Barlaston Parish Council

Annual Parish Meeting

lynnec — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:06:25 +0000

Following the Annual Parish Meeting held on 26 April my Annual Report is available to read here.

‘Pop up’ Restaurant

Gareth Jones — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:12:24 +0000

The idea of converting the Village Hall into a restaurant worked very well on Saturday night (21st April) The food was very well cooked and presented, the atmosphere was pleasant and there were about the right number of tables (all occupied). At £10 per head plus drinks it was good value. It is understood that more Saturday night ventures are planned for later in the year so watch out for the blackboard outside the Village Hall giving details.

Health Centre

Gareth Jones — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:42:28 +0000

I had arranged to meet, accompanied by Councillor Tony Dodd, with Dr Richard Payne and the Practice Manager at Cumberland House at lunchtime today (Wed 28th March). Before I went I thought I would check at the Health Centre how long I would have to wait if I wanted an appointment with any GP. I was pleasantly surprised to be informed that there were several ‘slots’ available at the Health Centre on Friday 30th March but if I wanted to go to Stone I would have to wait until Wednesday 4th April.

I was told at the meeting that if anyone wanted medical advice without waiting for an appoinment that GPs were available for consultation on the telephone between 11 and 11.30 am each weekday. I must admit that I was not aware of the availability of this service.

Open Forum

Gareth Jones — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:33:05 +0000

Four young people from Barlaston Park attended the Open Forum of the Parish Council meeting last night. They were concerned that there was a lack of opportunity for social activity on the Park and they outlined their preliminary plans to address the issue including fund raising. They were received very positively by the Councillors present. Councillor Tony Dodd undertook to act as a link between the Group and the Council so that progress on their ideas could be monitored and where appropriate assistance given.

Facilities for under 5′s in the village

lynnec — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:44:23 +0000

I recently came across a comment from a young mother who wrote that there was not much in the village for young mums with toddlers. I checked with the Children’s Centre at the village school and they were pleased to give me a copy of the current
timetable. It looks pretty comprehensive to me. I was also told that the Centre
is well used. We are very lucky to have such a good facility in the village.
In addition there is Tot’s Church on a Tuesday afternoon and the Health
Visitors have a weekly session in the Village Hall on a Wednesday morning. You can access a copy of the February/March Children’s Centre timetable here.

Village Show

Gareth Jones — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 19:11:46 +0000

The secretary of the Barlaston Show Committe, Steve Parry Thomas, tells me that work is in hand for the 2012 event. It will be held on Saturday 8th September. There will be more focus on country crafts than in other years. For the latest news either use the website www.bvshow.co.uk or email info@bvshow.co.uk

It will also be possible to follow developments on Twitter by going to #Barlaston

Golden Jubilee Award

Gareth Jones — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:02:20 +0000

The closing date for nominations for villagers to be considered for the Golden Jubilee Award is 28th February. If you have someone in mind who has given meritorious service to the Village over a period of time, then please email the Parish Clerk with details on clerk@barlaston.org.uk

The award will be presented at one of the events held to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Developments at Strongford

Gareth Jones — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:09:01 +0000

At the February Parish Council meeting two senior management representatives of Severn Trent Water gave a presentation outlining their proposals for a major development at their effluent processing plant at Strongford.

A European Community Directive requires from 2014 that phosphorous is removed from effluent before treated water is returned to the river Trent. The project to acheve this will involve the construction of an Activated Sludge Plant and six Final settlement tanks. These would be located in the middle of the site and would not have significant visual impact

The work would start in April 2012 and the construction is expected to take around 24 months.

Councillors were pleased to learn that the spoil from the excavation would not be removed from site but would be used to landscspe an adjacent field between the plant and the A34.

It was stated that the disruptive impact of the development would be broadly similar to the work that was undertaken between 2007 and 2011. There was no increase in the catchment area involved, the site would remain to serve the populations of Stoke and Newcastle.

It was estimated that during the peak of the construction period the number of HGV movements between the site and Trentham Road (A5035) would increase from 30 to 50 per day. It was also clear but not possible to quantify that there would be an incease in vehicular traffic through Barlaston which was of some concern.

It was evident that the development was causing considerable concern to Trentham residents directly affected (some were present at the meeting). The point was forcefully made that Old Road with buses and an increasing number of heavy sludge lorries was becoming increasingly unpleasant to use

Village Hall Event

Gareth Jones — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:45:16 +0000

This is an advanced notice for an event planned for the Villge Hall.

Bernard Wrigley, a well known ‘northern ‘ entertainer, has been booked for a show on Saturday March 10th. The programme will start at 7.30pm and tickets cost £7.50.

Bernard recently filled the Gatehouse Theatre in Stafford and was very well received. Tickets can be obtained from Charles Aked on 01782350347.

Please help to ensure that this will be a memorable night.

Wedgwood Memorial College

Gareth Jones — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:04:35 +0000

The comment about Wedgwood Memorial College in the Stoke City Council Budget Report makes interesting reading as follows:-

Wedgwood Memorial College

‘Although this attracted the biggest support in numbers in the consultation, over 90%of the respondents were from outside the City with many from across the world. Options are being considered and dialogue with interested parties is continuing but clarity for the future must be agreed soon. ’

It is known that the ‘Save the Wedgwood College Group’ have heeded the advice given at the public meeting and are arranging to meet with Council officers shortly.

From the Parish Council standpoint it is difficult to guage what the concensus view of villagers is on the subject. The attendance at the public meeting was low but that does not necessarily signify a lack of interest.

The issue will be discussed again at the Parish Council meeting on 7th February. I would appreciate receiving any comments on the ‘Blog’ before then. Should the Parish Council consider making a small donation to the Campaign Group to signify its support? Parish Council Policy remains that the College should be the subject of a Community Asset Transfer