Agenda item

Caroline Brailey, Pewsey Community Area Manager, will give an update on matters raised at the previous meeting of the Area Board:

• Kings Corner
• Locked play areas – Bloor site in Pewsey
• Woodborough School Road Safety

 

To receive any updates from partner organisations:

 

a.                  Wiltshire Police;

b.                  Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service;

c.                  NHS Wiltshire;

d.                  Pewsey Community Area Partnership (PCAP);

e.                  Parish Councils;

f.                    Pewsey Community Area Young People Issues Group (CAYPIG); and

g.                  Extended Services.

 

 

Before inviting the usual updates, the Chairman asked Caroline Brailey to report on issues raised by partner organisations and Parish Councils at the previous meeting of the Area Board:

 

·                     Kings Corner, Pewsey

 

There was a brief update on page 53, which referred to the recent site meeting.  The Council had confirmed that it could not fully close the road as there was no capacity for turning.  However, some repair work would be undertaken to address road defects.

 

Ian Gibbons (Service Director – Legal and Democratic Services) reported that the Council continued to press the owner to remedy the problem, and that there had been some movement in terms of funding being arranged, and steps taken to produce a design.  The Council did have the right to undertake the work and seek to recover costs through a charge on the land.  However, this could cost up to £40,000 which was not available in the present circumstances.  In the meantime, the Council would continue to press for a definitive completion date.

 

Pewsey Parish Council commented that the resolution of this matter was becoming more urgent due to the Pewsey Carnival which used the road as part if its route.  It was suggested whether an interim support of the wall could be installed to make it safe for the short term.  Bill Parks (Head of Highways and Streetscene – Central Area) commented that a support may be difficult due to the width of the road, however he undertook to take this suggestion back to the structural engineers

 

ACTION: Bill Parks

 

The Chairman reported that he had experienced difficulty in contacting the resident, but that he would visit again this evening, to seek a resolution to the matter.

 

ACTION: Councillor Kunkler

 

 

·                     Locked Play Areas – Bloor site in Pewsey

 

Caroline reported that Wiltshire Council were waiting to take ownership of these areas, but could not do so until they were in a reasonable condition.  It was hoped that they would be ready in the next two weeks, following which there would be a legal transfer taking around 8 weeks.

 

 

·                     Woodborough School Road Safety

 

Caroline referred to a request at the previous meeting of the Area Board that a review of all school pick up / drop off points be undertaken.  This had been raised with the relevant Cabinet Representative, who had advised that such a review within the Pewsey Community Area would be beyond the currently available resources of the council.  However, any specific sites of concern could be referred for consideration and possible review; officers were already in contact with the Woodborough Road Safety Group.

 

It was suggest that Pewsey Community Area Partnership (PCAP) could contact all schools in the Pewsey Community Area and ask them to raise any concerns over their pick up / drop off points.  The Chairman of PCAP, Bob King, undertook to take this forward. It was noted that Rushall Primary School had undertaken their own review with Wiltshire Council highways department, following the accident at Woodborough.

 

ACTION: Bob King

 

The Chairman then invited Charles Barker from the Woodborough Road Safety Group (WRSG) to give a presentation on the work of the group.

 

The group had been set up following the fatal road accident on 17 March 2011, to enhance road safety in Woodborough for all road users; with children the priority.

 

Charles highlighted the actions currently being pursued and considered by the group, commenting that the school travel plan needed to be reviewed to establish the current balance of travel uses.  It was also noted that the school was forecast to grow by around 30 pupils (5-6 per year) and that the additional pupils were likely to come from outside the village.

 

It was noted that there were two sites of perceived speeding within the village, and that the school could currently only be accessed by walking along the narrow road, with no footway.

 

The group had already resolved the issue of the large school coach which was considered unsuitable for the narrow roads.  This would be replaced by a shorter and narrower 33-seater vehicle.  In addition, an application had been submitted for a Community Area Grant to fund enhancements of the existing traffic calming outside the school.  A consultation had also been undertaken with residents and school parents, resulting in a number of early suggestions

for improvements.

 

Charles also highlighted the following actions as the next steps:

 

• It was hoped that a site visit could be arranged to initiate early road safety improvements, which could be implemented in July and August ahead of the new school term in September.  The Group saw this as being the priority, both to maximise road safety in the short term and to demonstrate continued progress.

 

• Recognizing that significant infrastructure improvements would take a little longer to implement, the WRSG requested that a Feasibility Study, in support of the revised Woodborough School Travel Plan, be initiated in order to design and implement more substantial infrastructure improvements for the 2012/13 financial year.  A Taking Action on School Journeys funding application would form part of this process.

 

• WRSG recognised that some funding and decisions may lie outside the Area Board and CATG framework, in particular the Taking Action on School Journeys initiative.  The Area Board were requested to assist in pulling together the key Council stakeholders so that a coherent, cross-Council, approach could be agreed.

 

• A Community Speed Watch scheme was being considered, as a metrocount had recently been undertaken on Broad Street in Beechingstoke.

 

Charles passed on thanks from WRSG for the help and assistance that they had received from Councillors and officers; in particular for the assistance with changing the school coach arrangements and accepting the late grant application (item 16 refers).

 

The full presentation can be viewed via the following link:

http://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=20673

 

The meeting expressed support for the group and its work so far.  (Note: Subsequent to the meeting, WRSG were invited to attend the next CATG meeting on 20 July to progress the matters raised above).

 

 

(a)       Wiltshire Police

 

Inspector Ron Peach referred the meeting to the written update in the agenda, noting the information from Wiltshire Police Authority which set out the results of a recent consultation on the strategic vision for the future of policing in Wiltshire.

 

The Pewsey Neighbourhood team continued to undertake pro-active work to reduce minor anti-social behaviour in Pewsey.  This work included the Bluz and Zuz Disco which was due to be run on Friday 8 July at Bouverie Hall.

 

The usual seasonal increase in theft from motor vehicles had not been experienced.  This may have been due to preventative work undertaken by the team.

 

Inspector Peach referred back to a question at the previous meeting of the Area Board, regarding figures for theft from non-dwellings.  The high figures here were due to a spate of crimes at the end of the summer in 2010, which had since been addressed.  As the figures were based on a whole year, these would continue to show for another two quarters, after which the statistics would return to more normal levels.

 

Inspector Peach responded to a question regarding restorative justice, commenting that this was one of a number of ways to address low level crime.  For example, in cases of graffiti or low level criminal damage, one option was to required the offender to put the situation right to the satisfaction of the victim.

 

 

(b)       Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

 

            Councillor Brigadier Hall introduced the written update (pages 31-32), in his role as Chairman of the Fire Authority.

 

            Reference was made to the requirement for retained firefighters who co-responded to medical emergencies on behalf of the Great Western Ambulance Service to have vaccinations against Hepatitis B.  Councillor Hall reported that the Fire Authority was considering this issue, having received conflicting advice.  In the absence of national guidance on the matter, the authority would consider the actual risk to their retained firefighters and would determine the issue at their next meeting.

 

 

(c)        NHS Wiltshire

 

Written update at page 33 and revised version tabled.

 

 

(d)       Pewsey Community Area Partnership

 

Bob King, Chairman of the Pewsey Community Area Partnership (PCAP) gave an update on the work of PCAP.

 

·         The Information Shop would remain open until the end of August, following which it would move to Pewsey Library.

 

·         The issue of restorative justice had been discussed at the previous meeting of PCAP, and consideration was being given to rolling out courses for voluntary mediators across the community area.

 

·         PCAP was currently considering a survey to its partners, to seek an indication of their views and aspirations for the area and for the partnership. 

 

 

(e)       Parish Councils

 

The Chairman noted the written updates at pages 35-44.  In addition, the following points were noted:

 

·         Woodborough Parish Council would be holding a public meeting on 21 July in relation to road safety.

 

·         Pewsey Parish Council had written to Wiltshire Council on 13 May regarding taking over the car parks in Pewsey. No response had been received; Ian Gibbons undertook to follow this up and seek a reply for the Parish Council.

 

ACTION: Ian Gibbons

 

 

(f)        Pewsey Community Area Young People’s Issues Group (CAYPIG)

 

There was no update from the CAYPIG

 

 

(g)       Extended Services

 

Alison Rollinson announced that on Wednesday afternoon at Pewsey Primary School there would be an event for parents of children who were due to start school in September.