Purple Beech Hedge Planted

Last Friday, Parish Councillors Norma Smith & Phil Spencer, aided by Norma’s husband, planted a new Purple Beech Hedge as a backdrop to the village sign and beacon. Taking three hours to complete, this work will soon create a visual impact for visitors coming from Colchester. This is the first phase of the Council’s plan to provide a visual welcome to visitors to West Bergholt. The Parish Council will be planting more hedges on council-owned, or managed, land around the village over coming years. They will be planting two or three similar hedges next winter in prominent positions on entries to the village.

The pictures (right) show a satisfied Norma & Phil after completing the plantings, the wall as it looked before and, a heavily photoshopped impression of what it might look like to 2 or 3 years time.

Tree Maintenance

The village handymen have removed quite a lot of ivy from trees as they have embarked on a project of tree maintenance. They have found several trees to be dangerous during this process; indeed some are rotten and are only being supported by the ivy. These trees are being lopped where appropriate and, in extreme cases, removed.

The council has a Tree Replacement Policy whereby at least one tree is planted for each removed. It is our intention to plant 8 pot grown oaks in the very near future. The Parish Council will use a grant from Colchester Borough Council to buy these trees.

PC Managed Land

Currently, the Parish Council manages about 5 acres of land within the village. This includes:

recreational areas,
football pitches,
allotment land,
an area of acid grassland heath for which we have a Management Strategy, and
it also cares for the 3 ponds on common land within the village.