Howard Woollaston: Parish Matters – July 2022

Parish Matters

June/July 2022

I have not been around very much this month with firstly the Jubilee weekend and then our annual family holiday for two weeks. Therefore, I thought that this was going to be a relatively short Parish Matters, but Lambourn Ward has not let me down!! I usually keep on top of my emails whilst I am away, but we rented a house with virtually zero internet connectivity, so I came back to a mountain of emails which took me nearly a week to wade through, so I apologise again if you received a particularly slow response. For those that do contact me about ward issues, you will know that I try to respond where possible by return.

Membury Industrial Estate and the B4000

I am delighted that the promised workshop on these major concerns is going ahead in the next couple of weeks. Attendees from West Berkshire Council will include the most senior Officers from Planning, Enforcement and Highways and from the community, representatives of the Parish Council, Woodlanders Protection Group and local businesses. WBC are treating this very seriously as a key initiative which if successful they will cite as a way forward for other Villages and Towns with not dissimilar problems.

I along with some of my fellow Councilors have been pressing for an expansion of the Planning Enforcement team. I was pleased to be informed last Monday that this has now been agreed and the budget allocated so recruitment will start imminently.

Other Road Issues

I hope some of you will have seen the pavement improvement at the junction of Mill Lane and Newbury Street in Lambourn by the Equine Vets. I received a complaint from a resident with disability issues that he was forced to go into the road as the footpath ran out at the Vet’s car park and was invariably blocked by a legitimately parked car – after a bit of prodding, problem solved. In Eastbury the long-promised speeding solutions are finally going to be provided shortly although it may mean traffic lights for a day, and I have also persuaded highways to repaint the lines at the bottom of Straight Lane whilst they are there.

Speeding as always remains a problem and I will be joining the next meeting with Thames Valley Police to voice your ongoing concerns.

 Nutrient Neutrality.

This continues to be a major problem for planning applications in the whole of the Lambourn Valley and is particularly having an impact on the Racing Industry – our key employer in Lambourn.

Various briefings are being prepared to explain the issues. Let me assure you that the Planning Team in West Berkshire are equally frustrated at these restrictions which came “out of the blue” from Natural England and will work with applicants to resolve things as quickly as possible.

Lambourn Neighbourhood Development Plan

The really positive and constructive feedback from the Village consultations have now been analyzed and our consultant has started the drafting of the preliminary report which will hopefully be available in early Autumn if we are to keep to our timetable.

More information on the Lambourn NDP can be found by clicking here.

Members Bids

Every year each District Councilor gets the opportunity to bid for something for their ward which will enhance the Community. The maximum bid is £5,000, and it has to be match funded. Last year I was successful in a bid for a new climbing frame for our school in Lambourn and Rachel Perkins the Head Teacher emailed me today as I am writing this to say that the children love their new Pirate Ship!

This year Helen Noll put forward a proposal to me for a major upgrade to the Mill Lane Play area including planting of hedges and trees, levelling of the goal mouths and rearranging the equipment to improve safety and reduce anti – social behaviour. Thanks to funding from Sheepdrove Foundation, The Pharmacy, Lambourn Junction CIC and the residents of Lambourn I am delighted that the bid has been successful, and work should start soon. All credit to Helen for her enthusiasm and drive.

I also get the opportunity to bid for Community Infrastructure Levy money every year. A total of £500,000 is usually allocated for the 42 District Councilors and again it has to be match funded. The resurfacing of Fulke Walwyn Way is about to start from last year’s successful bid – a joint project with Jockey Club Estates both putting in about £10,000. The next round is likely to be late Autumn so please let me know if you have any ideas.

Do get in touch if I can help

I do my best to communicate my ward work through Penny Post, Lambourn.org and my regular e-newsletters. However, I am aware that not everybody is online regularly, if at all. I also appreciate that many prefer a quick face-to-face chat. With that in mind – and invigorated and refreshed by my recent holiday – I intend over the summer to do a bit of traditional door-knocking around the parish to introduce myself to those who don’t know me and to learn what issues or concerns I might be able to help with. So, if you, or anyone you know who might not get my digital communications, would like me to call in, please let me know (if they definitely don’t want me to call in, please let me know of that too – I won’t be the least offended!!)

It is a monumental task as you can imagine. If you are not in, I will leave a leaflet with my contact details but in any event as ever if I can be of any help, please get in touch on 07836 718100 or Howard.woollaston1@westberks.gov.uk

My thanks as ever to Brian Quinn of Penny Post for bringing his journalistic expertise to my ramblings.