Here’s a belated look at last Wednesday’s Rawreth Parish Council Meeting.
To begin with, all the 7 Parish Councillors were there (plus of course the clerk), together with 4 people in the public seats. The nice thing about meetings like this is that all 4 visitors were able to contribute something in the public questions part of the evening…. The meeting lasted 2 hours 40 minutes – so there was much more discussion than at full meetings of the district council. Coffee, tea and coconut biscuits were provided for the public.
Rayleigh West Sewage Works: The parish councillors were not happy at all with the District Council’s failure to respond to recent messages. Phrases like ‘very disappointing’ and ‘disgrace’ were used….
Four smells in the area : There were reports of smells coming in from all over the place – Hullbridge, Battlesbridge, Beeches Road, Rawreth , Lower Road in Hockley, Asda and Kelso Close in Rayleigh and from visitors to Sweyne Park. There seem to be four sources – the Rayleigh West Sewage Works, the Shotgate Sewage Works, Sewage on a farm (which affected Lower Road) and something nasty at Imperial Park Industrial Estate in Rayleigh. This last one is at least being investigated by the District Council
Lorry movements along Rawreth Lane to the golf course: These seem to have increased again over the last couple of weeks. The Parish Clerk was asked to take this up with the District Council
The football pitches in the “Chichester” area of Rawreth : It was reported by a resident that there was scope for some nasty accidents here, with horseriders conflicting with dozens of cars bringing footballers and heavy lorries moving road planings (day and night) from County Highways compound.
The ditch by Laburnum Way in Rawreth Lane. Wimpey have said that they will install a new Hydrobrake in the drainage system for the Park School site , at a cost of ?3,000. This will reduce the flow of rainwater after heavy downpours into the ditch and hopefully reduce the risk of flooding. They will hopefully also get new maintenance contractors who will not merely cut the grass near the ditch but bag it up and take it away to stop it blowing into it. A resident thanked the Parish Council for their efforts on this- though he still wasn’t completely reassured about the stones that have been put into the ditch to create a ‘French Drain”
Rawreth Brook – Parish Councillors felt very frustrated that the Environment Agency had reneged on their previous agreement to desilt Rawreth Brook.
Well, the big ‘non-meeting’ of the 15th September regarding the disgusting quality of life destroying ‘smellie lorries’. Everyone was there except representatives of Anglian Water and Rochford Environment office, they thought it was for Friday 19th (not Friday 13th!!!). Funny that, because the date and time was agreed back in June!!!
The other strange thing was I was prepared to state that things had seemed to ‘improve’ since the meeting in May, but when Anglian Water took over their own ‘in house’ skip lorries (you would have thought ‘things could only get better’) at the beginning of September, things seem to have taken a turn for the worse. Today, I’ve had more reason to pick up the phone to Anglian Water and register a complaint than I’ve had reason to do so for the past few weeks.
Just when will the ‘powers that be’ in this country think about the people they supposedly represent? I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, we are forever being brainwashed regarding environmental issues, but until the ordinary ‘peasants’ are considered regarding our own environment, why the hell should we care? The majority of people in this country do care, myself included, but when we are treated with such contempt by the people who should be looking after our interests, why should we bother?
Every felt victimised? Well Anglian Water, I’d now like to know why I have to put up with your vile smelling lorries passing my house every day and you dumping your rubbish at the end of my garden via one of your pumping stations??