PRESS RELEASE
PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR INFORMATION ON WASTE COLLECTIONS OVER THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD.
waste collections Xmas 2011 (5565.73KB)
Latest Press Release (see links below for older Press Releases)
Ford Parish Council - Press Release
September 2011
Speed Enforcement Action - A458
Following a request to the West Mercia Safer Roads Team, it has been agreed to implement a programme of Community Concern Speed Enforcement in Ford. This is very welcome news and further details will be released in early spring, when the programme is scheduled to begin.
Parking Consultation - Butt Lane
The new parking restrictions should be in place during the next few weeks. Both the Parish Council and Trinity School are fully supporting the changes and will encourage parents to park responsibly when dropping off or collecting their children from school and to use the voluntary one way system to reduce congestion. The Parish Hall Car Park is available for parents to use and the local policing team will be asked to closely monitor the compliance with the scheme when it is introduced. It is hoped that these measures will improve safety for both pedestrians and road users, by preventing congestion on the main A458 during peak times.
War Memorial Cleaning
The Church authorities have given their approval for the cleaning of the War Memorial, including some minor re-pointing works around the base. The Parish Council is working with the Ford and District Branch of the Royal British Legion to apply for a Local Joint Committee Grant to partially fund the work by a suitably qualified local contractor. It is hoped to have the memorial cleaned in time for the Remembrance Sunday Service on 13th November.
New Bus Timetables
The X75 service has been taken over by a new bus supplier and a new timetable came into operation on 30th August. Copies of the timetable are on the Parish Council notice-board and should by now be displayed at the bus stops. This service now picks up and drops off passengers at the Cross Gates Hotel.
Replacement of Street Lamps
The replacement of the 20 street lights owned by the Parish Council is ongoing. Three lanterns have been replaced in The Leasowes and we are waiting for Central Networks to make final connections to the remaining lamps to enable the project to be completed. The work has taken longer than expected and in the meantime some of the older lights have given reliability problems. We are trying to ensure that any broken lights are repaired in the meantime and any faults should be notified to the Clerk as soon as possible.
Ford Young Persons Group
The Youth Group has started up again and is now welcoming around 20 members each week from Year 6 (Age 11) onwards. The group was recently successful in obtaining a grant of ?750.00 for outdoor play equipment and thanks are due to Steve Jones who helped with this application. It has been spent on new football nets, skittles, boules, a parachute and a giant Connect-4 game. The group has also purchased a dedicated camera and printer to ensure images of children can be protected.
Parish Plan- 'Fording Ahead'
The Steering Group has produced a draft questionnaire and action plan for discussion at the next meeting. The questionnaire will include questions to ensure it qualifies as a Neighbourhood Plan which can be adopted by Shropshire Council as a material planning document and may also include a skills survey, which could be of use in Community Emergency Planning. Once adopted by Shropshire Council the views of the residents will be automatically taken into account so it will be very important that as many residents give their views by returning the questionnaire when it is finally distributed.
Planning Consultation
A recent application to alter the terms of an approved planning application for the rear of Clover Cottage has been approved, despite the opposition of the Parish Council. This means that all three proposed houses will be sold at market prices with a contribution being made to a fund to provide affordable housing in the village at a later date. (Previously, one of the three houses was due to be affordable). This was in accordance with recent changes in Shropshire Council's policies.
A planning appeal relating to Burnell House has been submitted to the Planning Inspector and the Parish Council has submitted comments objecting to the loss of agricultural land. The outcome of the appeal is expected soon.
Fly Tipping - Shoothill and Pump Lane
A local resident has been campaigning to reduce the problems of illegal fly-tipping and littering in Chavel, which is resulting in an expensive clean up exercise. The local police have been asked to monitor the situation and residents are urged to report any incidents they see to one of the numbers below. Shropshire Council will investigate any illegally dumped rubbish and prosecute if they find evidence that can link it to the originator and the police can identify vehicles by their registration numbers. Other actions will also be explored to reduce the amount of casual littering, the build up of which gives the area an uncared for look and encourages anti-social behaviour in others.
Please help us to look after the appearance of the village by reporting any illegal activity:
Environment Agency Hotline - 0800 807060
Crime Stoppers - 0800 555111
Shropshire Council Anti-social Behaviour Reporting Line - 0345 678 9020
The next meeting of the Parish Council will be held on 15th November 2011 at Ford Village Hall. All residents are warmly invited to attend.
Caroline Higgins
Clerk - Tel 01743 352443
Address Holmsdale, Station Road,
Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, SY3 9HD
Press release May 2011 (33.5KB)
Press Release - September 2011 (32.5KB)