Meeting with Adjoining Councils

At the beginning of October, 2006, a joint meeting of PARISH COUNCIL'S waqs held at Welney. The meeting was called by Welney Parish Council so that neighbouring Councils could form a united front on matters that were of concern to all, without having to worry about county boundaries. Representatives from Welney, Denver, Christchurch and Manea attended the meeting. Items discussed were Highway issues, Planning matters, Quality Parishes, Community, Transport etc., and everyone agreed that themeeting had been a great success. Councils agreed to consider all the points relating to their own councils and then communicate with each other so that a joint approach could be made on specific items. It was unanimously agreed to hold meetings on a six monthly bais and to invite other neighbouring councils to join the group. If there are any councils who would be interested in joining the venture, please contact Welney Parish Cler - Mrs.Pat Copeman on 01354 610226 or e-mail welneypc@aol.com A second meeting was held on 28th March and the main item for discussion was the flooding of the Wash Road. The following Notice has been circulated to all councils, and we would be delighted to hear from as many people as possible along the lines set out in the notice Welney Wash Road Flooding – Have Your Say The winter of 2006/2007 has seen a prolonged period of flooding on the A1101 Welney Wash Road, rendering it impassable to traffic for weeks on end as water depth levels on the road reached over 30 inches. Whilst we appreciate that the Ouse Washes are designed to hold floodwater from the Great Ouse catchment area, Welney Parish Council believe the problem has been exacerbated by the failure of the Environment Agency to adequately maintain the Great Ouse river system, thereby allowing a build-up of silt to raise overall bed levels in the Hundred Foot and Great Ouse Rivers, whilst huge silt banks have been allowed to form at various key points. This has drastically affected the EA’s ability to discharge water from the Ouse Washes, leaving Welney and surrounding villages to bear the brunt of the consequences. The situation has so far attracted media interest from local newspapers, television and radio, and has also been raised in the House of Commons by local MP Christopher Fraser. A meeting has since been held by Mr Fraser at which Borough, District and Parish Councillors, plus three senior Environment Agency Executives, were present, and it is now our intention to gather as much support as possible for our campaign to have the situation resolved to the satisfaction of local residents. Therefore, following consultation with adjoining Parish Councils, Welney PC is asking anyone from the surrounding area who has been inconvenienced by the 96-day road closure to put pen to paper and let us know how you were affected. All the letters received will be passed to the local MP. Points you may wish to raise include: a. The effect due to lost trade on local businesses b. The additional fuel costs to motorists forced to take lengthy diversions c. The additional CO2 emissions created by motorists having to make longer trips d. The burden on emergency services called to rescue motorists trapped in floodwater e. Why the silt in the rivers has been allowed to rise to such high levels f. Why there has been no recent study into the idea of raising the A1101 Wash Road g. Why small, rural communities are so often ignored by central government h. How the 96-day closure of an ‘A’ class road can be considered acceptable The above points are merely for guidance. Whether you are someone whose business has suffered; whose route to work is affected; whose children are affected regarding getting to school; or whether your life has been affected in other ways, please write and let us know. The louder our voice, the greater our chance of seeing this wholly unacceptable situation resolved. Thank you for your time. Pat Copeman (Mrs) Clerk to Welney Parish Council 1 Chestnut Avenue, Welney, Wisbech, Cambs PE14 9RG. Tel: 01354 610226 e-mail: welneypc@aol.com

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REPORT OF THE MEETING OF LOCAL PARISH COUNCILS

HELD AT THE PARISH HALL, WELNEY

ON TUESDAY 23RD FEBRUARY, 2010 AT 7.30 P.M.

 Present:     5 Representatives from Littleport Parish Council

                    5 Representatives from Manea Parish Council

                    2 Representatives from Christchurch Parish Council

                    5 Representatives from Upwell Parish Council

                    2 Representatives from Nordelph Parish Council

                    1 Representative from Downham West Parish Council

                    6 Councillors and the Clerk from Welney Parish Council.

 

1. Welcome     The Vice Chairman of Welney Parish Council (Cllr.T.Bennett) welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them all for attending.

 2.  Reasons for Holding the Meeting   Cllr.Bennett explained that the reasons for holding the meeting were so that adjoining councils could share experiences on all matters affecting Parish Council work and hopefully work together in order to solve issues of importance to all. without worrying about cross county boundaries.  He confirmed that the meeting would be kept as informal as possible and that a report would be circulated to all parties in due course.

3.  Highway Issues

a.  Flooding of the A.1101 Wash Road at Welney     Cllr.Bennett explained to the meeting that over the last two years Welney had been working closely with all the bodies concerned with flooding of the Wash Road, and that a meeting had been held approximately two weeks ago with Environment Agency, Highways from Norfolk and Cambridgeshire County Councils, Borough Councillors, Police, M.P. for South West Norfolk, and the conservative party parliamentary candidate, together with members of Welney Parish Council. The meeting was successful and from recent conversations it is obvious that Norfolk County Council are beginning to see that the way the road closure is operated at the present time is not practical.    He then went on to explain how the system operates via a trigger level and this trigger level is the main point that is not satisfactory.  Currently a series of pictures are being taken along the causeway to work out the water level on the road at its deepest points, and the possibility of building up the lowest points to make the road level more even is also being considered.  A great deal of consideration and costing is being given to changing the signage when the road is flooded.  Dot matrix signs possibly on the A10 at Littleport, Lotts Bridge crossroads etc. are being considered.  These signs would be able to give more information about water levels on the road in centimetres and inches andwould give drivers the opportunity to find alternative routes based on the information supplied.  The DM signs would be updated continually from a sensor situated under the bridge at Welney.  It was felt by everyone present that signs which give more information and much earlier warning can only be a vast improvement.

The following questions were then asked : 

  1. Has the third sluice at Welmore Lake had much effect on the flow off from the Washes?  It was confirmed that the answer to this is yes, but of course flow off can only be maintained when the river and tide levels allow.
  2. Is it correct by law that the road has to be left closed for a certain number of days after the water has gone?  Whilst not being aware of the legal situation. if any, the meeting was advised that the Environment Agency carefully monitor the levels and issue advice to open the road as soon as the water has left the road surface.
  3. Is consideration being given to raising the low points on the highway to stop water lying for more time than necessary?  Yes this point is being considered and costed and hopefully will be carried out.
  4. Are Police still issuing fixed penalty fines for traffic entering the Wash Road when the closed signs are in place? Both Cambridgeshire and Norfolk have confirmed that they have no intentions of pursuing motorists who enter the Wash Road when the road is flooded.  The only times they would consider issuing such notices is if the driver was putting his life, the life of another motorist or the lives of the rescue services in danger, or was causing a general nuisance by his actions.

 Further Notes about the operation of the Ouse Washes and especially the impact on the A1101 road closures, will be circulated in due course.

 b.  General Traffic and Road Conditions.

a.  Nordelph Parish Council advised the meeting that NCC Highways had commenced work on Silt Road at Nordelph replacing curbs etc.,  and that the work would be operated with traffic lights and last approximately 5 weeks.

b.  The meeting was aware of the serious state of most of the roads in the area, with potholes etc. following the bad winter weather.  The meeting agreed that if more salt was used in the bad weather, this would help to prevent water freezing when it entered cracks in the road thus forming the potholes.  The gritting programme in Norfolk had appeared to be reasonably comprehensive, but Littleport Parish Council confirmed that only A roads in Cambridgeshire were being gritted.

 c.  Speeding Traffic – The question of Community Speed Watch was raised and Upwell Parish Council (Cllr.Humm) confirmed that as the CSW had been working for some time in Upwell, he would be only too pleased to assist anyone wishing to set up a scheme in their Parish.  Cllr.Allen confirmed that he had recently taken on the job of setting up such a scheme in Welney, and both parties agreed to get together to push the scheme forward.  Cllr.Humm gave brief details of how the scheme worked and the numbers of speeding motorists that had been recorded.

 4.  Planning Issues      There was a general discussion regarding planning matters affecting all villages in both Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.  Cllr.Bennett confirmed that at the present time Welney was only allowed infill development, and concern was expressed regarding the development at Tipps End, where land on the Cambridgeshire side of the road had been developed, but applications to develop land on the Norfolk side had been refused.  This situation has now been altered following a change in Fenland District Council’s policy.  The question of Site Specific recommendations was also discussed and whilst Upwell confirmed that they had put forward specific sites for consideration, Welney had opted out of doing so.

 5.  Rural Policing   Discussion then took place regarding Neighbourhood Panels which are set up in certain parts of Cambridgeshire.  Littleport Parish Council gave details of how the scheme operates and gave a contact at East Cambridgeshire District Council (Mr.Alan Williams) who would be able to assist with any enquiries.  Details were also given of the Local Action Groups and Community Action Groups which had been set up in Norfolk and had been very successful in dealing with matters affecting the communities both in Downham Market itself and the surrounding villages.

6.  Any Other Business 

a.  Illegal Hare Coursing – Cllr.Bennett asked the meeting if any other Parishes had been experiencing problems with illegal hare coursing.  There was a problem within the Parish and the meeting was advised to let the Police know if any problems arise so that they can take immediate action.  Cambridgeshire do have a dedicated team working to eradicate this problem.

b.  Mains Sewage Installation – The meeting was advised that several residents of Welney had experienced severe problems with vibration to their properties since the installation of the sewage pipes for the new scheme. A formal complaint had been lodged against Anglian Water.  Other parishes had not experienced such problems.

c.  Community and Local Transport – A short discussion took place regarding rural bus services and train links etc.  Manea Parish Council reported that they were trying to get the train company to provide a better service for trains to stop at Manea, rather than passengers having to travel to Littleport to catch the train to Cambridge.  They confirmed that an area of land had been set aside for a car park, but at the present time there had been no further developments.  Manea Parish Council asked if the Councils present would be prepared to send them a letter of support so that this could be passed to the train operator, and all present agreed.

d.  Next Meeting – It was agreed that the next meeting would be held in approximately six months time and Manea Parish Council offered to host the evening.   Suggested dates would be supplied in due course and then all Councils would be advised of the date and venue, and nearer the time of the meeting an Agenda could be provided.

There being no further business the Chair for the evening (Cllr.Bennett) thanked everyone for their attendance and their contributions and wished them a safe journey home.   He declared the meeting closed at 9.05 p.m.