Rolleston Parish Council News 2004

Rolleston-on-Dove Parish Council
News 2004

NEWSLETTER - WINTER 2004

CHAIRMAN'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

This year has been a very busy year for the Parish Council. I will not list the many items we have been involved in as these are reported back to you at the Annual Parish Meeting and in the Parish Council section of the Rollestonian.

We live and operate in a changing era with many potential opportunities and threats; the obvious example is the future of the College playing fields and the possibility of development on them. This can be seen as a threat or a tremendous opportunity. The difficulty is that there are as many solutions as there are people whose opinion you ask. In these circumstances the Parish Council can only do what it thinks is best for the village. I am not trying to paint a gloomy picture of the future – in fact just the opposite. I believe, from experience, that we have one of the best Parish Councils in the County and certainly one of the best Parish Council Clerks. Be assured that every member of the Parish Council regardless of political affiliation has worked hard as a member of the team for the good of the village and will continue to do so in the coming year.

I would like to wish everyone a happy Christmas and a prosperous and peaceful New Year.

John Morris

COLLEGE PLAYING FIELDS
As reported in the Summer Rollestonian the Parish Council held a meeting to discuss the future of the College Playing Field following receipt of a letter from the Civic Trust. At this meeting many concerns were discussed but it was concluded that the Parish Council should talk to Burton College to see what options the village has. The Parish Council is in a very difficult position as there is no clear view and there are many opinions to what is the best approach.

The Parish Council has agreed to support the Borough Council’s Local Plan which at this point in time contains no designated land in the village available for development. However, there are many concerns that this may not be the case in the future and for this reason, the Parish Council agreed to hold informal talks with Burton College. One proposal was that part of the playing field could be developed for a new single sited Community School in conjunction with more housing was discussed. However, Staffordshire Education Authority has so far not confirmed whether there is any interest in this project. The Parish Council will endeavor to keep residents informed on this complex situation. Should you have any views you wish the Council to consider then these should be addressed to the Clerk.

PROPOSED VILLAGE SURGERY
Prime Development is proposing to develop on land between the Scout Headquarters and 97 Station Road. The Parish Council has received a basic sketch of the proposed development but no plans are available yet. Prime Development have stated that they will be holding a public meeting where all villagers are invited to attend. Any concerns or points of view can be raised at this meeting. The date and venue of the public meeting will be advertised on the Village Notice board and posters will hopefully be displayed in shop windows.

DOVECLIFF ROAD – TRAFFIC CLAMING
At the last Parish Council meeting members gave their support for a proposal to traffic calm Dovecliff Road. The proposal is for a build out from Stretton end before the hill. Then a set of humps opposite the entrance to the Cricket Club and then a further set of humps near to the existing build out.

JINNY NATURE TRAIL
The Parish Council has just received confirmation that Stretton Parish Council has agreed to allow cycles on the Jinny Trail. This is an important move forward to the next step for the construction of a cycleway. At this stage it must be pointed out that it is still against the byelaws to cycle on the trail.

Both Parish Councils have concerns that need to be addressed by Sustrans, (National Cycle Network), before a path is constructed. Once the path is in place with all the necessary Public Liability Insurance then both Parish Councils will have to change their byelaws.

It is early days, as, at the time of writing, the two Parish Councils have not met following Stretton Parish Council decision for the future use of the trail.

YOUTH PROJECTS
As previously reported the Parish Council has recently set up a Youth Grant. The Youth Grant is there to help support other organisations with their youth projects or the grant could help anyone wishing to set up facilities for the youth of Rolleston.

Youth Grant Application forms have been sent out to all existing village groups. If anyone is interested in further information then please contact the Parish Clerk.

ELIZABETH AVENUE PLAYING FIELD
Recently the Parish Council has supported the proposal from John of Rolleston Primary School to aid their idea of opening up the back entrance to the school on to the playing field. This proposal will mean that the Parish Council is committed to proving a parent waiting area and a small link to the existing path. The Parish Council is looking into providing other facilities on the parents waiting area to utilize this space better when parents are not using it.

FLOOD WARDENS
That time of year again! Once again the Parish Council would like to remind residents that sand and bags are available from the Brookhouse Hotel. They are located around the back of the hotel. The sand and bags are stored separately as their shelf-life is much longer this way. Residents will need to make the sand bags up for use.

The village is fortunate to have six volunteers to act as Flood Wardens. There are still some vulnerable areas that are not covered by Flood Wardens; they are: -

Chapel Lane - School Lane - Beacon Road - Alderbrook Close

If there are any residents who are willing to help and become a Flood Warden then please contact the Parish Clerk.

CRAYTHORNE FIELD
There are byelaws in place on Craythorne Field that dogs should be kept on a lead and that dog owners should remove their dog faeces. There have been numerous complaints that some irresponsible owners are allowing their dogs to run free and foul the field. The field is used by a lot of residents including a well supported under 12’s football team. Before every match they have to clear the football pitch of dog waste and there have been too many occasions where dogs have been let loose to run towards the children. There have also been occasions where owners have been approached to clear up after their dog or been asked to restrain their dog and the recipient has been met with what can only be described as verbal abuse.
It is unfair that a minority of dog owners are being so selfish and irresponsible. Dogs can be exercised and let off their leads in Craythorne Wood (the next Field).

NEWSLETTER - AUTUMN 2004

PROPOSED VILLAGE SURGERY
According to the recent Burton Mail press articles Tutbury Practice is relocating to Rolleston. It is understood that the new move is part of a major shake-up of health provision in the region. There are two new surgeries planned one being in Rolleston and the other in Branston. The new surgeries are aimed to increase access to GPs and help alleviate the strain on Burton’s Queen’s Hospital. The new surgeries will offer a range of services including ultrasound scans, X-rays, therapy services and treatment of minor injuries.

At the time of writing the Parish Council is pursuing details of the proposed Doctors Surgery as all the information above is taken from a Burton Mail article.

YOUTH SURVEY
Enclosed with this edition of the Rollestonian is a copy of a village youth survey. The Parish Council asked the Village Design Statement Group if they would compile this survey to help identify what facilities the village has for their youth. Hopefully this survey will assist any new comers to the village as well as remind ‘old’ Rollestonians what is available in the village.

The Parish Council would like to take this opportunity to thank the Village Design Statement Group for their hard work in producing the youth survey – particularly Mrs Val Galloway who mainly was responsible for the final product.

FLOODING
What’s happened to the weather!!

On Tuesday 10th August the village experienced severe flash flooding with Anslow Lane, Knowles Hill, Beacon Road and Craythorne Lane becoming impassable.

It is understood that at least two of the houses on Knowles Hill were threatened with floodwater.

The Parish Council reported last year that they have set up a Flood Warden Scheme. This is ‘manned’ by volunteers. Over the ‘summer’ period the Flood Wardens have not met but this recent flood has been an awakening that the problems of flooding are not seasonal and can strike at anytime of the year.

At the Flood Wardens next meeting the item of a Flood Seminar with be discussed. The Parish Council in conjunction with the Environment Agency are hoping to gather a group of experts and companies that specialise in helping flood victims. In the Autumn there will also be a leaflet drop to the affected flood area with hopefully helpful information.

At this time of year we would like to take this opportunity to remind residents that sand and bags are available at the Brookhouse Hotel for use with the floods. The sand bags are not made up (this is for storage reasons). Neighbours are asked to look out for their elderly neighbours who require help with lifting sandbags however if any help is required then please contact the Flood Warden in your area or the Parish Office.

Many thanks are owed once again to Mr. Westwood, Brookside Hotel, in allowing the storage of the sand and bags at his hotel.

CONSERVATION DOCUMENT
At the time of writing the Parish Council is in the early stages of helping Mr. Edwards, Conservation Officer East Staffordshire Borough Council, update a Conservation Document for Rolleston. The Conservation Document will identify the main central area of the historical part of the village as well as other areas of interest. The document will help towards safeguarding and protecting the Conservation Area in the heart of the village.

A draft edition of this document is expected to be available from October.

CHURCH ROAD – TRAFFIC CALMING
The last information from Staffordshire County Council is they are on the last stages of public consultation and are anticipating that the traffic calming scheme will commence this Autumn.

BE ON THE LOOK OUT!!
Used syringes have been found recently on Elizabeth Avenue Playing Field and in St. Mary’s Church Yard. It has caused a great deal of concern to the people who found the syringes. Residents are asked to be vigilant and not to handle any used syringes found – either call the police or contact the Parish Council Office who will dispose of the article correctly.

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH EVENT – FOUND ITEMS
During the recent successful Traditional English Event held by RODSEC a pair of ladies reading glasses and a gentleman’s watch were found in Rolleston Club. If the owners of the items wish to claim them could they please contact Rolleston Club.

POST OFFICE
Many members of the village will now be aware that the post office on Station Road is to close at the end of September. This is sad news for the village however, it is understood that the post office is to be relocated to Starbucks.

VILLAGE NOTICEBOARD
Due to the closure of the post office the village notice board is to be relocated to Starbucks. Provisionally the old notice board will be temporarily hung outside the shop. Proposals are being discussed to have a freestanding village notice board erected on the grass bank outside Starbucks shop.

Thanks are owed to Starbucks for their cooperation in the relocating of the village notice board.

JINNY NATURE TRAIL
The project of a cycle way on the Jinny Trail is at present being discussed with Stretton Parish Council. It is understood that Sustrans are unlikely to proceed with the construction of the cycle way unless all landowners are in agreement. Sustrans are also in negotiation with another landowner on the Dove side of the Trail. Rolleston Parish Council will update the village as soon as we have a decision either way from the two remaining landowners.

NEWSLETTER - SUMMER 2004

JINNY NATURE TRAIL
The Parish Council recently held a public meeting where the future of a cycle path on the Jinny Nature Trail was discussed. The meeting was well attended and many views were exchanged. The conclusion from the meeting was that opinion was divided.

This conclusion was taken to the following Parish Council meeting where the discussion to have a cycle way was taken to the vote. The casting vote from the Chairman decided that the Parish Council would allow a cycle way on the Jinny Trail.

However, Sustrans who would be managing this project have made it clear that they would only consider putting a cycle path on the Trail if it could continue through to Stretton. At present Stretton Parish Council still state that they do not want cycles on their part of the Trail.

The Parish Council is yet to decide whether they will proceed with changing their byelaws if the cycleway is not provided by Sustrans. Until this decision is made the byelaw banning cycles on the Trail still stands.

COLLEGE PLAYING FIELD
The Parish Council recently held a meeting when the future of the College Playing Field was the only item on the Agenda. This meeting was arranged following receipt of a letter from the Civic Trust asking the Council to consider an action plan for the future of the field.

Once the Education Buildings had been demolished and planning permission given for the Westbury Homes Estate on the brownfield site, the Council was advised that the remainder of the land would no longer be considered as playing fields in planning terms.

It is the Borough Council’s policy to safeguard Greenfield Sites and the Playing Fields are not included in the current Local Plan. This does not prevent a developer submitting a planning application and going to appeal if the Borough Council refused the application.

Although at the present time, land can only be included in the Local Plan at the review stage, Central Government is changing this procedure to speed up the process.

In the Council’s debate, members considered that the Playing Field was safe from development at the present time but this position is unpredictable for the future. With these thoughts in mind, the Council discussed how best it could safeguard as much of the land as possible for the village.

Many avenues are being and have been explored including finding funding for the possible purchase of the College Field. Realistically the field is a very large area and a complete picture of its possible uses would need to be collated.

The Parish Council is taking professional advice to help with the exploration of the various options.

CHURCH ROAD – TRAFFIC CALMING
The traffic-calming scheme is now starting to progress. At the last Parish Council meeting members met with the project engineer from the County Council. It is understood that consultations with the major services e.g. Ambulance, Fire Brigade etc are taking place at the moment. Once this has been completed the residents who will be affected by the location of the speed cushions will be directly consulted by the County Council. The scheme can then commence sometime August / September.

CRAYTHORNE FIELD
The Parish Council has completed the first stage of the huge task to drain the field to a higher standard. The main drain has now been replaced.

ANNUAL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
The Annual Parish Council Meeting was held on Monday, 19th April 2004. At this Meeting, John Morris was elected Chairman with Wally Hodson Walker as Vice-Chairman of the Parish Council.

YOUTH GRANT
The Parish Council is looking for any organisation or individual who has got an idea of how to help the youth of the village. The Clerk has more details.

BULKY HOUSE WASTE
The date for the ‘Bulky Waste’ collection is Saturday 28th August 2004. The skip will be located behind the Spread Eagle Island.

FOOTPATH WALKS
The following dates were agreed for this year’s footpath walks: -

Tuesday 22nd June
Tuesday 6th July

On both dates, meeting at 7.00pm outside the Spread Eagle

VILLAGE ‘CLEAN UP’ DAY
The Parish Council is to finance the provision of a slip on Saturday 19th June to clean up the village and Alderbrook. The skip will be available from 9.00am – noon. If you can spare an hour or so on that day, your help would be appreciated. This skip is only to be used in connection with this clean up.

DOG FOULING
As reported in the Spring addition of the Rollestonian dog fouling is still a problem in this village. The Parish Council would like to urge the small minority of irresponsible dog owners to clear up after their dog. It is an offence not to clear up after your dog and the Parish Council will instruct the Borough Council to enforce this byelaw if necessary.

Playing Field Development

A special meeting of the Parish Council was held on 21 April 2004 to consider concerns raised about the possible future development of the former college playing fields at the back of the Westbury site. The Parish Council have been pursuing lots of possibilities including buying the land through grants and have held the position to fight to keep the playing fields out of the Local Plan. However, having concluded that public opinion seems to be that there is likely to be some sort of housing development, they voted at the meeting to at least go and talk to the college principal, Keith Norris. Having had the good fortune to 'inherit' the land I hope that Mr Norris (the College) will allow it to continue to be used for the purpose for which it was originally granted. Read more here.

NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2004

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
The Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the Methodist Schoolroom, Chapel Lane on Monday, 19th April 2004 commencing at 7.30 pm. At the Parish Meeting, reports are given by the Chairman of the Parish Council, Borough and County Councillors, John of Rolleston School Governor, Civic Trust, Village Design Statement Group and RODSEC.

As far as local government is concerned, Parish Meetings are unique events; at no other level does the elector have the opportunity of putting forward propositions on local affairs. The number of electors taking advantage of this opportunity varies greatly from year to year. In a year where there are contentious issues, it is usual to have a good attendance. Currently there are many important issues affecting the village that you may want to discuss – Westbury Homes site, Flooding etc.

PARISH COUNCIL BUDGET
At the January meeting of the Parish Council, a budget of £43,095 was set for the next financial year with a precept totalling £36,000 a £6,000 increase from the previous year.

JINNY NATURE TRAIL
The old stile has now been removed at the entrance to the Nature Trail to make way for a new disabled access gate. A bin was positioned there some time ago but a new wooden cover has now been made to camouflage the bin.

The Parish Council is progressing slowly with the project of an Interpretation Board for the Nature Trails entrance. The Parish Council’s aim is to improve the overall appearance to the entrance of the Nature Trail.

PUBLIC MEETING
There is to be a public meeting held in the Methodist Chapel on Monday 22nd March commencing at 7.30pm. The meeting is being held to discuss the future of the Jinny Nature Trail. Following the results of the Village Appraisal the Parish Council must consider that some residents are calling for a cycleway on the Nature Trail. Over the last few months the Parish Council has been gathering information so that the residents of the village are fully aware of what is involved if a cycleway was to be given the go ahead on the Nature Trail.

If you have any views for or against this subject then the Parish Council would like to hear from you at this meeting.

YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE
The Parish Council is pleased to report that we have a new Youth Representative on the Parish Council. Her name is Clare Pidsley. Clare is a valued member of the Parish Council and her contribution is welcomed. If anyone has any youth issues they think Clare may be able to help with then she can be contacted through the Clerk.

YOUTH GRANT
The Parish Council is looking for any organisation or individual who has got an idea of how to help the youth of the village. The idea of a Youth Grant is a relatively new idea. Early indications have been positive from existing youth group but the Parish Council would like to particularly hear from anyone who has a new idea for a youth facility. The Clerk has more details.

DOG FOULING
Dog fouling is a subject that disgusts most residents, dog owners and non-dog owners alike. The problem has just recently been highlighted again to the Parish Council with dog fouling on Burnside and Station Road. The Parish Council would like to urge the small minority of irresponsible dog owners to clear up after their dog. It is an offence not to clear up after your dog and the Parish Council will instruct the Borough Council to enforce this byelaw if necessary.

WELCOME PACKS
The Chairman of the Parish Council has recently compiled a Welcome Pack for all new residents on the Westbury Homes estate. The feedback has been positive and it is considered that this document is a useful one to anyone unfamiliar with this village. It has been suggested that all new residents to the village should have a copy of this pack.

If anyone has a new neighbour or if you are a new resident and would like a copy of the Welcome Pack then please contact the Clerk.

LYCH GATE
In the summer addition of the Rollestonian it was reported that the Parish Council gave a finale approval for the repairs to the fretwork on the Lych gate to go ahead. Since then the Parish Council has experienced problems with the contractor. As a result another contractor had to be sought. Finally at the January Parish Council meeting another contractor’s quotation was approved and residents may have noticed that the first stage of the repair work has already started.

The new panels will differ in colour to the old but the carpenter has a few tricks up his sleeve to ‘age’ the panels as much as possible.

Rev. I. Whitehead has kindly given his approval for the panels to be stored in St.Mary’s Church. At present it is yet to be discussed whether the panels will be displayed or not. But it is understood that anyone wishing to view the panels will be able to do so.

VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT GROUP
Following on from the Parish Plan the VDSG has been asked to conduct a Youth Survey – to ascertain what youth facilities we have in the village. They have also been asked to conduct a Transport Survey – to ascertain weaknesses in the provided facility i.e. does the bus timetable fit in with hospital visiting times and doctor’s appointments etc.

FLOOD WARDENS
The village is fortunate to have enlisted another Flood Warden volunteer. The area he will cover is yet to be discussed. The Parish Council is slowly organising a Flood Fair which will be open to all residents of the village particularly residents from the ‘flood affected’ areas. The Flood Fair will give residents the opportunity to meet with their Flood Wardens and to gather the latest flood advice information. We are hoping that one or two companies, that make products to help residents protect their homes, will be at the Flood Fair to demonstrate their product.

CRAYTHORNE FIELD
The Parish Council has completed the task of clearing the ditches around Craythorne Wood and Craythorne Field. The main ditch running between these two fields is now clear. The ditch parallel to the road by these two fields has also been cleared. This appears to have been a success as the water is now running freely and most importantly away from the centre of the village. At a recent meeting with the County Council the County agreed to investigate the problem of excess surface water coming off Craythorne Lane that makes its way onto the playing field. If this were to be addressed properly there would be a significant decrease in the amount of water the field has to drain away. The Parish Council is confident that the County Council will come up with a problem-solving scheme that will help even more in this area.

The Parish Council has been waiting for a detailed report on the drainage situation on the playing field. We now have this report and the ‘job’ of draining the playing field is going to cost thousand of pounds. At present, the Parish Council is consulting with various bodies to try and obtain grants to help towards this costly project.

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Last updated: 12 November 2004