Rights of Way Report from Corsley Parish Council
Current Issues
CORY 8 and 10
The first phase of the bridleway surface repair work has been undertaken by Wiltshire Council’s contractors managed by Longleat. The surface in the worst rutted and muddy area has been scraped, levelled and covered in planings. This is a great achievement as these bridleways have been in a poor state of repair for many years. This would not have happeed had the Parish Council not worked hard lobbying and attending various meetings with all concerned. A good outcome for all bridleway users and the only feedback so far has been positive.
CORY 30 and 31
The stile/ access onto these footpaths at Heathway/Memorial Playing Field will be discussed with the two landowners.
CORY 7
The diversion application is still proceeding and a final bridge survey is taking place next week. It is hoped that this application may be determined by Christmas at the latest.
CORY 45
A small tree had slipped from the bank and was hanging low for riders to pass under. This has now been removed.
CORY 32
Report of nails sticking out and parts rotted. Will pick up with landowners.
CORY 13
Stile repaired and cleared by landowner at the request of the Parish Council. Equestrian fencing narrowing route. Will pick up with landowners.
CORY 36
A number of stiles are in need of repair along this route. I have contacted the landowners but agreed that we will look at replacing these with footpath gates via the Local Highways and Footpaths Improvement Group (LHFIG) bid below. These link to CHAP 7 which Chapmanslade Parish Council are keen to put footpath gates on (if we are) making the entire route easily passable.
CORY 20
There is an opportunity to work with Wiltshire Council to improve the bridleway surface of CORY 20 and make it a better route for all users to get to Warminster (Chapmanslade Parish Council are also supportive of this). This could include the use of planings on the surface from the local road improvements. Awaiting communication back from the landowner.
Initiatives/Funding
A bid was prepared for LHFIG for 10-15 new self‐closing pedestrian gates to replace stiles. One contender for these gates is CORY 9 where the stiles are in bad repair. I have liased with the Chapmanslade Parish Council Rights of Way officer and, as a result, propose a number of additional routes for these gates which would then make the entire route more easily passable and provide valued links between the two parishes. These routes would be:
- CORY 9
- CORY 36/CHAP 7 (see above)
- CORY 34/CHAP 10
- CORY 35/CHAP 28
The paper was written with the match‐funding element of the LHFIG being the installation of the gates. If funds are required, there is rights of way improvement money unspent from a previous Area Board bid.
Other Issues
Most of the complaints that are raised relate to muddy footpaths and bridleways some of which it is going to be impossible to address in a clay soil‐based area when the weather is bad!
Generally there are problems in the village with people walking wherever they want to, opening gates that clearly say ‘Private No Entry’ etc. There are also problems with dogs running all over fields, chasing livestock and owners not picking up poo that can cause cows to abort. Maybe a reminder of the ‘Countryside Code’ would be good, will seek Wiltshire Council’s advice.
It must be remembered that a right of way is a right to pass over land (private or public) and that other rights may exist for vehicles to pass for agricultural, forestry or access purposes.
Parish Councillor Alice Helliar
Streetscene
Speed Indicator Device (SID)
After three months at the White Hart, two local builders kindly relocated the SID to its former position on the TMTI forecourt (with the permission of the manager) last week. For two or three days the SID had not been functioning and hopefully this was due to the extremely gloomy and sunless weather we have had over the past 10 days preventing the solar panel recharging the battery. I have cleaned the solar panel, which was a bit grimy and have fitted our fully‐charged spare battery and hope that all will be well.
Speedwatch
The householder has not yet returned the permission form for a police car to make use of the garage forecourt next to their property near the White Hart. I am planning to call around in the early evening to see if there is a problem. If the police are not able to park close to the Speedwatch team they will not allow us to operate. It has been suggested that the White Hart is not a suitable site anyway, because there is barely 300 metres of road with the 40mph limit enclosed between a national speed limit of 60mph approaching from the east and 50mph from the west — meaning drivers have an excuse in that there is little time to reduce speed before the SID records them within 150 metres of either speed limit.
Flooding
Members (and Clerk!) will be well aware of the serious flooding issues that recently occurred at Lane End/Lyes Green. As with the landslip and flooding in Sturford Lane and Temple at the beginning of this year, this was caused by very heavy rainfall that coincided with the field sloping down to the lane opposite Hugh Deed’s house having been newly ploughed, rolled and seeded with grass. The heavy rain washed off the top surface, forming channels that large volumes of water and silt could flow down and onwards out onto the lane. Mr Deed's garden and pond was flooded, but most of the water and silt flowed down the sloping road and then downhill into Court Lane, badly affecting a large number of properties.
To his credit, as soon as he was aware the farmer came out and did as much as he could to try and clear up the problem, as did Wiltshire Highways, who cleared mud, put out sandbags at the two road entrances, swept the roads and cleaned out all the now silted‐up culverts and drains. Councillor Bill Parks was very active in this regard, meeting with several concerned local residents and ensuring that Wiltshire Council did as much as they could to restore things to normal.
The new tenants have recently ploughed the field between Longhedge and Sturford Lane and sown grass — with the water channels removed and grass growing strongly there was no repetition of last winter's landslip/flooding in recent heavy rainfall. As the grass is now growing well in the field above Lane End and the farmer has put a temporary barrier in place at both field gateways that funnelled water onto the road, it is hoped this will prevent any serious recurrence in this location.
One positive from this was a local resident reporting that a gully near the entrance (Cross Keys End) to Court Lane had been covered with mud, silt and grass for the last 20 years and that no one else seemed to be aware of it. Wiltshire Council Highways sent a team out straight away; they dug out the gully and cleared the accumulation of mud in it. Many householders and landowners are unaware that just as with the water companies, Wiltshire Council are only responsible for gullies, grips, pipes, etc., on the highway and it is the householder/landowner who is responsible for clearing them on their land. A resident at Dertford was unaware of this and complained about his garage being flooded and pipes blocked despite drainage channels he had installed but, as these were off highway it was his responsibility to clear them, although I believe Councillor Bill Parks did say he would enquire whether Highways could send out a ‘gully gulper’ to clear the obstruction in a large pipe on the verge which was of some age!
Flood Group
I attended a meeting of the southern area flood group at the Civic Centre on 23rd October. Around 20 villages were represented and all of them also reported flooding issues in their areas caused by the exceptionally high rainfall, although Corsley seemed to have had the most serious issues. One positive that came out of the meeting was that Wiltshire Council Highways have begun to operate a gully cleaning service on a rota basis for various areas of the county. Corsley is due for a visit next week and I have provided a list of the five gullies in the village’s lanes that are currently blocked. There are three or four gullies on the stretch of the A362 at Corsley Heath which also appear to be blocked but I have made a separate request to Wiltshire Council Highways to clear these as soon as possible as they are on the main ‘A’ road through the village.
Emergency Plan and Container
I believe the Emergency Plan was adopted by Parish Council, but I don't recall discussion regarding some aspects of it that are incomplete — these include a list of roles and responsibilities in the event of an emergency, possible shelter/accommodation and confirmation that the list of equipment listed is adequate. We also need to discuss the procedure for access to the container. If it is possible, I would suggest installation of a key safe on the container to allow access to a key otherwise multiple keys would need to be copied to give to various individuals and organisations that might require access at short notice. Three keys came with the lock and I would suggest that one is held by each of the Streetscene Coordinators and one by Neil Carpenter who lives just across the road from the container. That would require us to obtain only two or three further keys – one to go in the key safe itself and one or two as spares.
Congratulations and thanks to Alice Helliar for all her hard work in ensuring the planning permission approval for the siting of the container was obtained. Now we know we do not have to move it, we can proceed with the acquisition of suitable equipment.
Local Highways and Footpaths Improvement Group (LHFIG)
At last week's meeting the following five agenda items concerning Corsley were discussed:
- Corsley A362 pedestrian crossing: the crossing was completed last week with the installation of a red ‘pathway’ cross the road by the bus shelter and two bollards either side of the red pathway on the bus shelter side, unfortunately the footpath on the opposite side of the road was too narrow for the fitting of bollards. Total cost is £1,500 and Corsley’s contribution is £375
- Corsley signage: the necessary checks and planning are complete “No Access to Longleat” and horse ‘warning’ signs will shortly be installed. Total cost is £1,081 and Corsley's contribution will be £270.25
- Corsley A362 speed limit assessment: two of the three most recent serious road accidents occurred near The White Hart, Lane End, where there is a very short stretch of 40mph limit. The assessment of our request that a 40mph speed limit be imposed throughout the parish of Corsley, in place of the five current speed limits has just been completed and officers are assessing the results and costings before making a decision on our request. Hopefully we will have a speedy decision.
- Whitbourne Moor: our application for signage and bollards at the two ends of this lane were accepted for consideration and a Highways Officer will visit the site to assess requirements/possibilities and costs
- High House Farm: our application for cattle warning signs were accepted for consideration providing the farmer paid all Wiltshire Council costs.
Three Villages Group
I have little to add regarding the last meeting of this group as a full report was published in The Bridge. The next meeting will be held in January.
Finally, at the LFIGH meeting, village representatives were asked to bring the following to the attention of their parish councillors...
“Due to high numbers of requests coming in via LHFIG groups for signing, we must remind Town and Parish Councils that overuse of traffic signs blights the landscape, wastes taxpayers' money, and dilutes important safety-critical messages. Clutter also increases risks to road workers and creates additional maintenance burdens.
Research carried out by the Department for Transport to inform the Traffic Signs Policy Review in 2013, showed that the number of traffic signs had doubled in the last 20 years, which was unsustainable. The 2016 revision of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions contains several legislative changes to provide a modern framework, meaning far fewer signs need to be placed and gives local authorities the right to remove many of their existing signs.
Warning signs can play an important part in improving road safety. However, they should only be used where there is a specific safety issue or hidden hazard, not to sign readily apparent conditions or routine features of the road, such as bends and junctions. Overuse of warning signs can dilute their effectiveness and tends to bring them into disrepute. Local authorities should work with local communities where specific issues and concerns are raised, to make sure the right solution is found. Warning signs should only be installed where there is an identified hazard or road safety problem, and not to solely meet a perceived need. Unjustified signing should not be used at individual locations simply in response to complaints from the public.
All traffic authorities are encouraged to formulate policy and practice accordingly.”
Parish Councillor David Ball
Road Closure Notice
Notice is hereby given that Wiltshire Council has made an order to temporarily close to all traffic:
A) C273 (Part), Corsley and Longbridge Deverill; from its junction with C270 to its junction with Dry Hill.
B) UC 854205 (Part), Longbridge Deverill and Warminster; from its junction with C273 to its junction with A36.
To enable filming on location.
Alternative route: via A36 – A362 – C270 and vice versa.
The closures and diversion route will be clearly indicated by traffic signs.
This order will come into operation on 6th January 2025 between the hours of 7am and 7pm for 2 days. Access will be maintained for residents and businesses where possible, although delays are likely due to the nature of the closure.
The order will have a maximum duration of 18 months.
For further information please contact Lizzy Ralph on behalf of Larkin AV Ltd on 07944 170474.
Highways Assets and Commissioning, County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge BA14 8JN
Click on the images to read and use the hyperlinks...
Corsley Reading Rooms
We still need a Chair!
I'm pleased to report the appointment of two new Committee members. David Sharrocks is taking on the role of Treasurer and Mary King has also joined the committee. Both will be applying to
the Charity Commission to become Trustees. Caroline Hutton presented the Annual Accounts (available on our website ) and we thanked her for being our Treasurer over the last two years.
We are still without a Chairperson and would also like to recruit someone who could look after publicity for our work and events.
Anyone interested please contact me (lizi.garrett@btinternet.com) or any of the committee members.
Until a new Chair is found, all communication sent to the following email address will be picked up by the Secretary, Liz Garrett: chairman@corsleyreadingroom.org.uk
Household batteries can now be collected as part of Wiltshire kerbside recycling service
Wiltshire Council are now able to collect some types of small batteries as part of our kerbside recycling service.
Put your small household batteries in clear, sealed sandwich bags on top of your blue lidded bin and they will be collected for recycling. Please do not put batteries out for collection earlier than this date.
The batteries you can put out for collection are 'D', 'C', 'AA', 'AAA', 9V and button-type batteries. They will be kept separate from other recyclable materials on board the collection vehicles.
MyWilts online reporting
MyWilts is the new way to send reports to Wiltshire Council and replaces the MyWiltshire app.
What can I report using MyWilts?
- Abandoned vehicles
- Fly Tipping
- Weather emergencies
- Fraud
- Dog mess
- Graffiti
Over time more services will be added to MyWilts, making it simpler, quicker and easier to access the services digitally, when you choose to.
Why should you register for an account?
If you register for an account, you will receive updates as the case you reported progresses. You will also have access to view your historical cases and will be able to access additional services.
Using your mobile device?
You can download the new app now from the App Store (Apple) or Google Play (Android) by searching for ‘My Wilts’, or visit Wiltshire Council's website My Wilts
Streetscene
Speed Indicator Device (SID)
After three months at the White Hart, two local builders kindly relocated the SID to its former position on the TMTI forecourt (with the permission of the manager) last week. For two or three days the SID had not been functioning and hopefully this was due to the extremely gloomy and sunless weather we have had over the past 10 days preventing the solar panel recharging the battery. I have cleaned the solar panel, which was a bit grimy and have fitted our fully‐charged spare battery and hope that all will be well.
Speedwatch
The householder has not yet returned the permission form for a police car to make use of the garage forecourt next to their property near the White Hart. I am planning to call around in the early evening to see if there is a problem. If the police are not able to park close to the Speedwatch team they will not allow us to operate. It has been suggested that the White Hart is not a suitable site anyway, because there is barely 300 metres of road with the 40mph limit enclosed between a national speed limit of 60mph approaching from the east and 50mph from the west — meaning drivers have an excuse in that there is little time to reduce speed before the SID records them within 150 metres of either speed limit.
Flooding
Members (and Clerk!) will be well aware of the serious flooding issues that recently occurred at Lane End/Lyes Green. As with the landslip and flooding in Sturford Lane and Temple at the beginning of this year, this was caused by very heavy rainfall that coincided with the field sloping down to the lane opposite Hugh Deed’s house having been newly ploughed, rolled and seeded with grass. The heavy rain washed off the top surface, forming channels that large volumes of water and silt could flow down and onwards out onto the lane. Mr Deed's garden and pond was flooded, but most of the water and silt flowed down the sloping road and then downhill into Court Lane, badly affecting a large number of properties.
To his credit, as soon as he was aware the farmer came out and did as much as he could to try and clear up the problem, as did Wiltshire Highways, who cleared mud, put out sandbags at the two road entrances, swept the roads and cleaned out all the now silted‐up culverts and drains. Councillor Bill Parks was very active in this regard, meeting with several concerned local residents and ensuring that Wiltshire Council did as much as they could to restore things to normal.
The new tenants have recently ploughed the field between Longhedge and Sturford Lane and sown grass — with the water channels removed and grass growing strongly there was no repetition of last winter's landslip/flooding in recent heavy rainfall. As the grass is now growing well in the field above Lane End and the farmer has put a temporary barrier in place at both field gateways that funnelled water onto the road, it is hoped this will prevent any serious recurrence in this location.
One positive from this was a local resident reporting that a gully near the entrance (Cross Keys End) to Court Lane had been covered with mud, silt and grass for the last 20 years and that no one else seemed to be aware of it. Wiltshire Council Highways sent a team out straight away; they dug out the gully and cleared the accumulation of mud in it. Many householders and landowners are unaware that just as with the water companies, Wiltshire Council are only responsible for gullies, grips, pipes, etc., on the highway and it is the householder/landowner who is responsible for clearing them on their land. A resident at Dertford was unaware of this and complained about his garage being flooded and pipes blocked despite drainage channels he had installed but, as these were off highway it was his responsibility to clear them, although I believe Councillor Bill Parks did say he would enquire whether Highways could send out a ‘gully gulper’ to clear the obstruction in a large pipe on the verge which was of some age!
Flood Group
I attended a meeting of the southern area flood group at the Civic Centre on 23rd October. Around 20 villages were represented and all of them also reported flooding issues in their areas caused by the exceptionally high rainfall, although Corsley seemed to have had the most serious issues. One positive that came out of the meeting was that Wiltshire Council Highways have begun to operate a gully cleaning service on a rota basis for various areas of the county. Corsley is due for a visit next week and I have provided a list of the five gullies in the village’s lanes that are currently blocked. There are three or four gullies on the stretch of the A362 at Corsley Heath which also appear to be blocked but I have made a separate request to Wiltshire Council Highways to clear these as soon as possible as they are on the main ‘A’ road through the village.
Emergency Plan and Container
I believe the Emergency Plan was adopted by Parish Council, but I don't recall discussion regarding some aspects of it that are incomplete — these include a list of roles and responsibilities in the event of an emergency, possible shelter/accommodation and confirmation that the list of equipment listed is adequate. We also need to discuss the procedure for access to the container. If it is possible, I would suggest installation of a key safe on the container to allow access to a key otherwise multiple keys would need to be copied to give to various individuals and organisations that might require access at short notice. Three keys came with the lock and I would suggest that one is held by each of the Streetscene Coordinators and one by Neil Carpenter who lives just across the road from the container. That would require us to obtain only two or three further keys – one to go in the key safe itself and one or two as spares.
Congratulations and thanks to Alice Helliar for all her hard work in ensuring the planning permission approval for the siting of the container was obtained. Now we know we do not have to move it, we can proceed with the acquisition of suitable equipment.
Local Highways and Footpaths Improvement Group (LHFIG)
At last week's meeting the following five agenda items concerning Corsley were discussed:
- Corsley A362 pedestrian crossing: the crossing was completed last week with the installation of a red ‘pathway’ cross the road by the bus shelter and two bollards either side of the red pathway on the bus shelter side, unfortunately the footpath on the opposite side of the road was too narrow for the fitting of bollards. Total cost is £1,500 and Corsley’s contribution is £375
- Corsley signage: the necessary checks and planning are complete “No Access to Longleat” and horse ‘warning’ signs will shortly be installed. Total cost is £1,081 and Corsley's contribution will be £270.25
- Corsley A362 speed limit assessment: two of the three most recent serious road accidents occurred near The White Hart, Lane End, where there is a very short stretch of 40mph limit. The assessment of our request that a 40mph speed limit be imposed throughout the parish of Corsley, in place of the five current speed limits has just been completed and officers are assessing the results and costings before making a decision on our request. Hopefully we will have a speedy decision.
- Whitbourne Moor: our application for signage and bollards at the two ends of this lane were accepted for consideration and a Highways Officer will visit the site to assess requirements/possibilities and costs
- High House Farm: our application for cattle warning signs were accepted for consideration providing the farmer paid all Wiltshire Council costs.
Three Villages Group
I have little to add regarding the last meeting of this group as a full report was published in The Bridge. The next meeting will be held in January.
Finally, at the LFIGH meeting, village representatives were asked to bring the following to the attention of their parish councillors...
“Due to high numbers of requests coming in via LHFIG groups for signing, we must remind Town and Parish Councils that overuse of traffic signs blights the landscape, wastes taxpayers' money, and dilutes important safety-critical messages. Clutter also increases risks to road workers and creates additional maintenance burdens.
Research carried out by the Department for Transport to inform the Traffic Signs Policy Review in 2013, showed that the number of traffic signs had doubled in the last 20 years, which was unsustainable. The 2016 revision of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions contains several legislative changes to provide a modern framework, meaning far fewer signs need to be placed and gives local authorities the right to remove many of their existing signs.
Warning signs can play an important part in improving road safety. However, they should only be used where there is a specific safety issue or hidden hazard, not to sign readily apparent conditions or routine features of the road, such as bends and junctions. Overuse of warning signs can dilute their effectiveness and tends to bring them into disrepute. Local authorities should work with local communities where specific issues and concerns are raised, to make sure the right solution is found. Warning signs should only be installed where there is an identified hazard or road safety problem, and not to solely meet a perceived need. Unjustified signing should not be used at individual locations simply in response to complaints from the public.
All traffic authorities are encouraged to formulate policy and practice accordingly.”
Parish Councillor David Ball
Road Closure Notice
Notice is hereby given that Wiltshire Council has made an order to temporarily close to all traffic:
A) C273 (Part), Corsley and Longbridge Deverill; from its junction with C270 to its junction with Dry Hill.
B) UC 854205 (Part), Longbridge Deverill and Warminster; from its junction with C273 to its junction with A36.
To enable filming on location.
Alternative route: via A36 – A362 – C270 and vice versa.
The closures and diversion route will be clearly indicated by traffic signs.
This order will come into operation on 6th January 2025 between the hours of 7am and 7pm for 2 days. Access will be maintained for residents and businesses where possible, although delays are likely due to the nature of the closure.
The order will have a maximum duration of 18 months.
For further information please contact Lizzy Ralph on behalf of Larkin AV Ltd on 07944 170474.
Highways Assets and Commissioning, County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge BA14 8JN
Click on the images to read and use the hyperlinks...
Corsley Reading Rooms
We still need a Chair!
I'm pleased to report the appointment of two new Committee members. David Sharrocks is taking on the role of Treasurer and Mary King has also joined the committee. Both will be applying to
the Charity Commission to become Trustees. Caroline Hutton presented the Annual Accounts (available on our website ) and we thanked her for being our Treasurer over the last two years.
We are still without a Chairperson and would also like to recruit someone who could look after publicity for our work and events.
Anyone interested please contact me (lizi.garrett@btinternet.com) or any of the committee members.
Until a new Chair is found, all communication sent to the following email address will be picked up by the Secretary, Liz Garrett: chairman@corsleyreadingroom.org.uk
Household batteries can now be collected as part of Wiltshire kerbside recycling service
Wiltshire Council are now able to collect some types of small batteries as part of our kerbside recycling service.
Put your small household batteries in clear, sealed sandwich bags on top of your blue lidded bin and they will be collected for recycling. Please do not put batteries out for collection earlier than this date.
The batteries you can put out for collection are 'D', 'C', 'AA', 'AAA', 9V and button-type batteries. They will be kept separate from other recyclable materials on board the collection vehicles.
MyWilts online reporting
MyWilts is the new way to send reports to Wiltshire Council and replaces the MyWiltshire app.
What can I report using MyWilts?
- Abandoned vehicles
- Fly Tipping
- Weather emergencies
- Fraud
- Dog mess
- Graffiti
Over time more services will be added to MyWilts, making it simpler, quicker and easier to access the services digitally, when you choose to.
Why should you register for an account?
If you register for an account, you will receive updates as the case you reported progresses. You will also have access to view your historical cases and will be able to access additional services.
Using your mobile device?
You can download the new app now from the App Store (Apple) or Google Play (Android) by searching for ‘My Wilts’, or visit Wiltshire Council's website My Wilts
After three months at the White Hart, two local builders kindly relocated the SID to its former position on the TMTI forecourt (with the permission of the manager) last week. For two or three days the SID had not been functioning and hopefully this was due to the extremely gloomy and sunless weather we have had over the past 10 days preventing the solar panel recharging the battery. I have cleaned the solar panel, which was a bit grimy and have fitted our fully‐charged spare battery and hope that all will be well.
Speedwatch
The householder has not yet returned the permission form for a police car to make use of the garage forecourt next to their property near the White Hart. I am planning to call around in the early evening to see if there is a problem. If the police are not able to park close to the Speedwatch team they will not allow us to operate. It has been suggested that the White Hart is not a suitable site anyway, because there is barely 300 metres of road with the 40mph limit enclosed between a national speed limit of 60mph approaching from the east and 50mph from the west — meaning drivers have an excuse in that there is little time to reduce speed before the SID records them within 150 metres of either speed limit.
Flooding
Members (and Clerk!) will be well aware of the serious flooding issues that recently occurred at Lane End/Lyes Green. As with the landslip and flooding in Sturford Lane and Temple at the beginning of this year, this was caused by very heavy rainfall that coincided with the field sloping down to the lane opposite Hugh Deed’s house having been newly ploughed, rolled and seeded with grass. The heavy rain washed off the top surface, forming channels that large volumes of water and silt could flow down and onwards out onto the lane. Mr Deed's garden and pond was flooded, but most of the water and silt flowed down the sloping road and then downhill into Court Lane, badly affecting a large number of properties.
To his credit, as soon as he was aware the farmer came out and did as much as he could to try and clear up the problem, as did Wiltshire Highways, who cleared mud, put out sandbags at the two road entrances, swept the roads and cleaned out all the now silted‐up culverts and drains. Councillor Bill Parks was very active in this regard, meeting with several concerned local residents and ensuring that Wiltshire Council did as much as they could to restore things to normal.
The new tenants have recently ploughed the field between Longhedge and Sturford Lane and sown grass — with the water channels removed and grass growing strongly there was no repetition of last winter's landslip/flooding in recent heavy rainfall. As the grass is now growing well in the field above Lane End and the farmer has put a temporary barrier in place at both field gateways that funnelled water onto the road, it is hoped this will prevent any serious recurrence in this location.
One positive from this was a local resident reporting that a gully near the entrance (Cross Keys End) to Court Lane had been covered with mud, silt and grass for the last 20 years and that no one else seemed to be aware of it. Wiltshire Council Highways sent a team out straight away; they dug out the gully and cleared the accumulation of mud in it. Many householders and landowners are unaware that just as with the water companies, Wiltshire Council are only responsible for gullies, grips, pipes, etc., on the highway and it is the householder/landowner who is responsible for clearing them on their land. A resident at Dertford was unaware of this and complained about his garage being flooded and pipes blocked despite drainage channels he had installed but, as these were off highway it was his responsibility to clear them, although I believe Councillor Bill Parks did say he would enquire whether Highways could send out a ‘gully gulper’ to clear the obstruction in a large pipe on the verge which was of some age!
Flood Group
I attended a meeting of the southern area flood group at the Civic Centre on 23rd October. Around 20 villages were represented and all of them also reported flooding issues in their areas caused by the exceptionally high rainfall, although Corsley seemed to have had the most serious issues. One positive that came out of the meeting was that Wiltshire Council Highways have begun to operate a gully cleaning service on a rota basis for various areas of the county. Corsley is due for a visit next week and I have provided a list of the five gullies in the village’s lanes that are currently blocked. There are three or four gullies on the stretch of the A362 at Corsley Heath which also appear to be blocked but I have made a separate request to Wiltshire Council Highways to clear these as soon as possible as they are on the main ‘A’ road through the village.
Emergency Plan and Container
I believe the Emergency Plan was adopted by Parish Council, but I don't recall discussion regarding some aspects of it that are incomplete — these include a list of roles and responsibilities in the event of an emergency, possible shelter/accommodation and confirmation that the list of equipment listed is adequate. We also need to discuss the procedure for access to the container. If it is possible, I would suggest installation of a key safe on the container to allow access to a key otherwise multiple keys would need to be copied to give to various individuals and organisations that might require access at short notice. Three keys came with the lock and I would suggest that one is held by each of the Streetscene Coordinators and one by Neil Carpenter who lives just across the road from the container. That would require us to obtain only two or three further keys – one to go in the key safe itself and one or two as spares.
Congratulations and thanks to Alice Helliar for all her hard work in ensuring the planning permission approval for the siting of the container was obtained. Now we know we do not have to move it, we can proceed with the acquisition of suitable equipment.
Local Highways and Footpaths Improvement Group (LHFIG)
At last week's meeting the following five agenda items concerning Corsley were discussed:
- Corsley A362 pedestrian crossing: the crossing was completed last week with the installation of a red ‘pathway’ cross the road by the bus shelter and two bollards either side of the red pathway on the bus shelter side, unfortunately the footpath on the opposite side of the road was too narrow for the fitting of bollards. Total cost is £1,500 and Corsley’s contribution is £375
- Corsley signage: the necessary checks and planning are complete “No Access to Longleat” and horse ‘warning’ signs will shortly be installed. Total cost is £1,081 and Corsley's contribution will be £270.25
- Corsley A362 speed limit assessment: two of the three most recent serious road accidents occurred near The White Hart, Lane End, where there is a very short stretch of 40mph limit. The assessment of our request that a 40mph speed limit be imposed throughout the parish of Corsley, in place of the five current speed limits has just been completed and officers are assessing the results and costings before making a decision on our request. Hopefully we will have a speedy decision.
- Whitbourne Moor: our application for signage and bollards at the two ends of this lane were accepted for consideration and a Highways Officer will visit the site to assess requirements/possibilities and costs
- High House Farm: our application for cattle warning signs were accepted for consideration providing the farmer paid all Wiltshire Council costs.
I have little to add regarding the last meeting of this group as a full report was published in The Bridge. The next meeting will be held in January.
Finally, at the LFIGH meeting, village representatives were asked to bring the following to the attention of their parish councillors... “Due to high numbers of requests coming in via LHFIG groups for signing, we must remind Town and Parish Councils that overuse of traffic signs blights the landscape, wastes taxpayers' money, and dilutes important safety-critical messages. Clutter also increases risks to road workers and creates additional maintenance burdens.
Research carried out by the Department for Transport to inform the Traffic Signs Policy Review in 2013, showed that the number of traffic signs had doubled in the last 20 years, which was unsustainable. The 2016 revision of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions contains several legislative changes to provide a modern framework, meaning far fewer signs need to be placed and gives local authorities the right to remove many of their existing signs.
Warning signs can play an important part in improving road safety. However, they should only be used where there is a specific safety issue or hidden hazard, not to sign readily apparent conditions or routine features of the road, such as bends and junctions. Overuse of warning signs can dilute their effectiveness and tends to bring them into disrepute. Local authorities should work with local communities where specific issues and concerns are raised, to make sure the right solution is found. Warning signs should only be installed where there is an identified hazard or road safety problem, and not to solely meet a perceived need. Unjustified signing should not be used at individual locations simply in response to complaints from the public.
All traffic authorities are encouraged to formulate policy and practice accordingly.”
Parish Councillor David Ball
A) C273 (Part), Corsley and Longbridge Deverill; from its junction with C270 to its junction with Dry Hill.
B) UC 854205 (Part), Longbridge Deverill and Warminster; from its junction with C273 to its junction with A36.
To enable filming on location.
Alternative route: via A36 – A362 – C270 and vice versa.
The closures and diversion route will be clearly indicated by traffic signs.
This order will come into operation on
The order will have a maximum duration of 18 months.
For further information please contact Lizzy Ralph on behalf of Larkin AV Ltd on 07944 170474.
Highways Assets and Commissioning, County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge BA14 8JN
