ALDERBURY PARISH COUNCIL
Caring for Alderbury and Whaddon
Such a lot going on at the moment, the Council’s last meeting had a jam-packed agenda with some very knotty issues for councillors to chew over. Being an elected councillor is not an easy job – constantly weighing up the pros and cons of issues, taking on board local opinions and trying, always, to do what is best for the village. All of this goes on in the public spotlight and members can come in for a bit of stick sometimes. So, no, being a councillor is not easy, not easy at all.
Nunton Farm Whole-milk Vending Machine
There has been a lot of interest in the provision of a whole milk vending machine in Alderbury – I counted over 100 comments on the village Facebook site alone. The Council has been looking at this for a while now, following a presentation from the Farm earlier in the year. There is no doubt that the Council supports the idea; the milk is fresh and delicious, it cuts down the use of those horrible plastic cartons and it slashes food miles by providing a local product right on the doorstep.
Nunton Farm identified the Village Hall as the preferred location and that is where things start to get a bit tricky. Yes, it would be the ideal place, right in the heart of the village. But; the machine is big – it would take up two parking spaces (at least) and have to stand alongside the Hall for connection to mains electricity. It would also need space around for loading and unloading milk tanks. Regular users of the Hall will know how tight parking can be for big events with cars often overflowing into Rectory Road. So, with heavy hearts, the Councillors decided they could not ‘green-light’ the proposed location at the Village Hall.
Dogs on the Rec
Readers of the Fountain will know that dogs are banned from the Rec. The area is very well used by children, families and local sports teams, so it is essential the field is kept free of dog mess. Our local dog owners have long respected this. Sadly, we have had a report of a resident exercising her dog on the playing field. This is not on and I will be writing to the person concerned. We are also going to put up some new signs. There are so many convenient paths into the countryside where dogs can enjoy themselves freely.
Community Orchard and Wildflower Meadow – Waleran Close
I wrote last time that the Council was consulting residents at Waleran Close about the idea of planting a community orchard and wildflower meadow on the green space along Southampton Road. On the whole, the response was very positive with all but one resident supporting the overall scheme. However, the survey revealed opposition to the idea of providing benches, with residents fearing this might lead to noise, disturbance and anti-social behaviour. After listening to the views of residents at the meeting, the Council decided to push ahead with the plan without the benches. 10 fruit trees have been ordered from Landford Trees and a planting day will take place on 27th November – drawing together the village wildlife volunteers for the very first time. If you want to take part you can sign up here.
Volunteering
The Council works alongside many local volunteers – speedwatch, garden volunteers, the footpath group, winter emergency volunteers, litter pickers and the wildlife group. The Council’s insurance policy does cover volunteers (over age 16) and the Council has adopted guidelines to keep everyone safe. We also provide first aid kits, safety equipment and tools for use and these are stored in the Community Resource Hub. If you have a few hours to spare, drop me a line and I will put you in touch with our group leaders. You can give time regularly or on an occasional basis – it’s your choice which we will always respect. Find out more here.
Southampton Road Footway
Maintaining footways along Southampton Road is the responsibility of Wiltshire Council, but we know they are strapped for cash so if the parish does not pick up the reigns the footways are going to soon become dangerous. So, we are pushing forward with our plans – the paths will get cleared. An invitation to tender has been sent to four contractors. The closing date for receipt of tenders has closed now and the Council will meet on 8th December to award the contract.
Planning Matters
The Council supported a Tree Preservation Order on the fine old oak tree behind Snowflakes in Rectory Road but we opposed plans to cut down trees at 6 Silverwood. Reflecting the views of local residents, Alderbury PC places a very high value on the rural and woodland nature of the village and seeks to preserve and enhance this unique landscape through the planning process. The Council resists any proposal to fell trees in the village where this is at all avoidable. The Council does support the sensitive management of trees to prolong a long and healthy life and we do recognise the need to control Ash die-back and other diseases.
Revised plans came back for the proposed new houses at Brackendale in Junction Road. Sadly, the changes are pretty minimal, so, we maintained our original objection. We also had another look at the extension at the rear of 11 The Copse and raised no objection, subject to conditions to minimise overlooking of the property to the rear.
Meetings coming up
Here are our meeting dates up until April. For more details, agenda and venue, please check in to our website:
- Tuesday 7th December – Alderbury Social Club
- Wednesday 5th January 2022
- Thursday 3rd February 2022
- Monday 7th March 2022
That’s all for now.
Steve Milton
Parish Clerk, Alderbury Parish Council
PO BOX 2366, Salisbury, SP2 2NY
clerk@alderburyparishcouncil.gov.uk
www.alderburyparishcouncil.gov.uk
Alderbury Parish Council News 