Green Space Maintenance and Waste Bins
Tuesday, July 26th, 2016In the previous 3 years that we have live in Kingsway Village, all the green spaces have been well maintained and the Waste Bins were plentiful and regularly emptied. This year, the green areas are a disgrace.
I complained to the local councillor who said that she was chasing the matter up but that Amey, the contractors, had staffing and equipment problems. Some cutting subsequently took place but other areas remain untouched. This is not a matter of wildflower meadow horticulture but the development of embryonic scrub-land which is totally inappropriate on a housing development.
Developers planted ‘shrubbed’ areas which are now starting to become weed infested and if untended, will in a few years, become unsightly bramble patches. Several waste bins have been removed and the remainder are frequently overflowing. The village is beginning to look an embarrassing mess and as people get used to living in that environment, littering, dog fouling and other antisocial becomes an accepted norm’. The council tax from the village pumps millions of pounds into the Council coffers but we are getting little in return. The council tax from 2 houses alone would cover the wages of a full time grass cutter and the maintenance of the equipment. It is time the Councils stopped using Kingsway as a cash cow and resolved these issues.
Stuart Elliott
26 Uxbridge Lane
August 21, 2016 at 10:28 am
With regards to the problems noted above, yes it is up to everyone of us living within the area to help keep it clean and tidy. With regards to the litter you will never educate everyone not to drop any, however you never see anyone being fined for it!
Also with the shops within the area the litter around them is unsightly, so why are they not forced or charged if litter is a problem around them? The shops in town have to keep their area clean do they not?
As for the dog mess, why is there an area put aside and fenced off for dogs only? Surely if this was done then there would not be problems with some areas: IE: the playing pitches etc. Other towns have specific areas for dogs only. Maybe more enforcement and penalties are needed for get the point across.
July 29, 2016 at 2:06 pm
Hi Stuart,
I wanted to take the opportunity to respond to your concerns regarding green spaces in Kingsway.
I certainly agree that the green spaces have been an issue this year. Initially this occurred because the contractors – Amey – got behind because of staffing shortages. When they started to catch up the grass and weeds had grown so much that their equipment was inadequate to cut it properly.
The problem was exacerbated because the green spaces and shrub borders are not all the responsibility of one organisation. Some belong to the City Council; some are the responsibility of the County Council; a considerable amount remains the responsibility of the developers, because their areas have not been adopted and who have been very slow in facing up to their responsibilities. Worse, is that it has, in many cases, been nigh on impossible to ascertain who deals with what.
Jennie and I have taken it on ourselves, as City Councillors, to try to sort this out, even though much of this is the responsibility of others. Like you, we live in Kingsway and want to see it look nice. After pressure from myself Taylor Wimpey have at long last cleared the waist high grass in Chivenor. We have already met with the County Councillor for Kingsway. Early in August there is a meeting of the Quedgeley Kingsway Liaison Group whose participants include the consortium representing the developers, County Councillor, City Councillors, Parish Councillors, at which we hope to make some progress.
On the subject of waste bins, the removal of 1 bin where there were 2, was an attempt to save money. It clearly costs more to empty 2 half full bins than 1 full bin. The remaining bin was to be used for both litter and dog waste. If a bin is full or overflowing, it can be reported directly to the City Council on 396396. They are very responsive and it will normally be emptied within 24 hours. Often I have seen bins filled by someone who has stuffed it with a full black sack, leaving no room for anything else. The other issue surrounding bins is that if no-one reports that they are full, then Amey will not realise the inadequacy of provision and will just continue to empty them according to their inadequate schedule. I have already had new bins installed in areas where provision was not adequate.
Discarding litter is an antisocial issue. There is no excuse; even if the bin is full, take it home. This is an education issue. If you see areas with persistent litter problems, let the Parish Council know. They have a Kingsway litter picker who can vary his route to sort out such problems. But normally litter is not perceived to be much of an issue in Kingsway. At a recent Residents Association meeting we decided not to have an annual litter picking day this year because the problem was considered so limited.
Similarly, since a campaign on dog fouling which Jennie and I organised in the spring, and with the help which the City Council provided in painting stencils on the pavement and putting up new signs, the problem of dog fouling has diminished. I am not going to pretend it has gone, because there are always going to be those antisocial types who will not clean up after their pets.
We would like you to feel that we are dealing with issues for you and other residents, and will try to respond directly or through social media if we see it, but neither we nor the Council can be everywhere at the same time and need you and others to report issues to the appropriate places. In that way you can be part of the solution and collectively we can work together to keep Kingsway looking nice.
If you have any specific green space areas which need some TLC, I would be pleased to meet with you at a time of mutual convenience to review it. Please let me know.