News

Planning for the future – tell us what you think

An important consultation about planning development in Tewkesbury Borough launched today.

The borough council wants to hear from the public about a crucial planning document – the Pre-submission Tewkesbury Borough Plan – before submitting it to the Government for independent examination.

The Tewkesbury Borough Plan provides detailed and locally-specific planning policies on issues in Tewkesbury Borough, such as housing, employment, retail, the urban and natural environment and transport. It also includes smaller-scale sites allocated for housing and employment development.

The plan feeds directly in to the Joint Core Strategy – the over-arching strategic planning document for Gloucester City, Cheltenham Borough and Tewkesbury Borough which sets out how much growth needs to be accommodated in the three areas and the broad strategy for how that growth will be delivered.

The Pre-Submission Tewkesbury Borough Plan is at an advanced stage in the plan-making process, having been developed over a number of years and been through three previous stages of public consultation.

This is the version of the plan that the council intends to submit for independent examination by a Government-appointed planning inspector, but before it submits the plan, the council is required to consult on the document one last time. However, unlike previous consultations, the responses made this time will be submitted alongside the plan, as part of the examination process.

The consultation will run for just over six weeks until 5pm on Monday, 18 November – any comments received after the deadline cannot be accepted.

To read more about the plan, the consultation process and to make comments, visit www.tewkesbury.gov.uk/boroughplan

Over the next few weeks you might see Hucclecote Parish Councillors on the streets of Coopers Edge. The purpose behind this is to record all remedial work that needs to be undertaken prior to the streets and open spaces being adopted by Tewkesbury Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council.

This list will ONLY record works needed to roads, pavements, street lights, drains and public open spaces in Hucclecote Parish (north of Lobleys Drive), it will NOT record ANY work required to your property, boundary walls, etc. regardless of whether you own or rent the property.

We will endeavour to record all snags but you can help by informing the Parish Council via e- mail (hucclecotepc@supanet.com ) of any snags close to your property. Please include your house number, your street name, photograph and the snag details. Thank you for your help.

Highways England operates, maintains and improves England’s motorways and major A roads.  Shortly they will be carrying out essential bridge works on Noake Bridge on the A417 and Brockworth Bypass Bridge on the M5 near junction 11a.

 The works

Routine inspection has identified significant defects on these bridges and these works will ensure that this section of road will remain safe and reliable for many years to come. The works will include the replacement of the bridge joints on Noake Bridge, as well as resurfacing of the carriageway on the bridge deck. They will also be carrying out refurbishment works on the bridge joints of Brockworth Bridge.

When

Dates: 29 July to 14 August

Traffic management

To minimise disruption, work will be done overnight when there are fewer vehicles on the road. During the day the carriageway will be kept open as usual.

A clearly signed diversion will be in place – please allow extra time for your journey. The following traffic management will be in place:

A417 Noake

A417 westbound on Noake Bridge Monday 29 July – Tuesday 6th August. Full closure of carriageway (excluding Sat/Sun) 8pm – 6am

A417 westbound Wednesday 14 August: Full closure of carriageway 8pm – 6am

A417 eastbound on Noake Bridge Tuesday 30 July – Wednesday 31 July: Full closure of carriageway 8pm – 6am

A417 eastbound on Noake Bridge Tuesday 6 August – 14th August: Full closure of carriageway (excluding Sat/Sun) 8pm – 6am.

M5 Brockworth

M5 Northbound at junction 11a Monday 29 July – Tuesday 30 July: Closure of onslip, lane 1 and lane 2 with lane 3 running 8pm – 6am.

If you have any queries or comments about the work, or would like further information please contact Highways England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000 or by email: info@highwaysengland.co.uk

After settling into the newly extended parish hall, the council has continued to build on its best practice, maintain momentum in some key areas of interest for parishioners, and explore new developments to enhance the quality of life for Hucclecote Parish residents.

The hall and meeting rooms continue to be well used since the redevelopment, and we are delighted by the increase in bookings from new organisations who use the facilities on a weekly basis. The council continues to monitor planning applications; and frequently comments to our planning authority, Tewkesbury Borough Council, on large and small scale planning applications. The playground is well maintained and used by many local children.

We are aware that noise pollution from the motorway continues to blight many lives, and we are working closely with councillors from Upton St Leonards and Gloucester City to maintain pressure on Highways England to install effective sound barriers on the M5 between junctions 12 and 11A.

The need for an improved GP practice for the area has been a priority for the council. We have worked with the Hucclecote practice and its counterpart in Brockworth, and we believe that we are close to securing with the local NHS, a new community practice for both areas on vacant land close to Tesco, which will be accessible by public transport.

The growth of Cooper’s Edge has brought challenges and some progress. The council has pressed BT Openreach to improve internet speeds for some parts of the development, and there have been positive steps forward. The state of the unadopted roads has been a frequent focus for the council in its discussions with the developers; and the council continues to monitor the impact of business park employees using Cooper’s Edge as a daytime carpark.

Your council is conscious that some local residents may not be fully aware of the full range of activities that could help improve their quality of life. To address this, we held a pilot community event (“The Hucclecote Hullabaloo”) on a very hot day in early July 2018. On 6 July 2019 we will have our second Hullabaloo, with a very wide range of clubs and organisations present, where our residents can “have a go” at activities for all ages.

We are also trialling new ways of finding out what parishioners would like – through small, informal, social gatherings.
The council is also working to promote walks in its area, a fitness pathway, and relationships with local employers.

I would like to thank my fellow councillors for all their hard work and commitment in the last year. It is all offered on a voluntary basis, and is much valued. We currently have two vacancies – but are encouraged by interest being shown, and hope to have full council shortly.

My gratitude also to our parish clerk and her assistant, without whom we would not be able to operate so effectively.

Finally, I would offer my thanks to the wide range of organisations who work with us to improve quality of life in this parish, some of whom have provided very helpful support funding.

I commend this report to the parish.

Andrew Pugh, Chairman
May 2019.

Now that spring has sprung, Tewkesbury Borough Council is asking dog owners to join the dog walking community in bagging and binning dog poo.

A new Public Space Protection Order has been introduced which now gives council officers more powers to tackle dog fouling across Tewkesbury Borough. As part of the order, dog walkers can not only be fined £100 for not picking up after their dogs, but can now also get a £100 fixed penalty notice for not carrying dog poo bags.

The council is aware that most people are picking up after their pets but, sadly, the small few who don’t are continuing to risk the health of others. Dog faeces carries the risk of disease, particularly Toxacariasis – an infection caused by roundworm parasites.

As a result, environmental health officers will be working with parish councils to spread awareness of the new Public Space Protection Order across Tewkesbury Borough. Old signs will be replaced with new ones, and patrols will be carried out regularly at dog fouling hot spots.

Dog fouling can be reported to the council through their website here.

Brockworth Lane will be closed from 09/05/19 – 14/10/19 to allow for the safe construction of footways and a roundabout.

From junction 41104 Court Road to the A417 bridge (marked in red on the map below)

Gloucestershire Constabulary are raising awareness of stalking and harassment by running a campaign during April, including public events at various locations.

Full details and advice can be found on their website here.

As local elections approach, Tewkesbury Borough Council is urging residents to make sure they are registered to vote.

Residents have until Friday 12 April 2019 to register to ensure they are able to vote in the borough and parish elections on Thursday, 2 May 2019. All that’s needed is a National Insurance number and just five minutes of time to visit here.

In the event that a registered elector is away or cannot go to their polling station on 2 May 2019 then they can either apply to vote by post or apply to vote by proxy (nominate someone to vote on their behalf) – simply visit yourvotematters.co.uk to download the relevant application form.
Completed applications must be received by the following closing dates:-
• Application to vote by post – 5pm on Monday 15 April 2019
• Application to nominate a proxy – 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2019

Stand for what you believe in

The borough council would also like to encourage those who are passionate about their local community to consider standing as a councillor. Elections for Tewkesbury Borough Council take place every four years, with 38 councillors elected across 20 wards.

• Nominations for candidates are open and we will be receiving nominations right up until 4pm on Wednesday 3 April 2019. The council will publish its Statements of Persons Nominated by 4pm on Thursday 4 April 2019.

To find out more about becoming a councillor, visit tewkesbury.gov.uk/stand

For more information on the 2019 local elections, including nomination packs for the borough wards that can be downloaded, visit tewkesbury.gov.uk/elections-2019

Hucclecote Parish Council is calling on residents, passionate about their community to stand in the local elections in May 2019.

There are a few rules to stand for election, full guidance can be found here.

If you want an informal chat about the process call Sarah, our parish clerk (the office is open weekday mornings). Or come along to one of our informal ‘surgeries’ where we will happily talk you through the process.

We are keen to recruit a diverse range of people – young and old – to represent the Parish. And we’re especially keen on people skilled in things like IT, communications, finance, Planning and HR/legal issues.

The first surgery is 10am on Saturday 23rd February; the second is at 10am on Saturday 2nd March 2019 at the Pineholt Village Hall.

We are holding a third surgery on Saturday 23rd March 10 – 12, so please come along.

Nomination packs will be available from early March, you will need to get two local people to nominate and second you. If more people are nominated than the nine places we have on the council there will then be an election. You may then have to set out why you feel you’d make a good councillor so that local people understand what you have to offer. The election will take place on 2nd May 2019.

Highways England continue to make good progress on the A417 Missing Link and hope to announce their preferred route in the spring. You can read more about what they’ve been up to in their latest newsletter, click here.