The latest parish council meeting was held on 8th August. Here are the highlights:
Development Site updates:
- The resurfacing of Harrier Way and realignment of the junction has been delayed. This is due to a combination of factors including lack of materials and staff shortages. This is disappointing news for all concerned and we will continue to liaise with Crest Nicholson on road repairs that are needed in the meantime.
- Discussions about the allotments continue. There are 2 locations proposed for the allotments, it is hoped that work may start first on the secondary site delivered by Colethrop Farm Ltd.
- The plans for the community building are still not approved, and a new design is planned to be put forward. There is a price cap on the build cost and with the increasing costs of building supplies it is proving difficult for Crest to provide a building that meets the needs of the village within the price cap.
- The adoption of phase 1 public open spaces is still under discussion, once the outstanding issues have been resolved the phase 1 public spaces will be transferred to the parish council via Stroud District Council.
- It remains the parish council’s hope that it will be able to adopt the community facilities in phases 2-4 and negotiations with Crest continue.
Highways updates:
- Agricultural access has been agreed between Colethrop Farm Ltd and Crest Nicholson along Haresfield Lane.
- A38 junction works are pending approval by Atkins on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council. The works have been agreed in principle but something called a Section 278 needs to be signed off.
- Grant application has been submitted to provide Vehicle Activated Signs to remind drivers to reduce their speeds in the village.
Other matters:
Governance – procurement policy agreed to supplement our financial regulations, the reason for the policy is for the council to prioritise local businesses when purchasing products and services. A debit card application will be made to the council’s bank so that clerk and councillors no longer need to use their personal funds to make purchases on behalf of the council.
Website updates – introducing a business directory and a mailing list for residents to keep up to date with parish news.
The council has switched to Microsoft 365 for larger storage email accounts and improve access to the shared files for councillors. The council is aiming to be as paperless as possible and each councillor is allocated an electronic tablet for email and file access. All meeting papers are electronically produced.
Councillor Vacancy: we have a vacancy for one councillor following the resignation of Martyn Holmes. Stroud DC has confirmed we can fill the vacancy by co-option. Please see our website for more information.
Anti-social behaviour: the council is looking at initiatives to support the young people at Hunts Grove, recognising that the lack of facilities can lead to boredom and poor choices in behaviour. We plan to meet with the school, police, and youth agencies after the holidays to identify what options there are.
Grant application has been submitted to enable the parish council to provide two publicly accessible defibrillators in the village – one will be sited outside the school.
Upcoming events:
- Teddy Bears Picnic on 27th August
- Christmas Fair (date to be confirmed).
Council meetings are held on the 2nd Monday evening of each month at the Hunts Grove Primary Academy, please check website for agenda and meeting papers.