Community Speedwatch
There are now 12 members of the team helping to monitor traffic through the village. The volunteers are deployed in groups of 3 people at a time, and we are still keen to recruit a few more members. In 13 sessions during which just under 1,900 cars were observed passing through the checkpoint, 253 of them (c.13.5%) were found to be travelling at more than 35 mph with some speeds recorded significantly above that. If you can give a couple of hours a month, we will give you training and provide equipment to help you keep our village safe by deterring the inexcusable behaviour of those who drive through it too fast, putting our lives at risk. Do please join in and email parishclerk@skipwith.org.uk for further details.
Pond clearance
A year ago the Parish Council’s plan to remove excess vegetation from the Town End pond was scuppered when a late brood of pretty moorhen chicks appeared amongst the reeds. Too late in the season to be rearranged, the pond on the village green has, as a result, become almost completely overgrown this year. In September two members of the Parish Council removed several small trees and bushes which had sprung up around the perimeter, following which in October the contractors Hagrapat gave the pond their attention, removing overgrown vegetation with good results. The equipment caused little or no damage to the grassy areas by the pond and, during its operation, the moorhens swam around looking completely undisturbed. We were pleased with the result and express our thanks to Mark Headley and Matt Taylor for the assistance they gave, without which the clearance would not have been able to proceed.
The area around Scarrow Green pond was cut back earlier in the year, generating a vigorous and long debate about the need for wildlife habitat in the area around that pond to be preserved. As a result the Parish Council resolved to try for a while a less aggressive approach to cutting the verges in that area. We saw no need to clear the pond itself of any vegetation this season.
Keeping Skipwith neat and tidy
Earlier in the year the Parish Council asked for the old, rusty and bent directional signs near the bus shelter to be replaced by the Highway Authority. This has now been done, smartening up the northern area of the village green. The inside of the bus shelter has been given a thorough clean – we plan to do this at least twice each year. The condition of benches on the green and around the village has been inspected because some may be in need of maintenance or coming to the end of their natural lifespan. Anyone wanting to report similar issues should email the parish clerk. The allotments were also inspected and given an end of season tidy up. There is a vacant allotment garden at the moment so, if you like the idea of joining the happy band of gardeners there, contact the parish clerk.
The Parish Council website
After several months of work behind the scenes, Councillor Bushell has worked with Isobel Greatrex, Parish Clerk, to modernise the functionality of our internet presence, provide much more information and a good pictorial representation of the village. Documents will be regularly updated. It is hoped this will become a useful resource not only for all who live in the village but also those elsewhere who are curious about it and what’s going on. Give it a browse.
Light Valley Solar – Island Green Power
Are you aware of the Light Valley Solar proposal, part of which is planned for our doorstep, immediately beyond the parish’s northern boundary (the dyke by Bridge Farm on the road to Escrick)? Light Valley will be a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) covering a total area of 1,050 hectares, with a generation capacity of more than 500 MW, enough to power 115,000 homes annually. Similar completed projects can be seen at www.islandgp.com and we recommend you take a look at www.lightvalleysolar.co.uk and participate in the consultations. The scheme will be spread over 4 sites and Site 1 (the largest) is next to Skipwith; and though its location falls entirely in the parish of Escrick, it may have a significant impact on Skipwith particularly during its construction. Take note and watch out for more from the developers about this over the coming year. Let the parish council know what you think about this to help shape our response.