CHINNOR PARISH COUNCIL
NEWSLETTER
February 2008
The wet weather we have been
experiencing since the beginning of the year has once again resulted in
waterlogged fields and flooded roads. The Parish Council (PC) and Oxfordshire
County Council have a responsibility for some drainage ditches, and have been
clearing these, but where the ditches are on private land, it is the landowners
responsibility to ensure that the ditches are clear and allow free drainage of
water. This applies even if the ditch is in a back garden, and we would urge
residents to check and clear any ditches on their property.
You may have noticed that the drainage pond in Estover Way
has been excavated and cleared. This pond is a holding reservoir for storm
water from a large part of the village, and had become overgrown and an
unsightly rubbish dump. It is being landscaped and will be fenced in the near
future, and by being visible to the public it is hoped that it will remain a
pleasant natural feature, and not return to being a repository for rubbish and
garden waste.
Following the resignation of Gerald
Brandes last year, the County and Parish Councils have appointed two new Youth
Support workers, Sharon Casse for the Monday evening meeting which is soon to
be re-instated, and Lisa Amos for the Thursday evening meeting. Sharon will
take overall responsibility for the administration of the Club. With several
new volunteer assistants having expressed interest in helping, and the building
modifications scheduled to start in the next month it is hoped that the club
can now proceed on a firm basis.
Policing
There appear to have been an increasing
number of burglaries in Chinnor recently, and residents are advised to ensure
that their properties are secure. The PC is pressing Thames Valley Police (TVP)
for more information on police activity in Chinnor, but information from TVP is
not always readily forthcoming.
Our local County Councillor, David Wilmshurst, is Chinnor’s
only representative on the recently formed Thame Area Neighbourhood Action
Group (NAG), a police / community group to target policing on areas of local
concern. Councillor Wilmshurst is not satisfied with Chinnor being so under
represented on this group and is pushing for additional representation.
Cement Works
The latest planning application for the Works has been
before the PC, and although the PC accepts that the development is inevitable,
we were unhappy about some aspects of the plan, and a letter outlining our
concerns was sent to South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC). The letter can
be found on the SODC website
The Chimney is down!
On Tuesday 29th January 2008 the chimney was
"blown" up and is now down.
Please can I assure you that the Chinnor Parish Council was
not given prior notice and so was unable to advertise or announce the date for
the explosion.
Traffic
After a visit from OCC traffic
engineer, Peter Ronald last year, he has prepared a report which suggests that,
with the exception of the top and bottom of the High Street, there is little
that can be done about parking for the rest of the village.
The proposal for the top and bottom of
the High Street is for double yellow lines in the vicinity of both junctions.
The PC is not satisfied that this
represents an answer to Chinnor’s steadily worsening traffic problems, and we
are trying to get a more effective solution to the problems.
There have been concerns expressed
about speeding within the village,
particularly Oakley Road and Station Road, but checks by OCC has found that the
speeds registered do not constitute a sufficient problem to merit action. It
should be noted that these surveys work on an average speed over the period of
the survey, but even the highest recorded speed did not justify concern.
Parking on grass verges and illegal
parking in Chinnor
Recently Chinnor roads have been experiencing a lot of
illegal parking and parking on grass verges.
We have two PCSO's in the village who will warn and then
ticket offenders of illegal parking. PCSO Jacky Madden and PCSO Paula Cherry -
0845 8 505 505.
Please do not park on grass verges or
areas with grass as it causes damage to the grass and with the damp weather can
make grooves and ruts which makes cutting the grass later in the year almost
impossible.
Please also have consideration for
wheelchair users and mothers with babies in buggies by not parking on the
footpaths.
We will be putting polite notices on
cars that have parked in these areas - if you are one of them please move your
car and find an alternative, safe place to park.
Chinnor roads suffer a lot of congestion and we hear a lot
of complaints about congestion, parked cars and traffic... if we work together
we could reduce the impact of the volume of cars and make life a little easier
for everyone.
Thanks for your co-operation.
Future development in South Oxfordshire
SODC are currently carrying out a
consultation called “Your Place Your Future” to determine where future
development should take place within the district. The PC has responded to the
consultation expressing concerns
that Chinnor’s infrastructure is already seriously
overstretched, and without a considerable investment from OCC would not cope
with any significant increase in population.
www.chinnorparishcouncil.org.uk
Chinnor Parish Council has a great web site, now fully
functioning.
You can look at what clubs and organisations run in the
village, when and where.
You can read "current affairs" which is updated
regularly with village news and items of interest.
You can now search and read the minutes of past meetings
You can look at the diary dates for future Parish Council
meetings
You can link to South Oxfordshire District Council web site
to look at planning applications
You can find contact numbers for County Council, District
Council, Police and halls for hire etc
You can email any Parish Councillor with regard to village
issues, or contact the office and speak to the Clerk.
Plus lots more.
Take a moment and have a look -
www.chinnorparishcouncil.org.uk
Published by: Chinnor Parish Council: January 2008
http://www.chinnorparishcouncil.org.uk