SINCE 1997, £21m of public money and £150m worth of private investment has been spent on regenerating former coalfield communities in Notts by creating employment, homes, leisure facilities and public space.

But in Cotgrave, which lost its pit in the early 1990s, many residents say they are still waiting for the investment to work and there are complaints that the town lacks identity and is plagued by anti-social behaviour and crime.

Within the Rushcliffe borough, it has the highest unemployment figure, last month the total standing at 126, 2.8% of the population.

Earlier this year plans to build 500 homes and a new primary school on the former colliery site were refused by Rushcliffe Borough Council.

But that is just the sort of regeneration and investment the town is desperate to secure, says Cotgrave Town Council member Drew Wilkie.

He told the Post: "Cotgrave is the last coalfield site in Notts to be earmarked for development.

"Work has been done since the closure of the pit hit the community but there is an awful lot of work still to be done."

He said that a £10m support package for the area which followed the closure had been ill-timed.

He said: "Cotgrave was given £10m a couple of years after the mine closed but that was too soon.

"It was needed later, around ten years after it closed, for children growing up and ten years on looking for where they wanted to go to work. Mining was a father to son job, boys would turn 16 and their father would ask what work there was at the pit."

The money, designed to regenerate the area, was spent on building locks at the Grantham Canal in Cotgrave Country Park, building the community building – Cotgrave Futures – and other small community projects.

But he says more needs to be done if the community spirit which existed in Cotgrave when the pit was turning coal, is ever to be revived.

"Cotgrave has lost its momentum, when the pit was going there was the carnival," said Coun Wilkie. "It's harder then ever because a lot of the old miners have died, new people have moved in, they're not community orientated."

Former Cotgrave miner Mick Chewings says if the pit was open today the town would be a different place.

He said: "We wouldn't have this anti-social behaviour if the pit was open.

"We knew everyone then and if any of the children were getting into trouble you'd just tell the father and they'd have a word with them, and if you wanted any electric work doing, you'd have someone from the pit do it for you. Everyone helped everybody."

In a bid to solve the town's problems of anti-social behaviour, Cotgrave has been chosen as the first target for an Area Based Initiative (ABI) which aims to improve the quality of life by bringing together various local authorities, groups and individuals, to ensure available resources are directed where they are most needed.

Derek Hayden, Rushcliffe community safety manager, said: "We want to find out what the community needs are.

"We will then form an action plan to improve the quality of life for the community."