Stock Parish Council has been working on a range of initiatives to improve the village for everyone, including road safety, parking and flood protection.
The Parish Council discussed these initiatives and more at its monthly meeting on 13 February and would like to thank the villagers who attended and shared their valuable comments and feedback. It is great to see more and more of our fellow villagers attending these meetings and supporting the village.
The results of the Parish Council’s January 2024 Road Safety Survey (full results can be found in a link at the bottom of this page) were shared, with nearly 50% (462 out of 960) of Stock households taking part – a real positive show of support. Again, the Parish Council would like to thank everyone who took time to fill out a survey.
On the topic of introducing further speed calming measures in the High Street, respondents were split exactly 50/50 between supporting a 30mph limit with average speed cameras installed and a 20mph limit with no average speed cameras.
The Parish Council has made Local Highways Panel (LHP) applications for speed surveys to be undertaken whereby tubes will be laid across the road at each end of the village to record the speed of each vehicle crossing them and other data, such as traffic volumes and times. A final decision on which measure(s) can be taken forward will be reviewed when the results have been collected and analysed.
The Road Safety Survey results showed strong support for replacing the Zebra crossing outside Budgens with a Pelican crossing (89% support), for a 20mph Zone to be introduced in the village (84%), for the reduction of the speed limit between Crondon Park Lane and Downham Road to 40mph (89%), from School Lane towards Billericay to 30mph (84%) and on Well Lane and Smallgains Lane to 40mph (98%), and designating Well Lane as a ‘Quiet Lane’ (92%).
The Parish Council has made LHP applications in relation to the above, with various usage surveys to be organised before any decisions can be made or changes introduced.
The Parish Council would invite villagers to attend a ‘Stock Against Speeding’ event on Saturday 16 March at 10am. Please meet at the Village Hall Car Park and photographs will be taken of villagers lined up along the High Street pavement. Media will be invited to this event to illustrate the united desire for motorists to drive more responsibly through Stock.
The Council is also looking for more volunteers to join the Community Speed Watch, which sees villagers use a hand-held speed detection device at four locations in the village to discourage speeding.
For more information on the above, please email clerk@stock-pc.gov.uk
To aid road safety, the need for many of the faded road markings in the village to be repainted has also been reported to Essex Highways.
With regard to parking in the village centre, 82% of respondents found the issue as a cause for concern. However, 53.6% were in support of parking restrictions in the village, while 33.7% were against restrictions being introduced.
The Parish Council discussed the survey results with villagers at considerable length at the February meeting, and will take the matter forward, speaking to local residents, businesses and Stock Primary School with the aim of formulating a holistic, sustainable parking strategy that will work best for villagers, visitors, parents and businesses alike.
The Parish Council is hopeful of resolving the issues of flooding in Smallgains Lane following discussions with residents at the February meeting. Following discussions, it is hoped that a ditch will be cleared, after which the flooding should recede and Essex Highways will be able to complete work scheduled to fill in the potholes.
Chairman Paul Fenwick provided a detailed update on the project to improve historic flooding issues on the Common and in Common Road and the car park extended, which were planned in conjunction with Essex County Council. The Chairman explained that modern development in the area has restricted the natural drainage from the Common and this has exacerbated flooding and waterlogging issues.
The first stage of the work began in January and saw the verge rebuilt and Gabion baskets installed in the ditch to improve drainage from Common Road. The presence of tree roots in the ditch, which is in a Conservation Area, has complicated matters and that part of the project has been paused while a decision is made over what to do with the Gabion baskets.
Further works will see a swale and drainage grips dug, filled with hardcore and covered, the ditch extended at the south end of the Common and drains running under Common Road unblocked, with a view to the project being completed in the spring.
The project is being funded entirely by Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payments received by the Parish Council in relation to local planning developments. This money can only be spent on funding local open spaces and must be spent within a certain time period set by Chelmsford City Council.
A number of other topics were discussed. The Parish Council unanimously approved funding for new defibrillators, has met with English Rural to discuss the future provision of Affordable Housing, and has commissioned work to remove dead trees, improve signage and replace bus shelters in the village.
Looking ahead, the Council is planning to host a number of fun events for villagers later in the year. If you have any ideas, please email clerk@stock-pc.gov.uk
The Parish Council is committed to sharing information and updates as widely as possible with villagers and welcomes interest in the work being done to improve our village for everyone.
