News from the Parish Council
Visitors to the play area at Gainsborough will have noticed that a drinking water tap has been installed at the east end of the site, just near to the entrance and the two mounds; this happened as a result of some very quick thinking by the Parish Council and some fast grant application processing by South Somerset District Council (SSDC). During the summer, we had all the old underground piping replaced because a significant volume of water was just being lost through leaks.
Repair was made in early March, but no sooner had one part of the old pipe been replaced than the next part would start to leak, so Members decided that total replacement was the best bet. As we had a team of pipe fitters on site, it was suggested that drinking water could be provided in the playpark for a better price than binging back all the equipment and men at some other time. The water company were willing to do a deal, but as the Parish Council did not have all the money needed for the project, an application was made to SSDC for a contribution towards the cost. Support was gained from ‘Plastic Free Milborne Port’ and a Facebook survey revealed 100% support for the project. Within a week, SSDC had awarded the Parish Council half the costs and the order was placed. And here it is!
Eagle-eyed residents will have noticed that the work to repair the Town Hall clock has begun! A tower went up so that its face and mechanism could be removed for repair and refurbishment by a professional team. We are not sure how long we will need to wait before we can see time flying again but keep a look-out!
We are anticipating a visit on 29th September from a team of volunteers from Wessex Water who plan to clean and paint the ramps and other equipment at the skate park at the top of the Gainsborough playpark, in so doing removing from sight the ugly graffiti that has appeared over the last few months. We will report on their progress with some ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ photographs in November’s edition!
Some residents will already know that on Wednesday 9th September, South Somerset District Council gave the Reserved Matters Approval to housing developers Redcliffe to proceed with development of land on Wheathill Lane for 65 houses. Some of you will know that any new development brings with it funding to provides s106 infrastructure support to the community. At this Wheathill Lane site, part of this funding will come in the form of a Community Hub building provided by Redcliffe. Councillors tried hard to ensure that this building would be provided with all of its facilities in place but unfortunately that was not to be, as South Somerset District Council agreed that will be provided in a ‘shell and core’ state. It will be for the local community to access grant funding in order to finish the building and prepare it for use. A committee has been set up to manage this process over the next few years and no doubt we will be reporting on its progress in the future editions of this magazine and on our website. We are working with District Councillor Sarah Dyke, the Friends of Milborne Port Library and the History and Heritage Group to secure this community asset. Other planning conditions, for which we have been lobbying, include a village square, viewing area towards East Hill and a proposed new commercial building, for which we welcome all ideas for potential users.
Finally, a reminder from Tim Russell, our PCSO, about how to report a crime:
- 999 should be used when there is a danger to life or property for an immediate response.
- 101 is our non-emergency number – for reporting incidents to the police that do not require an immediate response but need to be recorded and police action taken.
- Avon and Somerset Police website – again for incidents that do not require an immediate response. Also contains lots of useful information.
- Make a report at the front office of Wincanton or Yeovil police stations.
The police do not monitor Facebook so any incidents should be reported to using these options.
