South Cerney

Mike Stuart

01285 860439

mikestuart.scerney@btinternet.com

WITH the annual Street Fair and Duck Race fast approaching, the organisers have asked that residents of South Carney are aware that some streets will be closed and in others there will be parking restrictions during the weekend at the end of May. Full details will be included in a later edition.

THE following items have been provided by South Carney Parish Council:

* Due to ground water levels having risen this winter, Thames Water decided to install the over-pumping station again at The Limes as a precautionary measure. It has been set so that it will switch on automatically as needed and will pump the surplus into the old main sewer leading to the Shorncote works. It operates in effect as a safety valve, and prevents sewage rising back up into some houses, particularly at The Limes, during times of high ground water levels (which can get into the main sewers). Thames Water are currently planning for future funding from 2020 and it is hoped that a permanent solution can be found.

* Regarding the state of the road, river bank and verges in Bow Wow, Glos Highways have reported that they have had to go through an extensive process with the Environment Agency (EA) to get the required Flood Defence applications approved for the river bank repairs.

The initial application was made in July last year and work was scheduled for late September, but the EA required two further bespoke applications. The Parish Council met on-site with Highways, Amey and the EA at the beginning of November and it was verbally agreed that the work would be approved.

However, final EA consent was not received until March 1 2018. Since then we have had two severe weather events which have led to higher than usual water levels for this time of year. Highways report that the water is too high to safely undertake the works required, and have decided that health and safety requirements simply could not be met satisfactorily before the end of the March, and therefore the scheme has had to be cancelled from our current programme of work.

Operationally Highways’ preference is to re-schedule this scheme for June or July when the water level will be lower. However, in the meantime it will need to be reassessed for inclusion in the 2018/19 programme. The Parish Council will continue to press for this work to be carried out as soon as possible.

* The Parish Council supports the proposed reduction in speed limits for Station Road and part of Spine Road from the A419 to Station Road junction to 40mph, but will continue to press for this to be extended along the Spine Road to the county boundary to include Broadway Lane junction and the full length of Broadway Lane itself.

* Although not listed as a Public Right of Way on the Definitive Map at Shire Hall, the path between Ham Lane and Sudeley Drive has been in use for many years and the Parish Council has resolved to apply to have it added to the Definitive Map.

THE Annual Parish Meeting is planned for Tuesday, May 22 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. Whilst this is not a Parish Council meeting, it is run by the Parish Council, and allows various village organisations to present reports on their activities over the past and coming year.