Cropton Road playing fields parking space

John Fareham and John Abbott are making arrangements to increase the amount of parking space on Cropton Park playing fields.

We have made the necessary arrangements with the officers to have one or two of the large steel containers removed. This should go some way towards increasing the number of parking spaces. We are also looking into the siting of rocks at the most appropriate places to ensure motorists – literally as well as figuratively- keep off the grass but this is likely to result in more vehicles parking on Cropton Road itself. We would therefore appreciate it if any local resident with strong feelings on the matter could contact us using the details given below; it is local residents who will have to live with whatever plan is put in place and therefore it is their opinions we are most anxious to hear.

Fairfax Avenue grass and trees trimmed

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the cutting of the long grass on Fairfax Avenue grass verges and the removal of growths around the bottom of trees.

The officers replied to our application of pressure by informing us that additional grass cutting equipment and staff have recently been allocated and that, while they did not think it necessary to cut the grass last week, they would send staff to cut the grass as well as sending in teams to remove the intrusive growth round the bottom of trees. This work has now been carried out.  We would of course not be so blasé as to assume that was that, and while the peak season for grass growth does not last indefinitely, we will remain vigilant and prepared to report any future situation where the grass is clearly too long and the weeds are beginning to predominate.

Fairfax Avenue long grass

John Fareham and John Abbott continue to work to ensure that Fairfax Avenue grass verges are properly trimmed and maintained.

We have provided the officers with photographic evidence that the grass is getting long – as evidenced by the amount of weeds to be seen in among the grass – and made it clear that we have, in our view, had to communicate with the officers far too often on this matter and that we expect to be informed that there is a regular schedule on which this work is done.  For far too may years, with others in control of the Council, we have had to be patient with the inability of dark forces at the corporate centre to take cognisance of the fact that – as those who are allergic to grass pollen know only too well – grass grows as long as this at particular times of the year on a regularly scheduled basis. It therefore seems to us to follow that an efficient grass mowing setup should be able to schedule work to coincide with the rate of growth of the grass and we will work to make sure that is exactly what they do.

Briarfield Road traffic regulation order in place

John Fareham and John Abbott thank local residents in Briarfield Road for their co-operation in parking elsewhere during the painting of double yellow lines to enforce the traffic regulation order.

We appreciate the assistance of residents who parked their cars elsewhere while these markings were being painted.  They do, after all, form the culmination of a considerable amount of work on our part and that of residents to establish between us, firstly, whether there was any demand for a traffic regulation order in the first place and secondly, precisely what form it should take.  We hope that these markings will perform all the functions local residents were hoping for and we undertake to campaign for the long-term maintenance of these markings in full operational order.

Briarfield Road markings

John Fareham and John Abbott asked Briarfield Road residents to keep their vehicles off the carriageway during the hours of 9 am to 4 pm on Tuesday 23^rd May to allow for the painting of double yellow lines.

We were notified by the officers that works to put down the double yellow lines requested as part of the traffic regulation order could not be carried out because those employed to paint the lines were unable to get at the relevant portions of the carriageway because vehicles were parked exactly where they needed to paint the markings.  We therefore asked, as did the officers, that local residents move their vehicles off the carriageway on that Tuesday so that works which local residents requested in the first place could finally be put into effect.

Commonwealth Homes grass cutting

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the long grass inside Commonwealth Homes to be cut.

We received complaints from local residents to the effect that this grass was getting far too long.  We therefore referred the matter to the officers who told us that health and safety officials had forbidden the usual means of loading mower onto Council vehicles and that partly as a result of that, and partly due to a delay in the arrival of new mowing equipment, the start of mowing communal gardens had to be put back.  However they now assure us firstly that the backlog of work on cutting communal gardens will be dealt with and secondly that the rotary mowing equipment they propose to use should be well able to deal with the grass inside Commonwealth Homes.