AUTUMN 2015 Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts Festival Fortnight Will Soon be Here! 23rd August – 5th September 2015 It’s not often that Devizes can boast of a world premiere, but that’s exactly what DOCA is proudly presenting this year at its annual International Street Festival on the 30th & 31st August 2015. “Equilibrius is a high wire show which draws from a less known British tradition of touring funambulism,” says Jo Beal, Artistic Director. “Some may remember Chris Bull from his spectacular hire wire walk across Devizes Market Place in 2013. He, and his new wife Phoebe, are back this year as The Bullzini Family to premiere their new show, Equilibrius, staged between two bespoke towers and believed to be the first touring hire wire rig since the 1950’s.” Alongside the spectacle of the high wire, a myriad of some of the best UK and international outdoor performers will again be showcasing their talents. Directie & Co. from Holland will be washing their dirty linen in public, literally, in Laundry XL! Mufti Does Games is waiting to recruit you as part of their crew to play MASSIVE Battleships and children will love foraging for ingredients to pacify a hungry troll in Plunge Boom’s Trolls Kitchen. And that’s just for starters…. The International Street Festival is just one of the highlights of 2 weeks of creative fun and inspiration which kicks off in style once again in Hillworth Park with the Picnic in the Park, forays through a fabulous fringe programme, an explosive Confetti Battle, and culminates in the always extraordinary Devizes Carnival. And it’s not too late to join in! Applications for Carnival entries are available from Devizes Books, Devizes Town Council and Scholars in the Little Brittox, or downloadable from www.docadevizes.org.uk. DOCA is also recruiting its crew of volunteer Summer Festival Makers. We’d love to hear from you if you would like to join this merry band of ‘get-it-on-ers’. Just phone Outdoor Arts Manager, Jay Haigh to find out more on 07897 121236. So, here are the dates for your diary as we look forward to a summer of amazing events organised by DOCA: • 23rd August Picnic in the Park • 30th/31st August International Street Festival • 2nd September Confetti Battle • 5th September Devizes Carnival Website: www.docadevizes.org.uk Email: [email protected] Phone: 07880 239598 (Jo Beal, Artistic Director) Real Community Power For a long time most of us who live in and around Devizes have come to realise that control of where new housing is to be located needed to be taken away from speculating developers and put back in the hands of the community. There is a general sense that for too long there had been no control over where new houses are built with great sways of our rural boundary being dug up and replaced with winding estates. The work on developing a neighbourhood plan, which regains that control, is now almost complete. It started with many of you saying how you believed our town should develop in terms of housing and the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, who have been leading this project were pleasantly surprised that most people agreed that new homes are needed for local people but greater thought had to be given to where they were placed and equally importantly how they would fit in with the current built environment. These views sit at the heart of the plan because, whilst we recognise that further housing will bring additional strain to our road network, schools and health facilities, every town in the country is expected to grow. Therefore, whilst we will need to have more houses, the impact needs to be mitigated and how that can be achieved in Devizes is set out in the Neighbourhood Plan. The vision for the Neighbourhood Plan is clear, Devizes should grow in a manner which enables its residents to live a sustainable lifestyle, with a reduced need to travel; where there is a provision for easy access to open spaces and the public realm and the scale and ambiance of the built environment promotes wellbeing. The full plan is available on the Devizes Neighbourhood Plan website, but in summary the plan seeks: • To keep the majority of new developments within 20 minutes’ walk of the town centre. • Ensure that new development is no bigger than 65 houses. • Housing to enhance the public realm. • Promote the reuse of brownfield and previously developed sites. The Neighbourhood Plan is now at a critical stage in its development, which is community endorsement. On the 17th September there will be a public referendum and you will be asked to go to a polling station to vote for its adoption. The Devizes Area Neighbourhood Steering Group strongly recommends that you support the plan to ensure that in future years, the town can guard against unwanted development on a scale that has a material impact on all our lives. COUNCIL MEETINGS Council Surgeries – 2015 Devizes Town Council meetings are open to the public and at the beginning Council Surgeries are held in the Town Hall on the dates below between 6.00pm and 6.45pm. of each meeting there is an opportunity for members of the public to ask Councillors are nominated to attend the monthly Council Surgeries as follows: questions. If you would like to know when we are holding our meetings visit 8 September 2015 : Councillor Mrs Evans & Councillor Wooldridge our web site at www.devizes-tc.gov.uk. Failing that you can always 6 October 2015 : Councillor East & Councillor Johnson telephone us on 01380 722160. Dates of Council meetings can also be 3 November 2015 : Councillor Nash & Councillor Carter found on the notice board outside the Town Hall. 1 December 2015 : Councillor Corbett & Councillor Geddes South West in Bloom! Devizes & Roundway in Bloom 2015 Members of the Devizes & Roundway In Bloom Committee, with Mayor For the third year running the Devizes & Cllr Roger Giraud-Saunders, welcomed the regional judges for South West Roundway in Bloom committee in Bloom on a blisteringly hot day at the beginning of July. organised a very successful Open Garden weekend in June, raising just shy Judges Terry Porter and Lesley Jellyman began and ended their judging of £1,000 through ticket sales and tour in Hillworth Park, which has also been entered into the new Best Park refreshments for the Mayor’s Appeal. category. Terry knows Devizes well and was delighted to see that the same high standard has been upheld and improved upon across the town. Lesley has never visited our town before and she was full of complements The Devizes & Roundway in Bloom committee then turned its attention to about the whole town, including the many community groups she visited. the 2015 summer competition. On the morning tour the judges visited Wansdyke School, Drews Pond Judging took place during the month of July and for many days the sun Wood and the Roundway allotments before walking through town to see shone. Judges results were collated and returned to the Town Hall ready how vibrant the town centre looked on a busy market day. The many for invitations to be sent out to winners. hanging baskets and tubs provided by local businesses were extremely well received as was the Pennybank, the Chequers Garden and the War The Devizes & Roundway in Bloom Presentation Evening will take place Memorial. on Tuesday 29 September at 7.00pm in the Town Hall. This event is open to all whether you have entered the competition this year or are thinking This year we have entered seventeen groups into the It’s Your about entering next year and would like some tips, please come and join us. Neighbourhood category, the most ever. This meant the judges had an extremely busy afternoon as they visited the Devizes Bowls Club, Cornerstones, Greenacres (the Richmond Fellowship), the Sidmouth Club, Albion Place, The Ginnel, Old Swan Yard, Waiblingen Way Resident’s Difficult Decisions Association, Devizes Cemetery and Woodland Walk. The tour finished with a visit to Andrew Sharp who has again planted hundreds of flowers along From time to time, like all organisations we have to make difficult his wall on Southbroom Road and was last year a recipient of the Local decision, some of these are not very popular and some will make extra Gardening Hero award from the Devizes and Roundway In Bloom work for service users. Recently the Joint Burial Committee have had to Committee. make such a decision, as it has become increasingly concerned that rough sleepers in the woods behind the cemetery are having an impact The judges were rightly impressed with the standard and commitment on visitors. from all groups, local traders, the Town Council and gardeners and both asked for their thanks to be passed on to everybody who opened their After working with both the Merchant Venturers, the owners of the wood, gardens and green spaces this year. the Police and other interested parties felt that enough is enough and therefore steps need to be taken to encourage these campers to find a The results will be announced in September and we have our fingers more suitable place to pitch their tents. One reason Belvedere Wood is crossed for another great result until then! popular for camping is its proximity to running water, which is located in the cemetery. Council Surgeries It has therefore been decided to turn off the water supply at the stand pipes from the 1st September for two months in the hope that this will The Town Council and the Police have come together to hold joint make the use of the wood for camping less attractive.