July 16 print:layout 1 28/07/2016 15:19 Page 1 Messing cum Inworth Parish Council Parish News August 2016 Issue 4 SCHOOL ROAD DEVELOPMENT The development adjacent to Messing Primary School is now complete, and has seen the occupation of the two affordable houses and also that of the privately funded house. To the rear of the affordable houses is the school s new car park which gives a safe haven for children, teachers and parents alike. It has also had an immediate impact on the village by removing on-street parking from the junction of School Road and New Road. continued on page 3 Flood Alleviation Works The Messing Flood Alleviation Works are now, at last, complete. New drainage pipes laid, attenuation unit in place under the playground, new ditches dug and old ditches reinstated. See pages 4 and 5 for full story.
July 16 print:layout 1 28/07/2016 15:19 Page 2 MESSING cum INWORTH PARISH COUNCIL Chairman: David Smith Parish Clerk: Dawn Marriott Fairwinds, 13 New Lane, Feering, Essex CO5 9EJ Telephone: 01376 571917 Mobile: (urgent matters only) 07889 913073 Email: messingandinworthparishclerk @gmail.com COUNCILLORS: Messing John Dey 01621 818434 Jon Longman 01621 819443 Laura Marven 01621 817721 David Smith (chair) 01621 810828 Robert Suckling 01621 819702 Inworth John Lindsay 01376 572201 Simon Patten 01376 571033 Under the Spotlight: Chairman s notes A Full Compliment. I am very pleased to report that the parish council now has a full quota of councillors, and a balanced representation of members for the two villages. At the meeting held on the 19th April, John Lindsay and Simon Patten were both co-opted on to the parish council and will be the representatives for Inworth. Both John and Simon are residents of Inworth, with John being a long term resident, and Simon, the new boy having been in the village for only a couple of years. Other long term residents in the parish may recognise the name Lindsay being that John s wife Mary served on the PC in the 90 s. Two major projects in Messing village have now reached fruition, the School Road Development and the Flood Alleviation Works, both of which I am sure will be of future benefit to the village. I wish to offer my thanks to all of those who were generous with time and effort that was forthcoming in the implementation of both projects. David Smith, Chairman. Messing cum Inworth Parish Council Hello, my name Simon Patten and I am a new Parish Councillor representing the village of Inworth. My Family and I recently moved into Inworth and have been made most welcome, and it was one of our Inworth friends who introduced me to the idea of becoming a Parish Councillor. Never having done anything like this before it is a learning curve but I am enjoying the role and there is much to do with many new projects coming up. I and fellow Inworth Parish Councillor, Mr John Lindsay, are committed to being the voice of Inworth on the Council and we very much hope and wish for you to put your ideas, concerns and questions about the local area to us and we will raise them for you at the meetings and report back. page 2
July 16 print:layout 1 28/07/2016 15:19 Page 3 School Road Development (continued)......... C ontained within the area to the rear of the car park is the Allotment site, and parking for the allotments will be self-contained to maximise safety for school users. The Parish Council, on behalf of the resident s of Messing and Inworth, welcome the new residents of the School Road development, and should they need help or advise, contact details can be found on page 2. Parish Oil Syndicate The Parish Council runs a very successful Heating Oil Syndicate. Due to the placement of regular bulk orders we are able to gain very advantageous prices. To be included in the syndicate please contact: Cllr. Jon Longman jmelongman@aol.com 01621 819443 Part of the new car parking for Messing Primary School Parish Councillors Easter visit to Messing Primary School On Thursday 24th March, David Smith and Laura Marven had the honour of visiting Messing Primary school to perform the important duty of judging their best decorated Easter egg competition. There were some fantastically creative ideas and as is always the case with these things it was incredibly difficult to choose the winners. At the school assembly where we presented prizes to the winners, we also had the opportunity to talk about the work of the Parish Council. We spoke about some of the projects that were underway in the village which we hoped they would all benefit from. There was huge enthusiasm for the orchard and the children and staff talked about how the new car park is making their journeys to and from school much safer than in the past. After the prize giving ceremony, David and I were lucky enough to have a guided tour of the school and as we left we handed over a basket of chocolate eggs for the children to enjoy at the end of the day. Spending the morning amongst such polite and enquiring youngsters was a truly uplifting experience for us both. page 3
July 16 print:layout 1 28/07/2016 15:19 Page 4 Flood Alleviation Works Last summer we were pleased to see the first part of the Village Flood Alleviation project completed in the shape of the redesign for the village hall entrance gates, which have proved successful insomuch as the hall has stayed dry. The main civil engineering side of the flood works is now complete and has certainly proved it s worth in the face of the recent wet weather, and it is hoped that it will protect the village from any serious flooding for many years to come. Property protected! The bund in the playground prevented probable flooding to the neighbouring property. page 4 Going down! Excuvation work underway in the playground to house the attenuation cells. The overall works were made up of five sections, the first of which was the installation of attenuation cells beneath the playground. These cells combine to form what is, in basic terms, a very large soakaway, which in times of extreme rain can store vast amounts of water and thereby prevent flooding. The bund that runs alongside the rear hedge of playground is to prevent heavy run-off from the playground entering the garage and garden of the neighbouring property. After heavy storms, during the early hours of 31st May, further drainage was installed to avoid future surface water in the playground. Secondly, new kerbside drains were installed at the junction of School Road and Kelvedon Road. These drains collect surface rain water which is diverted from flowing down to the lower part of the village. It now flows though newly installed, large capacity underground pipework, into the third part of the works, a new ditch adjacent to the cemetery, which is connected by pipework to an existing ditch which runs through farmland down to Domsey Brook.
July 16 print:layout 1 28/07/2016 15:19 Page 5 Stormy waters! Potential flood waters were diverted down to Domsey Brook via the new ditch alongside the cemetery cemetery. The Parish Council wish to offer it s appreciation to the Flood Committee for all the time and hard work given to this project, and special thanks to Cllr. Kevin Bentley for his support in acquiring the funds to make the project possible, and we also thank all village residents for their tolerance and understanding with any disruption caused by these very important works. Village Hall Playground The forth part of the project was the installation of improved pipework under the road in front of the village hall. It then travels down the farm track to the right of the village hall to a soakaway, and in the event of exception rain, should the soakaway be unable to cope, water will surface drain down to Domsey Brook, again, preventing water reaching the lower part of the village. Lastly, a ditch was reinstated to faarm land at the rear of School Road ensuring that run-off from the field entered the ditch alongside of the Unfortunately, early last year, after an official playground inspection, we saw the removal of the playground swings, which were, on safety grounds, deemed unsuitable for use. It was later found that the climbing frame/slide had also become dangerous, and cannot be reinstalled. Over the past year, funding for the swings has been acquired, and new ones will be installed once the equipment supplier has surveyed the playground. Funding for a new climbing frame/slide is now an ongoing project. Grass seed on the playground has taken and is growing well. page 5
July 16 print:layout 1 28/07/2016 15:19 Page 6 Messing Village Allotments The Allotment site is soon to be officially handed over to the parish council, after which the plots will be marked out and offered to those who have registered their interest. The plots themselves will probably be approximately half size, and the site will have it s own secure car park, and a stand-pipe tap will also be available. We have a list of registered interest for plots, so, should you wish to take up a plot, please contact the parish clerk as soon as possible, The Allotments will eventually be under the guidance of the Allotment Committee and if you are interested in joining the committee, again, please inform the parish clerk. (contact details page 2) Princess Diana Memorial Garden Last autumn, it was brought to our attention that the rose bushes in the Princess Diana Memorial Garden, situated alongside the War Memorial, were in poor condition and it was therefore decided to replace them. page 6 The rose bed on the verge, fronting the church, has been removed, and the beds either side of the bench have been reduced in size, this is solely for the ease of maintenance. Four new bushes have been planted in each bed, and for the keen gardeners amongst us, the variety is Special Anniversary. (see photo above)
July 16 print:layout 1 28/07/2016 15:19 Page 7 Messing Community Orchard Last September, at the Messing late summer market, we first shared our aspiration to create a village orchard on a piece of land that formed part of the Red House site. While legal wheels turn slowly, we are beginning to see real traction and expect to become legal owners in the very near future. At that stage, we can begin to push ahead with the project. So what else have we been doing in the last 12 months to prepare... Fact finding: there have been a number of 'field trips' to similar schemes. The visit to Chignal & Mashbury Community Orchard (north-west Chelmsford) was particularly inspirational and we came away with useful tips on how to set up and then run a successful community orchard. Raising awareness & interest: many of you have generously expressed an interest in supporting the scheme in very practical ways whether it be a willingness to support fund raising activities, be part of the organisational committee or indeed to lend us your rippling muscles when we come to plant out the orchard. Thank you to all of you who have already registered an interest, if you haven't yet come forward but think you might be interested in helping out, please contact Laura Marven (marvens783@gmail.com). Sponsorship & funding: we have been successful in securing the support of local businesses, notably Perrywoods, and with the help of our Borough Councillors, have received some funding towards a pavilion and wheelchair friendly picnic benches for the site. Other funding sources are also being pursued which will be primarily used for the installation of secure entrance gates and car parking facilities, which will include disabled parking bays. So what are the next steps? The Parish Council is keen to see this project led by the community and have consciously tried to make as few decisions as possible to date. This will give the Orchard Committee the freedom to design the orchard and drive the project in a manner they agree is most appropriate. We will ensure at least one member of the parish council participates in each meeting to offer any support and assistance you might require. At the appropriate time, we will be contacting those of you who expressed an interest in the organisational aspects of the orchard to get the organising committee up and running. If anyone out there is interested in taking the lead as chair of this group, please don't be shy... page 7
July 16 print:layout 1 28/07/2016 15:19 Page 8 Need to report a problem? FLY TIPPING Anyone can report directly to Colchester Borough Council any issues of fly tipping Either use the link on the CBC website https://iconnect.colchester.gov.u k/build/fillform.php?f.name=gur 0gdxTArd Or you can just ring one of the zone wardens Gary Cole on 07507 647373 Other issues Footpaths, pot holes, damaged or missing road signs Via Essex County Council website http://www.essexhighways.org/r eport-a- problem.aspx or in an emergency- e.g. road blocked by fallen tree 0345 6037631 page 8 YOUR VILLAGE NEEDS YOU Allotment Committee Allotment plots will very shortly be available, If you are interested in becomming an Allotment Committee member, contact the Parish Clerk: messingandinworthparishclerk @gmail.com Orchard Committee This exciting new project will also necessitate the need of a Community Orchard Committee. If this is of interest to you, please register your details with Laura Marven: marvens783@gmail.com Friends of Messing Church The Fiends of Messing Church is the fund raising arm of All Staints Church, Messing and is looking for new members to join them. For more information contact Jan Barker: jancandybarker@btinternet.com Grass Cutting Rota The grass cutting rota on Messing consists of the church yard, cemetery, village hall playground and the memorial gardens, all of which are done on a voluntary basis, wth mowers and fuel provided. If you feel you would be willing to give up just a few hours for just one day a year, please contact David Smith: messing.green @gmail.com