Agenda item

Items Raised by Residents

Minutes:

Illegal and dangerous parking on roads around Albion Street with apparently no enforcement. Speeding drivers on local roads as above and further towards the Fairfield Estate. It was noted in the Police update that they will be addressing this in the near future.

Drain clearing on roads (lack of), with large puddles regularly. Drains are cleared by LCC between 18 and 24 months on rotation. Newer drains have larger collection ‘buckets’ but a lot of the older ones don’t. Any drains that are flooding should be reported to Bill and he’ll arrange clearing.

Weed clearance on footpaths and local streets is poor. This is the responsibility of LCC who spray twice a year; they can only use contact weedkiller to ensure that it does not enter the water table meaning that if it rains the weedkiller is then ineffective.

Litter picking and cleaning is insufficient. This will be raised with the Council’s team by J Wells. Residents noted appreciation for the Wombles working in the area.

Road condition of Saffron Road is poor, uneven and needs resurfacing. This has been reported to LCC to address.

Lack of maintenance of verges on footpaths, canal side and Guthlaxton Cycle Path with overgrown hedges and growth. As is the tree at the corner of Glengate. This has been reported to LCC Highways for action and should be addressed in the near future. The Canal and River Trust is responsible for the towpaths and reports to them will be made. The brambles along Spion Kop adjacent to the industrial estate were also raised as a concern; Bill will report this accordingly.

Bench within Bus Shelter near Jasmine Court (£300). Funding request received by a local resident. Residents present at the Forum approved the funding to be released.

Give Way signage at the junction of Safron Road and Gloucester Crescent. The three mini roundabouts have give way signs except the roundabout at the junction with Gloucester Crescent heading into South Wigston from Leicester. Cllr. Boulter will follow this up with County.

Armed Forces Breakfasts and a support group for their families. A request was made for a grant of £300 to get the group off the ground. Residents present at the Forum approved the funding to be released.

Fairfield Park – The house adjacent to the school has taken down the existing fencing that was installed with the building of the property. A new fence line has been staked out by the owner that appears to be a foot or more further into the park, effectively stealing public land. The soffits and fascias of the property already overhang the park. M Smith will make Planning aware of this tomorrow morning.

Marquis of Queensbury – It has been bought by a consortium and is being renovated by the same company that did the Grand Hotel in Leicester.

Alpha House, Countesthorpe Road – The windows at the top of the building are being refurbished. Once works have started there is no deadline for when it needs to be completed by. Planning permission is attached to the building for 20 flats but the use of the building may not change from offices.

Martins Newsagents – This is owned by the bank following bankruptcy after Covid.

Paragon Site – The trees on the site will be surveyed and a TPO likely placed on them. The site has been measured for development.

A resident raised a complaint about the hedge encroaching onto the pavement on Station Road following the corner of Manor Street. It is currently difficult to pass on a mobility scooter.

Resurfacing of Lansdowne Grove is also required; LCC Highways are responsible for this.

Grass cutting – The County Council and most districts agreed to do ‘No Mow May’ last year going forward. The unseasonable weather caused grass to grow much quicker this year however and the Council’s equipment was unable to cut it. The equipment has now been changed and, following the retirement of the previous tractor driver, a new driver has been hired enabling cutting to take place. The routine grass cutting is now taking place for OWBC; the County Council has reduced their cutting regime however. There are also a number of parcels of land in the Borough that the Council has previously maintained that it has now emerged it doesn’t own; developers and landowners have been approached to now maintain their land and those that don’t could be fined by the Council, or the land maintained by the Council and the developer charged for the work.

Praise was raised for Eleanor, the Brocks Hill Ranger, for the work she has done maintaining the woodland to the rear of Windlass Drive.

Bushloe House – Residents queried what is happening with the building. It is sold subject to contract with the owners having paid a £50,000 deposit. Historic England are currently working on the planning application for the proposed changes to the building. Proposed plans are for a nursing home and associated flats on site. Historic England are concerned that the new development will not be sympathetic to the Grade 2 listed section of the building. The funds from the sale will offset the costs of the move to Brocks Hill.

The Cue Club – The owners of the club were present at the meeting and highlighted that they are trying to address the parking complaints raised in the Forum previously; patrons of the club have been signposted to use the Countesthorpe Road car park and avoid parking in the side streets and Menphis car park. Complaints had also been raised about noise from the venue at night; this has been disputed however and an invite made to all present at the meeting to pop in to the club and assess this. It was noted that the Club is trying as hard as possible to address the concerns raised but that, fairly to the owners, they are unable to control the actions of the patrons as they leave the premises. People smoking on the front of the premises was also raised and it was noted that again the club, without a dedicated outdoor smoking area, are trying to stay on top of the waste it generates. The owners also noted that they have been asked to put on a ‘seniors club’; this will be taking place on set afternoons, free of charge.

Mary Flynn highlighted the new mobile Food Pantry that is attending Albion Street every Thursday from 10:30 to 13:30. There is an eligibility criteria to be able to access the pantry, and there is a £5 charge to access it to then get £25-£30 worth of groceries including non-food items. Mary also promoted the ‘Comm-Fest’ event taking place this coming Saturday next to the One Stop shop on Gloucester Crescent as an extension of the Soft Touch Arts project; one of the graffiti project’s artworks will be unveiled at the event. There will be stalls present at the event representing local groups and projects in the South Wigston area. A children wildlife competition being ran in conjunction with EMR was also promoted for young people aged 5-16 years.

A resident noted that once a fortnight, 10am-12 midday, there is a food bank run by the Lions. This also serves as a social club for some elderly individuals and costs £1.50 per week to join. Cllr. Boulter noted that if anyone needs a food parcel this can be arranged through him.

Archies Tractor Run – This will be coming back to the Borough this year as per last year.

Christmas Capers will be taking place on 7 December; Blaby Road will be closed on this date.