Last week, at the behest of the Parish Council, the Member of Parliament for Herefordshire, the Right Honourable Jesse Norman and also our Ward Councillor, David Summers, attended a village tour/site meeting hosted by several Parish Council members. Following the lack of response by the authorities to the Parish Council, the purpose of the meeting was to enlist the assistance of Jesse Norman MP.

The following items were discussed:

1) Road defects around the school, in particular the blocked drain causing flooding in the vicinity of the bus stop which, despite continual requests to the relevant authorities over a long period of time, still remains unresolved.

2) Dangerous junction adjacent to the bus stop and still-awaited speed calming: The Parish Council met with Herefordshire Council (HC) and Balfour Beatty (BB) in 2017 and again in 2019 to request highway safety works which were then agreed and scheduled go ahead within a matter of months; namely a safety alteration to the layout of the junction to provide better visibility, speed cushions, 20mph roundels and flashing 20mph signage. Perplexingly, two years later the works are still awaited and updates are unforthcoming. The MP asked for a photograph to be taken at the junction in order to add weight to his campaign to help resolve this matter. Please see this photograph below.

3) Sewage flooding at properties on St David’s Rise: The party viewed the location of the issues. Welsh Water needs to be requested to investigate the cause of the sewage emergence, in association with Balfour Beatty (who are responsible for the surface water drains which appear to be causing the problems).

4) Parking at St David’s Rise: This issue was related to concerns about the lack of parking and access for emergency vehicles for elderly residents. Again, after years of ‘talks’ with the authorities, the PC hopes the MP can assist with progressing the creation of additional parking.

5) The Poplar trees at the Play Area: The MP was shown the line of tall Poplar trees that run along the lower boundary of the Play Area. The Parish Council is the tenant of the land and the landlord is Herefordshire Council. The query is the condition of the trees and with whom the responsibility for them lies. A report on the trees from a specialist arboriculturist is awaited.