Campaigning in Melksham

Statement regarding the Proposed 447 Homes off Snowberry Lane

When Halam and Bloor first submitted the planning application for the development off Snowberry Lane which would see yet another 447 homes being built in Melksham I was very concerned but tried to work with the developer to see how our community could benefit from this additional construction.

I spent considerable time meeting with the developer’s agent, attending the planning committee meetings as the outline planning application was considered and trying to ensure that the concerns of local residents were considered.

New paths for Brunswick Park

Residents from Hazelwood and the surrounding area are celebrating following winning a bid for £4,000 from the “Your Pint Can” community fund scheme run by Carling and Weatherspoons.

The fund will pay for the materials for the pathways on Brunswick Park, at the far end of Hazelwood Road, to be replaced.

Cycle Track behind Primrose Drive?

Wiltshire Council are running a “pre-consultation” exercise about converting the pathway running between Snowberry Lane and Primrose Drive to a Shared Use footpath for both pedestrians and cyclists.

Local councillor Jon Hubbard is asking residents what they think about the proposed scheme in order that he can put in a submission to the consultation representing their views.

Work set to commence on repairing Primrose Drive Play Area

The play area on Primrose Drive should be back open in the next few weeks following Wiltshire Council confirming that it is happy for Melksham Town Council to undertake the repairs needed to make the facility safe.

Since the Liberal Democrats took control of the Town Council they have been activelyt campaigning for the town to be given all of the play areas to maintain and improve and local councillor Jon Hubbard has commented that this decision is long overdue.

Update on Primrose Drive Play Area

At last night's first meeting of the new Melksham Town Council my colleagues and I started delivering on the pledges we made to local residents during the election.

A reorganisation of the committee structure will help us to deliver on our promises.

Road Closure for Coronation Road as resurfacing work is finally set to start

Wiltshire Council have announced plans to close Coronation Road for it's whole length between Spa Road and Pembroke Road to allow some much needed and overdue carriageway reconstruction work, resurfacing, road marking and adjustment of ironworks work to be undertaken.

The closure order will come into effect on 18th April and they expect the road to remain closed until 5th May.

New 20mph on Kenilworth is finally installed

After several years of campaigning and hard work, the new 20mph limit on Kenilworth Gardens has finally been installed and is now fully operational.

Residents living on the Kenilworth estate are seeing a welcome reduction in speeding traffic thanks to the new 20mph speed limits introduced in February.

A not so happy Christmas for Melksham from HSBC

Plans to close the Melksham Branch of the HSBC have been slammed as ‘selfish’ and ‘short-sighted’ by local Councillor Jon Hubbard.

The bank have announced that they will be closing their Melksham Branch in March, advising residents that they will have to travel to Trowbridge or Devizes now to pay in money or use bank facilities.

Coronation Road Flooding

I've had numerous reports of the flooding on Coronation Road this morning and have been down to take a look.

It's clear that the gullys have become block, no doubt due to the lack of regular maintenance, and I have reported this to the council and arranged for them to be cleared, which should solve the immediate problem of the flooding.

Semington Road Speeding

Following complaints from local residents Cllr Jon Hubbard has requested a Metro Count to be undertaken on Semington Road, near the junction with Longford Road.

Jon has also convinced the Town Council to identify the site for it’s Speed Indicator Device to be located from time to time.

Recycling Changes Cut Services and Penalise Residents

New opening times and rules restricting use of the Household Recycling Centre’s in Wiltshire mean that Melksham residents now find the HRC centre in Bowerhill closed every Tuesday and Wednesday.

The new rules also see the centre only open from 10am to 4pm Thursday to Monday, with many users complaining that they are experiencing queues and delays as skips are swapped over, even after the centre has opened.

Kenilworth 20mph limit one step closer

The new 20mph limit is set to be implemented on Kenilworth Gardens, Longford Road and the remainder of the estate within the next few weeks.

Cllr Jon Hubbard has ensured that the new limit is implemented, despite an issue after Wiltshire Council almost doubled the project cost.

Still no progress on Snowberry Lane Bus Shelter

Local residents and users of Spa Medical Centre are still waiting for the new bus shelter to be installed on Snowberry Lane.

Local councillor Jon Hubbard has chased the council and is now trying to work with the land owner to get the formal permission granted for the new shelter to be installed.

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