Campaigning in Melksham

My annual report to Melksham Town Council

Every year I am asked to submit a report to Melksham Town Council as the Wiltshire Councillor for Melksham South.

Below is the report I have supplied for 2018/19 It’s been another busy year on Wiltshire Council and the Melksham Area Board with the continued impact of reductions in funding being seen across all of the work we undertake.

Jon Hubbard proposed new "Shop Local" events in Melksham

Melksham’s High Street is set to benefit from the introduction of two now “Shop Local” days this year thanks to an initiative proposed by local councillor Jon Hubbard.

The new scheme will see the two “free” parking days made available by Wiltshire Council used to create two special events where the Town can celebrate the full range of stores and services available in the town.

Campus farce as Wiltshire Council blames Wiltshire Council for delays!

Dismay as Wiltshire Council reveal that a dispute with their own Planning Department is cause of latest Campus set back.

Local councillor Jon Hubbard has responded angrily to news that there is yet another delay to Melksham’s Campus, this time because of internal disputes between departments at Wiltshire Council.

Public toilets must reopen says local councillor

Local councillor Jon Hubbard says that there should be no delays in re-opening the public toilets in the town.

  Following an announcement in last year’s Government budget that local councils would be able claim rates relief on public toilets Cllr Hubbard approached the Town Council and asked then to reopen the toilets at Bath Road and Church Street in the town.

Town Council Steps Up To Deliver on Community Services

Melksham Town Council have announced their budget plans for the next year, and it sees more exciting investment in improving services in the town.

Plans include the new Splash Pad in the park together with a new fit trail and accessible pathways, whilst the rest of the town will continue to benefit from improved grass cutting, a commitment to protect play areas and more street cleaning.

450 Homes off Snowberry Lane Approved

Plans to build 450 homes off Snowberry Lane were approved by Wiltshire Council's Strategic Planning Committee on Wednesday.

The application was brought before the committee following the request of Melksham Councillor Jon Hubbard who claims that the developer has ignored concerns from local residents about the impact of the new houses, particularly the 3 storey appartment block being built behind Farmhouse Court.

Date set for final decision on 450 homes off Snowberry Lane

The final decision on the design for the 450 homes being built on land off Snowberry Lane is due to be made on Wednesday 5th December at a meeting of the Strategic Planning Authority at County Hall in Trowbridge.

The application has been called to committee by local councillor Jon Hubbard who has said how disappointed he is by the lack of engagement with local residents on the design of the proposed houses and the unacceptable proximity of the 3 storey flats to the listed wall and single-storey homes on Farmhouse Court.

It's time to get the Cemetery Extension sorted

Melksham councillor Jon Hubbard has submitted a question to the next meeting of the Wiltshire Council Cabinet to ask when the extension to Melksham Cemetery will finally be completed.

The issue was raised at November's Area Board meeting and Jon agreed to submit a question to find out what is happening.

Concerns Raised Over Proposed Closure of St Damien's Surgery

Cllr Jon Hubbard has written to NHS Wiltshire CCG expressing concern about the proposal to close St Damien's Surgery in Melksham.

Jon has said that if additional capacity is not provided in the town's other two surgeries then there will be a serious shortage of doctors and nurses to serve the town's rapidly expanding population.

Hallam to be invited to attend Public Meeting over Snowberry Lane development

At this evenings meeting of the Planning Committee the council agreed to invite representatives from Hallam Land Management, the developers planning to build 450 homes off Snowberry Lane, to attend a public meeting at the Town Hall to discuss their plans and how they will impact on local residents.

I continue to be very concerned that the proposed three storey apartment blocks will dominate the existing listed development at Farmhouse Court.

Time to reopen toilets in Melksham

The announcement in the Chancellor’s budget statement on Monday that councils will no longer have to pay business rates on public toilets means that Melksham should reconsider re-opening some of the closed facilities in the town according to local councillor Jon Hubbard.

When Wiltshire Council decided it could no longer fund the public toilets across the county, Melksham Town Council and Melksham Without Parish Council jointly funded keeping the toilets in the Market Place open, but all others were closed.

Coronation Road 20mph Limit One Step Closer

The campaign, spearheaded by Cllr Jon Hubbard, to see a 20mph limit on Coronation Road and the surrounding estate moved one step closer this week when the Commiunity Area Transport Group (CATG) received a report recommending implementation of the scheme.

The report showed that the estate met all of the requirements to have a 20mph limit introduced and can now be implemented if the necessary funding is allocated.

Statement regarding the Proposed 447 Homes off Snowberry Lane

When Halam and Bloor first submitted the planning application for the development off Snowberry Lane which would see yet another 447 homes being built in Melksham I was very concerned but tried to work with the developer to see how our community could benefit from this additional construction.

I spent considerable time meeting with the developer’s agent, attending the planning committee meetings as the outline planning application was considered and trying to ensure that the concerns of local residents were considered.

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