Many people in the lower village experienced a loss of telecommunications services over Christmas.  The Council complained vigorously to Network Rail about this, which appears to have been caused by a sub-contractor of one of the Utility companies moving services from the old bridge to the temporary footbridge.  NR have apologised profusely for the disruption, though they were not directly at fault in this instance.  They are investigating exactly what happened so that the people affected should at least have an explanation, if not compensation.

There is a raised ‘shrubbery’ situated on the south side of the main A329 road, between Beech Road and Sherwood Rise, that has not been properly maintained for many years,  becoming both a hazard for drivers exiting Beech Road,  and also an eyesore in the middle of the village.  The problem for us has been identifying responsibility for its maintenance and then getting something done – a typical issue for the Council to deal with.  We have now established responsibility, and are pressing for action to make that site safe and presentable.

We will attend a WBC-hosted Speed Limit Review at the end of January, where we have requested the implementation of a 20 mph limit through the old village and past the school.  This would hopefully be a seamless follow-on from the temporary limit now in force as part of the bridge re-route.  This was the main outcome from consultation on the one-way system experiment conducted earlier last year to improve pedestrian safety in that area. We will let you know how we get on..

There will soon be a new picture hanging in the main hall of the Goosecroft Barn.  This is a painting by Cecil Aldin, a celebrated local artist of the early 20th century, of the Barn as a WW1 ‘remount depot’, essentially an army stables.  For those who are not aware of the Barn’s long history and various locations, it gives a sense of that history.  For more information, contact Project Purley!
     
Rick Jones
Chairman, Purley on Thames Parish Council