Cllr Simon Eardley presented his April 2025 report to the meeting of Saughall & Shotwick Park Parish Council on Monday 7th April 2025. The full 'copy' is repeated below. Should any residents wish to raise any points on these issues (or others), they can drop him a line on: [email protected]
Drainage challenges in the parish
I met with CWaC officers from both the ‘Flood’ and ‘Highways’ teams on Friday 28th March 2025. This meeting updated me on a range of different locations around the parish and gave details of various actions that have been taken in recent months to assist with dealing with problem areas. Locations covered were Long Lane, Parkgate Road, Seahill Road, Hermitage Road, various closes off The Ridings. Whilst progress has been made, there remain a number of areas which require further interventions, largely by private landowners. It is proposed that the Flood Team officer attends a meeting with the parish council to update everyone on their work and I would like to secure a date for this meeting as soon as practical, although it might need to wait until after 1st May. Please can we consider this during the parish council meeting on 7th April. I am also in the process of drafting a short summary note on the current status of many of these challenges and will supply that to the parish council and others in due course.
Long Lane – water leak (vicinity of Russet House)
This case was ‘escalated’ on 20/03/25 (as included in my March 2025 report): Possible water leak – Long Lane, Saughall (opposite Russet House). There is no obvious reason for this. Reported to CWaC for investigation, 12/02/25. Ref. CE687158285.
I received the following update from CWaC Highways relating to this extensive and worsening issue. Repeated here: “It is a 300mm water main [leak] with a connection to Russet House. We have sent a Section 81 Notice [explanation of this below] to United Utilities about the leak. Based on experience they may be slow to act on it. As a contingency plan, we may look to divert the leaking water into the adjacent ditch course if they do not come back with a firm date for repair."
A Section 81 notice is a notice served by a highway authority to a statutory undertaker (like a utility company) regarding a duty to maintain apparatus within the highway, if found defective. I've expressed my view that this needs to be resolved ASAP and asked that this point be impressed upon United Utilities. There are too many leaks like this locally which seem to take a disproportionate amount of time to get resolved.
I also asked the question as to whether, should this contingency plan be enacted, whether or not the Council can ‘recharge’ the costs back to the utility company. The response as follows: “We can only recharge them for consequential damage to the highway arising from the leak.”
This location has improved in recent days as a result of the ‘diversion’ mentioned above being implemented (subject to confirmation from CWaC - it may be the utility company has implemented a fix).
‘Shrub bed’ – rear of Darlington Crescent
There is a ‘redundant’ former shrub bed on the green space to the rear of Darlington Crescent / Wain Court. This was cut back by CWaC, but there are stumps etc that require removal in order that the land can be totally flat for mowing operations etc. I have been advised as follows:
“This is on our list of works, as agreed. Given there is no funding for this work the job will be done as an ad hoc and fitted in when we have an opportunity and the machinery. The area is currently safe and the shrubs are at ground level. The wet ground did cause delays last year, but I am confident we will have the area levelled in spring.”
The area will be addressed in due course and I will keep a watching brief on the matter.
Shotwick Park Estate
It may be of interest to you to know that a planning application submitted in 2022 as follows: “22/02869/FUL Construction of footpath and car park” has been formally withdrawn. This was in relation to land at the ‘Shotwick Park Estate’ which as we now know is subject to the new CWaC controlled project.
I look forward to hearing the reaction from parish councillors in due course following their meeting with CWaC officers regarding the outcomes from the community engagement exercise that concluded in mid-March. I received my own briefing on this on 3rd April, which included details of the future engagement which is planned but is slightly impacted by the ‘pre-election period’ rules the borough council is operating under owing to the Runcorn & Helsby parliamentary by-election. I will support officers with publicising their plans for this engagement in due course.
Separate to the above, I have been in some correspondence with Chester Archaeological Society regarding their interests in the overall estate from their particular and expert perspective. I understand that the CWaC project team are also in touch with them and I have offered support in terms of realising some potential projects related to Shotwick Castle (interpretation; refresh of display boards etc) in due course.
Kingswood Avenue
I am assisting residents with a number of issues arising from the use of a property on Kingswood Avenue for residential and supervised care provision, commissioned by CWaC to a private company. The nature of the concerns raised relate to planning matters (change of use / various elements of development at the site), parking challenges and miscellaneous other issues. The Chester North and Neston MP is also aware of the challenges and has been in correspondence with CWaC officers on the location also. The planning concerns will be addressed by CWaC Planning / Planning Enforcement in due course and I will continue to liaise with residents accordingly. No action is required of the parish council at this time.
Saughall Gardening Club / Green Waste / HWRCs
I attended a very interesting and informative meeting of Saughall Gardening Club, at their invitation, on 17th March. They received a presentation from Tara Dumas who is the Strategic Waste Manager at CWaC which was very helpful and insightful. The focus was on all aspects of waste and recycling within the borough and I have attached the slide deck here for those who might be interested in reading what was presented.
A reminder that the season for green waste collections is now underway. The borough council continue to offer an opt-in chargeable service costing £52.50 per bin per calendar year regardless of when you subscribe during the year. More details and a link to register is available here: www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/waste-and-recycling/garden-waste-collection
During a meeting of a recent council committee (Places Scrutiny) that I sit on, we discussed the outcome of consultation on the future use of Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in the borough. Plans from the Labour administration to limit the amount of DIY waste brought to HWRC sites without charge were part of the debate. 60% of residents who responded to the consultation believed that this would have a negative impact and likely result in more flytipping, something that is a major problem in the Saughall & Mollington Ward. Soon, the Council will bring in charges - £3.70 per 50L bag after a certain amount of 'free allocation.' I asked the Cabinet Member responsible for this area of council work whether this charge will automatically increase next year - she basically said yes. I will produce further information and details around this in due course to keep residents informed. If you wish to read the paper presented to the committee in question, the material is available via this link (agenda item 9): (Public Pack)Agenda Document for Places Overview and Scrutiny Committee, 24/03/2025 17:30
Miscellaneous
- Flytipping – Lodge Lane – door frame and white goods in the hedge. Reported on 19/03/25. Ref. CE697781312.
- Planning – The Woodlands, Church Road x3 planning applications. I have placed a provisional ‘call-in’ on each of the three retrospective planning applications at this location, as listed below. My reasons for doing so are on the CWaC Planning Portal. This does not mean to say that these applications will necessarily go forward to the Planning Committee for decision, but the ‘call-in’ process will allow me to have greater engagement with officers on each application.
- Two storey and part single storey rear extension (Retrospective). Ref. No: 25/00477/FUL.
- Reinstatement of track and construction of pond in paddock land to rear of domestic curtilage boundary (Retrospective). Ref. No: 25/00498/FUL.
- Demolition of existing garage building and construction of new replacement garage (Retrospective). Ref. No: 25/00491/FUL.
- Fiddlers Lane – highways repairs – notice of road closure received for 07 April 2025 (for a period of 5 days – works expected to last 1 day). Works are in vicinity of the Scout Hut.
- Parish Council Newsletter. I am pleased that the ‘Spring newsletter’ was sent to print last week (w/c 31 March) and as far as I am aware the printed copies have now been received by the Clerk.
- Community Speedwatch. Having recently been retrained, it was good to join the team for my first session of activity on Friday 7th March on The Ridings. More recently, I was part of the team for their session on Friday 4th April on Seahill Road (at the junction with Crofters Way). Thanks as ever to Graham Haughton and all the volunteers who undertake this important work on behalf of the community. In our hour long session, some 7 vehicles were observed in excess of the 30mph speed limit with a top speed of 41 mph.
- Repairs have now been undertaken to areas logged at the start of February on Long Lane – various potholes between the village sign and the Parkgate Road junction (Ref. CE686081242) and the edge deterioration around a drainage grid down from the village sign (Ref. CE686082046).
Potential ‘devolution’ for Cheshire & Warrington – Government-led consultation live until Sunday 13th April 2025.
As per my note to parish councillors on 28th March 2025, a reminder of the above consultation which is still live for another week or so:
Cheshire and Warrington (the council areas covered by Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester and Warrington) has been identified by the Government as a place to potentially establish a ‘Mayoral Combined Authority’ – in short, devolving power from Westminster to a more local level with the introduction of a directly elected Mayor.
Devolution is intended to be about making more decisions locally – by people who know our region and its residents best. It may be that through devolution, we will have more say, more power, and more funding locally to help improve our transport, invest in more training and better jobs, support thriving town centres and prosperous rural communities.
At the moment, the Government is leading a consultation on the areas identified for its ‘Devolution Priority Programme.’ The consultation seeks views on the proposal to establish a Mayoral Combined Authority in Cheshire and Warrington.
- The consultation is now open and will close at 11.59pm on Sunday 13 April.
- The full consultation document can be found on the GOV.UK website: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cheshire-and-warrington-devolution
- Responses for the Cheshire and Warrington devolution consultation will be via: www.consult.communities.gov.uk/lggc/cheshire-and-warrington-devolution[1]consultation
This is a government-led consultation. It is not a council or locally-led consultation.
You can find answers to a number of FAQs on the Cheshire and Warrington devolution website: www.cheshireandwarringtondevolution.com – you may wish to view this site before responding to the consultation itself.
Proposed list of areas of competence
Areas where Combined Authorities should have a mandate to act strategically to drive growth as well as support the shaping of public services, where strategic level coordination adds value.
- Transport and local infrastructure
- Skills and employment support
- Housing and strategic planning
- Economic development and regeneration
- Environment and climate change
- Health, wellbeing and public service reform
- Public safety
Should devolution happen in our area, it should be noted that each current unitary council will remain and retain its independence following devolution and no council will inherit any financial deficits or surpluses from partners.
