So, here we are again with news from Old Bolsover Yard.

There has been some activity on the site this week, with visits from roofers & builders. who have come give us quotations for the work that we want to do to create a new 'tourist offering' for Bolsover, and business opportunities for small businesses in the town & surrounding area.

Where there has been no activity is in the confines of the District Council, from whom we still await a response to our enquiry relating to 'planning permission'.

A slight glimmer of hope comes from one Bolsover District Councillor to whom I wrote asking for their help & support for what we are trying to do. She has come back to me & asked for actual names of people at the Council who I have spoken to or written to. So, if you have met me recently, or received an email from me, then your name was on the list.

The real problem at the moment is not being able to make the buildings watertight & secure. All we want to do it to get the roof repaired on the big workshop & put doors on all of the outbuildings to make them secure. Not really too much to ask, but as yet no firm indication that we can do that whilst the wheels of the Council grind along.

Despite all of this we remain confident that progress can be made, but it may have to go at the pace of the local authority, rather than the pace of the entrepreneurs who want to get on with making buildings that have stood empty & falling into disrepair for 98 years into something exciting for Bolsover & surrounding area

So, the last couple of days have been busy & eventful.

Yesterday, I contacted a number of builders & roofers to come & give me quotations for the work that needs doing, and I also had a long conversation with a Planning & Building Control Consultant based in Bolsover about the vexed Planning Permission question.

As a result I have now sent off an email to the Development Control Department of Bolsover District Council asking for - "an informal comment on planning, conservation & highways aspect, prior to submitting a full application"

I have asked for a reply within 7 days, so 'watch this space'!!

Now the good news - the elusive Brian from Revenues has been in touch - following my visit earlier today to The Arc, to see why I had not heard from him.

This afternoon, I have received a fulsome reply from him, in which he confirms that he has changed the ownership details on the Beehive Cafe. However there are no records about the outbuildings, and so Business Rates or Business Rate Relief is not applicable for something that doesn't exist in their records.

Now - this has set me wondering - why do I have to get Planning Permission for something that 'doesn't exist' - interesting. Methinks a few questions need to be asked in the right places!!

Tomorrow I have another builder coming to have a look & prepare a quote, so more in my next post later in the week.

In the meantime, if you are in Bolsover, why not drop into the Beehive Cafe for a drink and a slice of one of Michelle's wonderful cakes.

Enjoy the next few days - I'll be back soon!

So here we are at the end of the first full week of owning Old Bolsover Yard, and what a week it has been.

There have been highs & lows - we contacted a builder who was recommended to us, and he said he would be in touch to arrange to come and see us - no show!!

The saga of the Local Authority has been written about in detail - but just to update - no reply to my email to 'Revenues' or Brian - still no further forward with Planning Permission application.

I left an answerphone message with a - Planning & Building Design - business asking them to contact me - but no reply. They offer an 'initial design feasibility appraisal visit' - presumably by employing telepathy!!

Then there is the saga of the 'skip man' - it seems that our gateway is too small for them to get a skip in, so we investigated 'skip bags' but a visit from that company resulted in no progress

On the plus side, we have managed to make progress on clearing each of the units, and it really is surprising how much bigger each one looks when you have cleared some of the rubbish out.

We have managed to sell - as in for real money!! - some of the office furniture that had been left in one of the units, so that is good.

And finally, today we had a visit from the electrician, who seemed to think that the job was not too bad - well the blood didn't drain completely from his face! - and he has gone away to put together a preliminary quotation.

So now a couple of 'days off', though I want to have a look at drawing some rough plans of the site, using the measurements we made earlier in the week.

We have talked to a lot of people this week from the area who have wanted to know what we are doing, and without exception the feedback has been positive - or perhaps they are just being kind!

Next update on Monday - have a good weekend!!

OK, so yesterdays 'blog' told Part 1 of the story of trying to register change of ownership of 2 Castle Street - my new project.

Well let's deal with the change of ownership - still no reply to my email of yesterday afternoon - Brian obviously not back yet!!

Now to the really big one - Planning Permission. I was at the Planning Office bright & early this morning, and saw Sharon. Because this was a different person from yesterday - she was called Michelle, I had to go over the whole story again.

Sharon was very helpful & printed off the form for me, and showed me on the form the where the link to the online version was.

So armed with my newly produced 10 page form I made for home, and immediately tried the online link, whilst the kettle was boiling for a cup of coffee.

Needless to say the link did not bring up the same form as I had been given a copy of, or anything vaguely like it.

So now with my freshly brewed cup of coffee, I sat down to read through the 10 page - 29 Question form.

Name - yes can do that; Address - now do they mean my home address or the address of the property in Bolsover?;

And so it went on - "If applicable, please state what materials are to be used externally, including type, colour & name for each material" 'If applicable?' well if there are no external materials, won't the building fall down?

So it continued - Question 11 on Foul sewage; Question 12 - Assessment of Flood Risk; Question 13 on Biodiversity & Geological Conservation and on & on.

By the the time I got to Question 29, I was already lying down in  a darkened room, and had a cold flannel on my forehead.

Really can't wait for my next visit to the Planning Department, and while I am there I will 'pop-round' and see if Brian is back!!

As they say - watch this space!!

So off I set with all my papers this morning to go to the Council Offices & sort out notification of new ownership, and enquire about 'change of use' etc.

Eventually I was called forward by a receptionist who was ensconced behind a large glass screen - very customer friendly - and I explained what I wanted to do.

And that was where it all went 'pear shaped' - she couldn't do the change of ownership, because that is done by another department called 'Revenues', but she could ring them & 'get somebody to come round'. Ah! sorry can't do that - "Brian isn't there" - and it appears that Brian is the only person who can deal with that. I was given an email address to message 'Brian' and tell him what I wanted.

OK - lets try 'change of use'. No, we don't deal with that here - but it is a Council Department - I say. So I am given another email address & told that they will help me.

Are but now a shred of light emerges! - I could go next door and ask to see someone from Planning & a duty officer should be able to come & see me.

So armed with this piece of information, I toddle off next door & explain to another receptionist that I have just been sent round from the 'Contact Centre' and could I see the 'Duty' Planning Officer.

Invited to - 'sit over there' a young lady eventually appeared & I explained that I wanted to talk about 'change of use' for a commercial property in Bolsover. She took lots of information from me - well a couple of things actually, and said she would have to go & ask a Planning Officer - but isn't she the 'Duty' Planning Officer?

Some Minutes later she re-appeared with the news that I can't apply for 'change of use' as the buildings haven't been used for some time, so I will have to apply for Full Planning Permission.

Hardly surprising they haven't been used for some time if this is the way it goes.

She then very kindly explained the documents that I would need & that there would be a fee of £462. She could get me a copy of the Planning Application Forms or I could download them easily from the Council Planning Portal. OK I'll do that I said - big mistake in hindsight!

I came home and sent Brian an email, but as I write I am still waiting for a reply, and the Planning Application Forms?? Well they weren't obvious on the 'Planning Portal', so I went on to the 'Chat with us' option and Sharon came online. I explained what I was trying to do, and her reply was - "Ah yes they are a bit difficult to find, I will try and find the link for you" Eventually Sharon comes back & types a message saying that she thinks this is the link I want but if not then email - yes you've guessed it - the very email that I have contacted   her on!!

So, tomorrow, I am off to the Council Offices again to try and get somebody to talk to me, and believe you me heaven help anybody who says "Just email this address.....!!"

Which makes me wonder - why would anybody want to start a small business if this is the encouragement they get at  the start - we haven't even reached Beachers Brook yet!!

Look out for the next installment!!

So after some time Contracts have been exchanged, monies have moved from purchaser to vendor, and I now find myself the owner of 2 Castle Street, Bolsover, and a whole new project begins.

2 Castle Street is going to become Old Bolsover Yard - a group of craft workshops for up & coming small businesses, who want to take the next step from homeworking to growing into the world of small business.

Over the coming months we will be renovating a series of outbuildings at the rear of the property into small units, which will be offered at affordable rents.

And the bonus to all this is that we also have the Beehive Cafe, which fronts onto Castle Street, and will become part of the Old Bolsover Yard 'complex'. The cafe recently became the Derbyshire Times Cafe of the Year 2018 & Michelle who currently rents the cafe will be continuing her fabulous cakes & other goodies & a wide choice of drinks.

The first of the units will be 'Ethos Upcycling', and they are working with me to get things sorted out.

So, I will be posting here about our progress from time to time and then about our 'Grand Opening' later in the year.

Make sure you 'Bookmark' the website & come back from time to time to follow our progress.

Bye for now.