New Islands have reduced speeding
Melton Road was set up as a monitored speeding site by the Police, but a few months ago it was downgraded from a green site to a black site. This means it will get looked at infrequently instead of the once every 6 weeks that the Road Safety Camera Team try to do for green sites. This is because whenever the team visited they were not catching any speeding because of the road layout change with the new pedestrian island. We had hoped that the island would help reduce the number of speeding vehicles so are pleased to have this confirmed.
The Pavilion
The public toilet is now open daily from 8am to 4pm and electronically locks itself outside these hours. When the clocks go forward the opening hours will be extended to 8pm.
All the information about the Pavilion and how to hire it can be found on the website: www.melton-suffolk-pc.gov.uk/pavilion/
Already there are quite a number of bookings for various groups and activities.
It is a lovely space and we are all very proud of it.
The Pavilion Open Afternoon – save the date
On Saturday 25th March between 2pm to 5pm the Pavilion will be officially opened and local people can pop in to have a look round the facilities. We will have some light refreshments and some information about hire costs.
We delayed having an official opening until the early spring so that last minute snagging could be sorted and we had everything in place that was needed.
More information will be published in the next Melton Messenger.
Yarmouth Road 30 MPH Roundels
You will be pleased to know that a work gang has laid down five extra 30 mph roundels on Yarmouth Road that MPC and Cllr Alexander Nicoll have paid for in response to concerns from residents about speeding. Let’s hope that drivers take note; the Police do operate the speed camera van in this area from time to time.
It goes to show that Melton Parish Council takes on board the concerns of local residents and pays for corrective measures where we can.
Yarmouth Road Care Village Appeal
The Planning Inspector dismissed the appeal by the developer for a number of good reasons, which comes as a welcome relief. A number of the reasons centred on our Neighbourhood Plan which just goes to show how important it was for us to put one in place.
Review of the Year
2022 has zipped by and by the time you read this it will be February 2023! May I wish all my readers a very happy and healthy New Year. Note I didn’t say prosperous; as that piece of nirvana will elude the majority of us in 2023 with the way the finances are going currently.
2022 has probably been one of the most successful years for Melton Parish Council. We end the year with a full complement of 15 councillors. Many parishes struggle to recruit new people but in Melton we are lucky in having people who like what we do and want to be a part of it.
Here are some of the major things that have been done in 2022:-
Built a new Pavilion and public toilet
Built two crossing points in Melton Road/Hill
Installed additional Speed Indicator Devices
Built a car park with landscaping opposite McColls
Got 2 quiet lanes designated and signage installed
Organised and held a fantastic fete
Planted over 800 trees in the parish
Improved the steps in the Woodland Walk near Saxon Way
Held 3 wildlife events with Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Fitted new play equipment at Hall Farm Road Jubilee Green
Supporting residents in Bredfield Road regarding speeding concerns and St Andrews regarding the planning application for land off St Andrews Place
Outlook for 2023
2023 will not be at the same manic level of activity and expenditure as 2022. Having said that it will still be a busy year with capital expenditure in areas such as the playground at Beresford Drive and improvements to the equipment at the Recreation Ground.
We’ll be holding a consultation open event at Beresford Drive play area on the 1st April from 2- 4pm to gauge what improvements local residents want to be made. We’re also planning to install a bike pump track at the Recreation Ground and would really like residents to get involved with the design and planning. More information will be coming soon but contact the office if you are interested in helping out.
Finally I wish to offer the thanks of all of us at Melton Parish Council for the kind messages we receive from local residents who are pleased with what we have achieved. Many groups promise a lot but under deliver. I think that we do deliver what we set out to do and it is a credit to the councillors and our staff that we achieve what we do. My warmest thanks go to Phil; our village Maintenance Officer, who turns his hand to anything we throw at him. By having our own staff to actually get things done makes a real big difference in the cost and time it would take to outsource the work.
Councillor Alan Porter
Chair – Melton Parish Council
