Chairman’s Blog – July / August 2024
Below is a summary written by the Chairman of the Parish Council
July - August 2024Traffic Calming Update (July 2024)
The WNC project manager confirmed there is no further update from June 2024 as they are waiting for their consultant, WSP, to complete their latest assessment of the traffic model.
Once received, it will be reviewed and the outputs will be discussed with WNC planning officers.
It was suggested the Parish Council communicate with WNC again in September 2024.
Proposal to lower the age range of Buckton Fields Primary School from 4-11 years to 2-11 years
This consultation is being run by Preston Hedges Trust. Please see below for more information:-
Consultation Letter - preston Hedges pdfQA Document - Preston Hedges
Community Together – Moulton Library’s summer holiday support scheme
Please see below for further details:-
“Moulton Library – Health and Wellbeing Hub are writing to inform you that thanks to a successful grant bid we are able to launch a new summer holiday support scheme called ‘Community Together’. We believe this scheme will greatly benefit the families within your community, as it is designed to support families who may be struggling or are identified as Pupil Premium within your schools, by providing them with free breakfast options, lunch bags, and free membership to our community larder.
Film Friday will also be launching, where families can watch a film and Community Together members will be able to claim a free home cooked meal from our inhouse café.
We will continue to provide free hygiene care packs, period packs, baby essentials packs, alongside our free fruit and snacks throughout the day.
Your assistance in communicating this opportunity to the families at your school/ in your parish is appreciated; we believe that with your help, we can reach those who would benefit most from this support. Referrals will also be welcomed.
To apply for this membership scheme, families will need to apply in person at the Moulton Library Welcome desk. We are committed to making this process as simple and accessible as possible.”
Humfrey Lane Road Closure – 30th August 2024
The Parish Council have received notification of the following road closure:
For further information or future updates please see: https://one.network/?tm=139513187
Parish Tasks – the village sign has been brought back to life
Our Parish Lengthsman, Mark Frost, has been very busy recently.
Not only has he refurbished the telephone box and wooden benches, he has now completed the refurbishment of the village sign (which can be found on the green space opposite the village hall). It has been sanded and the carved details have been freshly painted.
I am sure everyone will agree it looks great and it is a credit to Mark’s hardwork.
Parish Tasks – a freshen up of the wooden benches
As you may have seen in an earlier post about the telephone box on the corner of Church Street/Vyse Road, our Parish Lengthsman, Mark Frost, is hard at work carrying out various tasks.
The three wooden benches have been sanded and varnished. Whilst the composite bench on the corner of Spring Close/Butchers Lane has been wiped down.
Parish Tasks – a summer clean up for the telephone box
The Parish Lengthsman, Mark Frost, is hard at work carrying out various tasks.
First on the list was to clean and paint the telephone box on the corner of Church Street/Vyse Road. Mark received some very favourable and appreciative comments whilst working on it.
Next on the list is to sand and varnish the wooden benches.
Traffic Calming Update (June 2024)
WNC have provided an update to the questions proposed in May 2024.
Q1. Please can you clarify what would happen if planning conditions were not met by WNC or the developer? Is it possible for the road to open without the planning condition being discharged? Other than a planning condition, are there any contractual obligations to fulfil the delivery of the road? Are there any legal penalties etc.
Planning approval for application ref. 19/00045/CCDFUL was granted on 11th June 2019. Here are the precise terms of condition 25.
“Prior to the new road opening the applicant shall consult with Boughton Parish Council to agree the extent and detail of a scheme of measures for ameliorating the impact of traffic from the permitted development on Boughton village. The scheme as may be agreed shall be submitted to the County Planning Authority and implemented in full prior to the new road opening.
Reason: To ensure traffic is effectively monitored and managed across the highway network following the completion of the new road having regard to Policies S10 and Policy C2 of the West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan (Part One) (2014).”
The Northampton North West Relief Road (NNWRR) will be fully open to traffic once Persimmon have completed the construction of the new road on their site that ties-in with the NNWRR. The date currently anticipated is 2026. However this is subject to Persimmon’s progress and updates.
Q2. Is there any update on when the reconvened meeting with Ward Councillors will be?
I will discus this with our directors and Cllr Larratt next week and contact you again to suggest a date for a meeting mid-July 2024 if convenient for Cllr Larratt and the Ward Councillors. I will attend it with our consultants.
Q3. There is reference to another option being considered, is there any further information on this for parishioners? What stage is the option currently at? Has traffic modelling been commissioned?
Since December 2023, traffic modelling has been progressed. We will discuss options when we next meet in July 2024.
Q4. Please can you clarify why the previous traffic modelling was discussed with Boughton first and now the approach is to discuss the new traffic modelling with Ward Councillors first? If the Ward Councillors support the new proposal but Boughton parishioners don’t, where does this leave us? Whilst timescales may be very vague at this stage, if parishioners could at least understand the process / project milestone it would really help.
Please refer to my response to Items 1, 2 and 3.
Q5. The Northampton Chronicle reported on 18 April that Persimmon have confirmed “it is our ambition to begin construction on this section of the road in Summer 2024….the estimated completion date with this in mind would be February/ March 2025” Is this WNC’s understanding?
Only Persimmon can provide clear updates in line with the planning process they have to comply with.