There has been two recent night time burglaries in the area of Churchdown.
Please be vigilant, with the darker nights drawing in please consider home security. leaving lights on when out or generally making the impression someone is home can deter potential opportunist.
Please report any suspicious activity to the Police.
Blackberries are plentiful around the parish at the moment and this year they are very sweet.
Here’s a low fat healthy recipe using soft fruit.
Hot Fruit Slump
1kg mixed soft fruit such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
1 tablespoon caster sugar (use 1 teaspoon of artificial sweetener if preferred)
For the dumplings:
250g white self-raising flour
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon caster sugar
25g butter, diced
1 egg lightly beaten
75ml skimmed milk
To serve: low fat natural yoghurt, low fat custard or low-fat iced desert.
Method
1. Pick over the fruit and rinse it and place it while still damp in a large saucepan or wide deep frying pan, then add the sugar and stir. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the fruit over a low heat for 15 minutes, shaking the pan or stirring frequently to prevent the fruit sticking. As the fruit slowly simmers it should ‘slump’ or soften, into a textured sauce.
2. Meanwhile, to make the dumplings, place the flour in a mixing bowl and stir in the salt and sugar. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then quickly stir in the egg and milk to make a dough. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into 8 small dumplings to make a total of 16.
3. When the fruit has simmered into a sauce, drop the dumplings into it, spacing them as far apart as possible. Cover with the lid and continue simmering for 8 minutes then turn the dumplings over, cover again and simmer for a further 8 minutes.
4. Serve 4 dumplings per person with a little sauce, accompanied with yogurt, custard or ice cream.
Following many concerns expressed by residents of Coopers Edge about the dangers posed by traffic on Lobleys Drive, the parish council commissioned a survey from the county council to evaluate the volume of traffic and the speed of vehicles, together with an assessment of the number of pedestrians and cyclists crossing the road.
The traffic survey was conducted over a number of days in mid-June 2018, taking into account traffic flow in both directions, from two sites on Lobleys Drive.
The key outcomes of the survey activities are:
• The mean speed of 10,200 vehicles was 23mph from one site, and 24mph for 12,400 vehicles from the other site.
• 326 pedestrians and cyclists crossed the road during the daytime survey.
The current view from the County Highways Department following the survey is that additional measures to slow the traffic flow and create improved crossing points on Lobleys Drive are not warranted at this moment in time.
However, parish councillors have highlighted further developments both on the Business Park/Coopers Edge and in nearby areas, which are certain to increase traffic flows. The council have therefore asked the Highways Department to undertake a formal “Priority Assessment” as soon as possible to ensure that all such factors are fully considered.
In addition we would request that parishioners ensure that all accidents and collisions are reported to the police and any related traffic safety issues to Gloucestershire Highways (08000 514514 or email gcchighways@amey.co.uk) as these are particularly important when decisions are made about future traffic management and safety controls. The Police will continue to do regular speed checks along Lobleys Drive.
From: Hucclecote Lane to Court Rd, Brockworth. It will be a one-way system from Hucclecote to Brockworth (see map below).
From 24 August 2018 06:00 Until 27 August 2018 06:00
Please be aware that there are potential bogus or rogue traders operating around Hucclecote at present. They are using a white Ford Transit van and are forcefully telling residents that they need roofing work doing on their home. Anyone who engages these persons to do work will have little guarantee of the quality of the work done or any remedy if problems arise.
While door-to-door selling is a legitimate sales practice used by some companies, always be wary of anyone knocking on your door offering to sell you something or do work for you, especially if the price seems too good to be true. If the seller is legitimate they won’t mind giving you time to think about the offer and get additional quotes from other companies.
Please report any door to door callers who are using high pressure sales methods to the police using 101 and give as much detail as possible.
If you have been a victim of a doorstep fraud, report to Action Fraud by ringing 0300 123 2040 or on line at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report-a-fraud-including-online-crime
A planning application has been submitted for the erection of a new road and footpaths / cycleways to form a new access from
Delta Way to Lobleys Drive to enable access to Plot 2000 Gloucester Business Park, together with
associated landscaping and infrastructure. (Apporval of reserved matters pursuant to outline planning
permission 11/01155/FUL).
The full application and supporting documents can be viewed here.
With local elections coming up in May 2019, Tewkesbury Borough Council is looking for potential candidates to represent their communities and to help make decisions that will have a real impact on the areas in which they live.
As part of the borough council’s STAND campaign, an open event will be held at the Public Services Centre, Tewkesbury GL20 5TT, on Wednesday, 18 July between 7pm and 9pm for anyone who wants to learn more about what it’s like to be a councillor. It is a great opportunity for anyone who is really passionate about where they live to ask questions of officers, meet current councillors and find out how local democracy works for communities.
Tewkesbury Borough Council’s chief executive, Mike Dawson, said: “If you’ve ever considered becoming a councillor, now is the perfect time to start researching what’s involved in time for the elections next May.
“Our open evening is the perfect chance for you to find out, first hand, what it’s like to be a Tewkesbury Borough councillor. We’ll show you how local democracy can have a fantastic impact on your community and how caring, passionate people can help influence the things that matter to them. Please come along on Wednesday, 18 July to find out more.”
More information is available at www.tewkesbury.gov.uk/stand, on Facebook, or by calling 01684 272022.
Every year Tewkesbury Borough Council produces a brief report that sets out what it has achieved against its various targets. This year the report covers a range of issues including:-
• A big push to reduce the council’s running costs (it charges the fifth lowest council tax in the country)
• A campaign to attract more businesses and tourism to the area
• Delivering more affordable homes than planned
• Securing funding for a new cyber park near Cheltenham
You can read the full document here – State of the Borough 2018
Join us at the Pineholt Village Hall for a day of community engagement, volunteering, fun, food and activities for all the residents of Hucclecote Parish.
We will have information on local groups, including yoga, singing, the Gloucester Camera Club and Music with Mummy. A representative from Age UK will also be on hand to answer questions and give advice. Please also come and speak to your local councillors, we look forward to seeing you.
Please let us know if you are coming to the litter picking session by commenting on our Facebook event.
See our flyer below for further details.
Local residents may be interested to know that Dowty Propellors plans to move from Mitchedean to the Gloucester Business Park. A recent planning application calls for a new manufacturing, warehouse and office building on the ten acre site known as ‘Plot 4100’. (The Direct Wines distribution centre lies to the south of the site, and Hurricane Road and the G-Tem manufacturing facility to the east).
The building is quite large – 180m by 81m wide and 15m high – and it includes three levels of offices at one end. In total the development will provide just over 17,000 sq m of space. At present there are plans for 253 staff car parking spaces.
The parish council understands that around 350 people are currently employed by Dowty Propellors.
Full details of the planning application are available here and local people have until 4 July to make their comments known.