IMPLEMENTATION OF PARK MASTERPLAN CONTINUES

Keen-eyed residents will have noticed that the new noticeboard has arrived and was installed in the park earlier today. Residents or groups seeking to post a flyer or information about community activities are asked to get in touch with the Parish Council Clerk, c/o the Festival Hall, Talbot Road, Alderley Edge, SK9 7HR who will arrange for notices to be displayed.

A number of residents have also recently asked why the triangular bed in front of the bandstand has been grassed over. This is a temporary measure, whilst the Parish Council is fundraising for the creation of a raised bed to commemorate those who have lost their lives to the covid-19 virus, but also as a lasting tribute to all those people who have helped in the care or support of others during the pandemic.

I'm also pleased to report that following a recent tender process, the franchise for the provision of a refreshment stall in the park has been awarded to local company "La Petite Frog" who already operate a similar facility at South Park, Macclesfield. I will provide an update once I have a start date for the new facility, which I'm sure will be a welcome addition to our park.

REVISED SADPD REMOVES GREEN BELT SITE ALLOCATIONS

Following a decision by cabinet, Cheshire East Council has today published its revised Site Allocation Development Policies Document (Local Plan Part 2). As a result, all green belt sites that had previously been allocated for development within Local Service Centres have been removed from the plan. Locally this means that the following sites have been removed and will remain as green belt: ALD1 (land adjacent to Jenny Heyes, previously allocated for 10 homes); ALD2 (land adjacent to Ryleys Farm, previously allocated for 50 homes); ALD4 (land north of Beech Road, previously allocated for 25 homes)

I welcome this announcement, which helps secure precious green belt surrounding Alderley Edge for the foreseeable future. The council received almost 3,000 representations following publication of the previous version of the SADPD and I am pleased that we have been able to show that Cheshire East Council now listens to the views of its residents.

There is still a requirement for Local Service Centres (villages and smaller settlements) to allocate "safeguarded" land for potential development within a future plan period. As part of this, site ALD3 (2.23ha of land adjacent to Ryleys Farm) has been allocated; however, this should not come forward for development prior to 2030 at the earliest. 

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS RECORD FALL IN SPEEDING MOTORISTS

 

On Thursday 10th September, I joined local residents and volunteers from our Community Speedwatch Team. On this occasion we stationed ourselves on Brook Lane (on the approach to the village and the school safety zone around Alderley Edge School for Girls).

Fortunately we had one of our quietest sessions on record at this location, with only 16 vehicles found to be exceeding the speed threshold over the course of an hour. This is a marked reduction in the number we have previously recorded on Brook Lane and follows a number of targeted interventions by Cheshire Police.

The average speed of all recorded vehicles was 38.5 mph. We are always keen to welcome new volunteers to our team, as the more volunteers we have the more sessions we will be able to run. If you can spare an hour a month to help out, please drop me an email or leave a message below with your details.

PARISH COUNCIL TO INVEST IN NEW LITTER BINS

 

   

On Saturday 12th September I joined residents and volunteers from the Alderley Edge in Bloom group, carrying out litter picking in the park and surrounding streets. We collected at least 7 bags of rubbish, but what was particularly noticeable (apart from the number of cigarette butts, which have long been a problem) was the number of discarded face masks. 

Face masks are potential carriers of the coronavirus, given that people will have been breathing (and potentially coughing and sneezing) into them and with the number of covid-19 cases continuing to rise, both locally and nationally, it was surprising to find so many used face masks just left in an area where young children are particularly likely to pick them up.

To assist, the Parish Council has approved the purchase of two new litter bins, which have now been placed on order; one will be positioned by the bus stop on Wilmslow Road (this is following a recent request from the Alderley Edge in Bloom Group) and the other in the park. These will be funded using a grant provided by Cheshire East Council late last year.

COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH TEAM RETURNS FOLLOWING LOCKDOWN

On Thursday 27th August I joined our local Community Speedwatch volunteers on Ryleys Lane - this was the first session the group have been able to carry out since the pandemic began; however, we decided that it would be appropriate for the group to re-start, provided social distancing guidelines could be strictly followed.

As it turned out, we had to cut the session short due to heavy rain; however, between 3.00 - 3.45pm we recorded a total of 36 vehicles exceeding the speed threshold at this location. Of those vehicles recorded, 24 were speeding at or below 39mph and a further 12 were travelling faster than 40mph, with a top speed of 47mph.

The figures are particularly concerning as Ryleys Lane is of course a school safety zone. I am continuing to work with Cheshire East Highways with a view to introducing a permanent 20mph zone with supporting traffic calming infrastructure in this area of the village. Further details will follow over the course of the next few weeks.

ALDERLEY EDGE LIBRARY TO RE-OPEN

I am pleased to announce that Alderley Edge library is to re-open on a phased basis from Tuesday 1st September. The library has been closed since the early stages of the pandemic and was unable to re-open along with other libraries in Cheshire East due to its size and ability to respect social distancing.

The library will initially open on Tuesdays only, as there are currently additional demands on staff (due to Covid-19) to help monitor social distancing at other libraries, but also to ensure that all returned books are appropriately cleaned down and not made available for re-loan within a 72-hour period.

Over a period of time the library opening hours will be scaled back up to where they were before the pandemic; however, it is currently impossible to say how long this will take. I welcome the news that the library is to re-open and I am sure many residents will be keen to start using it again.