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| Welcome to our bustling riverside town and our website where we have all the latest on what West Mersea Town Council is up to - and a lot more besides .... IS THE TIDE OVER? Click on this link to take you to a webcam of THE STROOD so you can see in "real time" the state of the tide and any queues of traffic. www.stroodcam.co.uk |
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West Mersea is a town of close to 7,000 folk, situated at the western end of Mersea Island; it is joined to the mainland by a causeway called The Strood. Twice a day when the tide's in, it becomes a real island. You can find Mersea in north eastern corner of the county of Essex - at the point where the River Blackwater joins the River Colne, ten miles south of Colchester (Britains earliest Roman capital). |
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THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD ON 16th February 2012 Finance and Planning Council Chamber - Melrose Road (door to Chamber is to the right once inside the main doors) Beginning at 7pm The Meeting is open to the public Public Question Time is from 7pm for 15 minutes COUNCIL NEWS COUNCIL AGREES TO PARKING PARTNERSHIP WITH COLCHESTER CHARGES FOR ALL WEST MERSEA CAR PARKS At the meeting of 25th January West Mersea Town Council Agreed to enter into a Parking Partnership with Colchester Borough Council. Parking Charges will be enforced on all five West Mersea Car Parks. The initial set up costs will be £32,000 (paid for by CBC). Revenue from these parking charges as follows:- 40% taxes - 15% administration costs - The remaining 45% to be divided between West Mersea and Colchester. Money from parking fines and penalties will be held in a fund and ring fenced for West Mersea. Parking Charges as follows (all pay and display) Victoria Esplanade- up to 3 hours £2.50 Over 3 hours - £3. Sunday - £2.50 Willoughby Park - up to 3 hours £2.50 - Over 3 hours - £3 - Sunday £2.50 High Street (rear of library) - wholly within a parking bay Up to 1 hour - free - up to 2 hours - 20p Over 2 hours £2.50 - Overnight (6pm to 8am) 50p - Sunday - no charge - overnight - 50p Seaview - Monday to Saturday - up to 1 hour - free. Up to 2 hours - 20p Over 2 hours - £2.50 - Overnight - 50p Sunday - £2.50 Coast Road - wholly within parking bay - up to 1 hour - free up to 2 hours - 20p - Over 2 hours - £2.50 - Overnight 50p Sunday - £2.50 - Overnight 50p For further details and information on Season Tickets etc - please contact the Council Offices on 382128 PROPOSED NEW YOUTH INTEREST GROUP FOR MERSEA Cllr Wendy Bixy has put a proposal before the Council that we look into setting up a group of young people in West Mersea - under the guidance of West Mersea Town Council - to be known as a "Youth Interest Group". This Group will be created, run and developed by young people for young people. It will exist to represent the views of youngsters at local level, giving them a voice and an opportunity to engage with decision makers and to help them to contribute to improvements within their community. This working group would have a mix of both young people and adults (adults with an existing involvement in youth activities). Let us know your views! If you are interested in joining please contact the Council direct by telephone or e mail or contact Cllr Bixby. Our office is open from 9 til 1pm weekdays - if phoning outside office hours please leave a message and we will get back to you. BEACH CABIN PROPOSALS THROWN OUT! Plans for 30 beach huts at Victoria Esplanade Car Park have been withdrawn. Cllr Tina Dopson - Portfolio Holder for Communities and Diversity has informed the council as follows:- "Having reflected on the weight of public opinion surrounding this application my decision has been made with careful consideration. A letter has been sent to the consultees advising them that this application has now been withdrawn." CONSERVATION AREA AT RISK Following a request from WMTC via the Waterside Forum - Essex County Council have now confirmed that the "Conservation Area At Risk" designation for West Mersea waterside area is now complete. It is hoped that this will add further protection to this vulnerable area. STUCK ON THE STROOD The number of vehicles becoming stuck onthe Strood at high water has increased of late - and it is costing money to get the emergency services out. The Town Council has discussed various ways of deterring motorists from attempting to cross at high tides and will continue to seek out a solution. Anyone with any further ideas as to how this problem can be solved please contact the Town Council |
| BEACH HUTS RENTS SET TO RISE AGAIN Beach Hut rents for West Mersea will rise by 3% in 2012 DAMAGED SEATS The seats around the new labyrinth in the School Gardens have been damaged. The Council will replace them with more robust seats. AGREEMENT FOR PROPOSED NEW CAR PARK IN COAST ROAD (Burma Road) Colchester Planning has granted planning permission for a 78 space car park at the Victory Dock - Coast Road. The spaces will cover a third of the winter boat park between April and October when the boats are in the water.The permission is temporary and will be reviewed after three years. The Town Council supported these plans which they hope will provide a badly needed new facility (as requested by the public in the Town Appraisal). MERSEA RECYCLING CENTRE TO BE CLOSED ON CERTAIN DAYS NEW OPENING AND CLOSING TIMES West Mersea Recycling Centre will be closed from 9th January on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Winter opening times (9th Jan to 29th Feb 2012)will be from 9am to 4pm - Summer opening (1st March to 15th October) will be 9am to 5pm. Late night opening on Tuesdays during a limited period over the summer will no longer take place. For further information visit www.essex.gov.uk/recyclingcentres or contact 0845 603 7625 FOOTPATH FP7 COMPLETES THE ROUND THE ISLAND ROUTE Seven years ago the Town Council embarked on a struggle to get the School Field - a four acre site - designated as a Village Green - to save it from development. We won this appeal and we are now pleased to say that the owners of the field - Essex County Council - have decided to give the land to us - the Town Council, but we are still awaiting a final decision. The field has been in a poor state of repair under County ownership, there is an ongoing problem with rubbish. The Town Council hope to spend money on its upkeep and maintenance in the future. We have always wanted to turn this land into a proper park - maintained properly for the use of future generations - but what we can do will depend on funding. LOCALISM BILL The Localism Bill was passed on 15th November - giving parish and town councils considerably more authority - also giving the local community a "right to challenge" (by referendum). REGULAR MEETINGS WITH PLANNERS From 2012 Town Councillors will hold regular meetings with Colchester BC PLanning Officers to discuss contentious plans and planning in general. |
| TENNIS COURTS - AT GLEBE - TOTAL REFURBISHMENT AND PROPER GRASS COURTS The Council have now installed LAWN TENNIS COURTS at The Glebe including perimeter fencing etc - the money for this came from an "Awards for All" Lottery Grant of £10,000 plus £8000 bid for by this Council from the Parish Grant fund We would like to thank Steven Vince and Stuart Moncur for all their work on this project Plans put forward by the Town Council for a new wooden pavilion (donated by a local resident) have now been passed by Colchester Planning. RENOVATING THE OLD PAVILION AT THE GLEBE |
CRICKET CLUB NEW PRACTICE FACILITIES The Environment Committee are seeking funding to enhance the meadow area of Willoughby Park/Car Park to provide, fencing, picnic seats and tables etc TREE PLANTING - FELDY CEMETERY The annual tree planting at Feldy Wood Cemetery took place this year on 22nd November - relatives of the deceased were invited to join the Mayor for this occasion. DECOMMISSIONING BRADWELL'S BARRIER WING WALLS Magnox has now been granted a licence to undertake the first phase of removing the Barrier Wing Walls. The barrier wall is located in the Estuary 400 metres offshore. Work will be carried out over a 12 week period beginning October 2011. The central structure will remain in place until such time that the second phase of work is granted permission to be decommissioned. |
| HEARING AID BATTERY COLLECTION NOW AT COUNCIL OFFICES The Hearing Aid Battery Collection has moved from West Mersea Clinic to West Mersea Town Council Offices - 10 Melrose Road. The Collection is available Monday to Friday betwwen 9am and 1pm ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR HOTLINE Colchester Borough Council and Essex Police have joined forces to provide you with a direct line to report anti social behaviour. You can now speak to a team of dedicated specialistrs who can talk through your problems and deal with your call more efficiently by assigning it to the correct agency The ASB hotline number is 282731, it will operate between 8. 30pm and 5.30pm Monday to Friday. Callers outside these times should leave a message - but urgent calls (i.e threat to life) should ring 999 ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT LOCAL PETTY CRIME? COME AND MEET YOUR LOCAL NEIGHBOURHOOD ACTION PANEL - or NAP PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS HELD THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AT THE TOWN COUNCIL OFFICES for further details click on SERVICES VILLAGE APPRAISAL The Village Appraisal is available to read on this website Tributes are due to Alan Fletcher, who sadly died last year, for the time and effort he put to - not only on the Village Appraisal - but also for his efforts in on the proposed Oakwood Avenue link road.br> Copies of the Village Appraisal are available at the Council Offices and it can be viewed on this website - see below FRIENDS OF THE PARISH CHURCh At the last meeting the Council voted to join the "Friends of West Mersea Parish Church" fund - at a cost of £100 per annum RUGBY CLUB - PROPOSED NEW PITCHES AT GLEBE The Town Council are due to negotiate with a local landowner to lease land to the north east of the Glebe for new Rugby pitches. The entrance to these pitches will be via Dawes Lane and will include a car park. The land will be linked through to The existing Glebe playing fields. |
MEALS ON WHEELS POLICE NIGHT TIME PATROLS RUBBISH COLLECTION WARNING Following an initiative by Cllr Wendy Bixby the Council have agreed to commission a feasibility study for a new skate park. More details on this later Half pipe on Youth Field pictured below |
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half pipe on the village green March 20011 |
| OFF ROAD CYCLE PATH FROM MERSEA TO COLCHESTER Cllr Nolly Urquhart (Chair of West Mersea Town Council Footpaths, Footways and Cycle Paths Committee Committee) has been liaising with local farmers and Parish Councils along the Mersea Road with a view to putting a proper off road cycle path all the way from Mersea to Colchester. Only part of this path will follow the current B road as much will go through nearby farmland. Where it would be necessary to cross farmland the farmer may be eligible for a Higher Stewardship Scheme Grant. Parish Councils along the proposed path have shown great interest and land owners have been co-operative. The County Council are to develope an outline scheme for costing and the Environment Agency are also involved. UPDATE Good news! So far none of the landowners have objected! We understand that funding has now been made available for a survey, design and feasibility study. Once the study has been completed the design can be presented to the portfolio holder Cllr Norman Hume (Essex County Council)for his approval. The cost of this project will be in the region of £800,000 which will be shared between all parishes - there may be additional funding to be found from elsewhere. THE TOWN HARD IS A "LAUNCH AND GO AREA" The Town Hard is opposite the old lifeboat shed at the end of Firs Chase. It is a free public launching area belonging to the Council and must be kept clear at all times to enable boat owners to launch their boats. Whilst they launch they may leave their trailers and cars on the Hard temporarily and remove them once they are ready to go out on the water. However, recently many cars have been parking on the Hard while they go for a walk or to a restaurant. Please note - this is a PUBLIC LAUNCHING AREA AND NOT A CAR PARK |
| NEW NUCLEAR BUILD AT BRADWELL - AN OVERVIEW Bradwell is one of the 11 sites short listed by former Energy Sec. Ed Milliband to provide part of the "low carbon future for Britain". A new nuclear reactor ar Bradwell could create up to 600 jobs Nominations for these potential new nuclear power stations have been submitted to Government and the public invited to comment - the Town Council have submitted a list of their own concerns to the Department of Energy and Climate Change. They will assess each site to decide if it meets a number of criteria and the sites judged to be suitable will be listed on the draft Nuclear National Policy Statement. If Bradwell B were to be built it would not be completed until 2018 at the earliest! For more details on this matter log on to www.nuclearpowersiting.decc.gov.uk BRADWELL NEW BUILD The Town Council have re submitted their concerns to the new consultation on building a new nuclear power station at Bradwell. (reminder - The Council believe that the Blackwater Estuary is the wrong place for new nuclear build and have voted unanimously against a new nuclear power station at Bradwell), We have received notice from the Office of Nuclear Development that our concerns will be considered along with all the others. Subject to consultation and parliamentary scrutiny government intends to finalise and formally approve the National Policy Statements on new nuclear stations in the coming year. Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group - B.A.N.N.G. BANG are a citizen based organisation based on Mersea Island. It has supporters who are pro-nuclear and who are anti-nuclear and some who are not sure where they stand. What unites them is a belief that Bradwell, for very good reasons, is a totally unsuitable site for a new mega nuclear power station and high level waste dump. West Mersea Town Council broadly agree with this view. Website www.banng.co.uk HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED NOISES THAT SHAKE THE HOUSE? WEAPONS TESTING AT SHOEBURYNESS QinetiQ operates the range at Shoeburyness on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. The site is operational all year round. Shoebury uses acoustic forecasting to operate within a strictly controlled noise limit of a maximum of 125dB (decibels) Various activities take place on the range including vital training for bomb disposal soldier trainees - involving the simulation of real life scenarios for personnel who will be deployed in operational war zones. If you experience excessive noise levels that you consider emanate from MOD Shoeburyness - QuinetiQ takes all complaints from the public seriously - you can contact their Careline team on freephone 0800 0560108 or Daily Information Line 0800 8766352 |
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| OYSTER SHEDS - NEW CAR PARK Maritime and Leisure,owners of the Victory Dock (known locally as the Burma Road) put forward (on behalf of the Council) a planning application for parking for up to 80 cars in the Victory Dock during the summer months when the yachts are removed. The Council agreed to the proposal (two Councillors voted against). We were assured that the Regatta Fair will be allowed on the same site as every year and cars will not be allowed to park there during Regatta week. The Fair has permitted rights to access the area from the privately owned side entrance. A Flood Risk Assessment has been carried out. FOOTPATH 24 - SEAVIEW TO CROSS LANE Essex County Council made an order under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 that this footpath - FP24 - be reinstated (parallel to the old footpath). The owners (Seaview Caravan Park) have objected to this order and do not accept the charge that the route was recorded in error on the ECC Definitive Map. A two day Hearing was held in May 2011. The owners set out the full details of their objection in a Statement of Case. The Council's "Witnesses" made statements to the effect that they have used this footpath "as of right" for twenty years or more. We are pleased to announce that the Judge has made his decision and found in favour of Essex County Councils and that the path will be reinstated with modifications. The footpath will not be usable until all work has been carried out. |
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old oyster sheds - coast road photo - P. Richardson |
| THE OLD OYSTER SHEDS The Old Oyster Sheds in Coast Road have gone and work is well under way on the new "fine dining" restaurant. Proposals to knock down the Sheds and rebuild them in an upmarket design were approved by Colchester Planning Committee on 3 June. This decision was made despite deputations from residents and respected organizations in West Mersea who had many concerns about this development. The Town Council recommended refusal of these plans in 2007. We considered that the design of the building was out of keeping in the street scene and that the high profile style of the structure was out of harmony with the rest of the waterfront. We were also concerned about highway issues along the waterfront. The strong opposition put forward by Mersea representatives at the Colchester Planning meeting was largely based on local knowledge of the traffic dangers implicit on this narrow section of Coast Road. Mersea representatives attending the Borough Planning Meeting in June were disturbed at the ease with which precise planning policies could be so easily overturned. |
| GLEBE EXTENSION FIELDS The new fields at the Glebe will undergo a programme of soil enrichment and extra maintenance to be phased over the next three years. MATCH FUNDING FOR PCSO's POLICE COMMUNITY SUPPORT OFFICERS The Town Council has been told by Essex Police that their match funding agreement to provide PCSO's will be increased. This increase was imposed unilaterally. The Council has already lost 6% of its funding due to Colchester Council cutbacks. We will continue to remain committed to the provision of PCSO's in our community but will be looking at next years spending very closely. CUT IN COUNCIL PRECEPT The Borough Council have reduced the Town Council Precept (the money we receive annually to carry out our services) by half (£11,000) with effect from April 2011. |
| The new labyrinth in the school gardens |
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| WEST MERSEA APPRAISAL AND TOWN PLAN 2009 To view the Town Appraisal click on the link below The West Mersea Appraisal and Town Plan 2009 |
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| DOGGY MATTERS It is an offence to allow your dog to foul a public area? £50 fixed penalty fines will be issued without warning to anyone not using a poop scoop - as required by law If you know of anyone who is allowing their dog to foul public areas or when and where they usually walk their dog please inform the Animal Warden Dog poop scoop bags are available from Angel Court Reception High Street - Colchester or from your Parish/Town Council at a cost of £1.30 per pack (PRICE INCREASE). NEW RULES FOR DOGS AND OWNERS AT GLEBE PLEASE KEEP YOUR DOGS OFF THE PITCHES AT THE GLEBE Reports in the Press have implied that dogs will be allowed on all of the Glebe this is entirely wrong. "Dogs will be allowed in the car park area on leads on no account are dogs to be allowed on any of the pitches" Dogs must be kept under control at all times at The Glebe. There will also be dog bins provided DOG FOULING ON THE BEACH New dog fouling laws with instant fines are now in force on the beach and elsewhere - our PCSO's are empowered to carry out the procedures for imposing these fines. £50 fixed penalty fines will be issued without warning to anyone not using a poop scoop as required by law. |
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RECYCLING Please check your copy of the recycling guide and calendar for a reminder of what is collected in each week and bank holiday arrangements. •Residents who need additional clear sacks can collect them for free from a range of locations. Download your copy of the recycling guide and find the list of locations stocking clear sacks by visiting www.colchester.gov.uk/recycling. •Alternatively both are available from the Customer Service Centre, Angel Court High Street, Colchester, email recycling@colchester.gov.uk or phone 01206 282700. LARGE GARDEN WASTE SACKS PLEASE NOTE we have more of these bags available to the public in our office in Melrose Road BUT THEY NOW COST £3.40 EACH. You can take your worn White garden bags to Angel Court in Colchester who will replace them (we do not have the facilities to take them in our Melrose Road offices) FREE RECYCLING CONTAINERS GREEN BOXES - Green recycling containers to residents are free. Customers are entitled to 1 green box, 1 roll of clear sacks during the year, they can pick up or order an additional roll from the Council Offices Melrose Road Mersea. BLACK PLASTIC BAGS Black Refuse Bags are delivered to West Mersea houses usually first week in May COMPOST BINS Compost Bins and food waste digesters are available at reduced prices via For more information on recycling - visit CBC website www.colchester.gov.uk/recycling |
by Cllr Sylvia Wargent BA for and on behalf of West Mersea Town Council *** This Website will not place any additional burden on the Town Council's Precept other than the provision of Internet access which is required by the Council anyway *** If you have any questions concerning the Town Council website Contact Council Secretary Carol Byrne at our offices in Melrose Road Office hours 9am to 1pm - Monday to Friday who will ensure that your queries are passed on to the Editor *** West Mersea Town Council is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. *** No responsibility is accepted for any loss arising from the use of information contained on this site *** Inclusion within the site does not imply the Council's recommendation. *** Website hosted by datapartners *** West Mersea Town Council - 2008 |
10 Melrose Road West Mersea Colchester Essex, CO5 8JD Telephone and Fax 01206 382128 E-mail: westmerseatc@aol.com Back to top of page |