CC&A News Winter 2019
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Winter 2019 Last month we had news of some prospective cuts The newsletter for Castle Cary and Ansford which invites to the Fire Service and two of our Councillors attended reports on local events and activities. We welcome articles from Castle Cary and Ansford groups an information session. They were able to report that and organisations. Please keep below 250 words. there will be minimal disruption to our local services. If you include notice of local future events do give full and We also facilitated a meeting for local parishes to meet accurate dates and times. the regional director of the South West Ambulance Deadline for copy for next newsletter: Service to hear how their proposed changes to FRIDAY 14th FEBRUARY 2020, 9.00am Ambulance stations are going to impact on our Distribution: communities. Steve Boucher, County Commander for From FRIDAY 28th FEBRUARY 2020 Somerset and his deputy, Jo Gadsden, updated us on Email to [email protected] or send to “Newsletter”, The Market House, Market Place, Castle Cary plans to close the Ambulance Station in Castle Cary BA7 7AH. We prefer copy by email, but don’t worry if this is but they assured us that attendance times for not possible for you. emergency services will remain as they are and could even improve. CASTLE CARY TOWN COUNCIL Pek has written a planning update and you will read of our genuine distress at the possibility of planning Our little town is looking lovely in the autumn light, for the 200 houses near the Station going ahead and all now that skips and building works have abated, all the other complexities of planning that we are juggling except the scaffolding to the side of the Market House! and responding to weekly. You will recall that from April 2019 the Town Council We recently had an update from South West Waste took on the long lease of the whole Market House to Partnership regarding recycling and you can sign up include the Dance Studio and the Museum. We are for updates on this link: https://www.somerset currently renewing leases and addressing some much waste.gov.uk/latest-news/ needed exterior work that needed to be completed. Alternatively you can pick up a leaflet in the Most of this work is funded by an initial dowry given information office, open every morning from 9.30-12 to us by SSDC. We expect the work to be finished by noon. We would like to thank Ange and her Market Christmas and hope that the renovated windows, the team for trying to support people without cars to take slightly leaky inaccessible roof work and newly non kerbside recycling to Dimmer every week. placed signs will last us for many years to come. The Unfortunately this became untenable because of responsibility of our much loved grade 2 listed unwashed plastic and plastic not being sorted. New building is highly valued by us all in the town and we systems from next year will mean that everything will hope that we will be able to be responsible custodians be collected from the kerb. for many generations to come. May Day is traditionally held on a Monday but will We currently have a bit of a problem in the be put back to Friday 8 May 2020. VE Day, or Victory children’s play area. Every morning our staff take it in in Europe Day, marks the day towards the end of turns to pick up litter and specifically examine the World War Two when fighting against Nazi Germany grass for broken glass. This became necessary in came to an end in Europe. The holiday will form part October and we feel that it is such a risk we must of a three-day weekend of commemorative events. We undertake these daily checks. The loo has also been will inform you of plans for our town in the next closed again as a result of vandalism. May we also newsletter. remind all dog owners that dogs should be kept on We will shortly be decorating the Market House in leads on the Donald Pither Memorial field. Fairfield is time for Big Christmas on 5th December. Our Apple where dogs can be taken off their leads. Day decorative lamps have inspired us to use the paper 1 lampshades again for Christmas along with last year’s anyone in need and we are proud to be residents and wreaths. Councillors in such a community. It’s too early to say Although it’s cold it’s a lovely time of year but not if Happy Christmas as there’s so much to get through you are isolated and lonely. If you know of anyone before the 25th but enjoy craft fairs, Big Christmas, who might need some help this winter please can you celebrations, Christmas meals, Church services, let us know at the information desk in the Market family time and of course remember to vote on the House or pop in and visit your neighbour. There are 12th December. visiting schemes, book schemes and food schemes to Judi Morison be accessed we just need to know who might need a bit T T T T T of care. Our lovely caring community is very supportive of PLANNING MATTERS CASTLE CARY TOWN COUNCIL Clerk: Zöe Godden You may have noticed large numbers of new houses Email: [email protected] appearing along Station Road. We now have planning Tel: 01963 359631 permissions granted for over 600 new dwellings with Deputy Clerk: Claire Craner-Buckley yet more applications in the pipeline. These will Email: [email protected] increase our population by around a third. While we Tel: 01963 359631 welcome some new housing, we feel this number is Open: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10–12 noon (appointments at other times) excessive. Our recently adopted Neighbourhood Plan states that no more permissions should be granted Bookings and Promotions Manager: until the existing permissions have been built and are Holly Callow. Email: markethouse.bookings@ occupied. We are now told that because South castle-cary.co.uk. Tel: 01963 351763 Open: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Somerset District Council does not have a 5-year land Friday mornings by appointment supply we may be obliged by the Government Inspectors to take yet more. This cannot be right; our Information Point: Volunteers infrastructure – particularly our roads – are already Email: [email protected] Tel: 01963 351763. Winter Opening: stretched to the limit. Enough is enough! The latest Mon–Friday 9.30–12.30pm, Sat 9.00–12 noon application is for 200 houses on the field above the Councillors: station. This is outside the area designated for Margaret Bebbington Philippa Biddlecombe development. Whatever your views – for or against Stephen Biddlecombe Justin Birch (Vice Chair) this application – you can find it, and the comments Hedge Burley Nick Crowley made by others on the internet: just go to the address at Robert Gilbey Judi Morison (Chair) the end of this article. This application is number Pek Peppin Sally Snook 19/01840/OUT. Penny Steiner Nick Weeks Another problem we have is that developers with Rob Worth existing permissions can – and do – ask for changes to Full Council meetings are held on 3rd Monday be made to the conditions which are imposed on them of each month at 7 pm in the Market House when the permission is granted. We have two ongoing The Public are welcome to attend. examples of this: Planning Committee meetings are held on 1) The 125 house development formerly called 1st Monday of each month at 6.30 pm in the Wayside Farm (now mysteriously called Mulberry Market House (1st Tuesday after Bank Meadows!!) would like to reduce the promised Holidays). The Public are welcome to attend. number of affordable homes and additionally reduce See website for dates of Finance & the amount of S106 money to be paid. This is a fee Management; Properties & Infrastructure which is agreed at the outset and which provides and Marketing & Communications money for local infrastructure. In this instance for Committee meetings. example, the Caryford Hall development will lose South Somerset District Councillors: over £60,000. Application number: 19/1840/OUT & Mr Henry Hobhouse Tel: 01963 440272 19/02353/DPO Mr Kevin Messenger Tel: 07969 150646 2) The 165-house site between Station Road and County Councillor: Torbay Road which has been bought by Persimmon Mr Mike Lewis Tel: 01935 851536 Homes, is asking to waive a condition which says that after the first 25 houses are built all construction and 2 residents’ traffic will solely exit onto Station Road. supporting everyone in the local community to do the The developers want traffic to additionally be able to same so that we all embed sustainable living practices enter and leave via Torbay Road . But where will it into all our everyday decision-making and so make go to? Torbay Road is already congested with a pinch living more sustainably the norm and the right way to point in the middle and South Cary Lane and the do things. Barrow Road are largely single track. That leaves We aim to be carbon neutral by 2030, by developing Blackworthy Road which leads onto the B3153 which a strategy, targets and action plans, reviewing and as we all know has huge problems due to lorries and reporting progress at regular intervals. other HGVs from Dimmer and elsewhere. Application Here are some examples of where we are already number 15/02347/OUT (Section 73 application to working more sustainably in the following key areas: vary conditions 15 & 22 of permission 15/02347/OUT • Energy – Targeting the purchase of green energy in relation to pedestrian, cycle & vehicular traffic).