As we move to the start of the new year I thought it would be a good thing to inform residents that in this years Wolverhampton Literature Festival which will take place in February 2019. Wednesfield History Society will be playing its part in the Festival. The Society will be giving a talk on ‘The Evolution of Wednesfield from the 1950’s to the modern day. This will be held at Wednesfield Library.

The History Society are also involved in a particularly interesting piece of work around the recording of the oral history of Wednesfield. After it won funding from a National Lottery grant of £8,800 for this exciting oral history project – Preserving and Sharing Wednesfield’s Heritage.  The project will explore the life experiences of people who have lived in Wednesfield over the whole, or part of, the past 80 to 90 years The oral histories will be recorded and kept and stored for many years for future generations in Wednesfield Library.

The Hub at Ashmore Park is central to all that takes place in our community in Wednesfield North, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to find out that Santa has also been visiting there too!

He had some great fun with his elves and here is some of the action as we peeked inside the  doors! The Hub has a growing reputation for the Volunteers it produces, and for the great community work that takes place there….never mind the fun for all ages!

Urgent information for Wednesfield North Residents

Wyvern Close will be having a visit by Severn Trent Water Company to renew a pipe .

The work will start on the 8^th January 2019 and is scheduled to last  until the 10^th January 2019.

There will be temporary two way traffic signals at work during this period.

NO Deal Brexit Would Be A Negative for Wolverhampton!

Today Mary and I will be attending Audit and Risk Committee. Amongst the Key Matters that will be under discussion will be the External Auditors Reports.  We will be looking at some of the projected overspends on budget, and the Authorities plans to constrain them.

The central concerns around the Civic Hall refurbishment is also due to be discussed, as a paper will be on the Agenda.

Brexit was added onto the Risk Register of the City Council in November. It flagged that a ‘No Deal’ Brexit would be a negative for the Authority and the wider City. This has become a ‘Red’ Risk for the City.

Work is now underway to ensure that the political implications are being monitored . This includes the potential of a Snap Election or a new Referendum! There is also work being undertaken with regional partners around these issues.

I will be looking to hear what the External Auditors are having to say on this one…I am sure I will want to add a few words of my own here!

Audit and Risk is often seen as a ‘Dry as Dust’ committee, somehow I don’t thin that this item will be categorised as such.

Meeting starts at 14.00.

South Staffordshire District Council has started to change the way that their planning policies have been previously marshalled.

The South Staffordshire Local Plan is now being altered and whilst there is also very great implications for South Staffordshire. There will be likely changes in South Staffordshire, which will have impact and  knock on implications for Wolverhampton., and other Authorities that surround that District.  Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton have Borough boundaries with South Staffordshire.

I have been warning on my own social media sites for some years now how the Government was going to amend Green Belt legislation, so that they may radically alter planning based around housing and employment need.

Back in 2015 I wrote that “It looks like Government plans to alter the green belt radically, this will not be seen as being a good and radical plan by Councils surrounding this particular conurbation. Areas like South Staffs District Council would be under severe pressure from developers.”

Now it appears that this move is well underway and at the end of November – South Staffordshire closed a consultation that had been running which dealt with “The call for sites” for their Local Plan. This was the ‘call’ that allowed developers to earmark land in South Staffordshire that they would like to see offered for developments. The call identified land in the Parish of Essington, as well as elsewhere for this development.

Now the local Black Country Authorities will be preparing their responses, and in which they will be expected to work together with South Staffordshire to develop new homes, for the need that has been identified. These new plans have identified that the South Staffordshire District Councils own Housing requirement up to 2037 is 5100 homes.

My information suggests that around 4,000 of this demand can be delivered on land committed allocated or safeguarded through the South Staffordshire Site Allocation document (SAD) .

We need to be very aware of what is now taking place, and a close eye needs to be set to watch on what implications these arrangements will have here in Wednesfield North. Now whilst there is sites that have been identified in South Staffordshire and close to our borders for development. It isn’t a time for panic! Its the earliest of days and the arrangements that are now starting to shuffle onto the Councils Agenda is about principles and process.

But things are starting to change, and we all need to be aware of the implications. I will continue to use my social media sites to make people aware of what is taking place.

Wolverhampton Cabinet on the 12th December will be discussing the issues and will move to ensure that Wolverhampton takes part in the processes to protect their own interests.

Following the closure of the Wood End Post Office at The Nisa in Woodend Road,

The Post Office has written to your Wednesfield North Councillors informing them that the intention is to re-open a new Post Office at Kwik Save 7a Long Knowle Lane WV11 1HZ where it will be known as Long Knowle Lane Post Office.

The Post Office inform me that it is just a 7-minute walk from its former Location in Wood End Road.

The Post Office plan to have the shop open on the 14^th January 2019.

The issues relating to the homes that have been signalled by developers within  the South Staffordshire Green Belt is still very much in my mind.

The latest information that I have suggests that the policy relating to future housing is still being discussed in South Staffordshire.

I am keen to fully understand the ecology and the wildlife of the land that fronts Linthouse Lane, Kitchen Lane Woodend road and Blackhalve Lane.

If any of my readers have been keeping photos and notes on Butterfly’s, Insects, Birds, Mammals trees and shrubs, please keep them – catalogue them as I may need to use your work for evidence relating to the fields now which are used currently for agricultural activities.

I want to have a great library of photo’s so that we can refute, the likely developers argument that this land is not of wildlife value.

I know there are Brown Hare as I have seen them myself, but I am informed that they are in decline and nowhere near as plentiful as they once were.

If there are any bird watching ‘experts’ or enthusiastic amateurs  who use the old mineral railway line, and The Monarchs Way as walk and who regularly who read my blogs, I am always open to advice…email@philbateman.com