Week ending Saturday 19th January 2022
It would be an understatement to say it has been a unsettled week, with the weather. As storm Eunice passed through the UK, we were lucky to have escaped the worst of the damage.
However, this week will be equally testing as the weather forecast suggests that we will have a few good days of rain and sometimes heavy.
Dog fouling is still a blight on our pavements and grassed areas across the Ward. The use of these temporary yellow painted stencils do remind owners to clean up.
These signs have been used very successfully across the whole of Horbury & South Ossett and have made a difference. If you know of a location that would benefit, please let me know and I will arrange.
I started my week with a visit to Christ Church Lunch Club. This is a great opportunity for people to meet, have a two-course meal and have a sit and natter.
On Monday afternoon I was invited to meet and chat with the members of Horbury’s Women Institute. The session was attended by around 30 members at their monthly meeting.
It was a great opportunity to meet with the group who are behind the Green Heart display in Horbury’s Red Box Gallery.
This climate change initiative is a very easy, and effective message to remember – “Keep 1.5oC Alive”. Thank you for the invite and keep up your great work.
I rounded off Monday evening by attending the Royal British Legion’s monthly meeting.
Tuesday was a very busy day. Starting at 8am with an interview on BBC Radio Leeds’ Breakfast Show. This was to discuss the Council’s plans for the redevelopment of parts of Wakefield city centre contained in the Masterplan. These plans were to be discussed and were approved at the Council’s Cabinet meeting, later Tuesday morning.
BBC Look North contacted me and asked for an interview for their lunchtime news edition, this was done on ZOOM from my office in Wakefield Town Hall. Another interview was then done, live from the Cathedral precinct for the early evening Look North news, it was very cold, and I should have worn a big coat!
The video is on my Facebook page and has been viewed over 1,000 times. Full details of the Wakefield Masterplan can be found at - www.wakefieldmasterplan.com
On Wednesday, I attended the Senior Citizens’ Support Group’s coffee morning and met with over 100 locals. This is a great opportunity for like-minded people to meet and have a social gathering over a cup of tea!
My second coffee of the morning was a flying visit to the Methodist Church coffee morning and to watch a game of indoor bowls.
Wednesday afternoon was rounded off with the bi-monthly meeting of Horbury Churches Together.
This group does amazing work in supporting the young people of our area. Full details of the Youth Breakthru project can be found at - www.breakthru-youth.co.uk
On Thursday evening Horbury Civic Society arranged a public meeting in Horbury Bridge. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the potential redevelopment of the industrial area and to present an overview of the Civic Society’s work.
The developer representing the site owner gave an overview of what could potentially happen on the site, giving few details other than it could contain, residential, retail and employment,
No details were given in terms of actual numbers of new homes and no plans were presented. The developer gave details of the process which would be followed before a planning application will be made, taking into consideration flood risks, traffic flows & the impact on local services.
Understandably, residents were very concerned about the impacts on Horbury Bridge by the building of more homes. Flooding and traffic being to the major concerns. No conclusions were reached, and I imagine more details will follow over the forthcoming months.
One of the other issues discussed was the potential of a new railway station serving Ossett & Horbury. I led this discussion.
I started this part of the meeting by saying ‘be careful what you wish for!’ The reason for this statement was simple, a rail station would be a useful addition to the area, however it will bring with it a significant increase in traffic. Rail stations generate traffic, which in turn will create car parking problems.
I have been working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and have provided evidence to the current review of rail stations in our area. The outcome of this review will be known over the next 3-6 months. I will keep you posted. Just for clarity, the timescale for the opening of a new rail station, if approved, would be 5-7 years!
Thank you, Horbury Civic Society, for arranging this meeting and giving our residents an opportunity to raise issues directly with the developer.
On Saturday morning, the day after Storm Eunice, was a great opportunity to walk the Ward and deliver leaflets to homes. We had chosen the Fairfield and South Parade areas of South Ossett.
The purpose of the leaflet was to introduce my friend and colleague Deb Nicholls as our candidate for this year’s local elections in May.
Deb, is a local resident who has lived in Ossett and Horbury most of her life. Over the next few weeks, you will see Deb with me more and more. Can you imagine how much more we could achieve with two Labour Councillors?
I am so looking forward to working with Deb and making an even bigger impact on Horbury and South Ossett.
By walking around South Ossett on Saturday morning, I was able to note any issues created by the recent bad weather. Other than general debris I did not see any more damage on the roads or in our parks.
You may have noticed the tree sculpture in Carr Lodge Park. The work was commissioned by the Friends of Horbury’s Parks and completed by a very talented artist called Karl Barker.
There has been much comment about the face and who it is supposed to be. Some of the more interesting ones were – Jane McDonald, John Carr, the Queen and one wag said it was me with long hair! Well, it is a great representation of a young female, an amazing and relevant piece of artwork of our time.
The recent bad weather caused damage to a wonderful blue pine tree in Carr Lodge Park. The tree had to be felled for safety of park users and a cherry tree in Reid Park, has also been severely damaged. I have reported this tree and it will be removed in due course.
Please keep safe and take care. If you need assistance or would like me to be involved in a new local project, please feel free to drop me a line. I will see what I can do to help.
Darren
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Still places left for our Family Day Gonna be a good day 🤗 Food , Drink , jumping and socks included. View the full article