COITY HIGHER COMMUNITY COUNCIL AUTUMN/WINTER NEWSLETTER 2018

County Borough Council to improve is £88,000 and makes up part of our Chair’s safe routes to schools. This year we have budget of £110,150. The full budget installed more bins, refurbished benches can be viewed on our website. and employed contractors to weed our Welcome The council are statutory consultees on main roads. We also represent your planning matters and have Welcome to our newsletter which gives views; working with and challenging representation on the governing bodies an overview of the council and the work Bridgend County Borough Council, of Coety & Litchard Primary Schools. we carry out for you and our developers and others on your behalf. community. It’s been a busy time since The full council meets on the second Coity Higher Community Council is last year’s local elections which saw 6 first Thursday of every month at Coity forward thinking and my fellow time councillors join the 5 existing Higher Community Centre at 7pm councillors share a passion for our members. Coity Higher is changing, except in August. You are welcome to community. But we work for you. We with significant development bringing attend to observe proceedings and we welcome and encourage your views, it’s new residents to our community whilst encourage you to come along. Our your council and we are here to make it the longstanding challenges remain and Finance and Community Access work for our community. increase. The Community Council is Committee meetings are also open to reflecting and responding to this change Councillor Martin Williams (Chair) the public and advertised on our and striving to provide the services and noticeboards and website. facilities that you want. About Coity Higher We have formal responsibilities such as Award Winning the operation of allotments, Community Council maintenance of the war memorial at St Councillor Mary’s church and the upkeep of In the year footpaths. We maintain the play park at running up to the Heol y Groes, Litchard and the playing centenary field behind St Mary’s Church in Coity. celebrations of But the council does so much more. We women obtaining provide hanging baskets, floral displays the right to vote, and Christmas lights. This year we Councillor Anita funded the summer activities and a Davies was presented with the family fitness scheme in Parc Derwen Formed in 1974, Coity Higher #IAmEmbolden Community Activist open to all Coity Higher residents. We Community Council covers the electoral Award 2018 for d/deaf and disabled are leading the way having installed 6 wards of Coity, Pendre and Litchard. women at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. public access defibrillators across the You elect 11 councillors every 5 years Around the same time Councillor community. We have also developed a who volunteer to represent the three Davies was recognised in the Mail Community Access Plan in consultation wards. The council is funded through Online’s celebration of the top 100 with you and are working with Bridgend your council tax. Our 2018/19 Precept brilliant women in Wales.

COITY HIGHER COMMUNITY COUNCIL PO BOX 377, Bridgend CF31 9NT Tel: 07944 673642 • www.coityhighercommunitycouncil.co.uk • Email: [email protected] AUTUMN/WINTER NEWSLETTER 2018

IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELLBEING

HELPING creative play, arts and crafts and a school children and installed it with TO SAVE range of educational and well-being up to date play equipment. The new focussed events. The scheme play area has been very well received LIVES encouraged young people to be more and is proving a firm favourite with We are proud active and develop a sense of the children who use it. community by mixing with other that we have Coity: We own Coity Playing Field young people and was a great purchased and and maintain it with regular grass success. installed 6 defibrillators in secure cutting and litter clearing so it can be cabinets with 24 hours access for the enjoyed by local residents. public. It was essential that these critical community assets were placed Pendre: We are negotiating with in prominent locations if they were Bridgend County Borough Council to have the maximum benefit. to take over the Great Western Therefore, they have been installed Avenue play park so we can better in very different places within the maintain this as a local community wards. These locations were selected facility. to ensure that the Coity Higher We have recently inspected all play community has comprehensive areas within Coity Higher and are access to these lifesaving assets. considering what role the Community Council can play in their They can be found at: Coity Higher FAMILY FITNESS Community Centre , off Heol West long-term future. Plas, Litchard Primary School , Heol SCHEME We’ve also entered into discussions y Groes Litchard, Coety Primary With the help of a Community with the Developers of Parc Derwen School , Parc Derwen, Post Office , Chest grant from Sports Wales the and Bridgend County Borough Coity, Red Dragon , Litchard and Community Council has engaged Council to encourage the completion ATS Tyre Service , just south of the services of Forces Fitness a local of the play areas on the development. Pendre. company who ran a family fitness programme over the summer months SUPPORTING SUMMER PLAY on the 4G pitch at Coety Primary School. This scheme was open to all COMMUNITY SCHEME – Active 4 residents of Coity Higher. GROUPS AND Life EVENTS LOCAL PLAY AREAS We have a long tradition of providing financial support to local events £ such as fetes and concerts within the Coity Higher community. We have also supported groups organising such things as Christmas We funded an excellent school dinners for seniors or community holiday activity scheme that was held activities and charities that provide this summer at Coety Primary support for our community. School. It was open to children aged If you would like to apply for 8-12 from all the Coity Higher financial support for your group or wards. The scheme operated over a 4 Litchard: We recently refurbished the event please complete the form on week period for 4 hours a day. play area off Heol y Groes in Litchard our website and e-mail it to the clerk Activities included sport, games, following a consultation with the for consideration by the council. COITY HIGHER COMMUNITY COUNCIL

IMPROVING COMMUNITY ACCESS

COMMUNITY and the impact safer routes would have ACCESS PLAN on your transport choices. We will be actively consulting with you in the next Following a presentation by Bridgend few months and your input either County Borough Council officers the through questionnaires or by joining us Community Council carried out a in reviewing the routes we have consultation with the residents and identified will be critical to the success stakeholders of Coity Higher and of our funding application. We undertook site surveys to gain an encourage you to contact your understanding of how people travel Community Councillors or the Clerk within our community and what to feedback any comments or We are also actively pursuing the prevents us from walking and cycling suggestions you may have. diversion of Footpath 17 linking Parc more. We looked at how you travelled Derwen to “The Pines” and measures to work, the shops, how your children to reduce both traffic speed and volume get to school, the doctors and generally MAINTAINING on Litchard Hill and Heol Spencer. make your day to day journeys. The PUBLIC FOOTPATHS With the latter we have written to St evidence gathering phase highlighted Brides Minor Community Council to “hot spots” within the Coity Higher seek a joint approach to the issue of area where there were specific concerns speeding traffic over Coity Common. relating to community access and safety. The consultation culminated in a Community Access Plan which makes ACTIVE TRAVEL AND recommendations as to where SAFER ROUTES TO improvement opportunities exist and SCHOOL offered solutions for consideration. The Community Access Plan has The Community Access Plan is a live identified numerous issues that require Did you know there are 45 Rights of document, updated regularly by the significant capital investment. Way footpaths throughout the 3 wards Community Access Committee, and is Therefore, the Community Council which are looked after by the used to inform the community has worked in partnership with Community Council? Some are council’s priorities for funding and Bridgend County Borough Council to popular pedestrian routes used daily, investment. It identifies areas which identify two strategic pedestrian routes others are rural and rarely walked but all need attention and from this a rolling through the three wards which link must be maintained. If you know of a programme of work has been residents with facilities such as schools, footpath that needs clearing please implemented. The full document is hospitals shops and community contact our Clerk as we rely on the available on our website: centres. These routes were incorporated public to pass on this information to us. coityhighercommunitycouncil.co.uk into a bid and submitted to the Welsh Government for funding through their COMMUNITY Active Travel Scheme. Although REDUCING unsuccessful this year our funding bid SPEEDING ACCESS PROGRESS has been put onto a reserve list and will We have worked with your local be resubmitted again this Autumn with Residents have expressed concern about Borough Councillors and Bridgend a greater focus on Safer Routes To speeding hot spots across the Coity County Borough Council officers to Schools, as this is the main criteria set Higher wards. Following consultations implement some of the high priority by the Welsh Government. with residents we are pleased therefore to have installed speed activated items within the Access Plan. These To strengthen our application we need warning signs in all 3 wards at Litchard include the pedestrian barrier at Trem Y more evidence from residents on how Terrace, Litchard Hill and on the Castell, new road signs at Heol you access schools and local facilities, bypass at Trem y Castell, Coity. Gorsedd and resurfacing the junction the type of transport you currently use of Glynbridge Gardens. AUTUMN/WINTER NEWSLETTER 2018

IMPROVING OUR ENVIRONMENT

FIRST WORLD WAR COMMUNITY This year we have employed a contractor CENTENARY YEAR AWARD to undertake additional weeding along the main spine roads within the To mark the Centenary of the end of Shortly we will be community. We will continue to keep a the First World War we are refurbishing asking residents for close eye on weeds, litter and leaves in the railings around the Coity War nominations for the autumn and make similar targeted Memorial. We've also painted the bench our annual interventions where necessary. next to it and we’re dedicating Coity Community Award. This is an award Playing Field as part of the Centenary presented each year for outstanding YOUR COMMUNITY Fields in Trust initiative. This means contribution to the community. The COUNCILLORS that the field will be protected as a green winning recipient is invited to attend a Coity Ward site. council meeting for a presentation of a Alison Hughes plaque, flowers etc. in recognition of 07903 444150 their achievement. ALLOTMENT GARDENS [email protected] Martin Williams We own an Allotment Garden off Heol SCHOOL West Plas which has 34 plots for the use 01656 767993 / 07583165098 of residents within all wards. The rent COMMUNITY AWARD [email protected] per full plot is currently £30pa. There is Each year at the end of the summer Litchard Ward always a waiting list so if you’d like to term, the council provides Litchard and Ceri Evans apply please contact our Clerk. Coity Primary Schools with a small 07393 404496 trophy and £50 of book vouchers so that [email protected] FLORAL DISPLAYS they can recognise the contribution a Cherie Jones child or group of children have made to 01656 651487 For the last six years the community. In 2018 the winners [email protected] we’ve provided were Hollie Evans, Litchard Primary Luke Richards hanging baskets and School and Lucas Kenny, Coety Primary 07710 677695 planted daffodils in all School. [email protected] wards. In the last 3 years we’ve added 3 tier Christopher Walburn planters which are DOGGIE DOO 01656 646948 [email protected] planted twice a year for This year we summer and winter, 1 installed a free Alan Wathan at the top of Litchard Hill and 1 on doggie bag dispenser 01656 719088 Coity Road near Llys Gwyn. and litter bin in [email protected] Litchard playing Pendre Ward CHRISTMAS field and other litter Dean Barrington bins around the areas to encourage dog 07477 623326 LIGHTING owners to pick up. [email protected] For the last two years we’ve erected solar Anita Davies powered Christmas trees on the main WEEDING AND 01656 658827 spine roads within the 3 wards. Last [email protected] year we purchased lights for Coity and CLEANER STREETS Bernard Titlman this year we’ll be purchasing lights for Street cleaning and weeding are the 07903 002290 Pendre, with a plan to purchase lights responsibilities of Bridgend County [email protected] for Litchard for Christmas 2019. Areas Borough Council, however, your not on the main spine roads will have Community Councillors and the Clerk Richard Young solar lights until provision can be made will refer issues to Bridgend County 01656 669527 in the budget to purchase more. Borough Council as they arise. [email protected]