Surgeries:
4:30-5pm Tuesday 2nd October, Cowes
Library, Beckford Road, Cowes
5:30-6pm, Tuesday 2nd October, Sports Bar,
IW Community Club, Park Road, Cowes.
6-6:30pm, Tuesday 9th October, The
Woodvale, Princes Esplanade, Gurnard.
3-3:30pm, Wednesday 17th October, Cowes
Enterprise College, Crossfield Avenue, Cowes.
1pm-1:30pm, Wednesday 24th October, Little
Gloster, Marsh Road, Gurnard.
5:30-6pm, Tuesday 30th October, The
Portland, Worsley Road, Gurnard.
4:30-5pm, Tuesday 6th November, Cowes
Library, Beckford Road, Cowes.
5:30-6pm, Tuesday 6th November, Sports Bar,
IW Community Club, Park Road, Cowes
PLEASE
REMEMBER: Consultations continue on the Localisation of Council Tax Support
continues until 30th November. Residents can complete the on-line survey on
iwight.com , or request a survey by calling 01983 823653.
Access to Cowes
Medical Centre.
I was asked to intervene
following concerns were raised that the local bus service used by local
residents would be diverted away from Cowes Medical Centre following the recent
road closure of Newport Road.
Prior to this road closure, I
spoke to the Medical Centre who advised they had heard nothing formal from the
contractors, despite a reassurance made to the IW Council’s Head Of Highways
that local people would be notified.
With support of the Medical
Centre, Southern Vectis were persuaded to divert Service 32 to call closer to
the Medical Centre returning to Cowes via Three Gates Road, Seaview Road and
Bellevue Road. I understand this
diversion is being well received by residents of the Westbury Estate…
School
Collections/ Drop Off’s.
Following the start of the new
school term, I met with the Head Teacher, to address residents’ concerns over
school drop off and collection’s at Gurnard School, Baring Road.
I have asked for more enforcement to be undertaken by
Parking Enforcement Officers, to assist the school in addressing this problem; In
addition to my efforts on this, Gurnard School is in the process of
establishing a Parents Forum, to discuss parents ideas further. Following this meeting, I intend addressing
outcomes with Highways.
At Cowes Primary School, I’ve noted there has been less
of a problem (so far). However, I am
looking forward to talking to the school about this when I meet with staff in
the coming weeks.
Cowes, Local
Action Group.
·
CCTV on Princes Green was successful this
summer, with less offending over Cowes Week because of this.
·
A discarded syringe was found in Birmingham
Road. It was unclear whether drugs paraphernalia mapping was
continuing. This would be requested, if this was not the case.
·
Speeding in Newport Road continues to be
an issue. The Police would be requested to undertake speed checks and
Enforcement action taken where appropriate. Cllr Peacey-Wilcox, would
also be notified.
·
Only one complaint was received about gatherings
on Gurnard Beach this year. This is as a result of work by the PCSO’s,
better monitoring of Social Networking sites and inevitably the inclement
weather.
·
Incidents had reduced in Northwood Recreation
Ground following the closure of the toilets in the evenings.
·
There had been incidents of Youth Nuisance and
Anti-Social Behaviour in local shops. Shopwatch in partnership with the
Police are dealing with these incidents, which consist of a group of unruly
youths entering shops.
·
It was reported that items of washing had been
stolen from a home in Newport Road.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 14th
November.
Planning and
Licensing Issues.
On the Licencing Committee, I
supported extending the Licence to open the Porter Club (formerly Lake Working Mens Club). This application was controversial insofar as
over 20 residents had objected to the extended hours. That said, Environmental Health advised that
no complaints had been received from residents when the former club was open
from 2007 until 2010. Because there were
no formal complaints, the Committee felt they should approve the application,
however I asked for a condition to be imposed for the club to keep a book to
monitor complaints.
The Planning Committee was held
over 2 nights this month to deal with a high volume of applications being
considered.
I supported applications for a
new Bay Primary School which will
serve Sandown over one site at Grove Road, and proposals to expand Christ The King College, Carisbrooke. The most controversial aspect about the
Christ The King College application were objections over the retention of the
Sports Hall, which local residents complained resonates sound. Because there was no objections from
Environmental Health and because conditions were being advised to limit use to
school times only, and due to the fact that Government funding had been
approved to enable a more permanent expansion- I felt that any refusal would
not be sustainable.
Elsewhere, in East Cowes I supported proposals to
create 4 retail units and accommodation opposite Waitrose.
Like most other members of the
Planning Committee, In the last few weeks I have received a number of
representations concerning the Asphalt
Plant proposal.
As yet, no date has been set to
consider this application.
Locally, I was asked to
intervene on pre-application discussions for replacing 13 Shore Road, Gurnard.
Because of public opinion regarding these proposals, I am advised the
applicants are re-thinking their
proposals.
Health and
Community Wellbeing.
This offered me an opportunity
to ask questions in relation to publicising better NHS Check-ups for men over the age of 40, and raising residents’
issues over the availability of car parking at St Mary’s Hospital.
Regarding the availability of Car Parking, I was advised that changes to appointment times
throughout the hospital to lessen the extent of bulges throughout the day were
to be implemented. We were also advised additional car parking would provide up
to 100 additional spaces.
I attended the most recent meeting of the IW Council’s
Health and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.
It was reported there was progress
in enabling NHS Dental treatment, and
that the new practice in East Cowes will offer provision to 5000 patients. It
was highlighted that NHS treatment, was not as difficult as it had been
previously. From April 2013 the NHS Helpline 111, will offer advice on
dental care, and steps were in place for the Tooth Bus to visit the Island, allowing an opportunity for
residents who were not registered to receive a consultation.
St Mary’s Hospital is holding
a crutch amnesty, due to a current
shortage of walking aids on the Isle Of Wight.
Junk Mail and
Nuisance Calls.
I’ve been asked to re-publish
contact details for the Telephone and Mailing Preference Services. This follows a recent abrupt increase of
tele-marketing.
You can contact the TPS on
0845 070 0707 and the MPS on 0845 703 4599, or by writng to both services who
are based at 70 Margaret Street, London. W1W 8SS. Both sites also have websites for registering
on-line.
In addition to this, if you
are fed up with Royal Mail’s distributed Junk Mail, you can do this through
their Door-To-Door opt out scheme. To do
this, you first need to ask Royal Mail to send you an ‘Opt Out Confirmation
Form’ by sending an e-mail with your name and full address to optout@royalmail.com. You can also contact the Royal Mail by post
to: Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TITS, Door-To-Door Opts, Royal Mail, Kingsmead House,
Oxpens Road, OXFORD. OX1 1RX.
All of this information, I obtained via the
stopjunkmail.org.uk website. This site
has advice and a ‘Junk Buster’, where on-line you can contact up to five other
opt-out services at the same time.
Gurnard wins the Island Best Kept Village!
Congratulations to all involved in keeping Gurnard clean and tidy on a day to day basis- Particularly to Emma and the volunteers from Gurnard In Bloom for their efforts helping Gurnard to win this years' Best Kept Village.
Also personal thanks, from me to Cllr Marie Bugden for continually reminding me to take action when our very high standards start to falter!
This award is very much a testament to the incredible sense of pride which Emma, Marie and many others within our community have for the village. Well done and Thank You to all involved!
In the coming month:
·
Following Gurnard’s recent success as the Island’s
Best Kept Village, in Isle of Wight In Bloom, there will be a village tidy up where residents can join me and others in our marigolds! Please come along, as we will be departing at 10am, Saturday 20th October
from Gurnard Village Hall. If you wish
to know more please contact Cllr Jill Sivell on 07966 819952.
·
Newport Road (between Northwood and Parkhurst)
will have a Stop & Go Board in operation for ‘drainage works’ from Monday 8th
October ‘til Saturday 13th October.
After this, I anticipate the same stretch of road will have traffic
lights in operation for remedial resurfacing for the Newport Road for up to a
month afterwards. This was planned to
start this week, however as yet, I’ve received no confirmation when this is to
happen.
Japanese Knotweed.
I have been contacted by a
number of residents from Cowes and Gurnard, who have contacted me about
concerns over the perceived spread of Japanese Knotweed. Matthew Chatfield from Parks and Beaches has
advised that I circulate the following statement:
Japanese
knotweed (Fallopia japonica) on the Isle of Wight
Japanese knotweed is an introduced and
invasive plant which causes damage to property and wildlife. It is not poisonous
but causes damage by smothering natural vegetation and by its rapid and strong
growth which can damage structures such as highways, foundations, walls and
drains. Japanese knotweed grows very fast, is extremely persistent and capable
of regeneration from very small parts of the plant. Roots can remain viable for
years without producing shoots above ground.
What
to do if knotweed is threatening land you own or manage
• Initially, an approach should be
made to the occupier or owner of land on which the knotweed is growing.
• It is best to act soon and agree a
plan to eradicate the knotweed. In almost all cases, a commercial herbicide contractor
will be needed to do the job properly. Over-the-counter herbicides are rarely
effective enough and can make the problem worse if they do not succeed.
Cutting, crushing, and especially strimming the plant whilst it is alive is not
advised as it scatters fragments and spreads the problem wider.
• If the knotweed is posing a direct
risk to your property you may be able to get assistance from your buildings insurer.
Some insurers provide help to make a claim against a neighbour in such
situations.
• Knotweed is not a weed specified in
the Weeds Act so if the landowner refuses to act, your only recourse is to take
legal action against them yourself. The Isle of Wight Council or the government
has no power to become involved. You should get legal advice from a solicitor
before you take any such action.
• Any herbicide use on or near water
including streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and any running water must be licensed
by the Environment Agency and a certificate issued.
Knotweed
and the law
It is an offence to plant knotweed in
the wild, but more often the knotweed spreads from somewhere else. Managing Japanese
knotweed is the responsibility of the owner or occupier of the site. It is not
illegal to have knotweed on your land, and there is no legal obligation on a
landowner to control knotweed, although if this is not done and the knotweed causes
damage to somebody else’s property, the landowner might have to pay
compensation for the damage. Allowing Japanese knotweed to spread onto somebody
else’s land could be considered to be a private nuisance but not a statutory
nuisance. Therefore resolving such problems is a private matter between the
landowners involved.
Disposing of knotweed once it has been
removed is also controlled by law. All parts of the plant (including soil with
root fragments in it) are controlled waste and must be disposed of correctly:
burning on site is often the best way. On a domestic scale, if burning is not
possible, the knotweed material should be put into a polythene sack, which is
then put into a further sack & secured. This can then be taken to a Civic
Amenity Site with the prior agreement of the site provider. You must tell the
staff at the site about the knotweed to ensure proper disposal is carried out.
Japanese knotweed should not be put in with other green waste. For commercial
operations your waste contractor must be made aware of the knotweed before
taking it away. Disregard of the requirements for controlled waste can be a
criminal offence.
Notifying
the council of knotweed
There is no legal obligation to notify
anyone of knotweed. However the council does keep a record of knotweed infestations
if they are reported. This does not mean that action will necessarily be taken,
but does allow the extent of the problem to be monitored.
Knotweed:
The IW Council’s Position
The council has no powers to take
action against knotweed on land it does not control itself; but the council as landowner
recognises the problem posed by knotweed on its own land and does take action
against it. The extent of the problem means that there are many places where
infestations remain. Knotweed control work is limited by available resources so
is prioritised. A high priority is put on areas where knotweed is causing or
likely to cause damage to designated nature reserves, or buildings and other
structures, but in cases where no such damage is occurring, work does not
always take place immediately.
The council is able to give advice on
control methods, but will not normally take action against knotweed where it is
not growing on or affecting land in which the council has an interest.
In the last month:
·
I was asked to put my name forward for co-option
on to Gurnard Parish Council. This came about due to the number of vacancies,
the short length term of office and the fact that I’m closely involved working
with Gurnard Parish Council on a number of projects (i.e Gurnard Neighbourhood
Plan, Gurnard Playing Field acquisition etc.)
·
I’ve requested a number of bus stops to be
cleaned and disinfected.
·
The Man Hole cover in Princes Esplanade has been
repaired(!!), whilst new guttering is on order for the public toilets on Gurnard
Green.
·
I attended a follow-up meeting at Briary Court,
arranged for officers from the IW Council’s waste team to visit to offer advice
about recycling and I continue to make a case for the Dial-A-Bus to pick
residents up from the door.
·
I have attended meetings with IW Council Directors
to discuss opportunities for next years’ budget.
·
Residents continue to complain to me about stray
Golf Balls from bad Golfers… I have visited Baring Road residents and am
discussing this with the Secretary from Cowes Golf Club!
·
I received complaints from residents about what
is thought to be anti-social behaviour in Spencer’s Copse, and complaints of
car for sale in Place Road that was causing an obstruction, and subsequently
removed.
·
I’m talking to Officers about simplifying
entitlement of Concessionary Passes for long term disabled residents.
·
I have
passed on complaints concerning dog fouling, overgrown hedges this month Baring
Road, Place Road, Woodvale Road and Tuttons Hill.
·
I’ve met with two sets of residents who are
having issues with the same social landlord.
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