Whelford to Kempsford Road Closure for resurfacing

Thursday 15th May 2025 until Saturday 31st May 2025 (excl. weekends except Saturday 31st May 2025 & Bank Holidays) between the hours of 07:00 to 19:00

Kempsford Parish Affordable Housing Needs Survey

People of Kempsford Parish - including Kempsford, Whelford, Dunfield and Dudgrove - please tell us about your housing needs, and whether you think there is enough suitable and affordable housing for everyone in your area.

We've just mailed an Affordable Housing Needs Survey to every household in your Parish.

In the coming days, every household in your parish will receive an Affordable Housing Needs Survey.

We really need your whole household to take part in this vital survey, so please ask everyone who lives in your household to think about the questions on the survey and contribute to your response.

The surveys provide the opportunity for any resident to self-identify as being in affordable housing need, which can then help to make a case for affordable housing projects to be planned and delivered, if more affordable housing is needed in your area.

GRCC is an independent local charity which has been asked to conduct this survey on behalf of Kempsford Parish Council.

There are many benefits to creating affordable housing in rural areas:

• Affordable Housing makes rural communities more sustainable - giving them a long term future
• Affordable Housing makes it more likely that a local area can have all the services available nearby that people need, such as schools, shops, cafés, health services, and bus services
• Affordable Housing gives younger people more of a chance to live in rural areas

Affordable Housing Needs Surveys help us find out the following:

Housing Needs - what type of housing is needed, and whether the current housing is suitable for the community's changing needs

Affordable Housing- the survey can help with making plans to create affordable housing where it is needed

The survey process consists of the follow steps which we at GRCC will carry out, working with your Parish Council:

• We distribute a survey to every household in the parish
• We provide information about what we are doing and why, and advertise the survey
• We provide guidance on the survey process and timescales
• We analyse the survey data
• We create a detailed report for the Parish Council.

Please help us to help you. Please fill in and return the Affordable Housing Needs Survey to us, so that your voice is heard.

GRCC will be sending out Affordable Housing Needs Surveys to other parishes too in the next few days:

9th September: Highnam

16th September: Sandhurst and The Leigh.

Others will follow in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions, please email us via info@grcc.org.uk or call us on 01452 528491.

Exciting news!!!ATBShop Skate will be coming to Fairford on Thursday for this fantastic event. Bringing their skate and scooter expertise, competitions and more. Free to attend, just come along to the skate park.

Help shape the future of Kempsford

Should Kempsford have any more housing? If so, how many houses, what type of houses and where would they go?

The Bromford regeneration programme of 28 houses will be completely finished and the houses occupied by the end of July this year. The last time any housing was added to Kempsford was the 28 house Hazel View development over ten years ago. In the meantime, the 100 houses on RAF Fairford became fully occupied by RAF families and were then emptied as they were returned to the US Visiting Forces. In the same period we have also had two applications for around 60 and then 30 houses refused – in part because there was no evidence of any new houses being needed in Kempsford.

Over the same period, local organisations generally seem to have difficulty recruiting volunteers to “run things” and the Village School now has places. There are some who may wish to stay in the village but cannot find a property of a different size to either buy or rent, or having grown up in the Village would like to stay in it.

Is there a need for more housing in Kempsford? If so, how many houses, what type of houses and where would they go?

This autumn, all households and businesses in Kempsford Parish will receive a Housing Needs Survey (HNS) pack. This should be completed and returned using either the Freepost envelope provided or via the unique QR codes (if answering digitally). As the letter from GRCC will explain, Kempsford Parish Council has taken the decision to survey all households in order to ascertain housing need. Please look out for GRCC’s posters and social media.

Help us shape the future of Kempsford.

Annual Parish Meeting

Tuesday 30th April 2024

8pm

Kempsford Village Hall

Please come along to the Annual Parish Meeting and hear from village groups and organisations.

Find out what your Parish Council has been doing during the last 12months.

Everyone welcome

A badger sett has been discovered under Dudgrove Lane and Gloucestershire Highways have been informed.

Their Badger expert will be investigating the site shortly to see if the sett is active. If it is, due to legislation no works will be permitted until July.

If you notice any cracking in the surface or subsidence please notify the Parish Clerk or Gloucestershire Highways direct.

FLOODING

Cotswold District Council and Gloucestershire County Council have a wealth of information on their websites about Flooding. Please see the links below –

https://www.cotswold.gov.uk/environment/flooding/

https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/planning-and-environment/flood-risk-management/flooding-information/flood-guide/

Kempsford Parish does not currently have a Flood Warden. If you are interested in becoming a Flood Warden or just want to find out more about the role, please see the attached pdf guide.

Please be advised of the following closure:

• High Street, Kempsford

This road will be closed (as per the attached plan) from 09:30 to 15:30 on 13/11/23 to allow for pole testing work by Openreach.

Emergency and pedestrian access will be maintained.

If you should require further information please email streetworks@gloucestershire.gov.uk

There may be a slight delay with the printing of the October Newsletter.

Please click the link below to view online

TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF C168 HORCOTT ROAD (KEMPSFORD

PARISH) (FAIRFORD AND LECHLADE ON THAMES TOWNS) COTSWOLD DISTRICT

Gloucestershire County Council, as traffic authority, has made an order under the relevant

provisions of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (as amended) to temporarily close part of the

C168 Horcott Road from its junction with Cirencester Road to its junction with Newcroft for a

distance of approximately 300 metres.

The reason for the closure is for electricity cable installation.

The Road is expected to be closed from 31st July 2023 until 18th August 2023 only, or until the

works have been completed, whichever is the later.

For further information, please contact Gloucestershire Highways on 08000 514 514 or visit

www.gloucestershire.gov.uk.

Alternative Route – as signed on site.

Emergency and Pedestrian access to adjacent properties will be maintained.

Temporary Closure of Footpath BKD19 at Manor Farm Quarry

You may have noticed some works close to the footpath by Manor Farm Quarry. A new bridge is being installed to aid the import of restoration materials and has been given planning position.The works will require a temporary closure of the footpath and this comes in to force on the 28th July and is expected to last until the 8th September. Please see attached for more information.

Parish Councillor Vacancy

At the recent elections, Tony Williams and Phil Nickson decided not to stand again as Parish Councillors.

Tony has served the Parish Council for approximately 30 years, including being Chair for nearly 20 years, and would now like to spend more time with the family (and probably playing golf!). To say he has ‘done his share’ is an understatement, and the Parish Council on behalf of the community, would like to thank him for all his hard work over the years.

Phil is planning to move shortly, and with this in mind he did not feel it appropriate to stand again. We would like to thank Phil for his work on the Parish Council and wish him and his family well for the future.

In May we advertised for 2 new councillors, with the positions to be filled by co-option. We were delighted that Stephen Andrews applied and has since been co-opted. Stephen brings a wealth of knowledge from his time as a District Councillor and is also very involved in all aspects of Kempsford Parish life.

We now have one vacant position to fill. Unbelievably Tony has offered to assist in a reduced capacity should nobody else come forward, and we are extremely grateful. However, we do think he deserves a break and are therefore advertising again for a volunteer.

As Clerk to the Council, I can say that we have a great friendly team of councillors, who all support each other and most importantly me! We work hard to form good relationships with our neighbouring parishes, district and county partners and other organisations to improve life for our community.

There are many issues that we would like to resolve, for example, filling every pot hole, reducing quarry lorries, ensure appropriate development and stop speeding to name a few. Unfortunately we do not have the powers to do this ourselves, BUT our continuing work to voice the concerns of the Parish can only help to make those that do have the ability to change things understand the views of the community.

If you are interested in joining the Parish Council team and working on behalf of the community, please get in touch.

Teresa Griffin

(Parish Clerk)

Please see attached pages of the April 2023 RAF Fairford Local Community Newsletter

Each year tenders are invited to supply the following service to Kempsford Parish Council for the grass-growing season 

The amount of cuts required is weather dependent and can vary from year to year. As an example, for 2020 the churchyards were cut 14 times, and open spaces 13 times.

Tenders can be submitted as a price per cut, or an annual cost.

KEMPSFORD - Please see attached maps for more details

Section 1: Both churchyards

· Mowing to a height of 1.5” and removal of grass cuttings from site.

· Strimming around graves and head stones.

· Treating of all paths for weeds.

· Tidying of leaves at end of season.

Section 2: Other open spaces

· Mowing of Cross Tree Village green.

· Mowing of Wakefield Close green, end of St Mary’s Close, Grass area at Tuckwell Road, Grass at end of Holford Crescent onto Ham Lane, End of Broadway Close, Areas at High St/Mount Pleasant by post box (2 pieces), Dunfield junction with Top Road Triangle, Grass from Mount Pleasant to Reevey, Reevey Corner, verges by School (2 pieces).

· Grass to be kept at a maximum height of 2” for all areas except the Cross Tree village green, which needs to be kept at 1.5”

· Occasional strimming of the following grass verges (shown as brown strips on map):

- Middle Farm footpath that leads from Top Road to the High Street

- Road side verge along the cemetery wall

· All grass cuttings are to be collected and removed from site.

· Occasional trimming of hedge adjacent to Reevey Footpath may be required to prevent vegetation obstructing footpath. An hourly rate can be submitted for this if easier.

Please see the attached Planning Note from Aggregate Industries in respect of their planning application 23/0004/CWMAJW - Temporary use of an alternative access point onto Whelford Road for infill vehicles to exit from Manor Farm Quarry.

Also attached is the Parish Council's response to this application, and the separate application for the Installation of a Ready-Mix Concrete Production Plant with Ancillary Infrastructure.

Comments can be made at -

http://planning.gloucestershire.gov.uk/publicaccess/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=RR3WH6HNIQQ00

http://planning.gloucestershire.gov.uk/publicaccess/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=RQJ3S3HN01600

or by email to - 

planningdc@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Update on the regeneration of Cross Tree Crescent from Bromford Housing -

We have appointed E G Carter and Co Ltd to construct the development, who are a family run Building Contractor operating throughout the South and Southwest of England for a number of Housing Associations. They have enjoyed a longstanding working relationship with many Housing Association clients, having completed many projects comparable in nature to Cross Tree Crescent.

E G Carter will be present on site from Monday 3rd April 2023, with site clearance and demolition works starting on Tuesday 4th April for a period of 6 weeks. E G Carter have employed David Horton Contractors to demolish the existing houses.

We will begin building the new homes in May 2023. During the construction period, we will make every effort to minimise disruption to neighbours as much as possible. There will inevitably be a certain amount of noise and disturbance to people living in the local area and we will endeavour to keep this to a minimum. We will aim to go the extra mile to show care and consideration to the neighbouring residents throughout the duration of the project. Please be mindful that building sites can be very dangerous, so keep children and pets away from the site.

Estimated completion date April/May 2024

24th March 2023

An update on the damage and closure of the road to Hannington has been received today from Gloucestershire Highways -

Please find below a brief summary of the proposed works and situation of the road to Hannington Wick:

The road has 2 pairs and 2 single culverts, all of which are in need of replacing.

A High-Voltage cable has been exposed due to the failure of the headwalls.

The replacement work will involve the moving and relocation of the HV cable by the Electrical Company. We will dig out all the existing stone culverts through the road surface and replace them with precast concrete culverts, then rebuild the headwalls, parapets and railings.

The work will be delivered in the summer when water levels are low, it is expected to take up to 20 weeks to deliver. We will not have an exact start date until the design is completed.

It is GCC’s assessment that we are not able to open this road up to traffic, even on a temporary, restricted and limited basis, until the repairs have been completed in their entirety. I appreciate that this is inconvenient for you, however I am sure you appreciate and agree that safety must come first.

Please see the following message received from Gloucestershire Highways –

Due to serious erosion of the bank, we have taken the decision to close the Hannington Wick Road,

This may remain closed for a while until the water subsides and an inspection of the damage can be undertaken

Apologies to residents who will be affected by this.

Please see attached Election Notices and Everything you need to know about photo ID for the May2023 English local elections

For further information please visit -

https://www.cotswold.gov.uk/about-the-council/elections-and-voting/current-and-future-elections/

Important information for all residents!

As part of new laws introduced by Government, everyone voting in person at a polling

station at this year’s local elections on 4 May will need to show a valid form of ID to be

able to vote

Find out more on the Cotswold District Council website including what ID is accepted and

how to apply for free ID if you don't have one of the accepted forms of ID -

www.cotswold.gov.uk/voterid

Everyone who needs to apply for ID has until the 25 April to do so

Also remember to register to vote by 17 April if you aren’t already registered.

The ID requirements will not affect postal votes so if you

RAF Fairford will be re-starting the formal Retreat at the end of the working day, starting this Thursday, 10 November. 

The Retreat is a daily ceremony held at all USAF military installations across the world, as the national flags are lowered at the end of the day. The ceremony of Retreat is derived from the one of the three required formations in the US Army. These formations date back to the Revolutionary War and were held every day in garrison settings to take a roll call. These were held at Reveille (in the morning), Retreat (at the end of the duty day) and Tattoo (before lights out). Over the years, the ceremonies evolved into a flag raising during Reveille and flag lowering at Retreat to mark the end of the official duty day. Today, the Retreat ceremony serves a twofold purpose; It signals the end of the official duty day and serves as a ceremony for paying respect to the UK and US flags. 

Fairford will only perform the Retreat ceremony, (not Reveille in the morning) which will include the Retreat, followed by the British National Anthem and finishing with the National Anthem of the United States of America. This will be played on the base loud speaker system, and you may be able to hear off base, especially if the weather is clear.

The Retreat will be played at 5:01pm starting on Thursday 10 November, and will be played every Monday to Friday after that, with the exception of US holidays.

Due to the death of Her Majesty the Queen, and the period of national mourning, the Parish Council meeting scheduled for the 20th of September has been cancelled.

In line with Government Guidance, we are unable to issue Agendas during the period of mourning.

Gloucestershire Countywide Cycling Improvement Plan

GCC are currently consulting on their Overarching Cycle Infrastructure Plan. They have secured Dept. for Transport funding to assess approx. 10 long distance rural cycle routes. They have a long list of approx. 20 routes and need to whittle those down to progress.

Kempsford Parish Council is very excited to see that there is a good number of Cotswold routes on the long list – you will hopefully recognise a number of key aspirations in there - we need your help to make sure they make the grade! So often funding and improvements focus mainly on the major towns and cities, leaving rural communities such as ours disappointed.

The Parish Council has been busy over the last year working with Fairford and Lechlade Councils, Lakes by Yoo, our District Councillors and other landowners to provide a safe multi-user path from Fairford to Lechlade. Some of you may have attended the Lakes 103/104 Open Day events and seen the proposed plans.

Whilst currently there is no non-road safe route from Whelford that would connect to the proposed new route, it is hoped that as part of the restoration scheme for the Manor Farm Quarry, in the future we may be able to link up to Dudgrove Lane and access the route.

If you can spare the time to take part in the survey and help us improve cycling routes in our area it would be greatly appreciated.

The link to take the survey is -

https://haveyoursaygloucestershire.uk.engagementhq.com/cycling-improvement-plan/maps/gloucestershire-countywide-cycling-improvement-plan

PRESS RELEASE

19th November: The Lakes by Yoo is partnering with local land owner Cygnet Investments to create a Holiday Home development on a neighbouring 110 acre site.

This extension comprises of four lakes. The largest of the lakes, currently known as Lake 104 will continue to be accessible to the local community and will be renamed as Cotswold Waters.

The current planning consent will see 77 houses built on two existing lakes, 103 and 103A and 69 apartments built on a new lake called Milestone. In future, these lakes will be known as Lily, Malo and Milestone. The overall project will still be referred to as “The Lakes” and the extended estate will be managed by the current Lakes management team.

This extension to the Lakes estate is being developed with the same principles of ecology and conservation at its core. The focus will be on creating beautiful homes while at the same time investing in and improving the existing environment.

Works have already commenced and wherever possible services will be drawn from the immediate locality, namely Fairford and Kempsford.

The existing Lakes estate has historically delivered a significant positive economic contribution to local businesses and this new extension will do the same.

There is also provision for a new leisure facility to be constructed in the future for the benefit of both the residents and the local community, details and timings tbc.

Importantly, a pledge has been made to ensure the continuation of the community access to the land, lakes and footpaths currently enjoyed by local residents.

A responsible and respectful approach to the construction will be maintained at all times.

Lake 104 Update

The temporary footpath closures implemented around Lake 103, 103A and 104 in March has sparked lots of comments and concerns.

There will be many people who have moved to the area who possibly are unaware of the planning permission granted back in 2010.

Kempsford and Fairford Council recognise the importance of the area for walkers and in particular the link between the Whelford Road and Fairford. We have had many discussions with the developers since the closures were put in place and are very pleased to say that they have agreed to allow more sections of path to reopen and also a temporary diversion route linking to the Whelford Road.

Alterations to the fencing and signage are currently being undertaken prior to it becoming an active construction site. It will also be monitored daily for health and safety purposes.

On the North side of the Lake - the erected fencing will remain in place as it will be required for some drainage work in the future. These works will be short and intermittent so in the meantime an opening will be created to allow access along the north edge of the lake. Any short subsequent closures will be advertised prior to works being undertaken.

Please note that the land is privately owned and although there is a public right of way/footpath around the lake, much of the land which we have been used to walking over the years is not a public right of way.

We STRONGLY request that the new fencing and signage is respected to prevent more extensive closures being put back. Construction is expected to take some time and it is hoped that by working together and being respectful of essential closures these can be kept to a minimum.

Thank you.

Residents at risk of flooding in the Cotswolds could soon be getting a helping hand from community flood wardens thanks to a new initiative from Cotswold District Council.

Cotswold District Council is launching a new flood warden scheme with the help of Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC). The scheme will involve recruiting and training volunteer flood wardens from across the district and provide information and advice to householders on flood precautions.

Cllr Andrew Doherty, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “It's great news that we are introducing the flood warden scheme here in the Cotswolds. We know the effects that floods in recent years have had on our communities and this scheme will help us to create a network of flood wardens from across the district with a wealth of local knowledge and experience.

“Flood wardens are volunteers trained to help and prepare people in local communities who are at risk of flooding and have been very successful in other areas of the county.

“This is a great opportunity for residents at the heart of their communities to provide a valuable link between emergency services, the Council and the authorities responsible for flooding to ensure all work better to prevent and respond to flooding.”

The Flood Warden programme will look to work closely with town and parish councils to recruit and train volunteers across the district, with those areas most prone to flooding targeted first for the scheme.

Flood Wardens act as the eyes and ears of the community. Whether they are out walking their dog, riding a horse or just walking to the shop they can keep an eye out for blocked drains and culverts, tree branches in rivers, and anything else that may cause a flood risk and act as a communication channel between the community and authorities. The Council will provide volunteer wardens with the tools and training necessary to get the job done.

In addition to being community flood watchers, flood wardens are trained to raise awareness of flooding with residents and promote ‘self-help’. The knowledge of local flood wardens is then used to support the preparation and review of Community Flood/Emergency Plans.

Cotswold District Council is working alongside GRCC to roll the initiative out in advance of the next winter season. Further details will be published on our website over the next few weeks.

Earlier in the year, over 100 residents attended the ‘flooding forum’ run by Cotswold District Council for residents affected by the flooding over the winter with the aim of surfacing issues with the responsible agencies and solving long-standing issues with flooding across the Cotswolds. The Council also wrote to Thames Water in an open letter to try and resolve some of the problems with sewage flooding in Cirencester.

For advice and guidance on flooding, please visit: cotswold.gov.uk/flooding

Houses, particularly in the Holford Crescent and Lancaster Road area of Kempsford, have been suffering from waste water problems which have made the downstairs toilets, washing machines and Dishwashers unusable. The problems were traced back to the pumping station near the Church, were the 2 pumps were damaged and were unable to disperse the waste. Tankers have had to be called to remove the waste before they can repair the pumps. The pumps were damaged by materials which should not have been disposed of down the toilets or sinks.

Please do not dispose of items such as disposable nappies, sanitary items and wet wipes down the toilets as these contain plastic which do not break down. Fats and oils should not be disposed of down the sink as they cool to form “Fat Bergs” in the system.

Please see the attached leaflets on how to sign up for extra support during power cuts

The Community Wellbeing Service in the Cotswolds provides support to improve the health and wellbeing of the community and residents. The effects of the COVID19 lockdown have increased the loneliness and social isolation that we faced in the district, along with the effect it has had on those suffering with mental health issues. If you, or anyone you know has faced issues relating to the above, or other factors impacting their health and wellbeing, then please get in contact for our support.

We are accepting new referrals from anyone in the community, health professionals and self-referrals.

For more information on the service and what we can help with please visit our website https://www.grcc.org.uk/individuals-and-families/community-wellbeing-service. To get in contact please call 07738 106384 or email cws.grcc@nhs.net.