Read a lot of books over the lockdown? Want to read some more?
Then come along to Uphill’s village market (second Saturday of every month) or visit the weekly (term time) pop-up cafe and take part in Uphill BOOK SWOP.
20 mph traffic scheme for Uphill In the winter 2019 edition of Uphillviews we reported on the District Council’s proposal for a 20mph speed limit for the village which they were unable to proceed with at that time due to lack of funding. The funding is necessary to pay for the required signing and lining plus any possible traffic calming required. Speed and volume surveys had already been carried out and preliminary designs undertaken and discussed with the Village Society and local councillors.
The Council now reports: In response to local demand, North Somerset Council is proposing to introduce a 20mph area in Uphill. This will ensure traffic speeds stay lower, creating a safer environment for villagers, school and college students, pedestrians, hospital staff and visitors and cyclists going through Uphill on the Brean Down Way. Initial plans involve 20mph road signs throughout the suggested area, plus the potential for on-street speed cushions at key points on Uphill Road South only. This will address where speeds are higher within Uphill. It is envisaged there will be no changes to parking restrictions. Uphill residents and local businesses were invited to an online information event on 7 April to express their views or to submit questions and the outcome of this event is now being reviewed ahead of the fibnal scheme being taken forward.
It has now been just over three years since the Uphill Village Society installed the three defibrillators in Uphill.
Just in case you have not seen the defibrillators, they are in cabinets attached to the outside of the following buildings:
The defibrillators are registered with the South Western Ambulance Service and so in an emergency they will direct you to the nearest defibrillator and provide you with the code to access the cabinet.
We would like to thank both the Methodist Church and Weston Town Council for continuing to allow us to site defibrillators on their buildings.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Uphill residents, Stephen Marr and Christine Bevan for carrying out the regular checks to ensure that the cabinets and defibrillators remain in good working order.
During the past three years the Uphill Village Society has organised three training sessions to ensure that residents know how to use a defibrillator should they need to do so. To date 76 residents have received this training. The Uphill Village Society will be arranging another training session later in the year.
To join the Society, receive your free copy of Uphillviews and help Keep the Village in Uphill please make payment now. Minimum donation £6.00 per household for 2021 or £10 for 2020 & 2021
Please complete membership form and return, along with a gift aid form (available to download here) if possible to the membership secretary or any committee member. Alternatively payment can be made by bank transfer as shown
Please make payment to: Uphill Village Society
℅ Carole Fisher, Membership Secretary,
51 Uphill Road South, Uphill. Telephone 01934 415115
Email: membership@uphillvillagesociety.org.uk OR by
Bank Transfer to: Uphill Village Society, Sort code: 30 99 51 Account number: 01450280 quoting surname and first line of address as reference.
Challenges for the future
North Somerset Council are starting the process of preparing a local plan to shape investment and infrastructure funding to support new homes, workplaces and local facilities for the next 15 years and beyond.
This is the council’s opportunity to plan for new homes of the right type, at an affordable price, in the right places, to meet the needs of the people who live here now and in future.
Last summer the council carried out a consultation called ‘Challenges for the future’ to start the discussion about what issues you think need to be addressed in the Local Plan.
The consultation ran from 22 July to 2 September 2020 and the council received over 3,000 comments from a wide range of people across the district (including residents, businesses, house builders, service providers, interest groups and town and parish councils).
Consultation and feedback
The feedback received has been set out in a Consultation Statement which outlines how and who were consulted and summarises the responses.
The comments can be viewed on the online consultation page:
This feedback has been analysed and used to shape the priorities for the Local Plan and will help with the next stage of preparing the plan:
This is all about looking at alternative approaches for where new housing, employment and community uses might go over the next 15 years and which are the broad locations which best reflect your priorities
Draft plan 2021
This version of the plan will be a full plan with detailed polices on the approach to various forms of development. It will replace the current Core Strategy, Development Management Plan and Site allocations Plan. It will set out the council’s overall spatial strategy – where it thinks growth should be encouraged within North Somerset. It will allocate sites to meet this growth as well as the infrastructure, jobs and services North Somerset will need.
The council will seek views on this in 2021.
The Village Society will look closely to see how the proposed plan will effect uphill. Anyone with views or comments to make on issues raised today should address them to secretary@uphillvillagesociety.org.uk or address them to the council direct.
The Uphill Society would like to gather the villagers views on North Somerset’s plan for the parks, beaches, green spaces, wildlife, countryside, public rights of way and waterways. Many of which we are lucky to have in the village.
We would welcome your feed back to secretary@uphillvillagesociety.co.uk to help us gauge the overall view.
Residents and community groups are being asked for their views on North Somerset Council’s plans to protect and enhance the area’s natural environment over the next 10 years.
The council is developing a new green infrastructure strategy to help guide future decisions about the management of local green and aquatic spaces.
At its meeting yesterday (Thursday 11 February) the council’s Executive approved the draft strategy for public consultation. This consultation will start on Monday (15 February) and run for eight weeks until Friday 9 April, after which the strategy will be finalised.
The draft strategy has eight key objectives and includes an action plan with 57 short, medium and long-term actions to help deliver those objectives. This action plan will be regularly reviewed and updated.
The strategy will make a vital contribution to the council’s vision for an “open, fairer, greener North Somerset”. It will be crucial in tackling the climate and nature emergency, playing an important role in achieving the council’s target for the area to be carbon neutral by 2030. It will improve biodiversity across the area and will help create a healthier and more attractive place for residents, with better access to nature and high-quality open spaces.
“The North Somerset landscape with its parks, beaches, green spaces, wildlife, countryside, public rights of way and waterways is precious,” said Cllr Bridget Petty, the council’s executive member for environment and climate emergency.
“Since the Covid-19 crisis our appreciation of our natural environment has never been greater, but the climate and nature emergency has shown just how fragile our environment is and how careful management is needed to enable it to flourish.
“It is now more important than ever to protect and manage our open spaces to maximise the huge benefits they provide to our quality of life. This will need more co- operation and collaboration. That is why we have prepared this new green infrastructure strategy.
“We want this work to contribute to improving habitats for wildlife, enhance biodiversity and to support improved health and wellbeing for our residents.
“We want to understand whether the ambition of the strategy, its content, aims and objectives are right and, if not, what we might be missing. So please get involved in the consultation and give us your feedback.”
Anyone wanting to have their say on the strategy’s development should visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/greeninfrastructurestrategy where there is more information including links to the draft strategy and the consultation questionnaire.
We are pleased to announce that the Village Society’s nominations for both public houses in Uphill, The Dolphin and The Ship, to be listed as Assets of Community Value have both been successful.
The two pubs have now be added to the List of Assets of Community Value, which is published on North Somerset Council’s website, and will remain on the list for five years after which time they will be removed.
Pubs that are listed as Assets of Community Value require a planning application to change their use or demolish them.
Whilst listed as Assets of Community Value, should the owner of either pub decide to sell they must inform North Somerset Council of their intention to do so. The Uphill Village Society would then have up to six weeks to express an interest in becoming a potential bidder to buy the asset and then a further four and a half months to raise the funds required to purchase the asset.
At the end of the six month period, the owner would be able to sell it to whoever and at whatever price they choose.
In making the application we took advice from CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) who were able guide as towards the most relevant aspects which are considered when considering these applications; we also kept both of the pub tenants informed of the process.
Even before the current pandemic, pubs around the country have been closing at an alarming rate and as such CAMRA have been encouraging locals to have their pubs registered as Assets of Community. Now that both of our locals are registered it can only be good news for the village as it makes it more unlikely that either could be sold off for development. It is also reassuring that North Somerset Council recognised that both pubs are quite unique in their own ways.
The village magazine for Uphill, UPHILLVIEWS is published three times a year in Aprill, August and December. With 36 pages and in full colour it is distributed free to all members of the Village Society and available to purchase locally.
ADVERTISING RATES
For 2021, advertising rates for Uphillviews, will be:
Small ( A7 landscape) £33 per annum £12 per issue
Medium (A6 portrait) £60 per annum £23 per issue
Large (A5 landscape) £115 pa per annum £40 per issue
Whole Page (A4 portrait) £200 pa per annum £80 per issue
(for three issues of magazine – 1 April, 1 August and 1 December in full colour – copy by 15th of preceding month please)
The magazine is distributed free tool members of the Uphill Village Society (500/600 village households) and available to purchase locally. If you wish to advertise please email your copy to info@uphillvillagesociety.org.uk with size required and your will be invoiced accordingly. (Design service available if require
With the Government asking us to stay at home there has been no better time or need to shop local and support home businesses.
As in many towns and villages there must be lots of businesses being run from home going unnoticed locally and therefore missing out on valuable trade to be found on their doorstep.
Do you run such a business? If you do and would like to increase support from your local community then Uphill Village Society would like to know with a view to compiling a Home Business Directory for Uphill to increase awareness for residents of what is available to them locally not just during the current health crises but as we hopefully return to a level of normality.
Send details of what service or goods you provide with your contact details to:
info@uphillvillagesociety.org.uk