Parish Council News – June 2023
Local Parish Council Elections
As you will know, the local elections took place in May and it was the first contested Parish Council election since 2007, Rushers Cross Ward however was not contested even that year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Councillors who I have worked with, some for over ten years, who have either stood down or who no longer have a seat. In particular I would like to thank the outgoing Chairman, Deveda Redman who has provided great support over the last year which has at times been challenging.
There have been big changes to your Councillors and they are listed below. Their contact details can be found on the Parish Council website and in the Newsletter.
Mayfield Ward: Paul Amans, Howard Blakebrough, Tommy Buck, Andrew Burnett, Jo Eates, Martin Lawson, Chris Lilly, Joel Marlow, Ian Parker, Andrew Ratcliffe and Raj Sharma
Five Ashes Ward: Peter Hetreed, Paul Jarvis and Sally Ann Tibbles
Rushers Cross Ward: Chris Dines
Councillor Rupert Simmons
It is with sadness to inform of the passing of our East Sussex County Councillor Rupert Simmons. Councillor Simmons served his community for a quarter of a century having been elected to Heathfield & Waldron Parish Council in 1997, Wealden District Council in 1999 and East Sussex County Council in 2001. As an East Sussex County Councillor, Councillor Simmons was also a long serving member of the Cabinet and served as Chairman of the County Council in the years 2009 to 2011. Condolences are extended to his family, friends and colleagues.
Proposed 5G Telephone Mast in Mayfield
EE and Hutchison are in the process of upgrading a number of sites in the UK to make them 5G. This upgrade process primarily involves swapping existing equipment and replacing it with new apparatus. A number of sites to facilitate capacity and the 5G upgrade require a taller monopole and this applies to the existing site at the end of Tunbridge Wells Road near the junction of the A267. The plans provided by WHP Telecoms Ltd have been uploaded to the Community website and these will form the basis of the plans they will submit to Wealden District Council, the Local Planning Authority. Due to the Newsletter’s deadline this will have already been considered by the Planning Committee for comment.
They propose to remove the existing 10m monopole with antennas and install a ‘High phase 7 monopole complete with wraparound cabinet on a concrete root cast’ and on the top of the monopole, there will be a 2m high ‘HG3 GPS node’ so the overall height will be 20m.
5G and Future Technology – Delivering the UK’s Telecoms Future
This information has been provided by Mobile Broadband Neywork Ltd.
It is anticipated that the next generation of smart phones will be only a small part of wider mobile connectivity. The first generation provided voice calls, the second generation allowed basic data such as texting and the third generation offered internet access and the development of apps. Since then the smart phone has developed further and the fourth generation has brought video and much faster data speeds allowing the integration of the smart phone into wider use.
The next generation of mobile telephony is 5G and it brings a revolutionary approach to managing spectrum and greatly increasing data speeds. The advantages this presents range from near-instant downloads of HD films to connected cars, smart medical devices and smart cities. 5G also integrates the previous generations of mobile telephony through either utilising the existing radio spectrum and/ or combining the advantages of previous generations and using multiple platforms to manage coverage and capacity. It is estimated that 5G will directly contribute to an additional £7 Billion a year to the UK economy in just six years from roll-out. It has been acknowledged by Government that we must ensure that we have the infrastructure in place to deliver 5G across our major centres and transport networks.
2022-23 Annual Report
By the time the Newsletter is issued the Annual Parish Assembly will have taken place. The 2022/23 Annual Report is now available to view online on the Minutes page of the Parish Council website:
https://mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk/latestparishcouncilnews/minutes/
Antisocial behaviour at the recreation grounds
Unfortunately, the problem is not going away despite Sussex Police confirming they have increased patrols. There continues to be antisocial behaviour in both the Mayfield and Five Ashes recreation grounds. A fence was smashed to the ground in Five Ashes and there has been glass bottles smashed regularly in the skate park and all-weather court in Mayfield. One of the basket hoop nets has also been ripped off ruining equipment for everyone. The boiler flue for the Memorial Hall was ripped off the roof and its noticeboard vandalised. The PCSO has suggested sending photographs into the office for any antisocial behaviour witnessed to see if the culprits can be identified and spoken to. Each weekend antisocial behaviour can be reported to the Operation Blitz mobile number: 07770 700642 from 3pm.
#DeerAware
It’s baby deer season, the time of year when calves are being born and more deer are known to be spotted on our roads. Traffic collisions with deer can result in injury or death for animals and drivers and damage to vehicles. There are a significant number of collisions with deer in East Sussex, particularly in the Ashdown Forest area. Drivers need to be aware and take extra care, particularly during spring and autumn.
If a deer crosses in front of you, it is likely that another will follow. If it is safe to do so, slow right down or stop and wait. Deer are unpredictable so drive with caution. They often cross the roads in the same locations. Deer warning signs are put up where deer are known to cross regularly. When you see a warning sign or are travelling through a heavily wooded stretch of road, you should slow down, stay alert and be prepared to stop.
After dark, use full-beam when there is no opposing traffic. The headlight beam will illuminate the eyes of deer on or near a road and help you to spot them. When a deer or other animal is seen on the road, dip your headlights as animals startled by the beam may cause them to ‘freeze’ rather than leave the road.
Handyman
If you would like to be engaged by the Council to carry out odd jobs around the Parish, please contact the office to find out more. This might include sweeping up bark chips in the play area, weeding and tidying up the flowerbeds etc.
Temporary road closure
Meres Lane is scheduled to be closed 5th June 2023 to 6th June 2023 from outside a property known as Arletts Farm to the junction with the A267 Heathfield Road.
Piccadilly Lane is scheduled to be closed from 12th June 2023 to 16th June 2023 to allow South East Water to carry out apparatus repair works.
Scotford Hill is scheduled to be closed from 31st May 2023 to 2nd June 2023 from the junction with Witherenden Road to the junction with Piccadilly Lane to allow BT Openreach to carry out further works at this location.
Instagram – mayfieldvillagelife
Available to for Mayfield and Five Ashes, this site can be messaged with details of a local event or alternatively, contact Cllr Sally Ann Tibbles: sally-ann.tibbles@mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk
and she will put it information up for you. The site ‘mayfieldvillagelife’ is a picture book of activities in this Parish. (Press ‘follow’ at the top of the page and you will be notified of posts as they appear.)