Our colleagues in Chelmsford are also suffering because of the Tory-controlled County Council’s decision to scale back road maintenance after massively overspending on the budget. They’ve got a competition to find the worst pothole in Essex, and you can also sign their petition to get them fixed.
The next meeting of the Castle Residents Neighbourhood Action Panel is on Monday 26th November, starting at 5.30pm at Castle Methodist Church on Maidenburgh Street. If you have a problem that you want the NAP to take action on, please come along and let us know about it!
The next meeting of the Castle Residents Neighbourhood Action Panel is on Wednesday 24th October, starting at 2pm at Castle Methodist Church on Maidenburgh Street. If you have a problem that you want the NAP to take action on, please come along and let us know about it!
Post Office Ltd has announced that the Post Office on North Station Road is one of the three branches it is seeking to close. They’ve just announced the beginning of the consultation process (which will last for six weeks) where you can have your say on the future of the branch and whether you want it to remain open.
Interestingly, we’ve been told by our colleagues in Mile End that when their local Post Office was closed a few years ago that they wouldn’t need to go into the town centre for a Post Office because they could use the one on North Station Road!
Full details of the consultation process are available at this link on the Post Office website under ‘East Essex and Suffolk’.
You can contact their consultation team in the following ways:
National Consultation Team
Post Office Ltd
FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM (no stamp is required)
Email: consultation@postoffice.co.uk
Telephone: 08457 22 33 44
We’re still waiting for the full details but there’ll be more information in the next issues of Castle Focus which should be out in the next couple of weeks.
There’s a special deal for Colchester residents on Bokashi Composters, which allow you to turn all your food waste quickly and safely into compost. They’re available at half price (£25) from Getcomposting.
If you want more information on composting, there’s a handy guide on the RecycleNow site.
The planning applications for new housing at the end of Essex Hall Road and on the old Council depot site at Jarmin Road have now both been withdrawn by their respective developers following objections by the Enivronment Agency because of the flood risk.
We understand that the developer is still seeking to develop the Jarmin Road site, and we’ll keep you informed of what happens there, as well as passing on your views about what you want to se happen to the site. Thanks to all the residents who wrote to the Planning Department with your views, and everyone who has responded recently to our survey in the area.
The next meeting of the Castle Residents Neighbourhood Action Panel is on Monday 24th September, starting at 9.30am in the Grand Jury Room in the Town Hall. If you have a problem that you want the NAP to take action on, please come along and let us know about it!
This Saturday (the 15th September) there’ll be a concert in aid of Emmaus Colchester at St Botolph’s Church. The Colchester Summer Choir will be performing Vivaldi Gloria, with Partsongs by Schubert and Elgar and Shakespeare settings by Berlioz, Brahms, Amy Beach and Mendelssohn.
Doors open at 7pm, with the concert beginning at 7.30 and tickets are £8, £6.50 for concessions and £4 for students. They’re available from Emmaus, Mann’s Music, or on the door.
The developers of the planned Vineyard Gate regeneration project - the south-east corner of the town centre, between Vineyard Street and Southway - have opened a public consultation on their plans for the area. You can view and comment on the proposals on their website, and also see them at a public exhibition in the former Shoeworld shop next to the bus station.
The exhibition will be there until Saturday 15th September, and they’re especially looking for public comments on the submissions for three architectural competitions for the area. The first is for the exterior design of the department store that will roughly be where the car park is now, the second is for a bridge over Southway and the third is for the open space that will be created in front of the Roman Wall, between Eld Lane and the new development.
Voter registration forms are currently being distributed around Colchester, so if you’re not currently registered to vote, you can soon get yourself on the Electoral Register by filling it in and returning it to the Council. There are more details on the Council’s website here. You can also check your details online - see here for more information.
If you want to apply for a postal vote, there’s information on how to do that here. You no longer need to give a reason for applying for one, so anyone can vote by post if they choose to do so.
You can contact us at:
Castle Ward Focus Team
Freepost NAT6287
Magdalen Hall
Wimpole Road
Colchester
CO1 2BY
or by leaving a comment on the website.
Contact details for Councillors and other members of the Focus Team can be found on their individual pages.
Printed published and promoted by Nick Barlow on behalf of Colchester Liberal Democrats, both at Magdalen Hall Wimpole Road Colchester CO1 2DE. Hosted by Sonnet Hosting.