Author: FVCA

The Community Association reported to the County Council that there is a blocked drain at the Stourbridge Road – Fairfield Court service road junction.

A response has been received by the Council saying that the gully “is under investigation, but may involve other utilities so wont be a quick fix.”

Due to Coronavirus and that many household have not been able to prepare for Floral Fairfield there will be no judging of front gardens, tubs and baskets.

Instead, why not take up our Blooming Wildlife Challenge? 

Many residents took part in No Mow May, so why not take up our new challenge and give your grass a Mohican hair-cut (or should that be MOW-hican?) and see what wildflowers grow and wildlife it attracts, then take photos and send to admin@fvca.org.uk, so that we can share with the rest of our community.  

If you feel really wild, add a bug box and some other wildlife friendly features to your garden.

Here’s some mowing tips:

• Long-grass. Leave some areas of your lawn completely unmown to allow a wide diversity of short and tall plants – such as knapweed, scabious, Lady’s-bedstraw, wild carrot and orchids – to flower. These areas should be cut with a strimmer or scythe in late summer or early autumn (ideally August, September or early October) and the grass removed. Cut again with a lawn mower on its highest setting once or twice before February, again removing the cuttings, and then leave the grass to grow from March onwards.
• Short-grass. For other areas of lawn, and for paths in and around the long-grass, cut to a height of 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) once a month to allow small plants like white clover, daisies and selfheal to flower. You’ll cut off some flowers when you do mow, but they’ll come back quickly. You can even rotate cut areas around your lawn so you always have some in flower.

The proportion of long and short grass doesn’t really matter – it’s up to you and what works best into your garden. What’s important is to have two different heights of grass, as this creates very different flower-rich habitats that will be used by a whole range of wildlife – it’s particularly beneficial for insects and also provides both cover and open spaces for birds and small mammals.

Due to there being no dropped kerb, the elderly and people with mobility aids have found it difficult to cross Yew Tree Lane at the junction with Stourbridge Road, requiring these pedestrians to cross Stourbridge Road, twice if they wish to get back onto the original side of the road.  The Community Association and the Parish Council, over several years, have asked for a dropped kerb to be installed.

In the County Councillor report of May 2020, Cllr. Webb writes:  “There is very limited visibility when crossing Yew Tree Lane from the direction of number 25 Stourbridge Road. The whole idea of a dropped kerb would be to accommodate the likes of a mobility buggy, bearing in mind that the occupant would be seated up to 800mm from the front of the buggy they would have to drive onto the road before they could see around the corner, which could result in them being hit by an oncoming vehicle. For this reason the specialist team have drawn up a scheme that crosses the Stourbridge Road. The cost of such a scheme will be in the region of £10,000.”

The Community Association in a response dated 15th May wrote “Considering that traffic surveys in 2016, 2017 & 2018, taken adjacent to 24 Stourbridge Road, record vehicles driving in excess of 40mph, between the hours of 7am and 7pm, with some vehicles driving at speeds in excess of 50 & 60mph, such a proposal does raise eyebrows. We would not want to put someone at unnecessary risk crossing such a fast road.”.  The Community Association asked for sight of the proposal and requested “sight of the proposals and that a consultation takes place with the community and local equality access groups.”.  The Community Association are “very concerned that any proposal to make individuals cross the Stourbridge Road will means that they will have to cross Stourbridge Road twice to get back to the side of the road for the Post Office etc instead of just crossing Yew Tree Lane once. We are quite certain that it would be very much safer for a mobility scooter to cross Yew Tree Lane once than cross Stourbridge Road twice. We are happy to discuss local proposals, which would need local consultation.”

The Community Association have now received a copy of the proposal plans, below, that will require pedestrians – the elderly and those with mobility aids – to cross the busy and at times fast Stourbridge Road twice.  The pavement at the points of crossing will be tactile.

The Community Association welcomes your feedback on the proposals, email admin@fvca.org.uk.  You can also contact our Divisional County Councillor, Cllr. Shirley Webb, by emailing SWebb2@worcestershire.gov.uk

Please do not release rubber or foil balloons, they can land in fields & get eaten by livestock or bale wrapped with silage or hay. Livestock don’t know that eating the balloon is bad, but if ingested they choke to death.

Fairfield Village Community Association would like to make available to residents recent communication between the Association and our County Councillor regarding local traffic issues.

At the beginning of May 2020, Cllr. Webb circulated her Fairfield Report:

The Community Association, having considered the message received from residents at the Association’s AGM on 7th March, responded to the report raising ongoing issues, challenging some of the report’s content and seeking answers:

On the 22nd May 2020, The Community Association received a response from Cllr. Webb, which will be considered by the FVCA Committee.

As always, the Association seeks the views of residents to help formulate any further responses and actions. Please email admin@fvca.org.uk or message via Facebook.

The hardstanding that been laid south of the mini-island.is for the Safer Road Partnership enforcement van. They will be making periodic visits to the village to carry out speed enforcement.

Vehicles have been recorded driving at the point of 24 Stourbridge Road in excess of 70mph. Enforcement is one way of slowing down vehicles.

The Community Association has made great progress over the past few years (until 2016 you could drive through the village at 60mph and not get fined, FVCA fought for the 30mph to be legally enforceable) and is fighting for Road Tables at strategic points.

When Crossings were discussed in 2016, former County Councillor Sheila Blagg informed the Community Association that to install a Crossing would cost in excess of £100,000.
 
An installed Crossing would only slow vehicles down should someone be crossing or about to cross at that point.  The Crossing would only serve as a safe crossing point at that point along Stourbridge Road.
 
Should funding be found for a Crossing (a minimum 10 year waiting list and not guaranteed) and agreed by the Community, the Crossing would be sited near School Drive and there would be some potential negative consequences, e.g. either side of the crossing would be no parking zig zags that would stop vehicles parking alongside the church wall, the only place in the village where parking in the village is the most convenient.  Further lack of convenient parking may have an impact on village retail outlets and will push more School Parents parking onto narrow side roads, something that is going to get worse with up to an additional 35 vehicles coming in to the village each day with the school expansion. 
 
Parking and Speeding are big issues and requires a mixture of measures to help make Stourbridge Road safer for the whole length through the village and not for just one point.  The Community Association is pushing for Road Traffic Tables at strategic locations, e.g. at the village entrance.
 
Like you, the Community Association is frustrated at the lack of speed to get issues addressed.  Getting the County Council to spend the required money in Fairfield is a painful process.