Agenda item
Discussion - What is important to residents and businesses in our area? An opportunity to raise any local issues or concerns for LCN to consider
Minutes:
During the group discussions the Local Community Network (LCN) members highlighted the following as priorities for their area:
· Rural broadband speeds
· Community Infrastructure
· Roads, maintenance of
o Cycle routes
o Footpaths
§ Glastonbury to Wells following the A39
§ Survey of existing & wanted paths
§ Safe walking
o Car parking
o Noise pollution
o Bottle necks
o A39 relief road
o Highways
o Pedestrian crossing on the A361 in West Pennard
o pavements
o Speed
§ Special cameras
§ More funding
§ 20mph (incl. visible signs)
§ Can also be shared across villages
§ Ability to have some say in speed limits
· Transport
o Frequency and more services
o More busses
§ Cost post £2
§ The 126 route – Strode college
§ Glastonbury, Bridgwater connections
§ Make sure it connects with villages
§ Evening and night travel
· Youth services and support
o Education
o Work
o More activities/play parks
o West Pennard would like a park
o Public space to meet eg hall
§ Meare doesn’t have a Village Hall
· Adult social care
o Lobby govt for funding
o Social contact
o Can we get rural isolation data
· Traveler sites
o They are doing illegal development,
o Their planning applications being quickly accepted whereas others haven’t been.
· Planning/development/infrastructure– general across the LCN
o When will the local plans be confirmed?
o Local and neighbourhood plans
o Standardise SW106 & CIL
o Enforcement Officers and feed back
o Yurts, Shepherds Huts no planning permission
o Understanding of planning decisions and how they are made
o Feedback vital
o Affordable housing – pref. Social grant (some 100% not 30%)
§ Sedgemoor housing could not offer better help
o New housing
· Mobile libraries and other accessible to affordable services
· Health
o Surgeries
o Dentists
o Chemist availability
· Environmental concerns
o Phosphates & mitigation
o Litter
o Grass cutting
o Fly tipping
o Waste sites need to be open more and would be cost effective not to charge because it costs more to deal with fly tipping
o Dog waste
o Parishes sharing good practice with Somerset wildlife trust
o Parishes sharing good practice within and without the LCN
o Ensure fair representation across the whole LCN
§ Make sure villages receive their fair share of resources
o Climate emergency related support
Other priorities, which were captured on flipchart paper included:
· Is there an LCN neighbourhood plan?
· Libraries/services
· Banking
· Communications to Parish Clerks
o Who can help on certain topics
o Shared data knowledge base
o Pool resources/cost effective measures
· Police and their partners
o Police divisions represented
· NHS
· Head teachers
· Shortage of trades for building
· Cost of living
· Farming community is important
· Housing
· Cultural life
Things that have been done to help included:
· Local parish survey has taken place to help identify issues in the area. (LCN to receive a copy of outcomes.)
· Recently taken a section on the playing field in Cossington and planted a small woodland area.
It was suggested that the following people be invited to the next LCN:
· Sedgemoor housing.
· Planning policy people
Gypsy and traveller liaison person