Trowbridge & St. Mellons Branch Labour Party

Confusion amongst Council Officers has been blamed for the delayed start to the work on upgrading the Cathcob Playing Fields near Tescos. Apparently Council Officers were unsure how the cost (over a quarter of a million pounds) was to be met.

Instead of asking the local Councillors, who had been working on the project for years, weeks were wasted passing memos from one officer to another. We have been told that the work will now start in late Autumn instead of July as expected and the fields will not be useable until 2007/8. I’m not holding my breath, however, as Councillors tell me the Council, never known for haste, is grinding slowly to a complete halt since the Liberal Democrats won the 2004 Council elections.

Editor, Maria Lester.

Your Councillors are, of course, aware of the great concern Trowbridge residents have about the redevelopment of the shopping centre.

Planning permission has been granted but it was only after the permission was obtained that the Council could begin the nine month legal process of “stopping up” the current public rights of way which is necessary before building can begin. This should be completed over the next few months. The last block of garages at the rear of the existing shops will soon be demolished as these are causing problems for residents and shopkeepers.

The Council recently appointed the building firm Lovells to carry out the work following a detailed tender process, although, for some reason your local Councillors were not invited to participate in the process as has always been the case in the past. Lovells have vast experience of regeneration schemes and are also working with the Council in St. Mellons. They will employing architects White Young Green who have worked with us on this scheme up to planning stage. Legal discussions between the Council and Cardiff Community Housing Association (CCHA) have begun in order to progress the sale of the site and agreements required to carry out the re-generation. In order to keep local residents and the remaining shop keepers informed the Council will be distributing a newsletter and a site sign board will be erected on the site showing the plans for the re-generation. The bad news is the closing of the post office. It is important to understand that this is nothing to do with the Council.
Fourboys owned the Post Office franchise and for commercial reasons (nothing to do with the redevelopment) have left the area. The company has reviewed all its outlets and decided that its Trowbridge shop was not viable. Therefore, they are selling their post office franchise. The Post Office itself has very strict rules about who can become a sub-postmaster and a protracted process is undertaken before appointing new franchisees. I have spoken with Fourboys and the Post Office and it is clear that tranferring the franchise will take time and the post office will be closed. Your Councillors are hoping Spar will want to take on the franchise but this is something we cannot get involved with unfortunately.

Councillor Ralph Cook

Councillor Ralph Cook has won funding for another project under the Council’s annual “Neighbourhood Renewal Scheme”.

The project involves installing anti-motorbike fencing and gates at Crumlin Drive Park and improvements to the informal football pitch. The need arises from the physical changes in the area resulting from the regeneration of Crumlin Drive and the building of new homes at “Willowbrook Gardens”.

Local residents will be consulted on the proposals and, if they are supported, the work will be carried out next year. A previous grant paid for the multi-use games area in the park.

Editor, Maria Lester.

After local residents expressed concerns about the condition of this park, Councillors agreed plans to upgrade Coleford Drive Park with new metal fencing to deter motor-bikes (and “stray” horses”) and improvements to the access points and worn out paths. The work has now begun.

Editor, Maria Lester.

A small minority of children, youths and supposedly grown-up men have spent the summer driving residents up the wall with their noisy motor-bikes. Clearly there are a small number of people who are knowingly breaking the law and this includes those parents who buy the bikes and allow their children to use them in St. Mellons. Most offenders know they are causing misery for thousands of local residents - especially the elderly and parents of infant children. It seems they simply do not care; indeed some seem to enjoy challenging the authorities and annoying other people.

The facts are that it is against the law to drive any motorised vehicle (including “gopeds”) on the highway without valid insurance, road-tax and MOT and Council by-laws do not permit anyone to drive a motorised vehicle on its park land in St. Mellons.

We have tried various ways to stop the illegal use of motor-bikes in the area. Our newsletters have informed residents that the activity is illegal - this has generally been ignored but we know some parents have stopped their children using motor-bikes and we thank them for this. At great cost to tax-payers, we are slowly erecting metal-fencing around local parkland using money that we would rather spend on facilities. We have used boulders to block access points. We have enlisted help from the Police who have mounted operations to seize bikes. Unfortunately when returned to their owners, for a fee of £105, the bikes return to the streets again almost immediately. Anti-social behaviour orders are being used but take time to work.

We believe this dangerous and anti-social behaviour should not be tolerated and have had further discussions with the Police and the Council to see what else can be done. The Government has passed legislation that allows the police to seize and crush illegally used motor-vehicles and we are now asking South Wales Police to do this rather than return bikes to their owners.

Some residents say we will never stop illegal motor-bike use in the area. We disagree: in 2003 people said that about “stray” horses but we were determined to succeed and have made progress. With the help of residents we persuaded the Police and Council to act on horses and with your help we are doing the same with motor-bike nuisance. But we need your help!

How Can You Help? The local police need more resources to tackle motor-bikes effectively so we want South Wales Police Headquarters to recognise how big a problem we have in St. Mellons and provide the money and equipment necessary to effectively combat motor-vehicle nuisance.

a) Telephone the police on 20222111 every time motor-bikes are causing a nuisance.
Provide full details and ask for an incident number every time you make a report. This will ensure that the true extent of the problem is recorded by police Head Quarters.

b) Send a letter to Chief Constable, Barbara Wilding, South Wales Police, Cowbridge Road, Brigend CF31 3SU. Tell her the effect motor-bike nuisance has on your life and ask her to organise more anti-motorbike operations. Ask her to use the new powers that allow the destruction of illegally used motor-vehicles. We need a copy of your letters and any reply.

c) We are investigating the possibility of the Council taking legal action against offenders - especially adults. This will require photographic and video evidence that clearly identifies individuals in the act of breaking the law. If you can obtain such material we would like to hear from you.

Councillors Ralph Cook, David English and Monica Walsh

Earlier this year a notice of motion urging tough action against irresponsible horse owners was put to Councillors by Ralph Cook and the Labour Councillor for Whitchurch, Sophie Howe. This was supported by Councillors of all political parties and from all areas of the City.

The three-year campaign lead by St. Mellons Councillors has obliged the Council to accept it has to deal with the problem and horse owners are now in no doubt that action will be taken against them if horses are deliberately released in our streets and parks. However, we must continue to be vigilent as some horse-owners have threatened to retaliate.

Although there have been few complaints about “stray” horses in St. Mellons over the summer, Cllr. Ralph Cook reported a herd in Greenway Park, Rumney to the Council in September and Cllr. Judith Woodman, a member of the Council’s Executive, arranged the largest “swoop” yet which impounded 30 horses.

The owners have reclaimed the animals and incurred almost £2,000 in costs. A repeat offence could result in an anti-social behaviour order against them. The Council is also preparing to impound the horses ranging over Lamby Way landfill tip.

Councillor Monica Walsh

With crime rates fairly low in the area, most of the complaints we receive from residents are about “quality of life issues” such as the illegal use of motorcycles and youths causing problems in particular neighbourhoods.

I use the word illegal because when motor-vehicles (motorcycles, quadbikes and gopeds) are ridden on a field or footpath or, without a license, on the highway this contraves the Road Traffic Act. Vehicles can be seized and offenders disqualified from driving which may lead to imprisonment if breached. This recently occured in St. Mellons.

The police receive large numbers of calls about youths causing annoyance. Do you know where your child is and what they are doing? Many people claim there is nothing for children to do in the area but a glance at the “St. Mellons Directory”, published by the Healthy Living Project, proves this to be wrong, as it lists the many activities for children available in the area.

Abandoned shopping trolleys are also a problem. If you take a trolley away from the shop you are committing theft and are liable to prosecution.

P.C. Ian Beacall

Lorraine Barrett AM

Lorraine Barrett AM