Saturday, August 20, 2005

Raymond Road Update

The Council are currently in the process of determining which traffic schemes will be put in in 2006/7 and are considering the inclusion of a traffic signal scheme at Hill Lane / Raymond Road, with the primary objective of providing better crossing facilties for pedestrians and cyclists.

My own view is that a crossing is welcome but traffic lights are not. No doubt if the Council decides that it wants to look at this scheme for next year then a set of plans will be drawn up and circulated. Please get in touch if you have views on this.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Surgery on 22nd September

Freemantle's councillors, Michael Ball, Brian Parnell and I will be holding a ward surgery on 22nd of September at the Elim Christian Centre in Park Road from 7pm to 8:30pm.

If you have any issues that you would like to discuss in person please come along.

The sorts of issues that we have helped residents with in the past are; planning applications, parking issues, waste collection/recycling, council house issues, housing benefit or council tax benefit and anti social behaviour.

Alternatively please get in touch with us by post, email or telephone:

Cllr Michael Ball
Address: c/o The Members Room, Civic Centre, Southampton, SO14 YLY
Telephone: (023) 8027 1788
Email: councilor.m.ball@southampton.gov.uk

Cllr Brian Parnell
Address: c/o The Members Room, Civic Centre, Southampton, SO14 YLY
Telephone: (023) 8079 0094
Email: councilor.b.parnell@southampton.gov.uk

Cllr Jeremy Moulton
Address: c/o The Members Room, Civic Centre, Southampton, SO14 YLY
Telephone: (023) 8032 4683
Email: councilor.j.moulton@southampton.gov.uk

Shirley Road Safety Measures - Update

In March 2005 the Council delivered 120 letters to local residents and shops in the area and 10 street notices were also put up at the same time.
There were 15 responses by the close of the consultation period, of which, 60% were in agreement to the proposals, 33% disagreed.

Having considered these responses, the Council has decided not to proceed with the proposed pedestrian refuge by the Co-Op but will push forward with the other one adjacent to property numbers 97 and 102 Shirley Road.

In addition, they will also be constructing 7 build-outs on the west-side of Shirley Road. Anti skid surfacing will also be put on Shirley Road.

It is anticipated that these proposals will be implemented in the early part of 2006.

Please let me know if you want me to email you a pdf of the plans.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

VJ Celebrations

I went to Sunday's VJ Day celebrations at the Civic Centre forecourt.

The Burma Star Association and the Normandy Veterans were presented with the Freedom of the City.

I thought the choice of hymns was great and the Mayor, Edwina Cooke spoke excellently.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Poltical Party responses to Civil Service Ground questions

Below are the responses from Labour and Liberal Democrats on their party policies towards the Civil Service Sports Ground.

Liberal Democrat (Cllr Adrian Vinson)

I can assure you that our group has no policy to change the local plan allocation for this land from open space. However as you know the land as been acquired by a developer who (presumably) hopes to be able to get permission at some point to develop at least part of the land (perhaps - and I am only guessing here - offering to trade some form of conveyance of part either to the Council or the school as accessible public space in return for development rigts on the rest). The point Cllr Russell was I think making is that we may need at some stage to consider whether we (the Council) are prepared to negotiate with the land owner if we wish to ensure that 'open space' is available for use by the school as I believe it has been in the past, but on a 'grace and favour' basis. You will recall we had a less than satisfactory attitude to access to this land on the part of the CSSA. What I believe we have at present is open space but not space with rights of public access and use.

Labour (Cllr June Bridle)

There should be absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the Labour group want to see the space retained as open and not developed for housing or anything else. There is little enough green space in the area and to lose this would only make matters worse.

I think what Matt had got into is mind was, should there be any doubt in the revised Local Plan about the WHOLE site, then any housing that should arise from say an appeal on a planning application to the Planning Inspectorate, must be affordable. But please be in no doubt about our view - it should remain as open space for use by local residents, schools etc. and we will do all in our power to fight any plans that may come forward to attempt to alter its current status. After all is said and done that is why we insisted the funding for a possible purchase had to be included in last year's budget reserve.