The Parish Council met on 14th September and one of the items of discussion was the television digital switchover for this area. Cllr Terry Hardie has kindly looked into this matter and gives full details for your information in a separate article in this newsletter.
Minutes of the September meeting are available on the parish council pages of this website and also on the council notice board outside school.
Gravel Extraction Planning Application: The application by Hanson Quarry Products Europe Ltd. for the extraction of sand and gravel on land to the south and south east of Down Ampney up to the Glos/Wilts boarder has just been submitted. This application follows the public consultation which you were all invited to in May at the Gateway Centre. The application can be viewed on www.wiltshire.gov.uk Application No. 09/0050/CWMAJM and comments should be made by 8th October 2009 if you so wish. The parish council will be making their response to endeavour our parish is safeguarded from increased traffic, noise and any other likely disturbance to normal village life.
Village Hall Annex: As reported in the September newsletter the plans for the hall annex to house our new community shop are progressing well. The planning application regarding the solar and voltaic panels and light tubes has been granted planning permission by CDC which means we are now going full steam ahead to secure a grant towards the project. These are very exciting times for Down Ampney and the Parish Council would like to thank villagers who have been and are continuing to raise funds for the build and also those who are working hard behind the scenes to ensure we have the very best facilities possible.
The Down Ampney Calendar has been selling extremely well and talking to villagers it’s evident that friends and families far and wide are going to have a taste of Down Ampney on their walls after Christmas. They are indeed an ideal Christmas present to send through the post (envelopes provided with Calendar). There have been a limited number printed so get yours now to avoid disappointment.
Down Ampney Youth Group: A youth group was set up last March and is held every Tuesday evening between 6.30 pm and 8.30 pm in the village hall. It is run by the Central Cotswold Youth People’s Project with trained youth workers. The Parish Council are very pleased with the way the group is working and are proud to be supporting this project. As well as meeting in the village hall the group organise other activities and take the youngsters on regular trips and fun events. If you are interested in attending just go along and talk to the leaders on any Tuesday evening.
Mobile Police Station: This will be attending at Down Ampney Village Hall car park as set out below. If you have any concerns please feel free to visit and talk to PC Bowman.
Route Nine |
Kempsford |
Down Ampney |
Poulton |
Ampney St Peter |
T1: 14 Oct 2009 |
1320 - 1345 |
1400 - 1445 |
1500 - 1530 |
1540 - 1600 |
T2: 28 Oct 2009 |
1750 - 1815 |
1830 - 1915 |
1930 - 2000 |
2010 - 2030 |
The next Parish Council meeting is on Monday 9th November @ 7.30 pm in the upstairs meeting room of the village hall – access via the back door.
Content by Julia Job
Mobile Police Station: This will be attending at Down Ampney Village Hall as set out below. If you have any concerns please feel free to visit and talk to PC Bowman.
Route Nine |
Kempsford |
Down Ampney |
Poulton |
Ampney St Peter |
T1: 1 Sept 2009 |
1320 - 1345 |
1400 - 1445 |
1500 - 1530 |
1540 - 1600 |
T2: 16 Sept 2009 |
1750 - 1815 |
1830 - 1915 |
1930 - 2000 |
2010 - 2030 |
There have been incidents of some thefts on the airfield so please get into the habit of locking cars, sheds and garages to safeguard your belongings.
Fly Tipping: After months of having a tidy village we have recently had an incident of a large amount of rubbish being dumped in the wood near the church. If you should witness this happening anywhere in our village please report it, with registration number of the vehicle, to the non emergency police number which is 0845 090 1234. The Co-operative group spent a large sum of money last year removing rubbish from the estate - despite the sterling help residents have given by our spring clean up and also picking up litter and taking it home when they are out walking.
Lorry Watch Scheme: This is proving to be successful and residents have noted a marked reduction in the number of muti axle vehicles coming through the village. Vehicles with more than two axles are only allowed into the village if they have legitimate business within the 18 tonne area of the parish boundary (they cannot go through the 18 tonne area to get to the 7.5 tonne area i.e. to Down Ampney Airfield).; If you witness the weight limit being ignored please note the following information:
Please then forward this information to Roger Stokes on 01793 750674 or myself on 01793 750532 and we will then forward it on to the Enforcement Officer for the County.
Volunteer Emergency Register: Last Autumn the Parish Council asked for volunteers to go on our Village Emergency Register so we could call upon you in case of a County wide emergency which stretched the usual emergency services to breaking point (ie Floods of 2007). Thank you to those people who volunteered it is very much appreciated. If you have been thinking about volunteering, just let me know and I can add you to our Register.
New Village Shop: The plans for extending the hall are progressing well. Environmentally friendly features are being added to the scheme, with the aim to reduce the carbon footprint and the running costs of the shop. The build group are working purposefully to get the very best facilities for our village and our sincere thanks go to these villagers who give so freely of their time.
Next Parish Council Meeting: Monday 14th September at 7.30 pm, Down Ampney Village Hall in the upstairs meeting room. Please access via the back door.
Agendas and Minutes of previous meetings are posted on the village notice boards and on this Website.
Content by Julia Job
There was a reported case of Swine Flu in June at Fairford Primary School. The pupil has been in isolation with the prescribed medication and pupils and staff who have been in contact have also been offered the antiviral drugs (Tamiflu). Across the county there have been nearly 4,000 confirmed cases, however, there is no need for alarm, it is important to stress that the majority of cases in the UK so far have not been severe, with those catching the virus making a full and fast recovery.
If you have flue-like symptoms, stay at home and call your GP rather than going into the surgery as you may spread the disease to others, or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.; Further advice is available on the NHS Direct website: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Stay at home when you are sick – if you have a cough or a fever, it is best to rest at home, take the medication prescribed by your GP to relieve the symptoms and drink plenty of fluids.; This will speed your recovery and help prevent the spread of infection.
Health Advice issued by Community Resilience Officer, Cotswold District Council.
Overgrowing Vegetation: Vegetation and hedges have been growing rapidly with the recent rain and glorious summer weather. Please take time to look outside and near your home and check whether trees, bushes and plants are causing a hazard particularly to partially sighted villagers when they take a walk. Also check if your home is near a road junction that vegetation is cut back sufficiently not to cause a blind spot for drivers when pulling out. Many thanks.
Trespassing on Down Ampney Airfield: The lovely summer weather encourages us all to get out walking and cycling. However, we have had reports of cyclists and walkers going around the Airfield. Unless people keep to the designated footpaths and bridleways around Down Ampney it is technically trespass and the landowners will be prosecuting. The reason they are taking such a strict stance is a matter of Health and Safety. A very large tractor had to do an emergency stop recently because it came around a blind bend straight into the path of a walker. There is a lot of heavy machinery working in this area and it is also an area where deer stalking takes place with high velocity rifles. The hides all point away from areas where walkers and cyclists are permitted but if anyone strays from the designated routes they are putting themselves in danger. The Parish Council are working with the Co-operative Group to establish more circular routes for recreation around the village and the few people who are currently trespassing are putting these negotiations in jeopardy. Please think carefully about where you and your family walk - please put safety first.
Next Parish Council Meeting: Monday 14th September 7.30 pm in Wynne Room at the Village Hall. Access via the rear door please.
If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me or any of your other councillors whose names and contact numbers can be found on this website
Content by Julia Job
July Parish Council Meeting will be held in the upstairs room (accessed by rear door) of Down Ampney Village Hall on Monday 13th July at 7:30pm - all welcome.
Mobile Police Station: If you have any local policing issues or need advice please look out for the Mobile Police Station which visits Down Ampney parking in the village hall car park at approximately fortnightly intervals. The dates for July are:
If you wish to check each month when the mobile station is due just log on to the following link:
http://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/ruralpolicing
then in the left hand column click on rural policing and four options come up to the right of this, let the curser go across and click on mobile stations. Down Ampney is on Route Nine - this will give you dates and approximate time of attendance. Of course the officer is on active duty and can be called to nearby incidents so times may vary a little.
This Mobile Police State Service allows residents to pass on and receive information of interest and provides additional services such a crime reduction advice and property marking service. Feel free to drop in and have a chat to PCSO Paul Bowman.
Congratulations to School and the Under 5’s who have had good Ofsted Reports. The inspectors called unannounced to the Under 5’s after inspecting our Primary School and all categories of the play group inspection received "Outstanding" apart from two which received "Good" and recommended that records of observations and assessments are made with pen and to further develop the outside area. The inspection reported that "Overall the quality of the early years provision is outstanding". Our school has also received equally good results which they will publish shortly. We are so fortunate to have a primary school and playgroup in our village when so many villages have lost theirs, but to have both run to such a high standard makes this village community a highly desirable place to live. We all owe a very big thank you to all the staff involved for their hard work and dedication and for giving the children at both establishments a great start in life.
Content by Julia Job
Great News: Planning Permission has been granted to extend the village hall to house our community run shop. Some funds are in place to start the project and applications for grants are being submitted, but we still need to raise money for the internal fitting out. However, with planning permission in place we are one step nearer to having a lovely building and a shop that will be the envy of many villages. Well done to everyone who is working extremely hard behind the scenes to accomplish this goal. Our County Councillor at the May Parish Council Meeting said we are a very "proactive village" and I can only agree, if villagers set a target for improving community facilities the village always wins through and succeeds. This is a big project and your help and support is really appreciated.
Proposed Gravel Extraction south east of Latton: You were all notified, by a flier, of the exhibition showing the gravel extraction plans which will include some areas of Down Ampney. When I visited the exhibition I was pleased to see that many villagers were there and I believe they had a very high turnout. The Co-operative Group and Hanson’s will be seeking planning consent for this extraction programme about July/August time so if you have any comments to make look out for the notice in the local papers and we will keep you informed of developments.
The Annual Parish Council Meeting: This was held at the beginning of May and the election of officers took place. There has been no change in positions from the previous year.
The Next Parish Council Meeting: This is on Monday 8th July 7.30 pm in the upstairs meeting room of the Village Hall (access via the rear door).
Content by Julia Job
Thank you to all the organisations for sending your representatives to the Annual Parish Meeting which was held in the Dakota Room of the village hall on 20th April. It’s always interesting to hear what has taken place in our small village over the last twelve months - we are certainly not an idle lot!
Parish Plan: I know all households have received a copy of the Parish Plan. Sincere thanks from the Parish Council to the DACA group of volunteers who have worked tirelessly for over a year to produce this complex document. Special thanks to Anne Frost Chairman and Jo Simcox Secretary who have co-ordinated and worked long hours towards its completion. The Parish Plan is certainly a meaty document which has catalogued and analysed all the results from the questionnaires that went to every child, teenager and adult in our parish. I know it has been said before, but a result of 91% returned questionnaires is quite staggering and a record in Gloucestershire to date. With nearly every person in the village taking the time to complete the questionnaire it has given the parish council a clear mandate as to how you all want your community to develop over coming years.
We have already been striving towards some of the goals set out in the Parish Plan, such as improving the ditches and drainage around the village and we are pleased that talks with the Co-operative Group have resulted in some major works being carried out and further work is scheduled. The overwhelming support for a bigger better community shop which can also house the Post Office led to a working group (the parish council, village hall management committee and shop society) being set up last autumn to further this goal. The parish council have now submitted the hall annex building plans to CDC Planners for approval, which we await eagerly so we can move this project forward. Another issue of a more visible police patrol in the village has led to talks and meetings with the local police who have taken local issues on board and increased patrols in the village. The Co-operative Group has taken on board villagers wishes for more livestock grazing and more land is now leased and being prepared for this purpose. The Co-operative Group has also supported our conservation projects in the Estate Yard Copse and Oak Road Copse. The parish council have had talks with the Co-operative Group regarding their plans for mineral extraction on the boundaries of the parish and the use of the land afterwards, this is ongoing.
Many issues, important to you as villagers, cannot be resolved overnight but we can assure you we will do our best to complete as many of them as soon as is feasible, depending on other agencies input.
Keeping Down Ampney Tidy: We have not organised a formal clearing up day around the village but I know many of you have been taking a carrier bag and picking up litter on your walks and have even loaded larger items into your cars and taken them to the household recycling centre on the Fosseway. A tidy place seems to attract less litter and fly tipping and the village seems to have kept tidier this year. Many thanks to everyone who have taken the time and effort in making our environment a more pleasing one, especially Sian and David Gardner for collecting bulky items and putting up notices.
Content by Julia Job
The Parish Council met on 9th March in the new upstairs meeting room of the Village Hall. This will be our regular venue for our bi-monthly meetings and access for the public will be via the back door. At the meeting we discussed the lorry watch scheme and after reporting many incidents of unlawful driving through the village by multi-axle vehicles we are happy to report that the County’s Enforcement Officer has been doing spot checks and enlisted the help of the police. We have also been in touch with Gloucestershire and Wiltshire County Councils about the state of the road from the cross roads to the bridges. A two pronged attack on Wilts CC by our Parish and Glos CC Highways Department will hopefully get the desired result of having the road resurfaced. Another issue was the proposed increase in parking charges in Cirencester and we agreed to write to CDC condemning this proposal which we believe will result in a loss of trade for the towns shops and parking in town streets making it even more difficult for residents.
Councillors also discussed the extension plans for the village hall. The Parish Council will shortly be submitting drawings to CDC for planning permission and we are looking forward to progressing the scheme to provide the village with a permanent shop building.
You will have noticed the metal shed that has been erected in the village hall car park. This is part of the Parish’s Emergency Programme and it will house sand bags, shovels, hi-visibility tabards and equipment we deem necessary to help residents in the case of an emergency, such as flooding.
The Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the Dakota Room of the Village Hall on Monday 20th April at 7.30 pm. This annual meeting is where representatives from all the village organisations give a report on their previous year’s activities. Please ensure your representative attends to represent your organisation and please also submit a written report for the Parish Clerk to keep on file. You will be receiving a letter from the Clerk shortly.
The Annual Council Meeting will be held in the upstairs meeting room of the village hall at 7.30 pm on Monday 11th May (Access via the back door). At this meeting all the officers of the council stand down and the officers for the forthcoming year are elected then normal parish business commences. All villagers welcome to attend.
Content by Julia Job
The main news to report to you is of course the opening of our new Village Hall. By the time you read this you will have all had a chance for a good look around at the Open Day on 21st February. I hope you are all as impressed as we are on the Parish Council. We are indebted to the Village Hall Management Committee, a great band of volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the last eighteen months to give our valuable facility back to the village.
You would think they had had enough after all this work but no; the hall committee, the shop society and parish council are already working flat out to extend the hall to provide a permanent shop and post office location for the village. Villagers' responses in the Parish Plan highlighted how important the shop and the post office are to us and this was certainly borne out last month when we had such adverse weather conditions and the roads were so bad - wouldn't we have been in a mess if we could not get our staple products so easily? We will all be asked to participate in a variety of fun events, which will give us pleasure and importantly will raise funds towards the building. In the not too distant future, we will have another open day celebration - this time for our new shop.
Content by Julia Job
The Parish Council met on 12th January – the minutes of the meeting can be found on the notice board outside school and also on this website.
Parish Council Precept: January is always the month we discuss the Parish Council’s Precept and the amount we will be applying for to CDC in the coming financial year (April 09 to March 08).
As you all know the village has grown over the last eight years by 63 new houses making a total of 225 in the parish - this is a 28% increase in our housing stock. Since the increase in houses we have only raised the precept by £1,050 which, because of the number of houses, has meant an actual decrease in the Parish Council portion of Council Tax for households in Down Ampney in recent years.; The new Parish Plan questionnaire (which was completed by 91% of villagers) has indicated improvements parishioners would like in the village. We have been advised that we should have a reserve of 50 - 100% of our precept at any one time and at the end of this financial year we will have less than 50% reserve. We have therefore agreed to raise our current precept from £8,050 to £11,000, an increase of £2,950. This increase equates to just over an extra £10 to each household for the year. In our 2009/2010 budget we have earmarked from our capital reserves £2,000 towards the extension to the village hall which will house our new shop and post office, café and book scheme. We are also expecting to pay towards traffic speed restriction and safety schemes in the next few months. This increase will not lead to substantial reserves for projects, but will help a little as we endeavour to accrue extra reserves each year to make improvements within our parish.
Thank You Down Ampney Football Club: Our January Parish Council meeting was held at the Football Club and we would like to take this opportunity of sincerely thanking the Club’s committee for their generosity and hospitality in allowing us to use the premises for our meetings over the last eighteen months.
New Village Hall: The Village Hall has now been handed back to the village from the builders. There are a few finishing items outstanding but the Village Hall Committee has done an outstanding job and we will all have a hall to be very proud of. The Parish Council are exceedingly grateful to all the committee members and other villagers who have given freely so much of their time since August 2007. One of the many new features is a 24 hr surveillance system which covers the hall and shop premises.
Enclosed in this newsletter is your invitation to visit the New Hall on
Saturday 21st February between 10 am and 2 pm
Do come along, I am sure you will be thrilled with the new facilities on offer to us all.