Road closure

A small section of Old Road will be closed from 29th November to 1st December.  

Gloucestershire County Council has issued the closure notice so that Severn Trent Water can renew a hydrant.  

The section affected will be from the junction with Hiams Lane to outside Greenacres - a length of about 50 metres.  Pedestrian and emergency access should be maintained at all times other than in exceptional circumstances.

Let's talk!

Maisemore Parish Council has received some funding to improve communication in the village and make what the Council does more transparent to residents.

So, if you have any views on this, please come along to a meeting in the village hall at 7.30pm on Monday 17th October to talk about what should be done.  

All views will be welcome!

This meeting is intended to throw up ideas.  A decision on what to do will be made at the Parish Council meeting on 7th November.  

You could be involved in that too, as we have two vacancies to be filled by co-option - so why not talk to one of the existing councillors about that as well: Andrew Cooley (07961 574231 or andrew.cooley@maisemore-pc.org.uk), Debbie Burgess (01452 523730) or Carole Banks (01452 304598).

We’ve already made a start with this new trial website (www.maisemore-pc.org .uk).  Please do have a good look at it and tell us what you think - and what you would like to see.

Consultation on housing

Tewkesbury Borough Council is holding a public consultation on its Housing Strategy on Wednesday 12th October at the Tewkesbury Borough Council Offices, Tewkesbury Public Services Centre, Gloucester Road, Tewkesbury, GL20 5TT.  It's a drop in session between 4pm and 6pm.

An invitation to the event is here.  The consultation document is here.

Parish Council meets on Monday

The next meeting of Maisemore Parish Council is on Monday 26th September 2016 at 7.30pm in MaisemoreVillage Hall.

The meeting will begin with public questions and discussion lasting up to half an hour.

Agenda

Minutes of July meeting 

There are currently two vacancies on the Council that can be filled by co-option, so if you're interested in helping get things done for Maisemore, please contact one of the existing councillors (details in the right hand column of this page) or the parish clerk - phone: 07971 874239 or email: maisemoreparishcouncil@gmail.com.

Over roundabout plans on show

Gloucestershire County Council's plans for improving the Over roundabout should be helpful to Maisemore residents.

A key feature of the proposal is to add a third lane on the southbound approach to the roundabout along the A417 from Maisemore.

One of the display panels at the 'public share event' on the
Over roundabout improvement scheme, held at
Hartpury village hall.  The event was well attended.

The thinking is that this will enable two lanes of traffic heading towards Gloucester, and that this will enable more vehicles to enter the roundabout every time there is a gap in the traffic approaching from the west.

There are more details about the scheme on the GCC website here. A number of plans and drawings and answers to a number of frequently asked questions can be downloaded from this GCC page.

The present scheme does not include traffic lights, but it does include laying the ducting so that these could be added at a later date with the minimum of disruption.

Adding the extra lane will invlove deep steel piling of the embankment to the north east of the roundabout.  There will have to be some road closures to achieve this, but it is hoped that these will mostly be at night.  A scheme for traffic diversion and signposting has been prepared.

How people-friendly is your garden hedge?

Residents should be aware that Tewkesbury Borough Council can take enforcement action to cut back hedges that grow over and obstruct pavements. They can then re-charge residents for any work undertaken.
 
Please can you check that your garden hedge is not growing over the pavement.  Brambles hanging down from high hedges can be a particular hazard.

Pavements need to be clear for a width of at least 1 metre (or the full width of the pavement if it's less than 1m) and to a height of 2 metres.

Residents using a wheelchair or pushchair may be forced into the road if the hedge is overgrown.

Consultation on Over roundabout work

Chris Riley, a Project Manager for the Major Projects team at Gloucestershire County Council, has sent the following note to local Parish Councils:

We are currently in the process of finalising funding arrangements for a major improvement scheme at Over Roundabout to follow on from the work undertaken by Highways England in 2015.

We are holding public share events for the scheme at the following locations, which you are invited to attend:

• Tuesday 20 September 2016 -  9 - 2pm at Hartpury Village Hall
• Thursday 22 September 2016 - 2:30 - 7:30pm at Highnam Community Centre

About the new scheme

• A417 North: widening of the southbound approach to the roundabout entry to provide three lanes at the junction stop line.
• A40 East: widening of the westbound approach to the roundabout entry to provide three lanes at the junction stop line.
• A40 Roundabout - General: The addition of a third circulatory lane within the roundabout.

Purpose of the scheme

The overarching goal is to provide a free flowing link for traffic along the currently heavily congested A40 Roundabout.  

The key objectives have been identified as:

Reduce journey times, for all users as well, on the A40 between Highnam Roundabout / Longford Roundabout / Gloucester City Centre.

Improve journey time reliability on the A40 between Highnam Roundabout / Longford Roundabout / Gloucester City Centre.

Improve the connectivity and capacity of the strategic road network between the Forest of Dean and Gloucester / Cheltenham / Tewkesbury / the M5.

The current programme for the A40 Over Roundabout Scheme

Business Case Submission - October 2016

Business Case Approved by LEP - December 2016

Construction Start - Early 2018

Construction End - Summer 2018

Further information can be found at:

http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/a40over



Maisemore Parish Council has been strongly critical of the work carried out by Highways England in 2015 and regards the changes as detrimental to the interests of Maisemore residents and also introducing new risks to road users - particularly when entering the roundabout from Maisemore on the A417.  At least one Parish Councillor will attend the 'share event' at Hartpury on 20th September.

Watch out - there's a thief about!

Please watch out for fraudulent emails trying to get your bank details and steal your money.  Here's one I received today:

Of course, it's not from British Gas at all - and I'm not a BG customer.  But the layout is very convincing, apart from not having my name and address.  When I spoke to British Gas so that I could forward it to them, they said that even the account number format was correct, apart from starting with the wrong digits.

These emails come in all sorts of forms and they may look very convincing.  It's very easy to pick up logos and trademarks from company websites.  The rule is never to give bank details or passwords to anyone in response to an email and never click on anything in it if the email is even remotely suspect. 

None of the banks, the police or any reputable organisation will ever ask for your bank account or password details via email - or over the phone.

Sunshine Success for Maisemore Fete

The day started clear and bright for this year’s Maisemore Fête as the stallholders arrived to set up. Would it continue? Yes!

Under glorious blue skies, the Fête was opened by Eric Freeman who described to guests some of his highlights of Maisemore and reminded us to cherish our village. The stalls inside and out were a buzz of activity as the sun continued to shine down on the Fête.

To the delight of Fête visitors, Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service arrived in a large fire engine and many of the children present were able to meet the firemen and sit in the driver's seat.

This year saw the Maisemore Football Club run an activity for the first time and test the sporting skills of villagers and visitors, perhaps they even found their next star striker!

Regular stalls returned and visitors were able to browse and buy books, bric-a-brac and cakes in the hall, or wander outside to try their luck on the coconut shy, tombola or hooking a duck. The produce stall was full of shining apples, juicy raspberries and fresh green beans, almost out-sparkling the jewellery.

The children’s races were as competitive as ever with the three categories showing we had some budding athletes present. Perhaps we will be seeing some Maisemore names at the 2024 Olympics!

The day concluded with the Grand Raffle draw and the announcement of the competition winners. With over 50 prizes donated this year, it is clear to see the generosity within the village. Our cake competition was won by Denise Sheldon, who created an MnM chocolate cake as her showstopper. The photo competition winners were Harvey Williams in the 16 and under category and Pascal Chamberlayne in the over 16s.

Many thanks to all those who helped and attended the Fête. See you next year!

Emma Holdaway

Major planning application approved

The outline planning application for a mix of 28 open market and affordable dwellings and associated infrastructure on land to the rear of Rectory Farm has now been approved (application reference 15/00131/OUT).   The full decision notice, including the conditions attached to it, can be found here.

The full site plan of the proposal can be found here.

The site is now at the stage for a full application to be made. 

The decision involved a 'section106 agreement' and, although this does not include MPC’s request for funding for sewerage improvements, it will provide funds for Village Hall improvements and other community benefits. 

Tewkesbury Borough Cllr Davis was asked to investigate how the list of section 106 requirements was reached, as MPC had not been consulted.  The Parish Council unanimously agreed that it’s Planning Policy Document be amended in the light of the decision and that a copy be sent to Tewkesbury Planning Department.

Action on fly tipping

The Parish Council passes on any reports of fly tipping to Tewkesbury Borough Council, who clear it quite promptly.  

If you spot any fly tipping, you can report it directly to TBC on line or you can phone them on 01684 272364.

Massive 'Thank you' from MPC

The Clean for the Queen event on Saturday 14th May was a big success and the Parish Council would like to say a massive thank you to all those who took part.

Some of the litter collected during the 'Clean for the Queen'
event awaits collection outside the village hall.

A number of people regularly pick up litter in the village, and this is also greatly appreciated.  If anyone needs a litter picker and other kit, Tewkesbury Borough Council will provide it – more details here.