Surgeries.
4:30-5pm, Tuesday 3rd October, Cowes Library,
Beckford Road, Cowes.
5:30-6pm, Tuesday 3rd October, Sports Bar,
Isle of Wight Community Club, Park Road, Cowes.
10:30-11:30am, Friday 6th October, Gurnard
Press, Worsley Road, Gurnard.
6-6:30pm, Wednesday 11th October, The
Woodvale, Princes Esplanade, Gurnard.
3-3:30pm, Wednesday 18th
October, Cowes Enterprise College, Crossfield Avenue, Cowes.
11-11:30am, Friday 20th
October, Little Gloster, Marsh Road, Gurnard.
6-6:30pm, Wednesday 25th
October, The Portland, Worsley Road, Gurnard.
10:30-11am, Thursday 26th
October, All Saints Church, Tuttons Hill, Gurnard.
12-12:30pm, Thursday 26th
October, Eegon’s, 72 High Street, Cowes.
10:30-11:30am, Friday 3rd November, Gurnard
Press, Worsley Road, Gurnard.
Gurnard: The Isle of Wight’s Best kept Large
Village! Its official!
Congratulations
to Jenny and Ellis for their efforts in scooping the Isle of Wight Best Kept
Large Village, at the recent prize-giving.
This indeed is positive recognition of their efforts over many months to
keep Gurnard in bloom.
Better
still, I have heard this was strongly contested this year and Gurnard beat
Northwood (who were runners-up)!!!
Discussed at
the Isle of Wight Association of Local Councils meeting, I’m told that this
year the judges considered the cleanliness of benches, highlighting the impact
of moss and other ‘bench’markkings to those daring to wear white trousers….
Subsequently,
I was advised that one issue picked up by judges who visited in May was the
overflowing litter bins at Gurnard Green. This will be discussed by Gurnard
Parish Council early next year. I
understood if this could be resolved, Gurnard could have won the overall
award. That said, this gives us all
something to aim for in 2018!
In the
meantime, I would also like to say another very big thank you to Mark Spencer
on his very kind offer to cut back some of the vegetation outside Bucklers View.
Gurnard Parish Plan. Adopted!
Following
the 88% turnout in support of Gurnard’s Neighbourhood Plan, the Isle of Wight
Council has now formally adopted Gurnard’s Neighbourhood Plan as Planning
Guidance.
This, I know
will be welcomed by residents of Gurnard and Cowes who tenaciously fought to
protect the green gap separating both communities from development which is
very much the golden thread which residents felt appropriate to protect. Once again, thank you to the Committee for
their hard work and thank you to all who voted!
Parklands Avenue Reconstruction.
This
reconstruction has taken a lot longer to complete than had initially been
timetabled.
One of the
major issues that I noted with these works, are the problems being encountered
with utilities companies. In an ideal
world I would love to see that the road being repaired at the same time as
mains services being overhauled…
Unfortunately funding does not offer this, and instead you find the
companies (in my opinion the worst offender is Southern Water) acting
reactively rather than proactively.
Bollards!
Following
concerns being raised at Gurnard Green,
it seems likely that the IW Council are considering erecting bollards to
protect the play area from vehicles leaving the highway.
For me this
is a positive solution, particularly given that one of the alternatives
suggested (vehemently opposed by myself and Gurnard Parish Council) was to
limit parking for those who like watching the sun go down, living it up from this vantage point.
Another
area I’ve asked for the erection of bollards is the junction with Lower Church Road, Solent View Road. At
this location the householder has suffered four instances of vehicles leaving
the highway and ending up in their front garden.
Finally
with respect to bollards, I continue to persevere for safety measures to be put
in place at Blackberry Lane.
Garden Waste Update.
At a recent
meeting of the Council’s Cabinet, the Member responsible for the Waste
Contract, Cllr Michael Murwell has highlighted his support for subscription
service for Wheelie Bins to replace the Green Garden Waste sacks.
Following
discussions with residents this is leaving me now in
general support of this transition.
Your Views on Highways Matters.
Myself and
Councillor for Cowes South and [Large Village, Runners-Up] Northwood Nicholson
have a meeting pending with Island Roads.
If you any issues that you wish us to address, please let me know!
Other Highways Issues: In a Nutshell.
·
Brambles and other vegetation have been
cut back from Winding Way.
·
Micro-Surfacing took place in Woodvale Road. According to Island
Roads this type of highways work takes place when roads do not need to be
resurfaced or re-profiled and restores texture grip, removes minor dips whilst
extending the life of the road and providing the road with a micro-kid resistance.
·
This was followed up by lines being
repainted.
·
Seating at the Roundhouse Bus Stop in Place Road has been repaired and
refitted. In addition the Bus Stop has also been cleansed following a complaint
concerning the build-up of litter.
·
Overhanging branches have been cut back
in Worsley Road. Further work will take place later this
month.
·
Island Roads has confirmed to me that
no further action will be taken concerning the potential conflict of cycles and
motorists exiting Lower Horn Hill, in Rew
Street. This follows no traffic incidents being received. In response, I am
referring this item to the November meeting of Gurnard Parish Council, and
request further feedback from residents regarding this.
·
Further action has been necessary to
deal with abandoned vehicles in Mornington
Road. A notice
has been served on one, whilst following DVLA tracies,
the other car’s MOT is imminently due to expire.
·
A street name plate has been requested for Glen Place.
Planning
Update: Response to IW Council’s Island Plan Consultation.
Recently, myself and Planning Committee
Chairman, Cllr David Jones responded to a consultation for potentially revising
the Island Plan.
Following recent feedback the Town Council
referenced comments to safeguard Cowes’ Maritime Industries, Green Spaces
whilst concerns were expressed regarding infrastructure and the requirement for
developers to contribute towards schemes.
Full
Council Update.
Following the withdrawal of Reports from the
Leader/ Cabinet/ Executive, Full Council has changed! Business tends now to be defined by
Councillors motions. These included:
·
Commercial Property as Investment.
The purpose of this motion was to
agree to invest Council’s monies (£100m) in the private commercial sector. It was highlighted this would provide a
better financial return on the IW Council’s investments, perceived to be 4-5%, which
could accrue £5m each year for the IW Council. Although I support this in
principle (The Independent administration last year requested this was
considered) I personally felt unhappy and not reassured by the following:
1. Decisions would be made by two officers (The Chief Executive, the
Section 151 officer) and one Councillor. This limits the level of meaningful
scrutiny taking place to potential financial risks.
2. The potential for conflict of interests existing.
3. It is unlikely, due to the rate of financial return that investments
would take place on the Isle of Wight.
Because I did not
receive these guarantees or assurances, I
joined 6 others and voted against this motion. The motion was supported by 24
Councillors supporting the recommendation, whilst 5 Councillors abstained
·
Floating Bridge Motions.
There were two
motions tabled for Full Council, the first recommended to Cabinet waiving
floating bridge charges in light of the ongoing issues with the crossing. The
second motion waived charges for parents taking children to school across the
Medina. I joined the 12 Councillors
supporting the first motion and the 13 Councillors supporting the second. Both motions fell.
·
Other Motions.
Motions supported
that did not fall were those promoting Rights
Of Way (which I seconded). This was
supported by all 35 Councillors in attendance, a motion supporting the
continued use of Ryde Arena, a
motion re-confirming the IW Council supporting Mental Health Issues, supporting beach access for the mobility impaired and showing the IW Council’s
support for next year’s Pride Event
(which I seconded)
Place Road Development: Next Phase. (To be updated following confirmation!)
Many thanks to
those residents’ who provided feedback on the next phase of the Meadow View
development.
The Public
Information session for this takes place 5-6:30pm, day
October at the Isle of Wight
Community Club.
In the meantime,
letters are being circulated to residents.
Cash Low, Cash Flow Event.
The Footprint
Trust are hosting a Cash low, cash flow event from 11am-3pm on Thursday 26th October at the Riverside Centre, Newport Quay.
The event is free
to local residents will:
·
Help people manage their cash-flow over time–
so they can avoid debt and get help with their finances.
·
Raise awareness of the financial, health and environmental
benefits of energy and water efficiency in the home, along with grants
available such as ECO and help with Smart meters.
·
Signpost people to the correct help agency.
·
Promote renewable energy and sustainable living.
Once its over,
I hope to formally arrange similar events in both Cowes and Gurnard.
Mayoral Report.
As Mayor I
attended the Council’s Civic Service in Newport which was hosted by Cllr Lora
Peacey-Wilcox. Also this month I met
with delegates from Chesapeake, Maryland to commemorate the Ark and Dove which
sailed from Cowes before settling in America in 1633.
At Cowes Town
Council’s meeting in October, the Town will be receiving gifts and hospitality
from Bulls, New Zealand which has friendship links with Cowes.
I also had the pleasure of joining the Lord
Lieutenant and other dignitaries when visiting the team at Cowes manufacturer,
Spinlock who was presented with the Queens Award for Enterprise in recognition
for the development of their Deskvest Lifejacket. This is the second award received by
Spinlock, well done, to all concerned!
Fixed
Link Briefing.
I attended a briefing with supporters and
opponents to a Fixed Link connecting the Isle of Wight to the Mainland. The briefing was attended by 20 out of the 40
Isle of Wight Councillors. This was one of the Councils best attended briefings that I have witnessed in my time as a Councillor.
It was suggested that the preferred option
for supporters would be for a Fixed Link (probably a tunnel) to come ashore
north of the Racecourse at Whippingham.
Supporters held the view that a link would
provide an alternative to the ferry providers, would cost £3 billion, would provide an incentive to grow the economy. It was believed that a link would not
monopolise the crossing as ferry companies would continue to remain viable.
The opponent (who I considered was better
received by colleagues) argued that the projected cost would exceed £8 billion
and any fixed link would do irreparable damage to the Isle of Wight’s natural
environment, and would put further pressure on the Island’s infrastructure.
In conclusion, the one issue both parties
tended to support was the need for an independent feasibility study.
Also this month.
·
I met with new owners of the Watersedge Café, in
Gurnard. They have advised that they are
in the process of submitting proposals to modernise their Café. Once these have been discussed with Planners,
the owners hope to share their aspirations of a building with a contemporary
design with residents.
·
Feedback from neighbours was fed back to developers
at Place Road. Concerns were expressed
regarding the retention of hedgerows to the rear of properties in Tuttons Hill
and Place Road. These issues have received
a positive response from developers in preparation for the next phase of this
development.
·
I have met and provided support through Building
Control to a resident concerned about damage to a retaining boundary, following
redevelopment adjacent to Queens Road.
·
I’ve received a complaint regarding asbestos which
was fly-tipped at a property in Lower Church Road. Both Environmental Health and the Police have
been notified. If you witnessed this
occurrence, please let me know.
·
As we head in to Bonfire Season, I’ve received
complaints regarding bonfires taking place in Cockleton Lane.
·
Inquisitive men in overalls were spotted on Gurnard
Cliff. I’ve been in touch with Coastal
Protection Officers and understand this may be linked to a Marine Management
Application made in 2016 for new Solent Fibre Telecom cable
·
I offered support to a resident, who requested my
support in getting his neighbours overgrown bush and hedgerow trimmed back.
·
I attended the Harvest Fayre event at Gurnard, and
it was great to take a look at the stalls and be part of this event.
·
A contractor found himself in hot water when clay was discarded on the beach at
Gurnard, following failed attempts to reinstate beach hut footings. Subsequently the beach has now been restored
to its former glory
·
I am in the process of facilitating three meetings
with our new MP at Northwood House.
·
Planners at the IW Council has dismissed a request
to consider a new Conservation Area for Shore Road. On this matter, I intend to speak to the
Council’s Conservation Officer to explore alternative arrangements to safeguard
the characteristics of this location in Gurnard.
·
I met with a resident concerning a proposal to
redevelop a property in Queens Road.
·
Are you interested in becoming
a magistrate? Next year it is envisaged
that there will be two or three vacancies to serve on the Isle of Wight
Bench. If you want to find out more, and
consider that you have something about your skills
that could benefit our wider community, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/become-magistrate
·
I am
concerned that parents tempers continue to get frayed when parking at school
drop off and collection times. Since
term has started, I understand that both verbal and physical altercations
continue to take place outside schools when finding that illusive parking space.
Please note any form of abuse witnessed should be reported to the police, as
this is wholly unacceptable.
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