Category: essex council

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New Church Road Traffic Safety Plan agreed by PC

New Church Road Traffic Safety
One of the plans to be viewed from the linked page                           (Click for larger image)

At a special meeting of the Parish Council held on 6th November, the plan designed to help alleviate some of the traffic problems in and around New Church Road, particularly around school times, was approved.

In brief the plan is to put restrictions on parking at the junctions along New Church Road, including the end junctions where inconsiderate parking can cause dangers at any time.

Part of the plan is to raise awareness of the need to take extra care in the vicinity of a school and to achieve this the Parish Council will seek the imposition of a 20mph limit along the road.  Also the part the school can play in influencing drivers’ behaviour was discussed and so it is hoped that working with the Parish Council and local residents a campaign to impact on the problem will be launched as the above measures are put into place.

The full plan is now published on this web site [New Church Road Traffic Safety Plan].

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Village Traffic Safety Plan

traffic safety plan for West Bergholt
Overview of part of the new plans – see below for full size copies

In response to issues raised by village residents in the Parish Plan of 2009 the Parish Council spent nearly two years consulting various parties before producing last year a Traffic Safety Plan for the village.   The plan was endorsed by the Local Highways Panel and formed the basis for the funding for the projects under current consideration.

Early indications from the comments on the returned questionnaires from the whole village for the present Neighbourhood Plan are that the most pressing concerns of residents continue to centre on traffic issues, and in particular speeding and parking.  The particular dangers are perceived to be in the areas leading up to the school and the Co-op, both of which provide vital services to the village. Clearly many would support actions to address these dangers.

The Parish Council is now actively pursuing the implementation of this Traffic Safety Plan and is engaged with Essex County Council (ECC) engineers in drawing up plans for safety works in New Church Road.  These will inevitably involve some restrictions on the speed of traffic and parking.  The Council is committed to ensuring that the measures have a positive impact by meeting the aims of the plan whilst at the same time considering the views of village residents.  The intention is to create an environment where parents of older pupils at the school feel safe in allowing their children to walk, or even to cycle, to school unaccompanied thus removing the need to use their car.  This clearly does not exist at the moment and to do nothing will not improve safety.

Set out below are the proposed measures for adoption recommended by the Parish Council.  Any suggestions for changes will be considered before a final version is submitted to ECC Highways for the portfolio holder’s approval.  Once obtained formal notices of the works to be carried out will be published by ECC.

  1. No parking double yellow lines for 15m (the statutory length) at each junction with New Church Road.  This will enable enforcement to be carried out by the relevant authorities.
  2. A low level rectangular table at each end of New Church Road.  The aim is to check driver speeds and raise awareness of potential pedestrian presence ahead.  It is likely that low level lighting will be needed at these points – no specific plans are currently available.
  3. Time restricted parking (single yellow line) for about 20m spanning the footpath from Mumford Close into New Church Road together with minor works to improve the crossing point. This is considered essential at school journey times to give children a clear view down the road.
  4. Time restricted parking from the zig zags for 20m towards Lexden Road.  Designed to give a clear view around the dangerous bend in the road.
  5. Improved signage at the junctions of New Church Road with Chapel Road and  Lexden Road and of School Lane with Colchester Road.

A composite plan and detailed plans for each of these works are shown below.

In addition to these measures the Parish Council is considering making an application for a 20mph speed limit in New Church Road and School Lane. This application is more likely to succeed if the above measures are implemented first.  Please send your comments on the recommendation and the introduction of a 20mph speed limit to the Parish Clerk – Mrs Val Walsom, 17 Armoury Road, or preferably by email to [email protected].

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Essex Health and Social Care Signposting Service

crossroadsA new easy way to find details of local NHS and Social Care services

A new signposting service has been launched in Essex.

If you need to find details of an NHS or social care service and don’t know where to look, you can now call a new telephone helpline.

Essex Signposting is free and can give you details of all local NHS and social care services including dentists, GPs, opticians, pharmacies.

The service can be contacted on freephone 0300 0032125 or email [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”], Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm.   (Note that calls to the 0300 number are normally free from both landlines and mobile phones although you should check your contract if you are concerned about this).

NHS & Social Care Reforms

The Essex Health and Social Care Signposting Service is run by NHS Central Eastern Commissioning Support Service on behalf of Essex County Council and Healthwatch Essex. It is a new service introduced in April 2013, following Government reforms to the NHS and social care which saw the introduction of a new local and independent consumer champion for users of health and social care, called Healthwatch. In some parts of the country, local authorities have commissioned their local Healthwatch organisation to provide a signposting service for users of health and social care. In Essex, the County Council has commissioned NHS Central Eastern Commissioning Support Service to provide the service in 2013-14.

Healthwatch Essex

Healthwatch Essex is the new local and independent consumer champion for users of health and social care. It will play a role at national and local level and will make sure that the views and experiences of the public and people who use NHS and social care services are heard and are taken into account when decisions about the design and delivery of those services are made.

More information about Healthwatch Essex can be found on their website at: www.healthwatchessex.org.uk

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Potholes – update from Borough Councillors

Essex Council's problem reporting page - report, check progress or find previously reported problems here
Essex Council’s problem reporting page – report, check progress or find previously reported problems here

Borough Councillors, Marcus Harrington & Dennis Willetts yesterday sent the following to residents of Valley Crescent:

The potholes at the junction of Valley Crescent and Chapel Lane have been a cause of anger and frustration for many months.  Many of you have reported them through the proper on-line method on the Essex County Council website.  Many of you have also reported them to us and we have both been in constant communication with ECC’ s Highways Department about them.

We agree the situation is unacceptable.  Potholes of this dimension cannot be left for such a long time without repair.  We have made our feelings abundantly clear.

As Colchester Borough Councillors we cannot do more than apply pressure.  The responsibility for pothole repair does not lie with our Council.  We have, however, also offered to repair the potholes ourselves but that offer fell on deaf ears.

Finally some hope is on the horizon and this is the reason for writing.  We have been faithfully informed by Essex County Council’s Highways Department that repair of these potholes will be part of a wider programme of road surface repair in West Bergholt which should be completed by the end of March 2013.  We want to let you know of this commitment arid hope you share some hope with us, even though it would take a brave man to put his mortgage on it!

With best wishes,
Cllr Marcus Harrington
Cllr Dennis Willetts

If you are plagued by potholes  (or any of a wide range of Highways problems – see picture above) then don’t forget you can report them directly to Essex County Council’s Highway’s Department using their website.

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Recycling centres change opening hours

Essex Council have asked us to let you know about changes to opening hours of their Recycling Centres for Household Waste. As of 9th January 2012 the following changes will commence:

  • All sites will open at 9am rather than the current 8am.
  • Winter opening times (from 9th January 2012– 29th February 2012) for all centres will be 9am to 4pm.
  • Summer opening times (1st March – 15th October) will be 9am to 5pm.
  • Late night opening on Tuesdays during a limited period over the summer will no longer take place.
  • Some recycling centres in the county will be closed on certain days of the week from the 9th January 2012.

For further information on recycling centres or to find details about any specific centre either visit www.essex.gov.uk/recyclingcentres or contact 0845 603 7625.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
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