VE Day in 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. There are two key dates to remember, Thursday 8 May and Friday 15 August.
Thursday 8 May is Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) the day the German forces surrendered to the Allied powers. Friday 15 August is Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day). This is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered, in effect bringing World War Two to an end.
On Thursday 8th May 2025, throughout the country, there will be the lighting of Beacons and Lamp Lights of Peace at 9.30pm.
The Parish Council wants to gauge the level of interest.
The suggested outline of the celebrations is below. However, unless at least 30 people express an interest we won’t go ahead with it or will only have the beacon. The decision will be made at the next meeting on 26th February. If it does go ahead we will also publicise it in neighbouring parishes.
The suggested outline for the event is:
low key and not for fundraising
decorate the Village Hall with bunting etc
6.30pm start
bring your own drinks and food (possibly something share, possibly 1940s-style)
optional 1940s fancy dress
Rednock Swing Band plus recordings of well-known 1940s songs when they aren’t playing
use projector to show appropriate photos/film clips/information (including information on VJ Day) in the background (not a formal exhibition or talk)
The Parish Council is the first level of local democracy with responsibility for representing and promoting the interests of our community. Although Gloucester County and Stroud District Councils are responsible for strategic matters (housing, highways, infrastructure, open space development etc), working at the local level, the Parish Council can create a shared vision, influence decisions and take local action.
To help us do that, we need to know the views of residents and are asking you to spend a few minutes completing this short survey.
We are intent on making Stinchcombe Parish Council work for you so plan to engage with you regularly to ensure we keep you informed as things change.
In the last Census (2021) the Village had a population of 482. Every resident’s views are important to us, so, we hope each household survey will capture the opinions of both our adult population and the 70 under 18 year olds who live here.
Survey responses will be submitted by completing the survey here but hard copies will be available at our Community Open Evening (see below) or we can deliver one to you if you let Mandy, our friendly Parish Clerk know using the contact details below.
Everyone is welcome to join us for some festive refreshments, to meet your Councillors in person and discuss your preferences for the parish at the Parish Council Community Open Evening on Thursday 5th December from 6.30pm December in the Village Hall Committee Room.
We will also be launching the Crowd Funding initiative for the long awaited development of the Community Space and Playground on the Church Field.
Thank you very much for taking the time to complete this short survey.
We’ve been using the Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS) since November 2023 and it’s time to report back to you.
They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words …
If you are into charts you’ll quickly spot that the VAS can have a dramatic effect on how many vehicles stick to the speed limit. You’ll also notice that there are big differences between locations so let’s report on the locations individually.
Working pretty well on The Street
The VAS increased compliance with the 30 mph speed limit from 83% of vehicles to an average of 91%. Taking both directions into account, nearly 600 vehicles a day are still speeding, but mostly only by a few mph. Not ideal, but nowhere near as bad as elsewhere.
We will continue using the VAS and the CSW team will still do occasional roadside monitoring with our speed gun by the Village Hall.
Lower but still worrying levels of speeding on The Avenue
The bad news: taking both directions into consideration, in the order of 1,600 vehicles a day exceed the speed limit even with the VAS in use. Over 120 of those are travelling at 40 mph or more, about 15 times more than on The Street.
We want to ensure our traffic data are taken into consideration in connection with the proposed redevelopment of the Swedish Houses. Investment in further traffic calming measures would be premature before the future of that site has been resolved because the layout of the road may change. We’ll continue with the VAS for now.
Could do better at Taits Hill Road – Blackthorn Barn
The VAS is used for 2 weeks in each direction here. It was moderately effective in slowing traffic travelling towards the A38, increasing compliance with the speed limit from 41% to an average of 67%.
The results for traffic coming from the A38 were disappointing, with an increase in compliance of only 7% on average. Even worse, there was a marked deterioration over the evaluation period not seen elsewhere. The numbers of vehicles speeding are comparable to those on The Avenue, but the most extreme speeds have been recorded here.
Further measures to combat speeding are clearly necessary at this location. Stinchcombe Speed Watch and the Parish Council are exploring the option of a solar-powered AutoSpeedWatch camera. It would be part of the countywide Community Speed Watch+ network and automatically generate Police letters to the worst speeders. Read more about CSW+ here . The CSW team will continue to do occasional roadside monitoring with our speed gun in this area.
Not needed at Taits Hill Road – Vale Vets?
Data from the VAS show virtually 100% compliance with the speed limit here, even when the device is not illuminated. The VAS therefore serves little purpose, making it likely that we stop using it there.
The Parish Council will try to renegotiate the legal agreement with the County Council so that we can still get maximum use out of the VAS with fewer locations. Currently we cannot use it for more than 2 weeks at a location or return until 8 weeks have elapsed.
As many of you will know the redirection of some of the footpaths on The Rugby Club and surrounding land in Stinchcombe were granted by Stroud District Council several months ago.
The Rugby Club have attempted to make the changes clear to users. In April signs and maps were put in place to show where the footpaths now go, and no longer go. Stiles no longer on footpaths were removed and on new and existing paths the stiles have been replaced with gates to increase accessibility.
However, there are a number of walkers, particularly dog walkers, who continue to walk in areas that are not footpaths, and in some cases never were. Regrettably a proportion of these allow their dogs to walk off the lead, roam over sports areas and in some cases foul them. We all know how unpleasant dog mess can be if you come into contact with it, and the very real health risks it poses. An additional issue is that some users not adhering to the footpaths have been rude and disrespectful when challenged and stiles that have been closed have been interfered with.
The Club provides facilities for a range of activities, it is inclusive and welcoming to everyone. It’s facilities and fields are used by people of all ages, including children, all year round for sport and training, and it invests in the health and diversity of its wildlife and environment.
Please help them provide the safest and best quality facilities by keeping to the footpaths, walking your dog on a lead and cleaning up after it.
Pre-application advice is an optional service offered by SDC before full planning permission that allows you to understand how the development policies will apply, gain advice from a planning officer, identify any potential problems and rectify them before a full planning permission application is submitted.
Pre-application advice and enquiries is offered by SDC
Not sure if you need planning permission … find out by using the SDC new pre-applications services.
Planning mistakes can be costly, time consuming and lead eventually to enforcement notices being served.
Elections 2024 – here’s all the dates, deadlines and information you need to know
Elections will take place on Thursday, May 2 for Stroud District Council, parish and town councils, the Police and Crime Commissioner, and some neighbourhood planning referendums.
Registration
Stroud District Council wants residents to ensure they are registered to vote. In order to vote, please go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. You will need your national insurance number, registering only takes a few minutes. Alternatively, residents can register to vote by calling 01453 766321. The deadline is midnight, on Tuesday 16 April 2024.
Photo identification (ID)
The UK Government has introduced a requirement for registered electors to show photo ID when voting at a polling station. All electors will be required to present a government approved photo ID document at the polling station in order to be issued with a ballot paper. Residents are urged to make sure they are ready to vote by checking they have an accepted form of ID.
The most common forms of photo ID are permitted e.g., photo driving licence, passport, and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass. Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo. Only original documents are accepted. Further details and a full list of acceptable forms of ID are included on the Council’s website at www.stroud.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/elections/voter-id.
If you do not have an accepted form of photo ID, you can apply free-of-charge for a Voter Authority Certificate. To apply, visit www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate or book an appointment to have a photo taken and complete an application at the district council offices by calling 01453 766321. The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024.
Applications to vote by post online
You can now apply to vote by post online and will need to provide your National Insurance Number to verify your identity.
Your proxy will need to vote on your behalf at your polling station and present their photo ID. The deadline for proxy vote applications is 5pm, Wednesday 24 April 2024.
Threat of demolition and redevelopment on The Avenue
You may or may not be aware that our 4 historic “Swedish Houses” situated at the top of The Avenue are under threat of demolition. These are the two pairs of timber clad dormer bungalows opposite the cricket pitch. The right-hand pair is owned by Stroud District Council (SDC) and have been left vacant for 5 – 6 years. Of the other pair, the house on the left (No4) is privately owned and the house on the right has a SDC tenant. There are similar redevelopment plans for Swedish houses in Uley and Wotton Under Edge.
The SDC proposal
SDC wish to demolish all four houses and replace them with a high density complex of 16 dwellings, a mixture of houses and flats. The plan above is indicative of how they currently envisage the layout. The original plan was to squeeze in 18 dwellings, but this has now been reduced to 16. The 16 dwellings would comprise 6 x1 bedroom 2 person flats, 3 x 2bedroom 4 person houses and 3 x 3-bedroom 5 person houses = 39 new residents with probably two cars per dwelling.
What we don’t like about the proposal
This plan raises concerns regarding visual impact, (especially with the site being adjacent to the conservation area and within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), road safety, inadequate parking facilities, drainage, and disturbance of wildlife to mention a few. Furthermore, our Swedish houses are an important part of Stinchcombe’s rich history. You can read more about that here. Redevelopment of the site as a whole will require the purchase of No4. The owners have lived there happily for 27 years and would like to stay.
The Parish Council’s Position
Stinchcombe Parish Council have already met with SDC Housing officers to discuss the plans and held an open meeting for parishioners, which housing officers declined to attend. The Parish Council subsequently wrote to Housing stating their opposition to re development of the site. The wish of the Parish Council is for the council owned Swedish houses to be sensitively restored to modern standard whilst retaining their important historic status. Swedish houses at three other locations in Stroud District have been or are to be refurbished.
Stinchcombe History Society’s position
Not surprisingly SHS wants to preserve these historic buildings, which we have included in our heritage walk and in our Virtual Village house histories. We’ve tried and failed to get the two empty Swedish Houses listed by Historic England. Historic England recommended looking at local designation options, which we will do in parallel with any other measures for their protection.
What stage has the proposal reached?
At the Stroud District Council Housing committee meeting on the 19/3/24, members voted to add the Stinchcombe, Uley and Wotton Under Edge sites to the new Homes and Regeneration programme and progress redevelopment for the provision of new council homes, subject to planning permission. They agreed for £14.7 million to be funded from capital receipts and from Homes England.
An amendment was approved requiring that an update be brought back to committee as soon as practicable regarding highways safety and other key infrastructures considerations before the submission of planning applications. This amendment will at least ensure we get some insight into what highways and other statutory consultees think before the planning stage. Housing currently estimates that the feasibility and pre planning stage would take another 12 – 24 months and it would take another 3 – 4 months to get planning permission.
What can we do?
The stated programme means there is still time to prepare a strong case for saving the Swedish houses and preserving our village landscape and history.
It is not something the History Society and Parish Council can do on their own – we need the support of a sizable number of villagers.
If you care about this issue and want to help. Please email stinchcombehistory@gmail.com with your comments.
Please include your full name if it isn’t obvious from your email address, and your postcode. We only ask this in case it should prove to be necessary if your comments are needed to show support against the threat of demolition to Stroud District Council.
