The Heritage Hub

The Gloucestershire Heritage Hub is home to the Gloucestershire Archives, Gloucestershire Family History Society, Gloucestershire Police Archives and a number of other heritage charities, including Gloucester History Festival.

Online Visitors

Even online, it a great source of information and even has it’s own YouTube channel

Upcoming events

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Revised Plans after village consultations

Following months of research and discussions the Village Hall Committee with much help from John Pinch and input from the Stroud District Council Planning department, they presented a proposed scheme of improvements at 2 recent consultation meetings.

These improvements are needed to bring this great Village facility up to date and improve for the future. There were concerns from some residents which are noted in John’s report, (see below) John has managed to come up with an alternative scheme and the revised Plans have been uploaded to the Home page of the Village Hall website.

At the consultations it became apparent that many residents are not aware of the activities and classes held at the Hall, the monthly programme is shown as well as details of many of these activities. Also, the most recent Committee meeting minutes are uploaded once approved and a record of the History of the Hall, please take a few minutes to browse the site.

Charlie Oakhill (Chairman Stinchcombe Village Hall)

Stinchcombe Village Hall Improvements. by John Pinch

Rationale leading to the final design for improvements to the Hall

Original design brief:

• Less austere appearance of the hall
• Increased kitchen area with a wider serving hatch
• Larger utility room/storage
• Hospitable entrance hall
• Additional function room larger in floor area to the existing meeting room.

Following revisions to previous designs incorporating the above requirements, a new set of plans was offered for comments and suggestions at two public consultation meetings. The results of comments received were noted and passed to me for consideration in the redrafting and amending of the plans.

Popular suggestions from the audience at the consultation meetings included.

• The removal of the stage and use the space for another meeting room.

However, the stage is deemed a valuable asset and sometimes requested by hirers of the hall, and the floor levels are not compatible with the two adjacent dressing rooms.

• Creating a new kitchen and meeting room at the rear of the building.

This was deemed unrealistic and prohibitive because of a clause in the legal deeds.

A revised design and set of plans have been created, taking on board the main concerns listed below.

• There is insufficient space for manoeuvring vehicles adjacent to the new extension.

To respond to this concern a revised parking layout has been proposed resulting in a reduction in car parking spaces adjacent to the wall by the road. However, this is more than compensated for by the additional car park at the rear of the hall as well as the suggested provision of marked parking bays, maximizing the potential around the front of the site.

An indicative parking bay layout has been included on the block plan.

• Windows on the first floor overlook the houses in the Buildings opposite. Residents are justifiably concerned over the lack of privacy and the possibility of being overlooked.

The two windows on the first floor have been removed and replaced by two dormer windows on the adjacent South West and North East pitches of the proposed extension.

• The height of the extension is too severe.

This will be exacerbated by the removal of the two upper floor windows, leaving an unsightly gable façade.

Rather than the full height gable end of the new extension, a hipped roof has been proposed to reduce the visual impact. This will have no major impact on the floor area of the requested additional function room, located above reception and the kitchen. The floor area of this extra room will be approximately 40sq m, compared to 28sq m of the existing meeting room and140sq m of the main hall, creating a very useful space for various functions including playgroups and pilates etc.

• Inclusion of a WC in the meeting room on the first floor

It was felt that a WC in the new additional meeting room on the first floor would be desirable, especially if the room was to be used for a playgroup with young children. This meeting room could be carpeted. The toilet has been positioned above the kitchen sink area for drainage purposes and accommodates the limited headroom because of the roof pitch.

• The poor acoustics in the main Hall should be a higher priority

It is the intention to incorporate acoustic panels in the main hall as part of the improvement scheme, this was one of the original priorities but had been deferred due to the costs involved.

John Pinch

December 2022

Cost of Living Emergency: “Warm Spaces” provision

Stroud District Council has set up a warm spaces resources page which includes an interactive map.

See the entries under Cam and Dursley for what is offered by our local support group #WarmGL11, coordinated by GL11 Community Hub. Local churches, the NHS, voluntary organisations and representatives from some parish councils are taking part. The resources page also has lots of guidance for organisations setting up warm hubs and their volunteers.

Along with a few others from Stinchcombe, I recently experienced the warm welcome at St George’s on a Thursday morning!

Donations

There is a cost associated with providing these much needed services. Stinchcombe Parish Council has not made a donation because it was decided that it should be a personal decision for individual parishioners.  If you are in a position to offer financial support and would like to do so, you can donate via the funding platform

Donations can be general, specific to GL11, one-off or recurring.

Kath

Gloucestershire’s Current Road Safety Policy

Some of you might have joined in the consultation on Gloucestershire’s Road Safety Policy a few months ago.  The Parish Council and Stinchcombe Speed Watch both participated and a few of our comments are reflected in the final version of the policy. https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/media/2116396/road-safety-policy.pdf

I wish to make it clear that this article presents my own views and not necessarily those of the Parish Council or Stinchcombe Speed Watch.

Why did Gloucestershire need a new policy?

We are the 6th worst local authority in England for people being killed or seriously injured on the road.   Between 2009‐2011 and 2017‐2019, the number increased by 27%.  Compare this with the best performing authorities, which saw reductions of more than 50% over the same period.

A fundamental change

Gloucestershire is following the most successful authorities by adopting a Safe System approach. The underlying principles are:

• Humans make mistakes
• Humans are vulnerable to injury
• No death or serious injury is acceptable
• Responsibility is shared

The key aspiration is Vision Zero https://visionzerouk.wordpress.com/   – the near elimination of all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2050, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.   The interim target is a 50% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on Gloucestershire’s roads by 2032.

Doesn’t sound that radical

It didn’t to me either but look at the comparison between Vision Zero and the traditional approach to road safety.

TRADITIONAL	VISION ZERO
Traffic deaths are inevitable	Traffic deaths are preventable
Aim for perfect human behaviours	Integrate human failing into the approach
Prevent collisions	Prevent fatal and severe collisions
Individual responsibility	Systems approach
Saving lives is expensive	Saving lives is not expensive

The Strategy 2022 – 2032

Gloucestershire County Council sets out its strategy around nine themes:

1. Reduce fatalities, serious injuries, number, and severity of collisions, with a key focus on using data to prioritise our approach

2. Expand data and evidence base, including research, and monitoring of existing approaches

3. Develop toolkits and programmes to give communities the tools they need to promote and improve Road Safety in their area

4. Increase levels of safety for walking

5. Increase levels of safety for cycling

6. Improve collaboration between partners and stakeholders

7. Embed the Safe System approach

8. Promote the Vision Zero aspiration to Gloucestershire’s public

9. Lead by example

What’s our next-door neighbour doing?

High level strategies can sound all “motherhood and apple pie” so it’s interesting to do some benchmarking against our neighbouring county, Oxfordshire.  Road safety is a big subject, so forgive me if I home in on an aspect I consider relevant to Stinchcombe – the wider use of 20 mph limits. 

The information about Oxfordshire mostly came from their presentation at the 20’s Plenty Conference last October. https://www.20splenty.org/oxford20conf

On the face of things, the two counties are similar:

• both have adopted a Safe System/Vision Zero approach
• both have set an interim target for reducing by 50% the number of people killed or seriously injured on their roads (2032 in Gloucestershire and 2030 in Oxfordshire)
• both are broadly in favour of 20 mph limits where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix.

At a more detailed level, there are important differences as summarised in the table.

	Gloucestershire	Oxfordshire
How will 20 mph limits be rolled out?	No targets published. Onus on communities to make the case for a 20 mph limit.	Three year roll out plan: 2022/3 80 Towns and Parishes 2023/4 87 Towns and Parishes 2024/5 40 Towns and Parishes
What are the criteria for 20 mph limits	Applications to be prioritised against a list of eight criteria and must also be supported by an evidence base.	Can be requested in any 30 mph built-up area or 30 mph area with heavy foot or cycle traffic. No evidence of a speeding problem is required.
How is an application for a 20 mph limit made?	Not at all clear.  The recently relaunched Community Approach to Road Safety (CARS) Toolkit does not make a single mention of 20 mph limits.	Online application process for town and parish councils to complete.
Who pays for the implementation of    20 mph limits?	Communities are expected to find the funding except where collision data and fatality/serious injury statistics show there is a road safety concern. In such cases Gloucestershire County Council will fully or partly fund from its road safety budget.	Oxfordshire County Council will pay for the new signs and any road lining works.

Final thoughts

It’s great that Gloucestershire has adopted Vision Zero and has set itself ambitious targets for reducing fatalities and serious injuries.  I wish they had made provision for an efficient and widespread roll out of 20 mph limits, like Oxfordshire (and Cornwall and Wales and many other places).  Can the same levels of reduction in fatalities and serious injuries be achieved with this more hands-off approach?

If there is community support, I would like to see 20 mph limits here in Stinchcombe.  The 30 mph sections of Echo Lane and Wick Lane and all of “Church Lane” would be my top priorities.  It is disappointing that the application procedure has not been defined and that more County-level funding is not available.   That wouldn’t stop me trying if I were convinced that a majority of villagers supported 20 mph limits in these locations.  Please let me know what you think.

Kath

The Stinchcombe Safari Supper Returns

Three years ago the Friends of St Cyrs held a Safari Supper on Friday 14th February. It was held to raise funds for the planned Disabled Access, Kitchen and Toilet in the Church.

Now, three years later, all the above has been completed, thanks to a wonderful community effort.

However, the work continues. We now need to make the back of the church more suitable for events and now, thanks to the rain, we need to look to repair the leaking roof.

So, the Safari Returns to St Cyrs to start the next tranche.

What Can I do to help?

• Buy a ticket. Tickets are now on sale through the web! See the QR code below or just click here . Tickets are £40 per person for a 4 course dinner including drinks.
• We have people making starters in batches. If you can make a dozen or twenty please contact us.
• The same with desserts, have you a special pud?

Remember the date

How it works

• We all start at the church from 7.00pm for starter / canapés
• At 8.00pm we move on to various hosts in the village for the main course.
• From 10.00pm we all come back to the Church for puds, cheese and coffee

To buy a ticket

Tickets are only sold on-line. Just Scan the QR (Quick Response) code below with your phone or just click here to get to the sales site.

Questions and Contact

The main contact for all queries and questions and to offer help is Roger Batty: 07765 468 756 or rogerbatty2@aol.com