Environment Agency wants your views

The Environment Agency is conducting user research in some areas of England known to be at risk of flooding. What the Agency learns from this research will shape tomorrow's flood information service and benefit millions of people across the country.

The Environment Agency is asking you to help by providing feedback on how you feel about your flood risk and how you get your information.

As part of this research the Agency is looking for people who use the internet and those who don't.

You'll need to share your thoughts, either with a quick phone call or using a very short online feedback form, a couple of times during February and March 2017.

Taking part will help your community and make a real difference to the way the Environment Agency designs their services.

To register your interest you can telephone, email, or go online using the contacts below:

Telephone: 07790 776043 or 07713 626041
Email: floodfeedback@gmail.com
Online: goo.gl/xNtKrw

Fibre broadband in 2018?

The Parish Council has been given May 2018 as the 'probable' date of being able to order fibre broadband for Maisemore.

An email from the contractor says:

"Having investigated our network records the cabinet to which  Maisemore premises are connected (Exchange GLOUCESTER  Cabinet 27) is not 'Fibre to the Cabinet' enabled.

There is, therefore, delay in providing 'Fibre to the Premises' as part of the Broadband UK  project.  We are expecting, all being well, that you should be able to order fibre broadband from the second week of May 2018.

We often find unforeseen challenges and complexities that we simply couldn’t plan for.  These may need either more time to work around or a different solution altogether. Our published dates in most cases are accurate.  However, because of the above, unfortunately they can move. We strive to share as much information as we possibly can to help you to make your choices as much as possible.

We apologise there has been a delay but each cabinet will involve different amounts of work to fully enable and make it ready for orders.

Rest assured we are doing everything we can to deliver service as soon as we can."

No timescale is given from this 'probable' date when fibre broadband can be ordered to its actual implementation.

Planning update

There have been extensive revisions to the plans for Rustic House (application 16/01108/FUL).  The Applications for moving the Dirtworks yard has been approved ((16/01263/AGR and 16/01264/AGR), as has the application for 15 houses at Bell House Farm (14/00965/FUL).  Because of the scale of this, it has a section 106 agreement, which includes £15,000 for the Village Hall.  Full details can be found on the Tewkesbury Borough Council website.

Have you got Maisemore photos

This website has a number of photos displayed at random as a heading, and the Parish Council would like to increase the range of photos used.

If you have pictures that you think might be suitable, please email one or more to Andrew Cooley.

We can resize and trim any suitable pictures to the required size.  Unfortunately we can't offer any prizes or copyright fees, though.

Report it on line

Fly-tipping is just one of the things that can be reported to Tewkesbury Borough Council on line using the 'Do-it-online' page on its website.

You can report a wide range of things there - both to Tewkesbury Borough Cuncil and to Gloucestershire County Council.  Fly tipping and littering are just a couple of them, but it extends to such things as planning infringements, flooding, stray or lost dogs, potholes and blocked road drains.

A page which links to all the services provided by local authorities and other service providers is being devloped for this website - but it isn't a quick job.  In the meantime, we've added the TBC 'Do-it-online' page as a permanent link in the left hand column.

Maisemore Local History Society Meetings

The January meeting of the Maisemore Local History Society will be in the Village Hall on Thursday 26th  Dr Ray Wilson will be giving an illustrated talk entitled "Industrial Heritage of the Cotswolds".

On Thursday 23rd February Dr Steven Blake speaking, with illustrations, about "The Cotswold Way, 100 miles of history."  

The meetings start at 7.30 pm -doors open 7.00 pm - and visitors are always  welcome. The charge is £2, with refreshments afterwards.

Ros Lane

St Giles Church

Carols round the village went well this year. A smaller number than usual braved the elements to sing and collect money for Arthritis Research but I was delighted to be able to send a donation of £200.

Many thanks to everyone who attended and provided refreshments at church afterwards; also to Deanwood Lodge where we sang  first, following on the Wednesday afternoon with a longer service of  communion and plenty of carols, where a room full of residents joined in heartily.

Our midnight service on Christmas Eve - a cold night which saw the candles flickering and the Christmas tree glowing - was attended by around 30 people to greet Christmas day in the traditional way.

The joint service on January 1st was presided over by Rev.Jean Herrick and had representatives from all the churches.

Once again I wish you a very happy new year and hope to see some of you at St. Giles in 2017.

Marnie Mitchell.

Dog walking in the countryside

Gloucestershire Local Access Forum (GLAF) have re-released their leaflet on walking your dog safely and considerately in the countryside. 

Dogs in the countryside and the potential for conflict to arise with landowners and farmers has been at the forefront of GLAF’s work for a number of years. The leaflet was originally published in 2010 and received much positive feedback. 

GLAF say the content of the leaflet is as relevant today as it was when first published.

Bin day this week is Wednesday

Due to the holidays, the bin collection day this week is changed to Wednesday instead of Tuesday. This week it's the green general waste bin - plus the food waste caddy and - if you have one, your brown bin for green garden waste.

Please do make use of the food waste collection service - it's probably the most important bit of recycling we do. Did you know that, if all our food waste was collected and fed into anaerobic digesters - as ours is - it could provide at least a quarter of the country's domestic energy need? By contrast , if it goes into landfill it produces methane which gets into the atmosphere and is one of the most harmful greenhouse gases. So please don't put food waste in the general waste bin.

Food waste should not be loose in the caddy - it should be either in a compostable bag or in either an ordinary carrier bag or wrapped in newspaper.