The good news announced by the government on Monday 12 July was the relaxation of some of the tiresome covid restrictions. The relief felt by most of us was reflected in a more cheerful atmosphere in the Village Hall when the Parish Council meeting started at its usual time of 8pm. The police report this month included four minor matters none of which had been classified as crimes. Some improvements to make Partridge Lane safer had been proposed by the Parish Council and following a recent site meeting with SCC Cllr Mrs Helyn Clack it was reported that a number of matters will now be raised with Surrey Highways. Items for discussion will include highway re-dressing, markings, signage, and verge improvements including drainage.
Redhill Cycle Club has notified the Parish Council of a road race on the morning of Sunday 8 August. It will be based at Newdigate Village Hall where participants will gather before proceeding to the start of the race at Stan Hill. There was a discussion about the legality of cycle races on public roads as these can create dangerous conditions for other road users. It was pointed out that while there is less danger of cycle racing on dual carriageways such as the A24, the use of already hazardous country lanes for cycle racing seems an unnecessary risk to public safety. The unpleasant reality for residents is that if they are properly supervised by official marshals, cycle races are legally permitted on public roads, no matter now hazardous or inappropriate those roads are in the opinion of the people who live in the area.
There were very few planning applications for consideration this month which was a blessing after the bumper crop we had last month. It was agreed that three of the applications should be recommended for approval and one should be objected to on the grounds of the style being out of character for the area and the excessive size of the proposed replacement dwelling. Activities relating to speed surveys and creation of a new speedwatch group are ongoing. The Surrey Highways engineer has identified appropriate street furniture on which to place signs indicating that speed surveys are being carried out on Broad Lane, Parkgate Road and Rusper Road. The surveys will take place in September when schools re-open.
The Village Litter Pick on 26 June had gone ahead and several black bin bags of rubbish had been collected. A resident again asked that consideration be given to extending the area of litter picking to the outer areas of the parish at the next litter pick in October. It was explained that the Parish Council can only do what is possible with the number of volunteers who present themselves on the day assigned. The suggestion was made that perhaps the old system from many years ago could be resurrected where volunteers would litter pick in their own areas on days around the litter picking weekend, rather than meeting in the centre of the Village on one particular day. Does anyone wish to volunteer to do a litter pick of a defined area near their own homes in the outer areas of the parish? Please let us know. The Parish Council is very keen to keep the parish as clean and tidy as possible.
The problem of littering has got worse over recent years with increasing traffic and through drivers who show no respect or care for Newdigate and throw rubbish out of their cars on their way through the area. It may be cultural or generational differences that have caused this unfortunate behaviour where some people expect others to clear up their rubbish. A contributory factor may be the number of drivers who come from countries where there is no respect for keeping a litter free environment. The problem of fly tipping of unwanted household items and builders rubble has been made worse by the restricted access to Surrey’s recycling centres and it is no longer permitted to use recycling centres in other counties.
By the time this is published you may have been affected by the diversions in place owing to temporary closures of Partridge Lane. These were permitted by a Temporary Prohibition of Traffic Order to enable Kelly Group/BT to do cabling and maintenance works over several days starting on 22 July. Esso have also been permitted to do pipeline inspection works on Partridge Lane for during a 4-week period ending on 13 August. Hopefully the diversions will not have caused you too much frustration and delays. Keep calm and carry on. We’ve all had plenty of practice doing this since March 2020!
It was decided to hold a meeting of the Parish Council in August. So the next meeting will be on Monday 9 August in the Village Hall starting at 8pm. Everyone is welcome.
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[mks_one_half]Lesley Bignell, Clerk to the Council[/mks_one_half]
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15th July 2021[/mks_one_half]
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[mks_one_half]clerk@newdigateparishcouncil.gov.uk[/mks_one_half]
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www.newdigateparishcouncil.gov.uk[/mks_one_half]
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