Welcome to the website of the Lilley and Stone Site in Peril Community Organisation (LASSIPCO).
We care deeply about our town
LASSIPCO is a community organisation, constituted in December 2022 by a number of Newark residents who were concerned about proposed plans for the site of the former Lilley and Stone Girls’ School on London Road, owned by the Lilley and Stone School Charity.
Newark is a wonderful place, rich in history. It was originally a medieval walled town with the river making it strategic in the Midlands. Many historic buildings and sites remain to remind us of our heritage. Many have been lost or are in danger. The Lilley and Stone site is one of these. The trustees have sold the site for a housing development. We believe that there are better solutions for the people of Newark which would increase the cultural standing and heritage value of the town and provide badly needed facilities.
We want to maintain the best quality of life for residents, as well as build a future legacy for our children and the next generation.
The Lilley and Stone site is central to this vision and thus we feel moved to act.
Help us save the Lilley and Stone site
THE MAIN ISSUES
01 Fulfilling the Duties of the Trust
The Lilley and Stone Trust is principally meant to benefit the young people of Newark and Balderton in all things educational, cultural and recreational, as outlined in the link below.
The Charity Commission – Lilley and Stone School Charity
We understand the need to restore the listed buildings and the sports facilities and are happy to help to raise the funds to do this. Selling the site would be a lost opportunity to use the land and buildings as a centre for excellence educationally, socially and culturally to best serve the young people and the community of Newark at large. To indicate that profits from the sale of the site would allow the trustees to deliver substantial funding towards local sports facilities is far too vague. We have recently seen Woodhead go out of business. One of the developers in the Robin Hood Hotel saga went into liquidation. Profits in the current climate are not guaranteed. It is not necessary to build and sell new houses to fund the restoration and conversion of the wonderful existing listed buildings. Once the site is gone it is lost to the beneficiaries forever.
02 Loss of Green Space
We know about climate change and the need to be environmentally aware. In developing our town centre, green space is vital and increasingly scarce. The people of Newark have already lost Lincoln Road Playing Fields, Flow-Serve, Elm Avenue, not to mention all the green spaces in the environs of the town. The Library Gardens were saved by the sheer number of townsfolk who protested in the strongest possible terms. The subsequent audit report which was published in Spring 2022 found that there hadn’t been adequate public consultation in the early stages and the cost to local people was £500,000. Consequently, the level of trust in those that make strategic civic decisions for our town is low; this is a perfect opportunity to redress that.
03 Housing
Thousands of homes are being built both on the outskirts and in the town of Newark. To build another 120 or more new homes in the town centre would be an inappropriate use of such a strategic site, which is also historically and environmentally important. The infrastructure is not yet in place to allow easy circulation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. We need carefully planned transport links including footpaths, cycle routes, park and ride, free circular bus schemes and so on. To accommodate all the new residents, the town needs additional doctors, dentists and schools. The Lilley and Stone site, if developed sensitively and imaginatively, would become a focal point of culture, health and recreation for the community. It would be an asset of standing in the East Midlands to draw people into the town.
04 Traffic
The number of additional cars resulting from 120 or more new homes would cause chaos in the residential streets surrounding the site, especially Harewood Avenue and London Road. The roads would be more congested, with accompanying parking issues. There would also be increased safety concerns for pedestrians, particularly children and the elderly, including compromised air quality.
05 Community Ideas and Input
There is a lot of talent and knowledge in our community. Local people have the ability to plan, develop and manage the Lilley and Stone site. Public meetings have been attended by residents including architects, planners and listed building specialists. Many people have become engaged with our organisation. We will be involving the under 25 age group when developing ideas for the site. They will also be invited to take part in competitions and help with fundraising. Our aim is to engage youngsters who are the beneficiaries of the Lilley and Stone Trust.
The sit
Saving Lilley and Stone 