ACCESS: A Retrospective and Update
Update as at 9/12/2025
In around 2022, I wrote on this homepage with the hope that ACCESS, an organisation established almost 20 years previously, would experience a revival. The original plan was to redevelop the website, introduce new sections, and breathe new life into our activities. However, circumstances have shifted, and these ambitions have not materialised as intended.
ACCESS Achievements Over Two Decades
During its 20-year history, ACCESS has made notable contributions to the local community. Among our achievements are:
- Saving Little Oak Plantation, securing its designation as a Local Wildlife Site, and ensuring a Total Tree Preservation Order (TPO) was established.
- Successfully opposing Taylor Wimpey’s proposal to build a 99-house development on the Forest Grass land behind Forest Road.
- Researching previously unrecognised footpaths, which were subsequently acknowledged by Nottinghamshire County Council, preserving them for future generations.
- With community support, submitting and having recognised a number of sites of local heritage by the local council.
None of these successes would have been possible without the active involvement and support of the community.
Challenges and the Decision to Pause
On 19th March 2019, a meeting was held where it was agreed to place ACCESS into ‘slumber mode’ due to a decline in community interest, despite appeals for new, younger committee members to succeed the existing team. The adoption of a new local plan was anticipated, but this did not come to pass. The situation was further complicated a few months later by the onset of the COVID pandemic, which severely limited all forms of social interaction.
Maintaining the Website and Subsequent Events
Despite these challenges, we continued for the next few years in ‘acting roles,’ keeping the website active and updated. The intention was to provide new residents with insights into the community’s development and to make available any useful information we had published.
Regrettably, support continued to dwindle. Among the remaining original committee members, one underwent a heart bypass and was also battling cancer, another had nearly lost their sight, and a third was contending with cancer and advanced age. Given these circumstances, it was decided at a meeting on 21st August 2023 that ACCESS should be formally dissolved. This decision had not previously been communicated on the website, though it was likely that most residents were already aware. I am now addressing this omission, with and by some assistance in website programming.
A Personal Reflection and Future Hopes
On a personal note, I am reluctant to let ACCESS fade away entirely. Our community deserves better, and I have been pursuing several initiatives that I hope to share with you in the New Year. These efforts are aimed at deepening our appreciation and understanding of our local heritage and environment.
Therefore, I repeat my earlier request: please continue to watch this space for future updates.
Peter Olko
About the Photographs
All the photographs featured above were taken within our local community. If you click on a picture, you will be able to view the next one; click again to explore the full current range.
