Parking outside new Village Centre to be reviewed

Walsall Council is looking to resolve parking problems outside the new £4.5 million Village Centre after complaints about motorists’ views being blocked.

Concern has been raised about the double yellow lines falling short around the High Street junction that leads to the centre and the fact the drivers are unable to see properly when leaving the new car park.

Maureen Payton, of the Friends of Pelsall Commons, said: “The on-road parking makes leaving the car park quite hazardous as parked vehicles completely mask on-coming traffic as well as reducing the carriageway to single width so drivers ease out at their peril.

“I don’t like yellow lines but there needs to be some restriction to allow a clear view when leaving the site. At the moment it is not safe.

“There are bound to be teething problems with any new development but this needs some thought in the interest of road safety.”

The engineering and transportation department has agreed that the double yellow line needs to be extended around the junction and has hinted that it could be extended further.

It will also look at adding signage to encourage drivers to park on the public car park because some believe it is a private facility that would result in them getting fined.

Coun Marco Longhi said he was opposed to double yellow line restrictions outside the centre but urged the authority to include roadside disabled parking spaces outside the centre in addition to car park signs.

The new library has longer opening hours than the old library and is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and on Saturday 9am to 4pm. Unlike the old library it will stay open at lunchtimes.

Cllr Anthony Harris, portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said: “We’re delighted with the positive response we have had from local residents about the new library and the centre. It is an excellent facility.”

Pelsall Village Centre in High Street opened before Christmas when two GP practices opened their doors. It houses the library, a pharmacy and children’s centre along with health offices and treatment rooms on the ground floor and on the first floor there are the GP practices, waiting room and treatment rooms.

 

 

 

Traffic light problem that led to delays ‘solved’

Motorists caught up in lengthy delays today have been assured that the problems have been dealt with.

Traffic built up on Wolverhampton Road in Pelsall this morning after temporary traffic lights on Livingstone Road in Bloxwich failed. Drivers complained of huge delays in the morning rush-hour, which compounded already difficult conditions due to snow.

Walsall Council said the problems arose when South Staffs Water, working on the development site opposite Livingstone Road, damaged an electric cable on Friday, which necessitated Western Power to undertake the necessary repair.

Western Power worked through the night and over the weekend to repair the damaged cable and South Staffs Water returned to the site yesterday to complete the connection but were unable to finish the task.

South Staffs Water were instructed by Walsall Council to manually operate the temporary traffic signals during the peak period but failed to take into account the build-up of traffic from the Brownhills direction. This resulted in delays to the travelling public.

Pelsall councillor, Coun Garry Perry, who was also held up in the traffic jam, said: “Clearly motorists were severely disadvantaged with long delays, experienced on a day when traffic was already affected by the weather conditions. I am pleased to say that officers have worked with the contractors in order to bring matters to a conclusion and avoid any further disruption.”

Pelsall Village Centre gets off to flying start

More than 850 people went through the doors when Pelsall Village Centre opened for its first day.

Sue Grainger, head of Libraries, Heritage and Arts, said a total of 867 people visited the new facility, which houses the library, children’s centre and GP surgery, on Tuesday.

On average, Aldridge Library receives around 290 visits daily; Bloxwich 400; Brownhills 350; and the Central Library 900.

“It is bound to quieten down when the novelty value wears off, but our experience from Bloxwich and Brownhills indicate that we can hope for a doubling of the visitor numbers in the first year,” she says.

Coun Garry Perry said he was thrilled at the good start.

“It proves the new facility will be a popular asset for the whole community,” he said.

Question over future of Pelsall’s public toilets

The public toilets in Pelsall village could remain open “for the foreseeable future” despite approval to close them as part of Walsall Council’s budget proposals.

Coun Garry Perry said although the closure of public toilets across the borough would save about £120,000 a year, he was hoping that the facilities in Norton Road would remain open for now.

“When the budget was consulted on there was a clear view from many that closing down the toilets was not too much of an issue,” he explained. “However in Pelsall we made a case that our toilets were not part of a district centre – as Brownhills, Bloxwich, Willenhall and so on.”

However, the new Pelsall Village Centre, which opens fully for the first time tomorrow (March 19), has accessible toilets that will be available to the general public and not just by service users.

“I am working with officers on a proposal to keep the main Pelsall toilet block open, at least for the foreseeable future,” said Coun Perry. 

Search is on for Pelsall Carnival Queen

Pelsall Carnival Committee is on the look-out for the 2013 Carnival Queen and Princess.

The competition to find the new queen and attendants takes place at the Pelsall Community Centre on Sunday, April 28, from 1.15pm, and winners will be expected to take part in the carnival procession on Saturday, July 6, 2013.

Carnival Queen Kathryn Cox at Pelsall Carnival last year

Only girls living in Pelsall girls can enter the Carnival Rosebud and Carnival Princess contests. Rosebuds must be aged between six and ten, while princesses should be 11-14.

The contest for Carnival queen is open to anyone between 15-25, although professional models are ineligible to apply.

Various prizes are up for grabs, including £100 for the winner, £50 for the runner-up and £25 for the third place entrant.

Last year, Kathryn Cox, from Pelsall, was crowned Queen, while Eve Gollins, also from Pelsall, was Princess. Antonia Dodsworth, from Rushall, and Jess Watts, from Bloxwich, were Maids of Honour, while Megan Hayes and Tianna Beech were the Rosebuds.

To be in with a chance, download the carnival queen form. Print it off and send to Carnival Secretary Ian Rhydderch (address on form) by April 20.

SSAFA charity dance in Aldridge

Pelsall Villa Colts’ committee’s Gambia charity trip

Members of Pelsall Villa Colts are travelling to Gambia this week to distribute £2,000 worth of kit, equipment and money to a football team.

Seven committee members will be flying out on Tuesday (March 12) for a week to donate the goods to Unity Football Academy from the New Jeshwang area of the Gambia.

(from left) Graham Shemmans, Andrew Overton, Clive Bywater, Sarah Edwards, Geoff Clarkson, Darren Hodgkiss, and Alan Farnell, who are all flying to Gambia

Flying out are: Sarah Edwards, welfare officer; Darren Hodgkiss, club chairman; Clive Bywater, finance officer; Graham Shemmans, development officer/website management; Geoff Clarkson, committee member team manager; Alan Farnell, team coach; and Andrew Overton, team manager.

The club has been associated with the Unity for Kids charity since 2007 and have held numerous fundraisers, including race nights and quiz nights, to help the junior and senior teams and last visited in 2011.

Chairman Darren Hodgkiss, said: “Fundraising for the people of Gambia gives our members a great sense of purpose and achievement, but the real bonus is knowing that everything we collect reaches those to whom it is intended. The joy on their faces and their genuine gratitude is is worth all the effort.”

The club is collecting new kit today (Monday) from MGSportswear, Kidderminster, which is Pelsall Villa Colts’s kits supplier, after agreeing to donate brand new kit for the senior team in Gambia.