Great Waltham Parish

HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - Chelmsford City Council

• Online Book of Condolance
• Flags at Half mast for 8 days
• Limited Floral tributes 

Ford End Recreation update

Early in 2020 the Parish Council asked Ford End residents what improvements they would like to see at the village

recreation ground. 

You may have responded to the questionnaire or come along to the village hall to share your ideas. Twelve

months on we thought you would like to know what we have achieved in the last year and the plans for the

future.

The update can be viewd by clicking on: Ford_End_Rec_Update.pdf

Broads Green Traffic Survey 

Following complaints by residents of numerous HGVs, Great Waltham Parish Council requested a traffic survey through Broads Green that logged speed of all traffic and volumes of HGVs.

Mean average speed and 85%ile (the speed at or below which 85% of vehicles are travelling) are the most commonly used measures of traffic speed. Department for Transport guidance is that Traffic Authorities should continue to routinely collect and assess both, but that mean average speeds should be used as the basis for determining local speed limits. Based upon the recorded mean average speeds there would be deemed to be very good compliance with the posted speed limit on the Larks Lane.

 When considering the vehicle volume data from the survey there would not appear to be specific problem with goods vehicles using the road. During the automatic traffic count the weekday average for HGV traffic Eastbound was 1% of the total whilst Westbound it was 0%.

 Following this survey, the view of the Local Highways Panel is that there is not a case for weight restrictions. It is possible that the restrictions under Covid-19 will have an effect on highway usage. The request for a repeat traffic survey after restrictions have been lifted, will be kept on file.

Useful numbers and websites:

Chelmsford City Council Recycling – 01245 615800 (this includes Option 1 if you didn’t get plastics/food waste bags) or https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/order-a-new-bin-box-or-sack/

Large Items for Collection and disposal – 01245 615800 or https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/special-collections/

Potholes / Blocked Road -  0345 6037631 or https://www.essexhighways.org/transport-and-roads/tell-us/report-all-issues.aspx

Reporting Fly Tipping – 01245 615800 or https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/environment/report-a-street-problem/report-fly-tipping/

Report a crime or anti-social behaviour - https://www.essex.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/

Or contact the Clerk at GWPC if in doubt - clerk@greatwalthamparishcouncil.co.uk

 Allotments

The Parish Council has two allotment sites in Great Waltham Village. There are several allotment plots available for rent. There are a variety of sizes and these plots can be sub divided to suit . Costs are as low as £10 per year. There is water available on both sites - Brook Mead (behind the shop) and Bury lane (at the end of Barrack Lane /Mashbury Road).

Contact the clerk on clerk@greatwalthamparishcouncil.co.uk if your interested in taking on a plot.

Great Waltham Parish CouncilFord End UpdateRecreation GroundEarly in 2020 the Parish Council asked Ford End residents what improvements they would like to see at the villagerecreation ground. The consultation was prompted by an offer from one of our City Councillors, on behalf ofChelmsford City Council to plant trees as part of their carbon reduction initiative and comments from local peoplewho suggested ways of making the area more enjoyable and accessible.You may have responded to the questionnaire or come along to the village hall to share your ideas. Twelvemonths on we thought you would like to know what we have achieved in the last year and the plans for thefuture.Work on the woodland area at the top end of the recreation ground started in October and was carried out byChelmsford City Council at no cost to the parish. A semi circle area was cleared and fenced and a mix of 480 fieldmaple, hawthorn, willow, holly, scots pine, blackthorn, wild plumb and alder whips were planted in February. Thefence that is currently in place is to protect the young trees until they become established and will eventually beremoved giving everyone access to the area again. To help set the scene the Parish Council purchased ten smalltrees comprising of four oak, three small leaf lime and three field maple and the planted area will continue to bemanaged by Chelmsford City Council at no additional cost.Following a successful application to the Essex County Council’s Locality Fund Cllr John Aldridge awarded £1,000to the Parish Council to be used towards the purchase of picnic benches. The long term intention is to have agroup of three benches close to the woodland area and with that in mind the Parish Council provided theadditional funds to install a base large enough to add two more benches when funds allow. The first benchinstalled in March is designed specifically to provide wheelchair access and the benches are constructed fromrecycled materials.Future PlansThe Parish Council is also working towards providing the other improvements identified and requested during theconsultation. The full plan is available to see on the Parish Council website or available from one of your localParish Councillors:https://e-voice.org.uk/greatwalthamparish/copy-of-parish-directory/copy-of-policy-files-2/Work is also underway to improve thechildren’s play area. The existingwooden multi-play unit will soon bereplaced with a new multi-play unit andthe area will once again provide a fullrange of play activities for youngerchildren.April 2021 View this online at https://e-voice.org.uk/greatwalthamparish/noticeboard/In addition to providing two more picnic benches the Parish Council also intends to install two seats at appropriate locations at each side of the field and we are hoping to provide an all weather activity area suitable for older children and adults. This could be a Multi Use Games Area similar to the one recently installed at Great Waltham Recreation Ground which offers an all year round area for football, basketball and cricket games.Finally, to link the whole area and make it accessible to everyone all year round we hope to install a path as indicated on the plan.However, while we feel we have made a good start it will take time to provide the remainder of the improvements and we are unable at this stage to say when the next phase of work will take place. Unfortunately money that could be used for parish wide improvements occasionally has to be spent repairing damaged and vandalised equipment. Most recently the Parish Council has had to fund the repair of two section of damaged fencing on the far side of the field. If you witness or notice future vandalism in the recreation ground please report it using the Police 101 service and inform the Parish Clerk - clerk@greatwalthamparishcouncil.co.ukOn a more positive note we welcome your thoughts and suggestions on fundraising to speed up the remainder of the work. We will always look to access grants for this type of project but many are not accessible to local authorities and parish council’s. If you (or your company) would like to sponsor or make a donation towards the project or fund a particular item please let us know. Your Parish Council representatives would like to hear your suggestions and can provide more detail on costs and specifications:Alan Martin – alanmartinpc@gmail.comGary Dunn - gmdunn@hotmail.co.ukFord End Road TrafficFor a number of years the Parish Council has been working with Essex County Council Highways to address residents concerns with the speed, weight and volume of traffic using the B1008 through the village. You may have attended the public meeting in the village hall in 2016 where we called on Highways to make improvements that would help residents feel safer using the pavements alongside the main road. Over the last six years numerous meetings have taken place with Highways and we have managed to achieve a 40mph buffer at the Chelmsford end of the village and the variable, advisory 20mph speed limit outside the school, with a similar 40mph buffer at the northern end of the village on the cards. Leading up to the lockdown the village Speedwatch group were very active and will continue again when the rules allow.While Highways continue to rule out any form of physical traffic calming measures or weight restriction they are not opposed to our proposal for an average speed camera system. In 2019 the Essex County Council Head of Infrastructure stated he would support the project by committing 50% of the costs from the Local Highways Panel, the balance to come from a contribution from the Parish Council and other sources. Disappointingly all grant applications we made have been declined and the pandemic has unfortunately disrupted the fundraising efforts and stalled the project. However, in a follow up meeting with the Head of Infrastructure in February 2021 he re-confirmed his support for the project and stated he will look again at funding options and work continues with further meetings planned. More recently our MP, Kemi Badenoch has added her support to the project. For further information on this project or suggestions or offers of help with fundraising please contact:Alan Martin – alanmartinpc@gmail.comMike Steel - mike.2.steel@btinternet.com