CHRISTMAS TREES - 2017/18

I am pleased to confirm that we will once again have three Christmas Trees in the village this year. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to have one on The Parade (outside Waitrose) again, due to difficulties caused by some of the existing street furniture; however, I have been in discussion with ANSA and CE Highways and they have given their approval to a tree being located on the island at the bottom of Macclesfield Road instead. The junction is an important gateway to Alderley Edge and it will be nice to have a Christmas Tree at both ends of the village this year. The footpath across the island will be closed off by CE Highways, whilst the Christmas Tree is in situ.

NOTICEBOARD AT THE PARADE

I am pleased to report that the litter bin has been removed this week, by ANSA; however, the redundant column was found to still be connected to the mains and therefore I have had to write to Aberdeen Asset Management (the owners of The Parade), asking them to remove it. Only then, will we be able to install the new Parish Council noticeboard, which will be a flat (three-panel) noticeboard that will be located directly in front of the low retaining wall. The existing carousel noticeboard will unfortunately have to remain in place until this work has been carried out. This is all very frustrating, but is a result of trying to deal with issues on land that is no longer under Council ownership.

CEC CABINET OF UNITY

Yesterday, I attended a meeting of Full Council and seconded a motion in favour of establishing a Cabinet of Unity. I would like to share a transcript of my speech, with residents who may not have been able to attend the meeting:

The proposed motion seeks to put people before politics and as such it is deserving of my support.

When I was elected in 2015 on a non-political mandate, I assured residents I would not support any motion that was politically motivated.  I believe this motion is not politically motivated, rather it is essential to restore the confidence of residents in this Council.

At the last elections the residents of Cheshire East elected a majority Conservative administration, but it should be noted that this was a majority, not a totality.  This should, in my view, be reflected in the Chairs of the Council’s Committees and in its Cabinet.

For opposition members, or cross-benchers such as myself, the question is how do we best add value in the current situation? It would be easy just to sit on the sidelines, always ready to offer criticism, not actually being in a position to make difficult decisions or accept responsibility.

Or could we do things differently, perhaps radically so? Could we challenge the leadership to share some of the responsibility that currently sits on their shoulders alone; equally, could they challenge us to share some of that responsibility with them?

A strong leadership, confident in its own abilities, recognises a plurality of views and ideas. It embraces them and becomes stronger itself as a result. Disregarding them, especially for political reasons, makes the Council weaker and does a disservice to the residents we represent.

No political group has a monopoly on talent or ability.  As I look around the chamber I see members opposite me, in front of me, and alongside me.  Politically I may not always agree with them; but, I recognise that their individual skills and abilities could bring valuable experience to the Council.

If we truly want to be a “Residents First” Council as we claim, we have to listen to residents views through their elected members and utilise their skills, talents and abilities. We cannot ever be “Residents First” if our instinct remains “Party First” – one, by definition, has to come second.

This motion represents an important step in the right direction and I am therefore pleased to support it.

Unfortunately, the motion was defeated, with all but two Conservatives voting against.

COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH - RYLEYS LANE

On Wednesday afternoon, I joined the Community Speedwatch team on Ryleys Lane, between 3pm - 4pm. On this occasion, we were also joined by our PCSO, Chris Hopkins. Over the course of an hour, we recorded 21 vehicles exceeding 35mph (threshold for reporting), of which four were recorded travelling in excess of 40mph. The highest recorded speed on this occasion was 44mph. Our next session will be on Thursday 9th November, at 11am. If anyone is able to help out for an hour a month, please get in touch with me - the more volunteers we have, the more sessions we can do!

CALL FOR SITES - PUBLIC MEETING

Earlier this year, CEC carried out a "Call for Sites" consultation which invited developers and landowners to identify sites that they wanted to develop as part of the Local Plan. CEC recently issued the results of that consultation to Town & Parish Councils, which they have shared with the Alderley Edge Neighbourhood Plan steering group. 

The sites, as identified on the attached map, are as follows:
CFS130 (Land North of Beech Road) - 3.80 hectares 
CFS132 (Land at Horseshoe Farm) - 0.75 hectares*
CFS350 (Land at Chorley Hall Lane) - 1.41 hectares
CFS359/400 (Land South of Lydiat Lane) - 2.43 hectares**
CFS370 (Land West of Heyes Lane) - 4.87 hectares
CFS394(Land South of Netherfields) - 2.23 hectares
CFS404 (Land North & South of Chelford Road) - 47.81 hectares
CFS405 (Land at Whitehall Meadow) - 3.27 hectares
CFS620 (Land to the rear of 40 Congleton Road) - 14.01 hectares

*Site proposed for employment use
**Site proposed for a mix of employment and residential use

The Parish Council and the Neighbourhood Plan steering group have called a public meeting to discuss the potential implications of these additional sites, to share the information they have to date, inform residents how they can help our community avoid the threat of over-development, and discuss what is needed to take the Neighbourhood Plan forward.

“If you have an interest in the future of our village - and particularly if you have experience of the planning process - then please attend the public meeting at Alderley Edge School for Girls, on Thursday 16th November, at 7.30pm, or contact the steering group. We would appreciate it if you could register your interest in attending, by emailing the Neighbourhood Plan group in advance at AlderleyNP@gmail.com ”

COMMUNITY SURGERY - OCTOBER

I am pleased to announce that my next Community Surgery will be held on Saturday 28th October at Aldeli, starting at 10am. I am also delighted to confirm that Tatton MP Esther McVey has accepted my invitation to run this as a joint surgery. Do please come along and join us both for a coffee and a chat about any ward or constituency issues that may be causing you concern.

COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH - HEYES LANE

Yesterday I was pleased to join the Community Speedwatch team on Heyes Lane. Between 4.30pm-5.30pm we recorded 32 vehicles exceeding 35mph (which is the threshold for the driver to be sent a letter by the police). The highest recorded speed was 42mph. Our next session will be on 18th October, when we will be concentrating on Chorley Hall Lane. We are always looking for more volunteers to help out, as the more volunteers we have, the more sessions we are able to run. If you are able to give an hour a month to join the team, please let me know.

RYLEYS LANE - PEDESTRIAN REFUGE

I am pleased to report that I am in discussion with CE Highways with a view to introducing a pedestrian refuge on Ryleys Lane. The proposed refuge would be located between the junction with Redesmere Drive and the layby in front of The Ryleys School. Residents will recall that earlier in the year I arranged for an assessment for a zebra crossing at this location, but unfortunately the traffic vs. pedestrian statistics did not support this type of crossing. I am therefore pursuing an alternative option, which will help make Ryleys Lane safer to cross as a route to school, as well as acting to reduce vehicle speeds by narrowing the driveable road surface. The scheme will also see the introduction of a pair of dropped kerbs on Ryleys Lane and will be paid for using residual Section 106 funds raised on the TESCO Express development on London Road.

CHL CLOSURE SURVEY RESULTS

The traffic survey* carried out last Monday by members of the Parish Council and local volunteers, was repeated yesterday in order to gain comparative results with Chorley Hall Lane both fully open (Monday 2nd October) and fully closed (Monday 25th September). I am pleased to share the results below, which were taken to assess the increase in traffic through the village whilst Chorley Hall Lane was closed (simulating what would happen if CHL became one-way only).

Monday 25th Sept (Road Closed)            Monday 2nd October (Road Open)
Total No. of Cars 336                               Total No. of Cars 187
Total No. of Vans 47                                 Total No. of Vans 32
Total No. of Lorries 15                             Total No. of Lorries 5
Total No. of Cycles 1                                Total No. of Cycles 2
Total No. of Vehicles 399                         Total No. of Vehicles 226
Average per hour 89                                 Average per hour 50

The formal assessment carried out by CE Highways in March of this year, showed that on average 85 vehicles per hour pass along Chorley Hall Lane (off-peak). Assuming the survey results to be representative, on average 39 of these vehicles (46%) choose to travel through the village as an alternative route. It therefore follows that the remaining 46 vehicles (54%) choose to avoid the village and take a different route (e.g. via Nether Alderley).

The CE assessment showed that the number of vehicles travelling along Chorley Hall Lane increases to 200 per hour between 7.30am - 8.30am and 150 per hour between 4.00pm - 5.00pm. Again, assuming the survey results to be representative, this would equate to 92 extra vehicles along London Road/Ryleys Lane between 7.30am - 8.30am and 69 extra vehicles between 4.00pm - 5.00pm. I would like to thank everyone who helped out with the survey.

*Data collected between 9.30am - 2.00pm to match road closure times

NO ENTRY MARKINGS COMPLETED

I am pleased to report that the new "No Entry" markings have now been installed at one end of Brown Street, Chapel Street & Stevens Street, following my request to CE Highways earlier in the summer. This was following reports and complaints from a number of residents about the existing restrictions not being respected by drivers, due to inadequate signage. I would like to thank CE Highways for responding positively and quickly to my request.