PLANNING PERMISSION FOR GYPSY & TRAVELLER TRANSIT SITE

At a meeting of Cheshire East Council’s Strategic Planning Board on Wednesday 18th August, permission was granted for a Gypsy & Traveller Transit Site at the former Cledford Farm (Middlewich). In addition to the removal of green belt sites formerly allocated for development, the provision of a Transit Site was a key element of the SADPD (Local Plan Part II) which was approved by Council earlier this year. Local authorities are required to assess the need to accommodate members of the gypsy and traveller community when undertaking a review of housing needs.

Transit sites are permanent sites intended for temporary use by members of the gypsy & traveller community. Each pitch is capable of accommodating two caravans and two cars. The pitches also include electrical hook-ups and a standpipe for drinking water and drainage. If travellers refuse the pitch, as directed, they will have to leave the borough and cannot return for three months. They are also required to pay a daily rental fee for each pitch that they occupy, as well as to use the communal laundry and showering facilities that will be provided on site.

Having a transit site will play an important role in helping to reduce the number of unauthorised encampments in Cheshire East, as it equips the police with powers to direct Travellers to a suitable pitch on a site owned by the local authority. Under current powers available to Cheshire East Council, the process of securing a court order to move traveller encampments on can take between five and seven working days; however the provision of a transit site means that the police will have the powers to direct unauthorised encampments to that site in as little as three hours.

The existence of a transit site allows the police to use the "power to direct" under Section 62 of the Criminal Justice & Public Order Act (1994). Evidence from other authorities that have introduced transit sites suggests that they are very effective in reducing the number of unauthorised encampments; for example, Telford & Wrekin Council had 150 encampments in 2015, but this fell to just 18 following the provision of a transit site in 2017. Similarly, in Halton, unauthorised encampments fell from an annual figure of 83 to just 17 following the introduction of a transit site.

This will be the first time in its history that Cheshire East Council will have had a transit site. It will be good news for residents of the borough who have been beset with localised encampments over recent years, but it will also be good news for traveller communities who will have an officially recognised site at which to pitch up and with access to essential facilities.

BROOK LANE TEMPORARY TRAFFIC LIGHTS SET FOR REMOVAL

Residents will soon see an end to the temporary traffic lights that have been in place on Brook Lane since December 2020. I am pleased to report that Cheshire East Highways will be installing scaffolding next week to secure the remaining boundary wall and fencing; this will address the risk of the wall collapsing onto the footpath, enabling it to be re-opened to pedestrians once more. 

The works, which are expected to take place between Tuesday 31st August and Friday 3rd September, will finally see the removal of the temporary traffic signals. The boundary wall has been the subject of an ownership dispute for several months; however, following the serving of a legal notice by Cheshire East Council (which the owner of the wall did not appeal), Cheshire East Highways are now able to intervene.

The reinstatement of the damaged section of the boundary wall remains the responsibility of the owner.

CLOSURE OF ALDERLEY ROAD FOR LINING WORKS - UPDATED

I am delighted to confirm that lining works will shortly be carried out along the full length of Alderley Road, from Whitehall Bridge Roundabout through to the Kings Arms Roundabout. Many residents have contacted me over recent weeks to express their concern that the road markings on the approach to Whitehall Bridge Roundabout have worn away.

When I attended the opening of the new cycle route in April, I noticed that the road markings on the approach to the roundabout (which is in Alderley Edge Ward) had all but disappeared and I observed the confusion this was causing among drivers who were unaware that the left hand lane is in fact left-turn only. This had led to a number of near misses, which I was able to bring it to the attention of officers whilst we were on-site.

Whilst there is a long term plan to widen the southbound approach to the roundabout and create a third lane (linked to the planning application on the former Royal London site), for the time being Alderley Road will be closed to traffic on Monday 20th September during which all of the road markings will be refreshed. *revised date to co-incide with lining works taking place on Knutsford Road, Alderley Edge*

Residents and businesses directly impacted will receive a letter from Cheshire East Highways, advising them of the timing of the closure and official diversion routes. I would like to take this opportunity to thank officers and engineers from Cheshire East Highways for responding positively to my request for this work to be carried out.

CHESHIRE EAST COUNCIL TO CONSULT ON TRAFFIC CALMING PROPOSALS

This week, Cheshire East Council will begin a long-awaited consultation on proposals to cut speed and improve highway safety in the centre of Alderley Edge. The consultation, which will focus on proposals to introduce a 20mph zone and associated traffic calming measures, runs from Friday 20th August until Monday 20th September and is being carried out online.

This is hopefully the penultimate step in a journey which began with a speed assessment that I requested in the autumn of 2019, in response to residents' concerns about speeding vehicles. Following on from this, in the summer of 2020 I carried out a survey of businesses and residents, supported by officers from Cheshire Police, Cheshire East Highways & Cheshire East Anti-social Behaviour Team.

The Multi Agency Action Group (MAAG) comprising representatives from the above (as well as other emergency services) considered feedback from the initial survey and concluded that the proposed 20mph zone and traffic calming represented the most appropriate response to the issues identified. A Public Space Protection Order was also considered, but rejected as a first stage response.

The proposals now drawn up focus on the introduction of a 20mph zone beginning at the following key entry points to the village: Wilmslow Road, Brook Lane, Ryleys Lane, Congleton Road, Mottram Road and Heyes Lane. The zone would be supported by the installation of physical infrastructure in the form of raised tables at the following locations:

- pelican crossing on Wilmslow Road outside Alderley Edge School for Girls

- pelican crossing on London Road by the steps down towards Waitrose

- pelican crossing on London Road by Costa Coffee/The Edit

- pelican crossing on Ryleys Lane by Alderley Edge Community Primary School

Two further raised tables would be introduced. The first of these would be on Ryleys Lane, outside the entrance to The Ryleys School; and the other would be on Congleton Road heading up the hill just after the De Trafford Arms. Red-coloured textured road surfacing would also be introduced just beyond the junction with Beechfield Road and Congleton Road, as well as on the railway bridge on London Road.

Whilst there is no single solution to the issue of speeding vehicles that has plagued Alderley Edge in recent years, I am in agreement with the MAAG that the current set of proposals represent the most viable and effective solution possible with the funds we have available (the implementation would be paid for via s.106 funds that have previously been raised on developments in Alderley Edge and as such, there would be no cost to the taxpayer of Alderley Edge or Cheshire East Borough).

I would encourage as many residents and businesses as possible to complete the short consultation form, which can be found at: surveys.cheshireeast.gov.uk/s/AlderleyEdgeProposed20mphZone/ and I would also like to make a strong personal plea to everyone to support the proposals. I have placed hard copies on the notice board outside Waitrose and in the Park, as well as at the Library. 

COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH - 43 VEHICLES AN HOUR SPEEDING ON RYLEYS LANE

On Thursday 12th August, I joined Parish Cllr Bev Chapman as well as other local residents and Community Speedwatch volunteers. On this occasion we carried out a one-hour session on Ryleys Lane, between 2pm and 3pm, recording 43 speeding motorists (that's the equivalent of a speeding vehicle every 84 seconds).

The breakdown of the 43 speeding vehicles was as follows:

- number of vehicles travelling above the speed threshold, but below 40mph (33)

- number of vehicles travelling at or above 40mph (10) 

- fastest recorded speed (48mph)

- average speed of all recorded vehicles (38mph)

As the Parish Council has recently invested in a second "speed gun" we are now able to record vehicles travelling in both directions, which will have contributed to a higher number of activations on this occasion. All drivers recorded will receive a letter from the police for a first offence and a home visit from a police officer for a second or subsequent offence.

We are continuously looking for new volunteers to join our team, so if you are willing and able to give up an hour a month to support our efforts to reduce speed in Alderley Edge, do please get in touch.

RELAUNCH OF MY COMMUNITY SURGERIES

Since the onset of the pandemic, it has not been possible for me to hold a face-to-face community surgery indoors. During that time I have of course continued to meet many residents either online or outdoors to discuss local issues with them. In light of the government's decision to move to Phase 4 of the easing of restrictions, I will once again be holding a face-to-face surgery at Alderley Edge Library on Saturday 28th August, between 10am and 11am.

Until recently the number of infections had been falling rapidly, but it is clear that the pandemic is not over. The virus will probably be with us in one form or another for some years to come; however, we cannot place our lives on hold indefinitely and we must find a way to live with it, whilst taking reasonable precautions to protect ourselves and each other. My surgery will therefore be carefully arranged to ensure 1 metre-plus social distancing is observed.

I look forward to welcoming you to the library once more and to hearing about the issues that matter to you, as well as the opportunity to discuss some of the projects I have been working on since we were last able to meet. I look forward to seeing you on Saturday 28th August.