BUSINESS CONSULTATION MEETING

Alderley Edge Parish Council are inviting local businesses to a meeting next week to introduce businesses to the Neighbourhood Plan, discuss some of their priorities and develop new ideas to support the local economy over the next few years.

The Parish Council are very keen to listen and respond to the needs and interests of businesses in the village. As part of this, we will be creating a business mailing list and any business that wishes to be updated and are unable to attend the meeting, should email Cllr Rachael Grantham.

We are very keen to improve links with the businesses; however, we also recognise that they have limited time to commit outside of the working day but would like to encourage as many businesses as possible to attend. The meeting will take place at the Festival Hall on Thursday 6th July at 6pm.

RYLEYS LANE CAR PARK EXTENSION

I am pleased to report that Cheshire East Parking have finally completed their assessment of a possible extension to Ryleys Lane Car Park. It is estimated that 1,200 sq.m of parkland would be required between the existing car park and Wilmslow Road to accommodate an additional 35 parking spaces. The cost estimate for this scheme would be c. £150,000 plus VAT, including:

- CAT scan of the site, to identify any underground services (£600)
- Clearing the site of small trees, hedgerow and vegetation (£4,000)
- Removal of mature trees, roots and stumps (£2,000)
- Base materials to form new level (£19,200)
- Kerb edgings approximately 100m (£1,200)
- Semi-permeable tarmacadam including sub-base (£100,000)
- Surface water drainage works (£14,000)
- Lighting, service trenches and cabling (£6,000)
- Line bay markings (£1,500)
- Signage (£600)

The Parish Council remain open to the possibility of a joint venture with CEC to enable the scheme to go ahead; however, any change of use to the parkland (public open space) would be contrary to Cheshire East (and National) Planning Policy unless alternative and improved public open space can be identified elsewhere. A possible extension to the Beech Road Play Area would satisfy this.

SOUTH STREET CAR PARK - REPAIRS

I am pleased to report that repair work to South Street Car Park is due to be carried out on Thursday 29th June. I have been chasing this up for some time with ANSA Environmental Services who are responsible for maintenance of the Car Park and I am pleased that the work has now been scheduled. Unfortunately, there will be restricted access to the Car Park whilst the repairs are being carried out, so please bear this in mind if you are planning to visit the village by car on Thursday.

BLOCKED GULLIES - URGENT!

On Monday 26th I will be accompanying colleagues from Cheshire East Highways as they carry out gully emptying in Alderley Edge.  I have been invited to accompany them in order to highlight any areas that may have been missed on previous visits.  I am aware that there are particular issues on Beechfield Road, Macclesfield Road, South Street and Crescent Road, but if there are any other areas close to your home, please let me know using the comments box below.  Many thanks, Craig

BEECH ROAD - FOOTPATH (UPDATED)

I am pleased to report that the footpath on Beech Road has now been repaired and resurfaced.  I reported the footpath a few weeks ago and I would like to thank CE Highways for responding so quickly.  I am sure everyone will agree that it is now much safer to walk along and also looks much better than it did.  I'm continuing to press for footpath improvements in other parts of the village.

COMMUNITY SURGERY - JUNE

I am pleased to announce the date of my next Community Surgery will be Saturday 23rd June, starting at 10am.  Please come and join me for a cup of coffee (or something colder if the weather is nice) and a chat about any local issue that may be of concern to you.  As usual, the venue will be Aldeli, Wilmslow Road, Alderley Edge.

BICYCLE STAND DUE FOR COMPLETION

I am pleased to confirm that the bicycle stand next to Ryleys Lane Car Park is finally being completed and will be in use later this week.  Residents will recall that the concrete base was put down before Christmas, but there has been a delay due to parts of the bicycle stand being missing from the original order.  These have now arrived and the contractors are due to finish the work on Wednesday, after which the bicycle stand will be in use.

* UPDATE - the work will now be completed on Thursday 15th June*

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TRAFFORD ROAD PATCHING UPDATE

I am pleased to report that the patching works on the top section of Trafford Road were completed on Friday. I first reported this section some months ago and have since been pressing CE Highways to carry out the work. Plans for major resurfacing work are also planned for Heyes Lane, Wilmslow Road and London Road, later in the year.

ZEBRA CROSSING UPDATE

The results of the Ryleys Lane zebra crossing assessment are now available; unfortunately, I have to confirm that they do not justify the installation of a new crossing point at this location. The assessment was carried out using the recognised and approved PV2 (pedestrians vs. vehicles) methodology; this involves taking an average of the four highest hours in terms of people crossing the road and the average number of vehicles travelling along the road over the same period. Additional weighting is given to certain groups of pedestrians: children under 11 years crossing without an adult, children between 11-16 years and senior citizens, as well as the speed of the vehicles and accident history at the site. In order to be considered for funding, an assessment needs to demonstrate a PV2 value in excess of 0.2, but in the case of Ryleys Lane, the PV2 rating was only 0.15 and therefore a crossing cannot be considered.  Whilst this is disappointing, it might be possible to provide other alternatives, such as a "refuge" (island in the middle of the road) and I will continue to pursue these options with CE Highways.

CLEAR & CLEANSE

I am pleased to confirm that CEC's Clear & Cleanse team will return to Alderley Edge this Wednesday.  This week they will be emptying gullies and street cleaning on Brook Lane and Heyes Lane, following on from work in South St, George St, West St, Clifton St & Lynton Lane last week.

TRAFFORD ROAD PATCHING

I am pleased to confirm that patching works will be taking place on the top section of Trafford Road (between Chapel Road and Macclesfield Road) on Friday 9th June. I reported the deterioration of the surface on this section of road some months ago and am pleased that CE Highways have now added it to their programme of works, along with the recently completed surface dressing on Hough Lane. There will be a road closure in place whilst the repairs are taking place.