Colchester roads named after Olympics

Myland Community Council chairman Robert Johnstone at the Severalls site Myland Community Council chairman Robert Johnstone at the Severalls site

A BID to name streets on a new estate after Colchester landmarks has been snubbed in favour of an Olympic-themed list.

Roads on the former Severalls Hospital site in Colchester were due to be named in line with a local theme.

However, Myland Community Council has lost out to a list of names to commemorate London 2012.

Robert Johnstone, chairman, said: “I think it is a terrible choice.

“It has no local relevance at all. It doesn’t mean a thing to Mile End, Severalls Hospital or this part of Colchester at all.

Colchester Council has a duty to name residential streets and the developer has an interest in these names.

“However, the community council is best-placed to come up with names because of its knowledge of the area and those who live in the area.”

Mr Johnstone thought developer Crest Nicholson, Colchester Council and the community council had agreed on a local theme.

They held a meeting where it was suggested the streets be named in relation to a prominent water tower in Mill Road.

Mr Johnstone said the Olympic theme had been suggested and ditched during that meeting.When the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency, which owns part of the site, got wind of the idea, it objected.

As a result, Colchester Council has agreed the roads will be named to commemorate this year’s London Olympics. The Homes and Communities Agency did not attend the meeting.

The first phase of the development on the former Severalls Hospital site is under construction.

Despite the Olympic-themed names, the developer is not allowed to use the Olympic brand to market the homes.

Mr Johnstone said Colchester Council had now agreed to allow the community council a greater say in naming streets on future developments in Mile End. He said: “At least there is a positive side to it.”

Comments(11)

Sdapeze says...
11:47am Sun 15 Apr 12

I was greatly annoyed by this story as I had been in contact with Cllr Goss about it only recently. I had thought that our council had decided that local themes would be used for the names. My particular concern was that the 38 women who were mudered at Severalls by a single German bomb in August 1942 should be remembered by a road name. Instead they have been ignored. Well! Camulos remembers them at http://www.camulos.c
om/cemetery.htm#seve
ralls. Shame on you CBC.

b1gb1gman says...
12:10pm Sun 15 Apr 12

im sorry but when it comes to naming roads this lot dont have a clue.
we have soo many similar names like Valentines drive and balentines drive
axial drive and axial way
victoria road , chase and place and vitoria mews
one of the proposals for renaming the Northern approach was Queen Boudica Approach when we already have Boudicia way, its about time these people who name the roads think about the area and and any similarities in the town !!

6079 Smith W says...
4:50pm Sun 15 Apr 12

Well, I suppose you could say this new estate will be full of commuters who merely sleep here, with little or no connection to our town. So perhaps the council have got this right?
That's not to say I really disagree with the criticisms here. Sdapeze makes an excellent point, it does seem terrible the council are not paying tribute to the victims of the tragedy he refers to.

Boris says...
8:18pm Sun 15 Apr 12

The printed paper lists the names and in fact they are bland in the extreme. How many of us associate Citius, Altius and Fortius with the Olympics?
They could have waited till the summer, and then named the roads after some of our Olympic and Paralympic medal winners, assuming there are some.
Or they could have used the names of some of our recent local Olympians, medal winners or not, such as Sarah Claxton.

Martin Goss says...
12:09pm Mon 16 Apr 12

I think it is fair to say I was exceedingly annoyed when I found out what happened with the Phase 1 names.

I have written to HCA, the Developer and also CBC to express my distaste that the Water Tower idea was rejected at the last minute, despite it being originally agreed at earlier meetings. In my opinion, HCA have sold the Phase 1 site, so they have no official business dictating what names we can use on Phase 1?

Rest assured, working with Myland Community Council, the names for Severalls Phase 2 will use the historic suggestions made by many residents across Colchester to reflect the rich history this site offers.

The olympics idea is a poor substitute for Phase 1 names in place of the Water Tower naming convention.

Goonerboy says...
2:35pm Mon 16 Apr 12

so.....

Taxpayer Subsidised Way
No tickets Lane
Doping Alley
White Elephant Drive
IOC Para...site
Corporate Jolly Street

Goonerboy says...
7:54pm Mon 16 Apr 12

Goonerboy wrote:
so..... Taxpayer Subsidised Way No tickets Lane Doping Alley White Elephant Drive IOC Para...site Corporate Jolly Street
Just another thought..... the words Citius, Altius and Fortius are offical IOC brand words protecte by copyright and therefore you need their permission and enivitably a charge will be made

Boris says...
1:53am Tue 17 Apr 12

Goonerboy wrote:
Goonerboy wrote:
so..... Taxpayer Subsidised Way No tickets Lane Doping Alley White Elephant Drive IOC Para...site Corporate Jolly Street
Just another thought..... the words Citius, Altius and Fortius are offical IOC brand words protecte by copyright and therefore you need their permission and enivitably a charge will be made
Those words are ordinary Latin words, so how can they be copyrighted? If anyone's permission is needed to use them, it would surely be Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. But they are long dead, so maybe it should be the Pope, head of state of the only country which uses Latin as one of its national languages.
If the IOC issues an invoice to CBC for use of these ordinary words, it should bear this in mind, and tell Lord Coe or whoever to stuff it up his r e c t u m (great language, Latin).

Sdapeze says...
8:48am Tue 17 Apr 12

Nice one Boris!

romantic says...
12:42pm Tue 17 Apr 12

Excellent, Boris. Love the ring of R e c t u m Road. How about F a e c e s Field or T e s t e s Terrace? Good old Latin words as well!

Boris says...
2:18am Thu 19 Apr 12

romantic wrote:
Excellent, Boris. Love the ring of R e c t u m Road. How about F a e c e s Field or T e s t e s Terrace? Good old Latin words as well!
Pretty good. I suppose if London has its B a l l s Pond Road, we could have a T e s t e s Terrace.
On the analogy of Bank Passage or Balkerne Passage, we could have R e c t u m Passage.
Scatology (Greek word), don't you just love it?

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