Update February 2024

Work is now completed and the sluice is fully operational and running automatically. The drainage team are now able to operate the sluice remotely and it is fully monitored by CCTV.

The area still requires a little tidying and once the weather has improved and we see dryer conditions over the next 3-4 weeks, new turf will be laid. The slop up to the gate will also be improved and a new concrete step will be installed. We have been told this will be April/May.

We are aware a leak has appeared through a mortar joint in the Northern wing wall of the sluice itself, allowing water to pour into the adjacent spillway. This has been reported to City of Doncaster Council. 

If you spot anything that is of concern. please report this to Tickhill Town Council by emailing clerk@tickhilltowncouncil.gov.uk.

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We have been working closely with Doncaster Council since the Spring of 2023 to find a solution to the failing sluice gate which was no longer working efficiently. Having finally found a design solution, work began in November but halted due to adverse weather and high water levels. Works finally commenced again on 26th January when the actuator control was attached. The CCTV and communications will be connected on Monday 29th January.

Clean-up of the site is currently underway and the Doncaster Council Streetscene department have been asked to make good the grass verge. This will require a site visit but should be reinstated at their earliest convenience., any sandbags in the watercourse that cannot currently be seen becasue of water levels will also be removed when conditions / visibility improve.

We have been advised that the footpaths will be re-opened and a temporary fencing panel will be secured at the meter box opening until the new fence panel has been erected. The photo opposite was taken as the installation was being installed.

The new installation is just one of the flood prevention measures being put in place including some measures to reduce waterflowflow further up and downstream and the Flood Defence Wall (FDW) built several years ago.

The purpose of the FDW is not solely to protect the houses below the Mill Dam, which it does sucessfully does, but to encourage water exiting the Dam (once it has passed through the weir) to pass into the Mill Field which acts as a temporary storage until the water can pass safely down Water (Sheep Dip) Lane on it's way to join the Torne Catchment.

Works are ongoing further upstream to put in solutions to divert some of the water away from Tickhill, although this is a longer process as we have been advised by Doncaster Council that they need agreement from land owners.

We will post a further update once the final details have been confirmed and testing is complete.

We would like to thank members of the community and those living in the vicinity of the Mill Dam for their support and patience during the works, and hope the area will be cleaned up and looking at it's best again shortly.

 We have received funding to plant 60+ trees this planting season (December to February), the funding is part of the negotiations with the developers for the new Spital junction; for every tree removed, 3 more will be planted.

This is a formula calculated on the age and size of the trees and as the developers are funding the tree planting, there is no cost to either Tickhill Town Council or residents.

We lose trees every year but this year will be losing around 20 to make way for the new layout of the Spital junction and a few in other areas due to age and health. A few will be replaced at the new junction once it is complete, with careful thought to the size and type to maintain visibility at the junction but we still need to find suitable locations for around 60 trees in Tickhill.

We have several locations outlined including the green spaces at the junction of Sunderland Street and Alderson Drive and the one at Castle Close. A few on the recreational ground is a possibility, although as this is CDC land, this will need to be negotiated. Tickhill St Marys C of E primary school would like a few trees and we have received a request for a community orchard by residents in the Saffron area which we are looking into.

We don't have details as yet on the type of tree mix, but as the planting season is quite short, we need to find homes for as many trees as possible as quickly as we can. We would welcome any suggestions and if you have an idea of where we can plant a tree or have a plot of land that would benefit from a few trees, please get in touch.

 

June 2023 

As residents will be very aware, Tickhill Town Council's previous beacon which was used to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen in 2022 was just not fit for purpose. Whilst the atmosphere was magical, the Beacon itself just  didn't work; it was adequate (but not great) when lit on top of the Castle Motte, but when used in the central location on the Buttercross was very poor.