Plans & Objectives 2008/2009

On Thursday the 21st of February, John Cockman was presented with an award for Services to the Community by the Chairman of the District Council, Mrs Catherine Dean. John was nominated for the award by the Parish Council.

John has been Treasurer of the Village Hall Management Committee since 1999. During this period he managed the £200k budget for rebuilding and extending the Hall, forming an important liaison between the committee, builders and the Lottery Board. John also masterminded the recent installation of acoustic panels in the Hall, including the most detailed calculations to ensure that the best result was achieved. Over the last seven years, John has also carried out numerous maintenance tasks at the Hall saving the community a considerable sum that would otherwise have been spent on outside contractors. He is one of our unsung heroes and thoroughly deserves this award.

Congratulations John.

The Churchyard is now subject to an order which prohibits dog fouling and insists that all dogs should be on a lead. We are also pursuing an order which will prohibit dog fouling on the Glebe. Also, please be aware that it is an offence to allow a dog to foul public roads, verges, pavements and public footpaths. Future offences could well result in a fine of £75.

At least three houses were affected by the recent flooding in the village. However, the work we have done on the stream meant that the problem was restricted to properties above the Village Hall and other properties affected on the last occasion remained unscathed, despite flooding on the road at Wellyards and Anso Road. The Parish Council is determined to identify the cause of these problems and will be meeting on site with officers from the District Council and The Environment Agency. Our ultimate objective is to gain a professional, detailed analysis of any problem areas and possible restrictions to the flow of the stream, and implement measures to eradicate these. The Council and the affected owners would also like to thank the many volunteers who turned out on the night to try and minimize the damage.

We are building momentum in our campaign for the footway to Harvey Way. There have been discussions at the highest level of the County Highways Dept. and our County Councillor is determined to ensure that this continues and that funding for the project is made available. We have also gained the support of the North Area Panel of the UDC who, at their last meeting, voted unanimously to add their support to this project. We have also asked Sir Alan Haselhurst to intervene once more on our behalf.

The existing plans for the project were drawn up more than 25 years ago and the Area Manager for Highways has agreed to provide an updated version to ensure we have sufficient information for householders along the route.

It’s that time of year again, when we remind residents of the dangers of overgrown hedges. In particular, those along the roadside where overgrowth can restrict sight lines for both vehicles and pedestrians, and those along footways which can be a danger to pedestrians and restrict the width of the footway. Please cut your hedge if you think it is becoming dangerous.

Sean McCarthy