Thorp Arch Parish Council

Following action taken by the Parish Council, land at the entrance of Thorp Arch Grange which was subject to an Adverse Possession attempt, has now been secured and is back in the ownership of Leeds City Council (LCC). Parish Council Chairman Nicola Midgley said ‘We are delighted that our hard work in petitioning LCC regarding this unauthorised attempt to take the land by a private individual, has been quashed. We look forward to the area being used by residents as a green space for relaxation and dog walking’.

At the May meeting Councillors agreed to establish a new subcommittee to help oversee the spending of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) recently allocated to the Parish Council. CIL is a tariff system that allows local authorities to raise funds from developers undertaking new building projects in their area. There is a national requirement for a ‘meaningful proportion’ of CIL revenue to be passed directly to local communities. As Thorp Arch has a Neighbourhood Plan in place, 25% of the receipt will be allocated to the Parish Council.

The Neighbourhood Plan contains a number of projects which CIL can be allocated to. Projects outside the plan may also be considered should there be demand from the local community. With this in mind, the Parish Council will, over the next few months, undertake a community survey to ensure that inclusive and meaningful consultation, regarding spending of the sums, has taken place. Watch this space!

Following a request made to the Parish Council and local Ward Councillors, a new path outside the school has been created by Leeds Highways Department. The path allows a two-way system to operate thus providing a more secure Covid environment as children arrive and leave school and a safer one as they do not now have to walk along the roadside.

Councillor Charlotte Dyson resigned recently from the Parish Council, due to work commitments. Charlotte was instrumental in helping to improve communication with residents. Many of you will have received the marketing leaflet put together by Charlotte and perhaps noted our new logo! We wish her well and look forward to seeing her around the village.

Local artist Andy McVeigh (known as Burley Banksy) recently teamed up with Leeds United Academy to paint a rainbow inspired box in Thorp Arch, celebrating inclusivity and equality. The box can be found on Church Causeway. Visit www.leedsunited.com/news/community

The Parish Council have joined up with two local residents to look at enhanced Christmas lighting for the village. Leeds City Council have been asked to visit Thorp Arch to provide advice about how best to install a range of seasonal lighting. The lighting will be installed in both parts of Thorp Arch and we hope bring joy to all!

Anyone witnessing anti-social or criminal behaviour should report it directly to the police. For non-urgent issues and to pass on information, call West Yorkshire Police on 101. In an emergency (if a crime is in progress or you think the offenders are nearby), call 999. The police have advised that individual reports of crime can help to build a picture of criminal activity in an area, making it easier for them to take preventative action. If you see it, report it.

Works to the bridge has now commenced. The contractor will undertake repairs to areas of scour. We hope the works will not necessitate any closure of the bridge but should this need to happen we will try to give advance warning on our website and noticeboards. Please visit:

www.thorp-arch.org.uk/Latest_News_16892.aspx

The Chartford Homes/Homes England application (18/07278/FU) for 26 dwellings continues on site and is currently running over by approximately two months. Completion date will now be in the Summer.

The Homes England/Lovells development Ref: 17/07970 for 119 houses, has now started on site. There are a number of conditions that Lovells will be expected to abide by, and the Parish Council will be monitoring these very carefully to ensure they are delivered. Any queries or concerns about the development can be forwarded directly to Lovells at: Nicola. Bailey@lovell.co.uk Tel: 01132 022 200

For information about the vaccination programme in Leeds please visit: www.leedsccg. nhs.uk/health/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/

The Government has produced a timetable and information about the lifting of restrictions: www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19response-spring-2021

Residents can report a range of problems online to Leeds City Council concerning potholes, street lighting, dog fouling, blocked drains, footpaths, bridleways, fallen trees and street signs. Please make a note of the link and report problems directly at: www.leeds.gov.uk/parkingroads-and-travel/report-an-issue-with-a-road-orpavement.

Two crimes reported for April both on the Trading Estate. Register for a community alert: For daily crime updates in your area please register for community alert. Here you will receive updates about crime in your area, and crime prevention advice. Please visit www.wypcommunityalert. co.uk/

Please ensure that you report all crimes. For nonurgent issues and to pass on information, call West Yorkshire Police on 101. In an emergency (if a crime is in progress or you think the offenders are nearby), call 999. Deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired people can use textphone 18001 101. Go to the West Yorkshire Police website - www.westyorkshire. police.uk Click on the ‘Contact us’ button and a range of ways to report will appear including the 101 Live Chat System. Or click on the ‘Report it’ function and numerous types of crime which you can report online will appear. Contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team to speak to a local officer about community issues: Email: nel.npt@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/ WYPLeedsNorthEast

Twitter: www.twitter.com/WYP_LeedsNE

To give information anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The Parish Council now produce their own electronic Newsletter. This can be accessed via our website: www.thorp-arch.org.uk If you would like to receive the newsletter and other information directly from us, then please sign up via the website. The Newsletter sign up box can be found on the Homepage.

Monday 28th June 7-9pm at All Saints Church.