HOLMES CHAPEL
PARISH COUNCIL
What We Do
Lengthsman
Lengthsman Activities:
The Parish Council have, in recent years, set aside an amount in the annual budget to facilitate the services of a handyman in the village.
The service is used for tasks such as path clearing, weeding and tidying, street sign refurbishment, hedge and grass cutting and installing new signs.
Comments and complaints received from residents of Holmes Chapel, either via e.mail or by calling into the office, are often included within the list of work, along with larger jobs approved by the Village Infrastructure Committee, such as public bench refurbishment.
Investing in the Community
Trees
The Parish Council is committed to planting trees in the village. We have had a planting scheme since 2020, whereby we plant 10 new trees per year providing we can obtain the relevant permission from Cheshire East Council. Since early March 2020 we have palnted planted over 30 new trees around Holmes Chapel, including 4 at the Community Centre. They are of various types including Ornamental Pear, Ornamental Cherry and Hawthorn.
Benches
The Parish Council owns and is responsible for maintaining all the benches in the village, apart from the ones on the precinct. We have 34 benches across the village, and a plan of locations for new benches. 8 of these benches are in memoriam and residents are welcome to purchase a bench to remember loved ones or commemorate a significant event. A copy of our Commemorative Policy can be accessed by clicking here.
Play Areas
In addition to the play areas which are part of the newer estates in the village, Holmes Chapel has three play areas situated on Elm Drive, Middlewich Road and off Strathmore Close. The Parish Council originally purchased all the equipment; however, Cheshire East Council have since adopted these play areas and are now responsible for their ongoing maintenance.
Skate Park
It had for many years been the wish of the Parish Council to provide a facility for the youth of the village, which at last came to fruition in the Spring of 2017. The Skate park, sited at the Community Centre, was a project funded by generous grants from the Veolia Environmental Trust and the Community Safety Fund, with contributions from the Parish Council, the Holmes Chapel Partnership and the Methodist Church, and monies raised by the young people in the Skatepark Working Group.
The skate park was officially opened by PCSO Jill Cope May 2017 along with the Holmes Chapel Partnership, the Parish Council and the younger members of the community who were involved in the design of the Skatepark. Jill, who championed the skatepark along with the Parish Council and the Partnership, sadly passed away later that year. Her memorial bench is sited by the skatepark.
The Skatepark is free to use, and is open during the normal opening hours of the Community Centre during daylight hours.
SIDs and Data
Traffic speeds and volumes in Holmes Chapel became an increasing concern during the early 2000’s. As a result, back in 2010, the Parish Council formed a Traffic Task Group to consider these issues, including the rise in the number of HGVs on our roads.
As a result of resident consultation and with the support of Cheshire East Council, the Parish Council installed four permanent SIDs (Speed Indicating Devices) in the village, in late 2013. This was increased to six devices in 2016, thanks to the provision of two additional SIDs provided by Highways England as part of the M6 “Smart Motorway” works.
Some 12 years on we have amassed a significant amount of data which has helped determine the key locations to deploy the devices.
During the last couple of years, the Parish Council has funded the replacement of the original, now life expired units, with new Elan City devices. These show a much clearer display to drivers and the data capture process is much simplified, thanks to the use of cloud data storage. We took the decision to site the new SIDs at fixed locations, where we consider they provide the greatest benefit. We still have additional post locations that could be used should future circumstances merit deployment. (see map below)
The SIDs capture vehicle speed and traffic volume data, but do not record specific vehicle information. They are not cameras, just radar detectors.
The summary data from recent years can be viewed below. For older data, please contact the Parish Office for this information.
The HGV issue was addressed by introducing vehicle weight limits on certain roads and diverting them away from the village centre. See below for further information on this topic.
SIDs Data Reports
HGV Re-Routing
Over the last few years, traffic in the village has reached levels of both inconvenience and danger for the users of the village centre. As there is every reason to believe traffic levels will increase in the future, the Parish Council believe action must be taken to preserve the character of the village. We explored in depth a number of options; removing heavy vehicles from the village centre, pedestrianising the village centre or only allowing one way traffic through the centre.
We were delighted when, in February 2016, after much public consultation, the order was passed to eliminate heavy goods vehicles from the village centre, providing a safer and cleaner environment for pedestrians. The HGV restriction applies to London Road in both directions, extending from the roundabout at Knutsford Road to the traffic lights at Chester Road. Enforcement of this continues to be an issue, but the installation of the new signage in September 2016 has helped a little.
The restriction also applies to Macclesfield Road -one-way only - where the road is very narrow. This forbids HGV's from entering the village along the Macclesfield Road, re-routing them instead along Manor Lane, Station Road and Chester Road. New signage on this route is also aiding enforcement of the scheme.
This new re-routing scheme is the result of a long effort by the Parish Council - starting with the creation of a task force in 2010, a public meeting in 2011; which was followed up with a traffic questionnaire (prepared by Cheshire East Council Highways Department), delivered to every household in the village. (364 replies were received and the results were analysed). Working together, the Parish Council and Cheshire East Council considered the responses, formulated an approach to tackle the issues, which resulted, after further public consultation and 4 years later, in the HGV re-routing scheme we have today.
NOTICE OF MAKING
CHESHIRE EAST BOROUGH COUNCIL
(The Square, Holmes Chapel) (Prohibition of Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 7.5 Tonnes) (Except for Access) Order 2016
Notice is hereby given that on 4th February 2016 the Cheshire East Borough Council (the “Council”) made an Order under Sections 1, 2 and 4 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, as amended, (hereinafter referred to as “the 1984 Act”) and all other enabling powers and after consultation with the Chief Officer of Police in accordance with PartIII of Schedule 9 to the 1984 Act and in accordance with its duty under s122 of the1984 Act.
1. The effect of the Order, which will come into operation on 12th February 2016, is to continue in force indefinitely the provisions of the Cheshire East Borough Council (The Square, Holmes Chapel) (Weight Restriction) (Experimental) Order 2014’ which will prohibit heavy commercial vehicles (those goods vehicles with an operating weight in excess of 7.5T) from proceeding, except for access, along the lengths of road specified in the Schedule to this Notice.
2. A copy of the Order; a plan of the roads affected, a statement of reasons for making the Order, a copy of this public notice, a copy of the public notice of making the experimental order and a copy of the experimental order may be examined during the usual office hours at the Cheshire East Borough Council Offices, Westfields, Middlewich Road, Sandbach, CW11 1HZ.
3. Any person who desires to question the validity of the Order or any of its provisions on the grounds that it or they are not within the powers conferred by the Act, or that any requirement of the Act or any instrument made under the Act has not been complied with, that person may, within 6 weeks from the date on which the Order is made, apply for the purpose to the High Court.
S C H E D U L E
Prohibition of heavy commercial vehicles over 7.5 tonnes except for access
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A50 London Road from its junction with A535 Macclesfield Road to its junction with the A54 Chester Road and
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A535 Macclesfield Road Westbound only from its junction with Manor Lane to its junction with London Road