Colchester Borough Council have launched a ‘Fear of Crime’ survey. They are keen to understand people’s feelings around public safety, and whether residents have either been a victim of, or fear becoming a victim of crime. Fear of Crime means different things to different people, this could include:
not feeling safe in the community,
fear of burglary, or
possible violent or physical harm.
The survey takes about 10 minutes of your time to complete and will help them learn about experiences in the area. The survey is open until 19th September.
The next few weeks will see Chitts Hill closed for through traffic twice and Chapel Road just once. All dates are indicative and may vary according to operational needs. The following are in date order, but in inverse order of severity.
This closure is to permit Openreach to complete some works. Chitts Hill will be closed from its’ junction with Argents Lane in a southerly direction for around 170m. The recommended diversion route is via Argents lane, Spring Lane and Halstead Rod (or, of course, vice versa).
Help raise money to give Heathlands’ Year 6 leavers a good send-off this year. Kelly, who runs regular High-Intensity Interval Training classes in the village, is running a special Zoom fundraising session on Monday 7th June at 7:30 pm. Kelly describes her HIIT sessions as:
Did you know that 1 – 7 November is Befrienders Week? The local groups that make up the Colchester Befrienders Network Group are taking this opportunity to let you know about them, what they Continue reading “Befrienders, Roads and Ending in Tiers”
Let’s start with parking. The only parking allowed in the Orpen Hall car park during the fete itself is for the disabled; this must be pre-booked with the Parish Clerk. Stallholders will be allowed to park temporarily whilst setting up or clearing down but will then need to find alternative parking elsewhere. Your parking options are as follows: Continue reading “Parking & Roads on Fete Day”
We have been informed that urgent resurfacing will be taking place between 8 pm to 6 am overnight on 15th January (weather permitting). Kier Highways will be closing the road SOUTHBOUND between junctions 28 and 26. They will put a diversion in place via A1232 and A133 before re-joining the A12 southbound at junction 26.
There will be a closure of Chitts Hill Level Crossing to traffic between 23:45 and 07:00 on the night of 3rd December. This is to enable Network Rail to undertake urgent track consolidation through the crossing. Network Rail will maintain emergency & pedestrian access at all times.
The alternative route will be via Chitts Hill, Argents Lane, Spring Lane, Halstead Road, Chitts Hill and vice versa.
Many of you will have had letters or seen publicity about the resurfacing programme that will take place shortly on key roads in the village including Chapel Road, New Church Road and Queens Road. However the term MicroSurfacing may have had many of you reaching for Wikipedia or simply scratching your heads in bewilderment!
So what is it?
The wait is nearly over and we will soon be seeing it in action but for those who would like to be prepared we have found the video (below) that should help you understand what will happen. The video is from the US but the principle is exactly the same here.
As you can see from the video a thin layer of surfacing is laid over the road once obvious defects such as potholes and larger patches have been repaired. In our case these defects have already been attended to in past weeks, so all that is needed is the application of the road surfacing material. During most of this time through traffic will be blocked, but access to your property will be maintained wherever possible; there may be constraints when the material is actually being laid outside your driveway of course. Once the preparation is completed, though, and the surface is being laid it is normal for one side of the road to be completely closed until the surface is solid enough to take traffic (about half an hour).
How can you help?
Be patient, the road will be much nicer when it is finished.
Do obey the signs saying no parking because parked cars will prevent work taking place until the owner is traced and the vehicle moved.
Early October sees the return of Ringway to do more Micro-Surfacing works on our roads. This work will necessitate road closures with restricted access particularly whilst the micro-surfacing has been newly laid. There will also be parking restrictions to allow the whole road surface to be addressed. Be aware that the dates may vary slightly if weather interferes with the works.
Chapel Road – Thursday October 1st – 6th, with the road closed for 4 working days, a diversion will be in place, access to driveways restricted at times, road open throughout the weekend . This will affect bus routes – enquiries are being made about the effect this may have so come back and visit later, we will post any updates on this page. Immediately prior to the surfacing works Anglian Water will also be undertaking works between 28th – 29th September – Chapel Road will remain open but with traffic light controls past the works.
Chapel Lane – Wednesday October 7th, road closed for 2 days – diversion in place, access to driveways restricted at times.
Queens Road – Wednesday October 7th, road closed for 2 days – as Chapel Lane above.
New Church Road – Wednesday October 7th, road closed for 2 days – as Chapel Lane above. This will affect school traffic – a letter has already been sent out to parents from the school.
If you have any queries you are invited to contact Ringway on 0845 603 7631.
What is Micro-Surfacing?
It is a thin, tough layer of asphalt emulsion blended with finely crushed stone for traction. This is a cost-effective method to renew the road surface and seal minor cracks and other irregularities.
Forward planning
The end of October may see slightly heavier traffic than usual on the B1508 Colchester Road as it becomes a diversion route for traffic normally using the Sudbury Road in Bures.
Parking & Roads on Fete Day
