Longlevens News - July 2005

Thank you Longlevens

Kathy Williams would like to thank everyone who supported her in May’s County Council elections. Kathy won by a majority of 80 votes and is now Longlevens’ new county councillor.

Paul James would like to thank everyone who supported him in the general election on the same day. Paul was not successful in his attempt to become Gloucester’s MP but did poll nearly 19,000 votes across the city.

Paul will continue as city councillor for Longlevens and as the cabinet member for regeneration. Paul’s term of office ends next May and he fully intends to seek re-election.

Fellow Longlevens councillor Mark Hawthorne was re-elected as Leader of the City Council.

Youth Issues

Paul, Kathy and Mark, along with Pastor of Kendal Road Baptist Church, Steve Austin-Sparkes, recently met with representatives of the County’s Youth Service.

We are determined to see better facilities for young people in the area. We are making contact with all groups offering services so we can ensure they are all well-publicised and co-ordinated and we can then start to plug any gaps.

Brionne Way

Consultation on the new public open space between Ferndale Close and Fleming Close has been undertaken. Residents had some concerns, particularly about a proposed path alongside the backs of properties in Fleming Close. The plans, which are to be approved by the Council’s Cabinet, have been amended to take account of concerns. The area is likely to be named Horsbere Meadow to reflect the informal nature of the landscaping.

The balance of the funds to be used for public open space as part of the legal agreement with Westbury Homes will be used for improvements to the Longlevens Playing Fields in Longford Lane. This will be subject to further consultation in September.

Longford Housing

We were pleased that Tewkesbury Borough Council dropped proposals to build 570 houses at Longford from its local plan. Despite this, the developers seem determined to lodge a planning application for the very same scheme. We will continue to oppose this development and trust it will be refused.

Clean Up Longlevens

Following the success of the Clean Up Gloucester Day last November, many other area-based clean-ups involving volunteers have taken place across the city. We plan to hold one in Longlevens on Sunday 7^th August. If you are interested in helping, or can suggest a grotspot in Longlevens we should tackle, please let us know.

Barbecue

Longlevens Conservatives will be holding a barbecue on Saturday 20^th August at 7.30pm at 137 Estcourt Road. Tickets are £10 each and can be obtained by calling 522351.

Surgeries

Paul, Mark and Kathy are holding surgeries each month now – on the first Saturday of each month from 10.00-11.00am. The first one is on Saturday 6^th August at the Longlevens Village Hall, Church Road. Others will take place in different locations around the ward. We will advertise these in advance.

Estcourt Road

Work on the new pedestrian crossing was almost complete at the time of going to press. Highways Officers tell us that they would like to have time to measure the effectiveness of the new crossing before deciding whether to remove the footbridge. Would you support removing the footbridge? Is it just an eyesore or does it still serve a purpose? Please let us know what you think.

Paygrove Lane

Kathy has started to take up the issue of the former playing field in Paygrove Lane with County Council officers. We are keen to see the land being used again and hope to report some progress in our next edition of Longlevens News.