Knighton Railway Cutting Survay - Monday 14 April 2008

Following the excellent meeting held on the 10th April at the White Lion, expertly guided by Eric and Jane, the residents met to walk the Knighton Railway Cutting on Monday 14th at 6.30pm.

Observations

Entrance from the Knighton Bridge

The handrail requires cleaning and painting.
The brambles on the right hand side needed cutting right back.
The nettles were sprouting and will need to be cut back very soon.
There was rubbish dumped over the bridge.
Dog waste spoiled the whole area.

In the Cutting

Brambles were still a problem.
Trees required pruning (pollarding).
Two kids dens needed to be cleared of rubbish.
General rubbish and litter requires collecting.
Some desirable plants and bushes could do with some gardening care.

Watery Lane Bridge

Path out needed bramble removal as there is a risk of tripping.
Again, the rail needed painting.
It was noted that access to the cutting is available for vehicles here.

From the second Bridge to the end of the cutting.

This area requires major clearing work.
There is heavy waste material laying about.
The stream is overgrown.

Suggestions

It was felt by all that there is potential for the area to be renovated to a naturally pleasant space that all villagers and visitors could admire and be proud of. There is an abundance of wildlife and a great opportunity to plant trees, shrubs and flowers for the future.

Waste and litter collection could be done quickly, perhaps half a day for say, 6 volunteers. The bags should be placed at the Watery Lane bridge where a vehicle could be placed to collect them.

The brambles could be managed using the right strimmers or flame equipment. Collection would be limited to making piles for careful burning under supervision.

The pruned branches could be made into piles and left to encourage wildlife.

The handrails could easily be cleaned and painted.

A couple of signs should be made at the entrances of the bridges "Welcome to the Community Area". A dog waste bin should be made available to encourage the dog owners to be responsible.

Planting could commence before the Winter.

Action agreed

The residents should meet one night or one Saturday Morning to commence collecting rubbish and litter.

We should seek assistance to borrow or hire bramble clearing tools and chainsaws for tree pruning.

It was generally accepted that the area beyond the Watery Lane bridge to the end should be classed as "Phase 2" in view of the difficulty of the task. Perhaps Phase 2 can commence next year.

Other Issues raised at the White Lion Meeting

The issues were left pending in accordance with the suggestions and actions described in Eric's minutes.

Knighton Best Kept Village Meeting
Held at The White Lion – Knighton
at 7.30 pm on 10th April 08

Attended by Eric Pemberton – Parish Plan Committee
Jane Hughes – Parish Council and Loggerheads In Bloom

And 10 Residents from the Knighton and Mucklestone area.

Eric opened the meeting and introduced himself and Jane to the residents. Eric explained that he had invited the people present because they had all indicated on the village questionnaire that they were interested in cleaning up their village, In Bloom or raising money. Jane explained her interest in cleaning up and making Loggerheads and its surrounding villages as attractive as possible through planting flowers.
The meeting was asked to consider ways to improve their village and identify projects that would make their locality a better place in which to live.

The meeting discussed areas of concern in and around Knighton. The key areas of concern were :-

Knighton Railway Cutting – residents agreed that for many months of the year the cutting was so overgrown it was almost impossible to walk down. The brambles were the chief concern. The residents were thankful to the Parish Council who had recently organised the clearing of the path but felt that the tractor and cutter had been a little over zealous and had devastated the area.

Residents expressed concern about the amount of litter, especially large tyres, a plastic chair and large pieces of wood, which had been dumped along the path over the years. It was a haven for wildlife and much cherished by all who attended.

Resolved : - Several residents agreed to meet at Knighton Village Hall on Monday 14th April at 6.30pm. The group would then walk the cutting and identify the problems and decide on their next steps e.g. set a date and time for a small litter pick
organise the removal of the larger pieces of rubbish and their disposal.

They would need the help of the Parish Council and or Newcastle Borough Council Street Scene. Eric agreed to ask for support from NUL BC Street Scene.

Jane agreed to inform the Parish Council of their concerns and to inform them of the residents concern about the method of cutting back the vegetation.

Signage and planting - One resident suggested that signs at the entrance and exit of Knighton be replaced with more prominent and attractive signage. The meeting agreed that Eccleshall had replaced its sign with a very attractive painted sign. The meeting asked whether they could have more attractive signs. It was also suggested that there should be a trough of bedding plants or hardy plants under the signage to make an impact on anyone entering the village.
Signage around Knighton was in poor repair and the sign Chapel Lane was bent and unsightly.

Resolved - Eric agreed to contact a friend in Eccleshall to find out who had organised their signage and the cost.
Jane agreed to ask for funding from the Parish Council for two troughs and plants for the village. The residents agreed that should the Parish Council agree to fund two troughs they would ensure that the troughs were watered. Jane agreed to inform the Parish Council that a new sign was needed on Chapel lane

The bus shelter next to the village hall was in a dreadful state. The felt on the roof had been damaged some years ago and was in need of urgent repair.

Resolved
Jane agreed to inform the Parish Council that the bus shelter needed repairing.

Footpaths – residents discussed their annoyance now some stiles had been made impossible for dogs to climb over. There were many dog walkers present at the meeting who expressed their dismay at not being able to take their dogs on certain walks.

Resolved
Graham Sedgeley agreed to email his contact at SCC re footpaths.

Pavement – the meeting discussed the need for a pavement to go from the White Lion to the centre of the village.

Rock Lane
One resident raised concerns about fly tipping and litter on Rock lane.

The major concern was about the amount and size of ‘objects’ dumped along Rock Lane and how best to collect it all up.

Resolved

To leave further discussion to another meeting.