April News

At our March meeting, we had a brief presentation by Councillor Tony Oliver about a scheme to improve safety for children crossing Warden Hill Road by Bournside School. The road is in an unparished area of Up Hatherley, but the proposal is to share the cost of the scheme between the County Council, the Borough Council, Leckhampton and Warden Hill PC and UHPC. We agreed that we were in support of the idea, but would consider the level of financial support we could afford and discuss the subject at our next meeting.

Another topic which we discussed was the planning application for a block of 6 flats behind Caernarvon Court. We have objected to the application because we believe it will have a detrimental impact on the existing flats and shops as well as neighbouring properties. It is our belief that it will also create parking problems, which will in turn lead to parking on Hatherley Road and congestion on this busy route. Objections were lodged and I am delighted to say that the application has been refused.

We also discussed Broad Oak Way and the next steps. Last March, all the shared spaces – the roads, paths and green areas were put into an auction and reportedly sold for £100,000. This came as a total surprise to residents as well as the Parish and Borough Councils as we thought that these spaces were publicly owned. It would appear that the roads and pathways were adopted, but the green spaces remained in private ownership. The company has long since ceased trading and so this was a sale of assets.

It is proving very difficult to identify the owner and to date they have not revealed themselves. Residents at Broad Oak Way have expressed an interest in making sure the green areas are an asset for everyone, so a Community Right to Bid has been submitted and the way forward will depend on what has happened to the ownership. In the meantime, the most pressing issue is finding someone to pay for the grass to be mowed. The Parish Council will be writing to everyone affected.

Finally, some excellent news – having re-roofed and refurbished the Village Hall, we intend to improve the external areas to the front and back of the hall and have a scheme drawn up to be carried out in the Summer. We applied to the National Lottery fund for support with the scheme and have been successful! In the meantime, the 2 o'clock club which meets each Tuesday in the hall is going strong with 25 to 30 people each week enjoying an afternoon tea, as well as one another's company and the occasional raffle and presentation/talk. On Tuesday May 9th, we are holding a Coronation tea.