Service 3 bus rerouted

John Fareham and John Abbott report that, with the commencement of carriageway resurfacing works on Bricknell Avenue on Monday April 8^th, buses which would have travelled via Bricknell Avenue were for one week diverted via Fairfax Avenue.

 

It was expected that the Bricknell Avenue works will only last one week, but what this meant was that Service 3 would not turn round at the West Bulls and head into town but will instead travel via Fairfax Avenue as it used to do. Given that some local residents have in the past expressed concerns about the impact buses passing by have had on their car wing mirrors, we thought it prudent to tip local residents off  that this was about to happen so that where off street parking facilities exist they could, if need be, provide some degree of protection from possible damage.

 

Hutton Close waste bin replacement

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the replacement of the small waste bin on Hutton Close.

 

We have received repeated complaints from local residents to the effect that the existing bin is not have sufficient capacity to accommodate the dog mess and other waste deposited in it.  We therefore contacted the officers some time ago to request that a larger bin be provided, and reminded them again recently, and arrangements are now underway to arrange for that to happen. The exact location and means of mounting are still under discussion. It does not, of course, follow that this is a complete and final response to the demand for waste provision, but in the event of the increased provision being insufficient, we would of course ask for even more bin capacity.

Bricknell Avenue resurfacing

John Fareham and John Abbott report that resurfacing work on Bricknell Avenue from Tesco to number 144 has taken place between 9.30 a.m. on Monday April 8^th and Friday April 12^th.

 

In order that a proper job of work could be done in safety, the Council  asked local residents to park their cars elsewhere – whether off street or on a neighbouring street – dung the works Buses were diverted via Fairfax Avenue for the duration as was all other traffic. We realise this may  have caused some short term difficulty but, in the light of concern raised by some residents about vibration from the carriageway and its effect on their properties, we hope local residents will come to see that the long term gain outweighs the short term pain.

Chanterlands Avenue North speeding

John Fareham and John Abbott are making progress with efforts to reduce or eliminate speeding on Chanterlands Avenue North.

 

During our pioneering and trail-blazing mobile forum we received a number of complaints from local residents about motorists doing illegal and excessive speeds on Chanterlands Avenue North. We therefore referred the matter to the Police, pointing out that various residents had given the same account independently – speeding tending to occur after 6 pm on weekdays. They are now discussing between themselves the possibility of speed cameras being used on a temporary basis by Safer Roads Humber. If there are any further developments in this connection we will of course let local residents know.

Chanterlands Avenue pigeon mess

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for pigeon mess to be cleared away from under the Chanterlands Avenue rail bridge.

 

In the course of our pioneering and trailblazing mobile forum we received complaints from local residents to the effect that works undertaken to clean up the vicinity of Chanterlands Avenue rail bridge had been somewhat undermined by the arrival and activities of more feral pigeons. We therefore referred the matter to the officers who have undertaken to put steps in motion to clean up after them. We do of course realise that, as even we would be opposed to drastic and excessive use of force against pigeons in general, problems with these birds will recur, but we are quite content to continue to work on ensuring they cause as little nuisance as possible for as little time as possible.

Bricknell Avenue waste bins

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the emptying of overflowing waste bins on Bricknell Avenue.

 

We received complaints from local residents to the effect that the new metal bins we had installed were now overflowing. We therefore contacted the officers who have arranged between themselves for the bins to be emptied as appropriate. We have also contacted the officers to ask that something be done about the level of graffiti accumulating on the outside of the bins; clearly the sort of yahoos who, given the chance, would have set these bins on fire have found themselves an alternative form of destructive recreation – but not, we hope, one beyond the reach of professional quality cleaning materials.

Wises Farm Road broken glass and debris

John Fareham and John Abbott have resolved issues with dust carts leaving glass and other debris on Wises Farm Road.

 

We received complaints from local residents to the effect that although dustbins were being emptied, pieces of broken glass where nevertheless being found on the carriageway.  We therefore referred the matter to the officers who now inform us that the problem was with a leaking valve on one of the vehicles. This was used to drain off, at the right time and in the right place, any excess liquid that had accumulated along with the rubbish.  Unfortunately liquid was escaping from this valve along with a number of pieces of broken glass.  The vehicle with the leaking valve has now been repaired and it is hoped this will solve the problem, but if there are any further problems of this nature, we will of course act on those as well.

Barrington Avenue bollards

John Fareham and John Abbott continue to pursue the question of how bollards were placed on Barrington Avenue open land without their prior knowledge or consent.

 

We have, for some time, been looking for a means of protecting the open space in front of the former police houses that would command general support.  No consensus as between local residents has yet emerged as to which possible option might best be implemented, so that it came as a considerable surprise to find out that officers had arranged for the installation of bollards without asking us first and without arranging the usual funding from our ward budget.  Indeed officers in the area team are still looking into the question of how these bollards were paid for.  We would however like to reiterate that we did not arrange for their installation, knowing full well that such an idea would meet with the approval of some but not of others, and whilst we do feel there is a health and safety aspect to this matter in respect of children playing on this open space, we would not implement any solution without first checking that it commanded the support of local residents.

Newland Park street light improvements

John Fareham and John Abbott are arranging for improved lights to be fitted to Newland Park lamp standards.

 

John Fareham says, “This is an interim measure pending a solution being found to installing additional lamp standards, possibly sourced from elsewhere as new ones are installed, to bring the luminescence levels up to an acceptable modern standard.  The officers, however, are in the meantime confident that the new light fittings should be brighter and offer a wider spread of illumination.  It goes without saying that we will continue to press, as we already have done, for the additional lamp standards to be fitted, but for the meantime it will be well worth seeing to what extent the new lights improve the position.

Croptpn Park demolition latest

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the utility services at the Cropton Park depot will have been disconnected by the end of March and the demolition of the building can then follow.

 

We have been waiting for some time for all the health and safety obstacles to completion of this work to be removed.  It is now reasonable to expect that the building, complete with what remains of the graffiti we had to campaign to have removed, will be gone within a matter of weeks thereafter.  This is of course part of a wider strategy to improve the safety and appearance of the park including fresh planting to improve security and a continuing multi-agency approach which has reduced the level of arson in the park and will continue to make sure it does not recur.  It goes without saying that we will take seriously any other reports we receive of antisocial behaviour within the park grounds, of whatever kind, and pass them on to the relevant authorities for action.

Fairfax Avenue open land

John Fareham and John Abbott confirm that no planning application has yet been received in respect of the open land on Fairfax Avenue.

 

We have instigated enquiries with the officers who confirm that, although the piece of open land between Fairfax Avenue, Ancaster Avenue and Bricknell Avenue has indeed been bought, no planning application has yet been received. Planning enforcement officers have been put on alert in case somebody tries to build something on the land without first seeking planning permission.   Planning permission should be obtained before building anything and if ever a planning application is received local residents may rest assured that we will circulate details of the application.  We usually include reference number and details of how to submit comments for or against this sort of application  in enough time for any local resident wishing to have their say to have plenty of time to do so.

Allderidge Avenue resurfacing

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for patching and slurry sealing of Allderidge Avenue pavements to be included in  the 2019-20 schedule of forthcoming works.

 

Allderidge Avenue is one of the current beneficiaries of the annual scheme whereby councillors from each ward are invited to nominate the three streets in their own ward which in their opinion are most in need of resurfacing. It goes without saying that a contract for this work will need to be awarded, a process which will take some time, but as soon as we have the dates for the actual work to be carried out, which are, true to tell, unlikely to be available for some time, we will of course let local residents know.

Cottingham Road - Chanterlands Avenue North traffic lights

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the installation of improved traffic lights at the junction of Cottingham Road and Chanterlands Avenue North.

 

The new technology involved goes by the name of Intelligent Transport Systems and we hope it will be more responsive to the ebb and flow of traffic than the previously existing technology.  Whilst we do not yet know the date when the equipment will be installed, we are confident that better response from the equipment to what is going on on the carriageway should improve traffic flow and make it easier for local residents passing this way to progress smoothly from point A to B. Obviously, when we do have the date for the installation of the equipment we will of course pass it on.”

Hotham Road North resurfacing

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the resurfacing of pavements on the north side of Hotham Road North between Bishop Alcock Road and no.146 Hotham Road North.

 

What this means is that this scheme is now part of the Council’s capital programme for 2019-20 to 2021-22. The timing of the actual work will depend on the scheme of priorities to be delegated by Cabinet to the officers, and of course contracts will have to be awarded for the work, but we thought local residents should  know about this as soon as possible and as soon as specifics as to the date of the work are made known we will of course pass these on to local residents. It may be on interest to note that this part of Hotham Road North has been “on our radar” for some time as needing attention, so that it is pleasant to see that the system works and our expressed preference for this to be one of our priority targets for resurfacing work has made its way safely through the system.

Godard Avenue playing fields latest

John Fareham and John Abbott have the latest information on the future of the Goddard Avenue playing fields.

 

Whatever local residents may have heard to the contrary, no planning application has been submitted to build anything at all on the land. If a planning application were to be received, we would of course tell local residents about it, giving details as usual of the application and how and when to submit comments for and against. Regular readers of CONTACT! will have received material along these lines in the past; we can therefore reassure local residents that if ever such a situation were to arise local residents would be kept fully informed throughout.

 

Loveridge Avenue Home Zone latest

John Fareham and  John Abbott have the latest information on the progress of the Loveridge Avenue Home Zone proposal.

 

Since the closing date for consultations several more responses have been received by the corporate centre. These raise various questions that will need to be resolved so that residents can carry out the necessary alterations to their front gardens prior to the scheme being formally advertised and then, presumably, going ahead. The delay is of course caused by the declining number of officers in the employ of the Council, a situation ascribed by others to central funding levels but at least partly a consequence of their own spending priorities. A meeting will be hold in the next week or two between officers, to be followed by one at which we will decide on the final form of the scheme in the light of these discussions. As soon as we have a clearer indication of the timeframe involved we will of course let local residents know.

Bricknell Avenue grass verge protection

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for further rocks to be installed to protect the Bricknell Avenue central reservation.

 

We have made the necessary arrangements with the officers as part of our long standing campaign to keep the less considerate motorists’ wheels safely away from the grassed area and the foliage. We have tended to prefer rocks, which occur naturally elsewhere rand therefore look natural, to the more conventional approach of installing bollards as favoured by others who do not tend to take as firm a view of the matter as we do. It is not likely that the work will cause any substantive inconvenience to local residents, but if it does we will of course notify the residents most directly affected.

Cropton Park security latest

John Fareham and John Abbott have the latest information on efforts to improve Cropton Park security.

 

The current information we have from the officers is that the Area Team worked with other officers of the Council to have the prickly bushes we requested in place by the end of February. As to the police installing  CCTV cameras, the police officer who was to have been responsible for this was, at least in part, seconded – quite rightly of course – to the search for a missing young woman, since found dead,  widely reported in the media.. If there are any further developments we will of course let local residents know.

Bricknell Avenue cariageway tendering process

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the Council have invited tenders for carriageway resurfacing works on Bricknell Avenue.

 

A decision record was circulated to all members which said that a short competition would be held between various companies competent to do this work, using an existing competitive framework, in order to determine which company should get to do the work.  The report accompanying the decision record did not say whether the whole length of Bricknell Avenue was to be done or just some small part of it, but the stretch to be resurfaced is that on the opposite side to the school from Tesco to no. 144.

Newland Patk rubbish removal

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the removal of obtrusive quantities of rubbish from behind a property in Newland Park.

 

In response to complaints from local residents some time ago we referred this matter to the officers who undertook to take the necessary enforcement action.  We now hear that the rubbish has been cleared and that a charge has been placed on the property in question to cover the cost of removing it.  Obviously rubbish, whether it be building waste or household refuse, will continue to be generated and to accumulate.  We therefore stand ready to assist any local resident who wishes, whether here or elsewhere, to refer matters of excessive accumulated rubbish to the Council for action.

Scholars Drive street light repairs

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the repair of a street light near the entrance to Scholars Drive.

 

We received a complaint during our mobile forum to the effect that this light was out of action. We referred the matter to the officers and we the necessary work was carried out within the next forty-eight hours. It goes without saying that we are pleased about this, but we are not so optimistic as to believe this is the last street light that will ever fail on our watch, and we stand ready to report any other non-functioning street lights that we see or that we have drawn to our attention.

 

Lythe Avenue carriageway repairs

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured partial repairs to the carriageway on Lythe Avenue.

We received complaints from local residents to the effect that, although we had already secured repairs to the carriageway in the past, the current state of it now required further intervention.  We therefore took photographs of the potholes and, whilst the officers predictably responded that none of them were deep enough to warrant action under their standard intervention criteria, as a small amount of the surface dressing was coming to pieces, they were prepared to raise an order for the potholes outside nos. 11 and 13 to be filed in.  It goes without saying that, if the state of the carriageway deteriorates still further, we will be prepared to intervene about that as well.

Cropton playing fields demolition work

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the disused building on the Cropton Park playing fields has now begun to be demolished.

Given the level of graffiti this building attracted, some of it wholly unsuitable to be quoted here, and the health and safety issues arising from the discovery of asbestos in the premises, we feel it is entirely appropriate that the building should come down. We do of course continue to pursue further measures to improve park security, but it is our hope that the demolition of this building will reduce the level of temptation for the ungodly to bring their marker pens and their foul language here, and as the corporate centre have long since stopped using the building as a depot, it is now the right time for the building to come down.

Kelvin Hall School and Wyke College oarking

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve problems with on-street parking on Bricknell Avenue by staff and students from Wyke College and Kelvin Hall School.

We have received complaints from local residents to the effect that vehicles which should ideally be parked on the premises of either local educational establishment are instead being parked on Bricknell Avenue itself.  This would seem problematical, especially as such vehicles can, for work reasons, be left there as late as 8 pm, and research into the planning conditions under which both sets of educational premises were built suggests that sufficient on-site parking provision was made a condition of planning permission being granted in the first instance for at least one of the two institutions.  We have therefore written to both Wyke College and Kelvin Hall School asking for their cooperation in keeping staff and student vehicles off the road.  As and when we receive a reply we will of course inform local residents of the outcome.

Newland Park verge maintenance

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to ensure that Newland Park grassed space maintenance continues to be carried out to an acceptable standard.

Negotiations between the Newland Park Residents’ Association and the Council in the matter of a service level agreement have come to an end without an agreement being reached. We are therefore working to secure guarantees from the corporate centre that this will not mean a decline in the standard of maintenance or the frequency of grass cutting. We are of course firmly intent on ensuring that such an outcome is achieved and will report further on this matter as discussions progress.

Chanterlands Avenue rail bridge cleaning

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the Council is engaging specialist cleaning contractors to remove green slime and graffiti from the Chanterlands Avenue railway bridge.

These works, which will begin in January, are of course entirely separate from the proposals for the decoration of the bridge that we are working on in conjunction with our Avenue Ward colleagues, and will involve some disruption to pedestrian access under the bridge while the work is in progress.  As soon as we have more details of the start date and duration of the works we will of course let local residents know, but we thought it wise to make sure that all concerned were aware that these works were in the pipeline.  Of course there are other issues to be addressed relating to the structure and long-term wellbeing of the bridge, and we will continue to press for results on those, but we welcome this development as a potential indication that prolonged pressure on those issues has resulted in the work being scheduled.

Bricknell rail halt latest

John Fareham and John Abbott report that work is continuing on the campaign to establish a Bricknell rail halt.

As regular readers will be aware, we have been contacting all the relevant outside bodies to ask for their assistance in making the rail halt a reality.  Network Rail replied to us recently saying that, while they were not in favour of the idea, one of their team would be attending a meeting of the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership to discuss the matter with them.  This is not of course the sort of reply we were hoping for, but we have asked them to let us know what comes of the meeting and when we have any further information in this connection we will of course let local residents know.

County Road North and National Avenue road markings

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the re-painting of County Road North and National Avenue road markings.

We received complaints from local residents to the effect that certain road markings, specifically those asking motorists to Keep Clear, were becoming more faded than was consistent with road safety. We therefore referred the matter to the officers who have now replied to the effect that whilst they don’t think the Keep Clear markings themselves are especially bad, other markings such as stop lines and give-way markings are in need of repainting. They have therefore issued instructions for all the existing road markings to be repainted though they understandably stress that the work will have to be carried out when the weather is entirely suitable.

Scholars Drive and Cottingham Road pavements

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to secure repairs to the pavements on Cottingham Road between Scholars Drive and Newland Avenue.

The matter was drawn to our attention by local residents during our recent mobile forum. Technically the bit of pavement concerned is only partly in our ward, but we felt the matter should be reported to the appropriate quarters via the officer who was with us on the bus. They now inform us that they will refer the matter to the appropriate officers and will also arrange for the question of a house on that part of Cottingham Road being used for business purposes to be thoroughly investigated.  It goes without saying that, should either of us need to intervene further to secure the appropriate outcome, we will of course do so.

Southfield Road anonymous leaflet

John Fareham and John Abbott are investigating the origins and contents of an anonymous circular sent to residents of Southfield Road regarding the proposal to block off access from Murrayfield Road.

We have been sent copies of this circular which did not come from us or, by the look of it, from any other political party. (If it had come from our opponents it would certainly have said which party it came from and would in all probability not have mentioned individual local residents by name.) We have therefore forwarded the circular to our highways officers with a request that they look into where it came from and how much resemblance its contents bear to the truth; we have our own theories as to its possible origins but we prefer to keep them to ourselves.

National Avenue allotment toilets

John Fareham and John Abbott are arranging for toilet facilities to be installed at the National Avenue allotments.

We received representations from allotment holders about this matter during our recent mobile forum.  We were at that stage prepared in principle to meet the costs if the indicative figures quoted at the time were anything like accurate.  After further discussions with the officers, we are prepared to go ahead on the basis that the council pays for the installation of the toilets and that, in the light of our and the officers’ concern about possible vandalism, the allotment holders would be responsible thereafter for their maintenance.  If this proposal is acceptable to the allotment holders, the council will then be able to go ahead and install the necessary equipment.

County Road North and National Avenue crossing facilities

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the corporate centre is offering resistance to local residents’ expressed wish to see improved pedestrian crossing facilities on County Road North and National Avenue.

We have received representations from local residents to the effect that they find the existing crossing provision inadequate and that they would much prefer it if in addition to the existing crossing facilities near the junction at the Bricknell Avenue end there were crossing facilities further down. We have heard back from the officers to the effect that if such a scheme were to go ahead, it would need to be paid for out of our own ward funds. Leaving aside such partisan issues as whether our budget is calculated on a fair and reasonable basis, we know that our budget is not a bottomless pit of resources and the corporate centre has more money than we do. We have therefore asked for a full explanation of the reasons for their decision and will continue to pursue this matter until it is satisfactorily resolved.