious headquarters on the market before the building had come into use was a “difficult” and “brave” decision for Derbyshire jewellery company CW Sellors, according to a company spokesman. It was revealed last week...
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NEW BYPASS PLANS ARE SHELVED
LONG-AWAITED plans for a potential bypass around a congestion-hit Derbyshire town have once again been shelved due to funding issues. In a Derbyshire County Council meeting this week, councillors were informed that the previous Conservative...
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‘WHAT’S THE POINT’ SAY CRITICS OVER LACK OF DOG FOULING AND ALSO BBQ FINES
A DERBYSHIRE council’s fines for BBQS, fires and dog fouling have been compared to the “Emperor’s new clothes” with no fines issued in three years. Derbyshire Dales District Council has agreed to extend its public space protection order for another...
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RED CARPET TREATMENT IN THE TOWN CENTRE
ASHBOURNE celebrated the in style at the weekend with the first ever Big Fashion Day Out in the town centre - a unique celebration of style, enterprise, and community pride. The event featured three professionally produced fashion shows, with looks...
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RED-CARPET TO BE ROLLED OUT IN TOWN CENTRE
A STREET is set to be transformed into a red-carpet runway as part of the Big Fashion Day Out. On Sunday, September 7, the red carpet will be rolled out along St John Street in a bold and joyful celebration that puts creativity, community, and high...
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RESULTS TIME FOR YOUNGSTERS
MORE than 11,000 young people will be hoping that the exams they sat back in May and June will have the grades they need to progress onwards as GCSE results are published last week (Thursday, August 21), despite a fall in the national GCSE pass rate...
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THOUSANDS TURN UP FOR SHOW
A CROWD of more than 12,000 attended the 133rd Ashbourne show at the Polo Ground Osmaston on Saturday. Visitors to the show certainly had plenty to see, from beautiful livestock to main ring entertainment and wonderful attractions and trade...
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FREE BOTTLE OF PEPSI
We’ve teamed up with Iceland and The Food Warehouse with a fantastic offer! You can get one FREE 1.25l bottle of Pepsi Max, Pepsi Max Cherry or Diet Pepsi (worth £1.65, 13p/100ml) in-store from Wednesday 13th August 2025 – Monday 18th August...
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FREE PARKING HAS RETURNED
PARKING will be free after 2pm in Derbyshire Dales District Council’s Ashbourne car parks from this Monday for the six-week school summer holidays – and the initiative will be extended as soon as possible to free parking from 12 noon during the summer...
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OVER FOUR OUT OF FIVE RATE TOWN GP AS GOOD
GP practices in Derby and Derbyshire have improved patient satisfaction according to the annual GP Patient Survey results. The results show increases in patient ratings for “ease of contacting your practice”, by phone, website and the NHS app. In...
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TIME FOR A BBQ BAN IN THE DALES?
A six-week consultation started on Monday (7 July) on a proposed order banning barbecues and open fires from all land in the Derbyshire Dales with public access. The proposal, which would mark an extension to Derbyshire Dales District Council’s Public...
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CARE HOME COULD BE TURNED INTO HOUSES
A DERELICT former care home in a Derbyshire town could be demolished and replaced with houses after sitting vacant for nearly a decade. Plans filed by Tenergy Highfield House would see the former Highfield House nursing home in Clifton Road,...
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SIX-YEAR DISPUTE OVER SOLAR PANELS IS OVER
A DERBYSHIRE climate activist is no longer going to be pursued to remove solar panels they unlawfully installed after a six-year dispute that has included the threat of prison time. After six years of increasingly serious disputes, Derbyshire Dales...
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DRUG DEALING 4X4 DRIVER IS JAILED FOR KILLING ONE OF THE ‘GOOD GUYS’
A Drug-dealing 4x4 driver, who ran over and killed “one of the good guys” as he lay in the road before driving off, has been sent to prison. A judge at Nottingham Crown Court told 29-year-old Karl Twyford, of The Willows, Hulland Ward, Ashbourne what...
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COULD PAY TO VISIT HELP FUND PEAK DISTRICT?
THE chief executive of the Peak District National Park Authority has called for government support as it looks to bridge the funding gap caused by “cuts” to grants that go to the national park. It comes after the government reduced its funding to the...
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Nearly time for town to enjoy festival
ASHBOURNE Festival, the annual event celebrating the vibrant cultural tapestry of Ashbourne, presents another spectacular fortnight of entertainment between 20 June to 8 July. The Festival promises an array of performances, exhibitions, and activities...
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SHOW-AND-TELL DRAMA AS PUPIL TURNS UP WITH GRENADE!
A DERBYSHIRE primary school was evacuated after a pupil brought a suspected Second World War grenade to a show-and-tell assembly. The incident in Ashbourne led to an evacuation and the swift arrival of bomb disposal experts. The dramatic events...
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ASHBOURNE REBORN HAS UNAVOIDABLE DISRUPTION
THE chair of the Ashbourne Reborn project has said ‘disruption is unavoidable’ after concerns were raised at a recent public meeting. A number of concerns have been raised about the ongoing regeneration of the town centre, particularly around car...
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CELEBRATION TIME AS VE DAY IS SET TO BE MARKED
THIS weekend will mark the 80th anniversary of the day victory was declared in Europe in World War Two. Tomorrow, Thursday May 8, will mark VE (Victory in Europe) Day, and communities all across Derbyshire will celebrate this significant milestone and...
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TIME TO VOTE
See pages four and five as the main parties have their say on why you should give them YOUR vote in what could be the most important County Council elections for years. With the future of all local councils locally to be decided in the coming months,...
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GET ON BOARD
THE latest meeting for Ashbourne Reborn takes place this week, with documents showing that getting the community behind the project is crucial to the success of the town, writes Joseph Richards. The project, which is leading to mixed feelings around...
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POLICE SEEK WITNESSES TO AIRCRAFT TRAGEDY
TWO men who died when a light aircraft crashed in a field near a Derbyshire racetrack have been named by police. Pilot Edward Browne, 66, and passenger James Litchfield, 64, both died at the scene when a light aircraft crashed at Darley Moor...
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OPEN FOR BUSINESS
A NUMBER of roads have been closed in the town centre to traffic since March while the Ashbourne Reborn transformation is under way. Many businesses have welcomed the improvements through the Ashbourne Reborn programme but some have struggled with the...
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BBC STAR IS SET FOR FESTIVAL
ASHBOURNE Festival has packed a punch with their first announcement for the 2025 fun as they revelaed that the legendary Jenny Eclair, awardwinning comedian, bestselling author, and all-round icon will be coming to town this summer. The event, which...
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FREE PARKING IS COMING TO TOWN
ASHBOURNE residents are getting 30 minutes of free parking offered to them when they pop into town from next week. From Tuesday, April 1, motorists can activate a free ticket from the pay and display machine. A Derbyshire Dales District spokesperson...
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TOILET CCTV HAS NO PRIVACY ISSUE
DERBYSHIRE Dales District Council has said ‘no-one’s privacy is compromised’ after complaints were raised over CCTV in a public toilet. A number of complaints were raised by women on social media about the cameras in the toilets in Shawcroft. Now,...
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A TRIUMPH FOR TAYLOR
FOR MARTYN Taylor life in Ashbourne may never be the same. The 36-year-old wrote his name into the history books last week when he scored the only goal at Shrovetide 2025. We are less than a week removed from the end of the game and yet for Martyn...
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CORRECTIONS & COMPLAINTS
If we have published anything factually inaccurate, please contact the editor on christopher. [email protected] and, once verified, we’ll correct it as soon as possible. The Ashbourne News and Telegraph is published by Derby Telegraph Media...
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SCHOOL IN LOCKDOWN
POLICE have issued a statement after an Ashbourne school locked down and a 15-year-old pupil was arrested. Hundreds of pupils at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School were locked down on Monday after it was reported that a student was behaving aggressively...
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1,000 MILES IN MEMORY OF EVE
A MAMMOTH walking challenge has been launched in memory of a teenager who died last year. Ashbourne local Eve Shipley died aged 13 on November 4, 2024 after being diagnosed with a brain tumour and leukaemia. Now, her uncle Richard Bettany is aiming...
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Council leaders want new super authority to keep a ‘local’ focus
DERBYSHIRE’S district council leaders, along with Derby, have committed to retaining “local” accountability in any super authority merger talks. The Government has asked Derbyshire councils to come up with ideas for merger ideas to reorganise local...
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HAVING A BALL
TWO Ashbourne artists have chalked up more than 150 hours of work creating the intricate designs for the Shrovetide Football to be played at Ashbourne on March 4 and 5. Simon Hellaby has been painting the Tuesday balls since 2007, and Tim Baker the...
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CAR PARK TO CLOSE FOR REBORN PROJECT
FROM next week, the Market Place in Ashbourne will no longer be a car park, as works get under way for the UK Government funded Ashbourne Reborn programme. The highways and public realm project, led by Derbyshire County Council, will transform the...
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COUNCIL TOLD TO ‘PARK’ PLANS TO SCRAP FREE PARKING
A DERBYSHIRE council has been faced with mass opposition to a potential plan to scrap its free car parks by introducing fees. Derbyshire Dales District Council, following public consultation, is set to roll out a slew of car parking changes. This...
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FLY-TIPPING SET FOR BIG FINE RISE
A DERBYSHIRE council is looking to significantly increase its flytipping fines in a bid to cover costly cleanups with it currently charging the lowest fees in the county. Derbyshire Dales District Council currently charges flytipping offenders £200,...
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MORE THAN £18MILLION IN SAVINGS STILL NEEDED
FURTHER savings proposals are being put forward by Derbyshire County Council after it was revealed that the authority has a predicted shortfall in its budget for the financial year ahead (2025-26) of £18.6 million. This is in addition to a current...
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HONOURED
AN Ashbourne resident has spoken of his pride after being awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list. Nationally actor Stephen Fry, former England manager Gareth Southgate and London mayor Sadiq Khan have been knighted and have dominated the...
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REVEALED
Two stalwart Shrovetiders have been given the town’s ultimate honour of turning up the 2025 Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide balls on February 13 and 14 next year. CHRIS PHILPOTTS spoke to them to find out what they thought about taking on such an important...
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580 HOMES NEEDED A YEAR IN THE DALES UNDER NEW TARGETS
THE Labour government has announced revised targets for the number of homes that councils must approve to be built in their areas - and the Derbyshire Dales has seen a huge increase. In August it was announced that local authorities across England...
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Green light set to be given to first 300 of 1,000 new homes
THE first 300 of more than 1,000 homes earmarked for a former Derbyshire airfield are set for approval at the second time of asking. Ashbourne Airfield is the lynchpin of Derbyshire Dales District Council’s housing plans for the next couple of decades...
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LANTERNS SET TO LIGHT UP TOWN THIS WEEKEND
A “smack” of jellyfish, complete with long, flowing tentacles will lead a cast of hundreds of lantern characters through a Derbyshire town. The Christmas Lantern Spectacular will roll through Ashbourne on Friday, December 6, and a “festive seasonal...
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GOLFING GREATS SET TO RETURN
SOME of the biggest names in the world of golf are set to return to the region next year. JCB’S exclusive Golf and Country Club is preparing to welcome back the LIV Golf League as dates for the prestigious tournament are confirmed. This summer’s LIV...
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LET THERE BE LIGHT
CROWDS gathered on Saturday to watch Ashbourne’s Christmas lights switch on. This year, residents were encouraged to nominate a child to switch on the lights during the ceremony in Market Place. Last month the Mayor, Cllr Sandra Spencer drew out the...
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DECISION DAY LOOMS FOR FUTURE OF COUNTY CARE HOMES
DERBYSHIRE County Council is soon to consider closing and selling nine care homes and closing some day centres for the elderly after studying the public reaction from over 1.700 respondents in a consultation to their plans. The Conservative-controlled...
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WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
REMEMBRANCE Sunday will take place on November 10 to honour the men and women of the Armed Forces who lost their lives in conflicts and they started shortly after the First World War. Observed on the second Sunday in November, Remembrance Sunday is...
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Mass opposition to raft of planned council cutbacks
MASS opposition has been directed at numerous plans for cutbacks – including care home closures – from Derbyshire County Council. A county council meeting this week will discuss the feedback to four different public consultations on planned cutbacks....
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CRITICISM OVER DECISION TO CLOSE MEDICAL CENTRE IN VILLAGE FOREVER
HEALTH operators have proposed a village medical centre will permanently close because it would be too expensive to revamp it and bring it up to standards expected. It was back in 2021, Hulland Medical Centre was temporarily closed and patients were...
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BRIDGE SET TO BE RAISED AS PART OF REBORN PROGRAMME
A PARAPET on a bridge in Ashbourne town centre is set to be raised ahead of works to install a new pavement. The work on Henmore Bridge, which is due to start on October 21, comes as part of the Ashbourne Reborn transformation programme. Carried out...
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CHRISTMAS IS COMING TO TOWN
CHRISTMAS is coming and there is even a date for when it will first peak its head round the door in Ashbourne. Residents around the town are invited to see Ashbourne come to life with sparkling Christmas illuminations as a special guests drawn from...
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