Guilden Sutton Parish Council
Newsletter No 106
May 2005
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
The annual parish meeting will be held in the Village Hall at 7.15pm on Monday May 16.
This is your chance to hear reports of the Parish Council's work in the last 12 months and to ask questions.
It will be attended by the managing director of ChesterBus, Mr Stuart Hyslop, who will deal with changes to services to the village operated by the company.
The annual parish meeting will be followed by the Parish Council's annual meeting
Footpath 7 (Green Lane.) The Parish Council has been notified by the planning inspectorate that its objection to the County Council's order to upgrade the status of the green lane on the boundary of Guilden Sutton and Mickle Trafford parishes to that of a byway open to all traffic is based on matters which cannot be taken into account by the inspector in reaching a decision..
This means that although the Parish Council is able to pursue its objection at any inquiry which may be take place, it could face the risk of costs.
These could arise if it was held that the Council had caused another party to incur expenditure unreasonably. The same applies to individual occupiers in the parish who have objected if the inspectorate has advised that the reasons they have given cannot be taken into account.
At the time of writing, the Council was awaiting legal advice as to its next step and was keeping in close touch with Mickle Trafford and District Parish Council. It is still hoped that it might be possible for genuinely held concerns to be put forward.
Prior to the calling of the general election, a draft bill had been drawn up by the Government proposing that the historic use of routes by horse drawn vehicles should not give rise to byways open to all traffic but rather to restricted byways from which motor vehicles are excluded. Although this is encouraging, the extent to which this might help to protect the green lane, if at all, is unclear.
Mobile phone mast A revised application has been submitted by mobile phone company T Mobile UK Ltd for a 37.5m high mast on land at Tile Farm, Wicker Lane. This replaces the application put forward last year for a 22.5m mast as the height of nearby trees had been significantly underestimated.
The Parish Council has objected on the grounds there has been no community consultation as required by a code of practice. It has also requested additional information to justify the height of the installation. T Mobile says the mast is needed to fill a gap in its coverage. The City Council, which is the local planning authority, is not able to take health issues into account but can consider matters such as the visual impact of the installation.
Cheshire County Council has objected on the grounds the mast would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt. The Parish Council is minded to go ahead with a public meeting, with or without T Mobile, in order that people can put forward their views, if they wish to do so.
Local Transport Plan. The Parish Council has been consulted by the County Council on Cheshire's new local transport plan for 2006 - 2011. Councillors have responded as follows:
Speed and traffic. The Council supports much of the document which deals with the management of speed and traffic and the key issues identified in the previous consultation. Councillors believe, however, that the following comments should be incorporated to deal with several omissions and other aspects which are given insufficient emphasis.
Targets. The Council is disappointed that many targets set in the 2001 local transport plan have not been met. It believes that more should be done to accelerate the adoption of travel plans by schools. It also believes a more ambitious target should be set for increasing journeys by cycle.
Home zones and quiet lanes. The Council believes the plan should place greater emphasis on the introduction of quiet lanes in rural areas and home zones where there are significant developments, particularly in the larger rural settlements. In the context of quiet lanes, the plan should require that as a matter of principle, no existing public footpaths or bridleways should be upgraded to byways open to all traffic.
Speed limits. The Council is disappointed at the progress of a speed review panel but welcomes the fact that `A' roads in Chester district are to be reviewed in the next 12 months. It wishes to see a specific commitment to introduce a 50mph limit on the A41 between Hoole and Great Boughton and for street lighting on the same section of road. All through routes on classified and unclassified roads, for example Wicker Lane/Station Lane (A51-A56), should be reviewed by 2008. Unless there are exceptional circumstances there should be a speed limit of 30mph or lower on all roads through villages.
Rail services. The Council wishes to see a commitment to the provision of a direct rail service from Chester to Liverpool Airport, if necessary with a bus shuttle link to the airport.
Public transport. The Council supports measures to increase the use of public transport and believes this needs particular emphasis in the rural area, with the provision of improved services, if necessary using innovative solutions.
In Guilden Sutton, for example, only 4 miles from Chester City Centre, there are no services between 8.15am and 9.30am in the morning or in the evening after 6.00pm apart from a single inbound service late at night and no services on a Sunday.
The Council is also disappointed at the lack of progress in providing improved public transport services to the Countess of Chester Health Park, especially from the rural areas.
Traffic speed. The Parish Council has received an analysis of the most recent speed survey carried out in the village. The Council is pleased the survey showed a number of drivers to be travelling at or near the limit and that some motorists reduced their speed when approaching the indicator. There is concern, however, that others were travelling in excess of the limit with a small number even recorded at 50mph or more. Apart from being illegal, this is unacceptable, particularly on a road serving a primary school. The police were informed of the outcome and further surveys are to be carried out.
Community plan. Residents can still have their say on how the big issues facing Chester should be tackled over the next 10 years.
Local people's views and ideas are being used by Chester in Partnership to help shape the district's revised community plan which aims to tackle the issues that matter most to the community. The partnership brings together the public, business, voluntary and community sectors. The date for completing the review has now been put back to June to allow the large volume of comments and feedback to be included.
Called Chester's Way Ahead, the community plan sets out how local issues like crime, housing, the environment and transport should be tackled. It is being updated for the first time since it was launched in 2001. A draft version of the revised plan is available to view on the partnership website (www.chesterinpartnership.org) and further comments are welcome until May 20. For more information, contact partnership manager Andrea Mageean on 01244 402400.
Boundary Hedges. We know from our own lawns that the grass has been growing this year and so have hedges and boundary shrubs. The County Council's district maintenance engineer has asked that we keep an eye on the boundaries of our properties where these adjoin public footways to make sure any growth is not causing an obstruction.
This is especially important for blind or partially sighted pedestrians who may find it difficult to take avoiding action. It is particularly unpleasant for them in wet weather.
Wicker Lane Following a site meeting with the highway authority, measures are to be taken on Annie Hughes’s Hill, where there is no footway, to encourage drivers to drive more slowly.
The condition of the grass verges on other parts of Wicker Lane has also been inspected and is under consideration. Concern has been expressed at the continuing damage and erosion with pedestrians being forced to walk within the carriageway despite the increase in traffic.
Problems caused by large vehicles negotiating the junction of Wicker Lane, Station Lane and School Lane were also raised.
Guilden Sutton Lane Some patching has been carried out by the highway authority to the edge of Guilden Sutton Lane near the parish playing field which is in a very poor condition, particularly where excavations have previously been carried out to repair bursts.
A site inspection has been made of the footway from Heath Bank towards the A41. Overall, the condition is not bad enough to warrant repairs but the District Maintenance Engineer is to `edge out' the side of the footway adjoining the grass verge.
Bus services Cllr Pat Astbury, the Local Bus User Contact, has been approached following changes made by ChesterBus, formerly Chester City Transport, to services operated by the company to the parish. These have been raised by the Parish Council and the managing director, Mr Stuart Hyslop, is to attend the annual parish meeting to discuss the concerns which have arisen. (see above.)
Community safety. Project Rural Matters, which enables volunteers to assist the police and to carry out community duties (after training) including home fire safety checks, installing smoke alarms, identifying vulnerable people in the community, for example elderly residents who may be living on their own and traffic speed checks is always looking for new volunteers to join. Details from Derek Bowker, 07717 856054.
Community safety officers say that although there has been a decrease in incidents of car crime over the last 12 months throughout Chester District., we can all do our bit to reduce them even more.
It takes only seconds to make sure anything of value in your car is moved out of sight, especially radios when fittings allow. Even if you are only going to post a letter, take the keys out of the ignition and where appropriate, lock your vehicle when leaving it unattended.
There is a seasonal increase in the theft of garden furniture and plants, particularly large ornaments.
Ornaments can be protected by chaining them down if possible and by marking them with your post code and house number. Marking hanging basket containers with your post code and house number is also a quick and cheap way of protecting your plants so that you can enjoy them through the summer.
Village design statement/Parish plan. Changes to the planning system suggest that it is now more important than ever that the parish as a whole has a clear idea of how it would like Guilden Sutton to develop in the future.
The Parish Council is to find out more with a specialist speaker attending its meeting on Monday June 20. Similar initiatives have already been completed by parishes such as Mickle Trafford and District and Saughall and Shotwick Park.
Seeking the views of local people through extensive consultation is a key part of the process. So is involving everybody, right from the start. It is not just a job for the Parish Council. It is important that everyone feels they have had the chance to have their say and that at the end of the day, so far as possible, the document reflects the wishes of the whole community.
Farewell and hello… The Parish Council said a sad farewell to PC Rob Boulton who has been transferred to Malpas as part of a police re organisation. Rob worked very closely with the council during his time as the local officer for Christleton ward and the Council was extremely appreciative of his efforts. However, it is looking forward to saying hello to his replacement, PC Mal Baker, who has been looking after Mickle Trafford ward. PC Baker was briefly our PC before Rob took over and will now be out and about keeping a close eye on Mickle Trafford and Guilden Sutton villages in the new scheme of things.
Composting. Further to the reference to composting in the last newsletter, large composters can be obtained for just £5 each including delivery through Cheshire County Council by contacting 0845 230 78 77.
Information. The Council's e mail address is info@guildensutton.org.uk and its web site is at www.guildensutton.org.uk
Future meetings: Future meetings of the Council are due to be held in the Village Hall on Mondays
16 May, 20 June, 25 July, 12 September, 10 October, 7 November and 12 December, 2005. Residents are welcome to attend and all are preceded by public speaking time.
Contact Councillors Bob Armitage 300528, Pat Astbury 318276, Ron Bayton 301286, Danny Fisher 301398, Derek Hughes 300185, Trisha Paterson 300307, Julie Proudlove 300318 and Gail Young 301558 or the Clerk, David Norbury, 1 Orchard Croft, Guilden Sutton, CHESTER, CH3 7SL, 300783. Cllr Astbury 318276 is the Local Bus User Contact and Brian Lewin 301501 is the Parish Paths Warden. The Parish Tree Wardens are Cllr Ron Bayton 301286 and Mr Alan Young 301558.