Southam News

Following on from the Southam News article 'Tip' which highlighted the problems on using the Stockton Tip aka 'recycling centre',  Warwickshire County Council have ammended some of the restrictions regarding its Vehicle Restriction Policy:

• Maximum trailer bed length is now 1.83 metres (6 feet)

• There is an exemption for unaccompanied bulky household electrical and electronic equipment delivered in vans to most recycling centres (fridges and freezers not accepted at Wellesbourne -  who would want to go to Wellesbourne anyway?)

• There is an exemption for larger trailers – up to 2.5 metres in length – for the disposal of unaccompanied compostable green waste on weekdays before 12 noon (not Bank Holidays).

The revised policy, updated webpages and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) together with a downloadable vehicle permit application form for residents owning a car-derived van or twin-cab pick-up is at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/vehiclerestrictions

Vehicle permit application forms are also available from the Customer Service Centre on 01926 412593.

The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Monday, 2 August 2010 at 7.30pm.

It will be held at St Michael’s Church Hall. Members of the public and press are invited to attend the Parish Council meeting and are welcome to address the Parish Council on any matters they wish to raise during the public forum.

 Bishops Itchington Parish Council

 What's On Diary

Bigger, Bolder, Better: Avon Dassett’s 2010 Fete Flies You Further!

After last year’s rain failed to dampen spirits, the summer sunshine has truly arrived in good time for this year’s Avon Dassett Village Fete, and it promises to be the most exciting yet!

The annual event, one of Warwickshire’s biggest fetes, has been attracting the crowds and raising many thousands of pounds for local and national charities for over 20 years.

This year’s fete kicks off at 2pm on Saturday 7th August 2010 and will feature a host of traditional country pursuits, from ferret racing to fly-fishing, gundog and show-jumping displays, to a chance to ride the famous Dassett Mare, our wooden jousting horse.

This year brings a modern twist, with street dance and ballet demonstrations to light up the main ring, together with the return of the dog show.

There will be a multitude of craft and gift stalls pitching their wares, a classic car display, and children will be thrilled by face painting, the Great Baloni’s magical extravaganza and, for the 6 & unders, their very own Tea Party from 5.45pm to 7pm.

This year’s charity Raffle is the cherry on the icing on the (locally produced) cake; there are prizes galore but the Star Prize is something extra special:

TWO Virgin Airlines Return Flights to……ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!!!

To keep everyone going, there’s a fully licensed late bar, a tea & cake tent and local culinary delicacies sizzling away throughout the day.

From 8.30pm, the main stage welcomes local band The Duckworths and a DJ to dance the night away into the early hours. Tickets for the evening are £6 at the door.

Fete Chairman, Steve Sartori, said: “We've been delighted by the way the event has developed from a small beginning. What's great about the fete is that it is both a family friendly village occasion that brings our community together, as well as one of the county’s biggest fundraisers for local charities.”

The Avon Dassett Fete starts at 2pm Saturday 7th August 2010. The village is easily found just off the B4100 between Gaydon and Banbury.
Day Entrance and Car Parking is FREE. Evening tickets are £6.

Proceeds from the fete will go to Myton Hospice, Friends of the Dassett School, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance and village projects.

For further information, please contact:
Steve Sartori, The Avon, Avon Dassett, Warwickshire CV47 2AS
 01295 690270
  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 Avon Dassett Fete

 What's On Diary

Road Closed: Advance Warning

BRICKYARD LANE, NAPTON-ON-THE-HILL

The above road will be closed from the junction of the A425 Daventry Road to the Canal Bridge, a distance of approx 800m, for approximately 2 weeks between the 9 and 27 August 2010 for carriageway resurfacing works.

An alternative route will be available via: A425 Daventry Road, Butt Hill, Vicarage Road, C50 Hackwell Street, High Street, New Street, Howcombe Lane, Poplar Road, Brickyard Lane

Access to and egress from properties and land adjacent to this length of road, and for pedestrians, will be maintained at all times.

The Council regrets any inconvenience that may be caused.

Beatles tribute act The Fab4 will be performing at the Cuttle Inn, Long Itchington, this Saturday [July 31]

If you simply can't wait to hear The Fab4: Put this in your ears:

 The Cuttle Inn

 What's On Diary

Details have been released pertaining to tunnel design for the proposed rail link and, specifically, to the Long Itchington tunnel.

From HS2 Ltd:

"This note gives a brief description of the HS2 tunnels and the expected levels of noise and vibration. The design of HS2 is still at an early stage, and we are continuing to work on it, so that during public consultation we will be able to demonstrate how the four main tunnels would be built and operated with minimal noise and vibration.

The tunnels would be built through a variety of soil conditions, including London clay and chalk. However the key determinant of any noise and vibration is the design of the track and associated components – known as the trackform.

Trackform (rails, sleepers, supporting substructure and rail fastenings)
The track design for tunnels in the vicinity of properties and other sensitive locations, such as schools, hospitals and meeting halls, would use the latest modern trackforms. We would design all four tunnels to meet stringent engineering and environmental criteria in order to minimise track borne noise and vibration in all types of ground conditions.

We will examine systems recently used on other high speed systems, particularly HS1 whose systems were developed for similar ground and urban conditions. The systems adopted by HS1, Crossrail and other international rail projects including Cheonan Station (Korea), Germany, Japan and France have trackforms specified and designed to isolate the vibration from train wheels. These projects include tunnels under locations such as the Barbican Concert Hall, high density urban and other sensitive properties.

Long Itchington Wood Tunnel
This short tunnel (1.4km) would be a single bore with an internal diameter of 12.8m. The diameter would be necessary to alleviate the aerodynamic effects from the speed planned for this part of the route.

Ground conditions and underlying rock strata in the vicinity of this tunnel are known to be mixed; so until a full geotechnical investigation has been carried out, we would not determine whether the tunnel would be constructed using a road header drill with spayed concrete lining, or a tunnel boring machine".

Road Closed: Advance Warning

PARK LANE, ST JAMES ROAD AND WATTONS LANE, SOUTHAM

The following roads will be closed to through traffic:-
Park Lane, Southam, from the junction of Market Hill to the junction with St James Road 

St James Road from the junction with Park Lane to the junction with Welsh Road West

Wattons Lane from the junction with Park Lane to the junction with footpath over the river

This is for the installation of traffic calming and carriageway resurfacing works.

The dates for the closures are from 2 August until 20 August 2010.

An alternative route will be available via: Welsh Road West, Coventry Street, High Street

Access to and egress from properties and land adjacent to this length of road, and for pedestrians, will be maintained at all times.

The Council regrets any inconvenience that may be caused.

Party on the Pitch, which took place on Saturday July 17th at Southam Rugby Club, has proved a great success.

The event, which was ran in association with the Motor Neurone Association, had 1000 - 1200 people attend, who "drank the bar out and donated at least £2500 to mnda".

Photos of the Party on the Pitch at Southam Rugby Club are available here.

 Southam Rugby Club

Property owners along the proposed HS2 link are to get financial assistance in advance of the official start of the project.

Owners who can show that they need to sell urgently, and have suffered property blight because of the possibility of the scheme going ahead, will be able to sell to the Government at the going market rate for their property. This includes agricultural and small commercial units.

This applies to properties on the preferred route of the High-Speed 2 line: not to any suggested alternatives.

Philip Hammond, Transport Secretary, told the Commons Transport Committee: "People who currently are faced with extreme hardship as a result of the identification of that route have the possibility of being able to sell their properties, notwithstanding the inevitable planning blight".

Conditions Apply:

• Commercial properties must have a rateable value under £34,800
• Reasons for needing to sell a property urgently could include work, a new baby, a move into sheltered accommodation, medical problems, divorce or the threat of repossession
• The scheme will open on August 20 and applicants must show that the property has been on the market for three months or more and attracted no offers above 85% of its value before the route was announced in March.

Warwickshire Police report a fall in the fear of anti-social behaviour in the county.

The percentage of residents who believe there to be a high level of anti-social behaviour generally in their local area, fell from 23% in 2006/7 to 15% in 2009/10.

During the same period fear of teenagers hanging around on the streets fell from 57% to 34%.

The percentage of residents who expressed concern about vandalism, graffiti and other deliberate damage to properties or vehicles also fell from 39% to 26%.

George Stepney, Warwickshire Police Community Intervention Manager said: “The results of this survey reflects the hard work undertaken in the county to reduce crime and residents’ fear of crime.

"Warwickshire Police and partner agencies aim to build on these successes, making Warwickshire even safer and protecting more people from harm with the resources available."

All statistics used in this item were obtained from the Warwickshire Observatory’s Fear of Crime & Perceptions of Anti-Social Behaviour document 2009/10.