News

Tell us what you think…

Members of the public are being asked their opinions on how best to deliver growth in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury Borough.

The Joint Core Strategy was adopted in December 2017 and this sets out the identified need and location for employment and housing sites, and associated infrastructure, up to 2031.

The adoption came with a commitment to carry out an immediate review on the issues of housing supply for Gloucester and Tewkesbury and the retail policies for the whole area.

This review, called ‘Issues and Options’, will look again at the growth needs and options beyond 2031 and the strategy for delivering it.
The three councils have now approved the ‘Issues and Options’ consultation, the first stage of plan-making, which aims to generate engagement and ideas on these key issues.

It is important to recognise that the Issues and Options review does not propose a new strategy, new sites or policies. Rather, the consultation document asks members of the public, and any other stakeholders, 15 key questions to help develop a way to best deliver growth, including:

– What should the scope of the review be?
– What timeframe should the review plan for?
– Are the JCS vision, aims and objectives still relevant?
– How can the review best plan for city/town centres so they remain vital and viable in the future?
– Are there suitable sites for development?
– What infrastructure needs should be considered?

The consultation last for over eight weeks between Monday, 12 November 2018 and Friday, 11 January 2019.

Consultation events will be held in the following locations, where members of the public can come along, ask questions and have their say:
• Gloucester Eastgate Shopping Centre on 30 November 10am to 4pm.
• Cheltenham Muncipal Offices on 4 December 10am-4pm
• Tewkesbury Town Hall on 13 December 4-7pm

Alternatively, members of the public can view the consultation documents and have their say online here.

Senior Responsible Officer for the Joint Core Strategy and Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Chief Executive, Mike Dawson, said: “We encourage members of the public to take part in this initial consultation which will take place at the end of November through to the New Year. It’s important that as many people as possible tell us how they feel about the Issues and Options so that we can consider the feedback carefully in the further development of the JCS review.”

From Monday 3 to Friday 21 December, Hempsted Household Recycling Centre, near Gloucester, will be temporarily closed to allow some important upgrades to the site. This work follows a similar upgrade completed at Pyke Quarry HRC, near Stroud last summer.

We are changing the method used to compact some types of waste and recyclable materials. A mobile materials handler will replace the existing static compaction equipment. The existing equipment is old, breaks down frequently and has become expensive to maintain. The new method will save money and also give more operational flexibility. We are also investing in new waste collection containers and improved signage.

The information on this closure will be posted online in the next couple of days here

During this closure residents will be redirected to their closest alternative centre, these being:

• Pyke Quarry HRC near Stroud (closed on Wednesdays)
• Oak Quarry HRC near Coleford (closed on Tuesdays)
• Wingmoor Farm HRC in Stoke Orchard (closed on Wednesdays)

Hempsted HRC will re-open on Saturday 22 December. There is never a good time to have to close a HRC site, but December is historically one of the quietest months at the sites and we hope that residents will welcome the improvements when the site re-opens.
GCC Waste Team
waste@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Following the recent announcement about changes to the opening hours of the five county council Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) we are now able to let you know which days the individual sites will be closed.

From 28th October Gloucestershire County Council’s Household Recycling Centres will be closed one day mid-week, either on a Tuesday, a Wednesday or a Thursday.

As the evenings get colder and darker, the HRCs across the county receive almost 30 per cent less waste and recycling. In order to reflect this and save taxpayers money, HRCs will be open from 10am until 4pm, six days a week.

On Tuesdays, Fosse Cross (Cirencester) and Oak Quarry (Coleford) will be closed.
On Wednesdays, Pyke Quarry (Horsley near Stroud) and Wingmoor Farm (Bishops Cleeve) will be closed.
On Thursdays, Hempsted (Gloucester) will be closed.

The council collected data from recycling centres and this told us that midweek is the quieter period at our sites. Importantly, the closure rota also means HRCs in the county will still be open on Bank Holiday Mondays and Good Friday, which are especially busy days at the sites.

Residents will have a reasonable alternative recycling centre with this closure pattern, by closing sites at opposite sides of the county. The new opening arrangements and how the sites are used will be monitored.

The information on the closure days and new seasonal times are now online at www.recycleforgloucestershire.com .

Gloucestershire County Council and the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group are running a survey to ask people with learning disabilities and autism in Gloucestershire what does and does not work for them. This is so that their views can be taken into account in services and support arranged locally.

Inclusion Gloucestershire is a charity run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities, and it specialises in making sure disabled people are included, listened to, and have real opportunities. They are helping to gather as many views as possible by organising workshops to make sure the individual, carer, and family voices are heard.

To find out more about the survey, the workshops and to complete the survey online, click this link for the relevant section of the County Council website. The survey is open until 2 November 2018. The final findings report will be published by May 2019.

Arlington, owners and developers of Gloucester Business Park, invite you to view and comment on proposals for a new development at Plot 2000.

The site comprises 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres) and is situated on the western side of Gloucester Business Park. The site has outline planning permission for office and industrial development.

The development consists of a detached three-storey office building and comprises 6,930 sq m (74,595 sq ft) Gross External Area.

The purpose of the drop-in session is to inform the local community and interested stakeholders of the development proposals and invite your comments prior to submitting a Planning Application. The drop-in session will take place at the Park Management & Marketing Office on Gloucester Business Park on:

• Monday 8th October from 3.30pm to 6.30pm.

If the above date is inconvenient and you would like to meet a member of the team individually or you have any questions or comments you would like to make direct to the team please email robin.moxon@arlington.com or telephone 0118 370 2571.

We have received the update below from Open Reach:-

As you know we had hoped to have cabinet 42 on Barnwood exchange up and running this month. I’m very sorry but unfortunately the timescales have slipped on the completion of the project.

The better news is that the project is moving forward. Arrangements are in place to get the new cabinet in place in October. There will then be some further civil engineering work required for the electric supply to power the cabinet, followed by the usual commissioning of the cabinet and all systems.

Barring any further unforeseen delays we expect to have the cabinet up and running before the end of this year. Although every effort is being made to complete the work as soon as possible.

There is a second cabinet in the area, Barnwood 40. That cabinet has been upgraded for fibre already. However, demand has been high and we are waiting for additional fibre equipment to be installed to increase capacity so we can take new orders.

A project is underway to arrange this. However, the work required is more extensive than first predicted. It is likely to be at least 6-9 months before further fibre equipment is available.

My advice to residents for either cabinet, is to continue to monitor our website. As soon as a fibre service is available from either cabinet the details will be published here first:

https://www.homeandbusiness.openreach.co.uk/fibre-broadband 

I’m very sorry that it’s not better news at this stage. However, I hope that residents are reassured that we are moving forward and a fibre service will be available very soon. If you need anything further please let me know.

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