Message board

Thanks Alexa!

This has found a good home too!

These have found a good home!

Hi Jane, I just sent you an email. Just replying here too in case it went to your spam 😊

Hi Eugena, I am so sorry to hear about your cat. That is very upsetting and I can’t imagine how difficult and traumatic it’s been for a young family. As an owner of a nervous dog I agree with your comments around more off lead dogs being walked on the Hardwick estate now. Two other considerations; there have been posts on this website and on village Facebook groups recently about a seemingly feral / lost dog on the Hardwick estate and Hardwick Road area that now seems to be coming into the village more often. It’s been taken to the Pangbourne vets as lost, been let out again and most recently has been posted as a “free dog” by an anonymous poster on the Pangbourne and Whitchurch friends group… I’m not sure how this issue can be resolved; for both local people and the dog itself.

This is a very sad story! Does anyone local reading this have contact with Peter Hawley? If so, could they draw his attention to this message please?

I will get this passed onto Peter Hawley Lovely story

Peter’s email is phth@msn.com

Hi Tina, Thank you for your reply. I have sent Peter a message. I hope he will be able to help me find relatives of Jean Staple. I think that the family will love to read the book we have compiled as she features prominently and it is a very sad and tragic love story.

No response from Peter. Any other suggested avenues to find Jean Staples family??

Hi Angela I will message him and ask him to check his junk he is usually very good

I’ve seen a similar type dog out on its own on that stretch early in the day before… likewise never been able to get close enough to see collar details.

I have to say that I don't think the crossing is working. I attempted to cross the High Street today, with a pram, at the designated crossing, and not a single car stopped for us. I think that drivers simply don't see that it is a crossing, as the crossing surface is almost the same colour as the road, and it just looks like a repair. I am very much afraid that pedestrians may assume that cars will stop, and will step out into incoming traffic

Worth noting that the concept of a "virtual crossing" does not appear in The Highway Code, which might explain the confusion over their use. This may also put OCC in an interesting position should there be an accident on one.

I don't understand why a red strip is inappropriate for a conservation area, but two giant bright blue signs painted on the road are ok, especially as the message they convey (which is so obvious one questions its necessity) is less important to safety than highlighting the crossing point on the main road.

Hi Sarah, cars actually don't need to stop for pedestrians on the High Street. As the High Street is defined as a "primary road" you would need a zebra crossing for cars to stop as they do in Pangbourne and Woodcote. Confusingly, OCC tells me that cars do need to stop for pedestrians at the grey line on Eastfield lane as it is a "secondardy" road. I'm not sure how they expect the general public to know this, but it does kinda make sense for cars to stop for pedesrtrians crossing Eastfiled Lane. OCC felt a Zebra crossing on the High Street would be overkill given that crossing the road is really only an issue during peak periods at rush hour, especially for parents oand children on the school run. A zebra crossing would also be difficult to do across from the pub where cars park. This is all good feedback, including comments on the colours. The Parish Council will be asking OCC to revist it in the future based on feedback after a trial period, especially from parents during the school run once it is back in session.

Hi Vera I will ask my friend she goes to your neighbour Peter Hawley

Hi Sarah, by white lines, do you mean the two while lines on either side of the narrow part of Eastfield Lane? My understanding from the OCC Highways Officer is that this just shows the width of a single lane for cars at the top of Eastfield Lane. It is wide enough for either one car or pedestrians and cyclists, but not both. The shared use symbol is just to remind users of the lane that they must share the lane and give way for each other. Depending upon where you are in the lane, a car should wait for the pedestrians and cyclists to exit this part of the lane before they enter the lane, or a pedestrian or cyclist may need to move off to the side of the lane to let cars pass. This is exactly how it was before. The lines are just meant to show that it is still obviously a single lane road at the top part. OCC would have liked to do something like they did on Station Road in Goring where there is a dedicated pedestrian lane and a separate lane for cars to pass as well (or enough room for two car lanes if there are no pedestrians), but Eastfield Lane isn’t wide enough. So it just shows that the road is a single lane, wide enough for either one car or pedestrians and cyclists but not both at the same time.

Geoff I 100% agree. More signage = more confusion. More confusion = more danger. Like you we have lived in the village over 20 years and can nit recall any incidents in this area. It seems to me that emotion and heresay have been used to make this decision rather than facts. It would be great to see the data used to support this decision however I doubt there is any. Still as long as the village can pat itself on the back and congratulate itself for following the "village plan" who cares about the aesthetics of the area of indeed the actual requirement for it to be done it the first place !!!

Dear Jane, The virtual crossing was part of the Parish Council efforts to improve pedestrian safety in the village following the 2019 Village Plan. I explained some of the background in this month’s Bulletin. We started discussions with Oak Taverns on this at least 3 or 4 years ago and shared the specifics of this final implementation recently. The land where the street markings are is part of the highway verge owned by Oxfordshire County Council, not the pub. OCC had stated that there should be no reduction in car parking spaces from the virtual footpath. If a larger vehicle were to park in the space next to Eastfield Lane obstructing the footpath, the owner of the car could theoretically get a ticket, but this would only likely happen if there were ongoing issues there.

I must say I’m underwhelmed by the ‘virtual crossing’ by the Greyhound. You can hardly see it whilst walking, so can’t see how it will improve pedestrian safety for the youngest members of our community when they are crossing the road to get to school? Will drivers see this and let them cross - I honestly don’t think so. I wish the Parish Council had had the grace to admit they were wrong with the double yellow lines and parking bays which has caused no end of speed increases due to cars parking in a single side of the road. It hasn’t resolved the ‘traffic flow’ that some of our more impatient residents wished to remove…but it has made our village more dangerous. Frustrating.

Agree with Carrie on her first point. Goring are planning to install three "pedestrian courtesy crossings" identical to the dark red surfaces that are often seen nowadays (also at the toll bridge). Generally, I find that drivers and other road users do understand these crossings albeit they're not the same as a zebra crossing. I understand that OCC are reluctant to do same in our High Str as this is a conservation area.

I echo Neil's comments - husband has just cycled back from Pangbourne and is delighted to have a smooth and safe lane. I am very aware of the noise overnight from the machinery - we could hear it too from Swanston Field but I appreciated the workmen working through the night for everyone who uses the lane benefit. I don't see how else the work could have been achieved, other than considerably more disruption to the wider community.

It was certainly a pleasure to cycle down there on Thursday without having my eyes glued to the road surface!

Hi Richard, as you can probably see now, all work on Eastfield Lane was completed Wednesday night. In addition to the new road surface, a lot of work has gone into improvements in the drainage at several points along the road, which along with the new kerbs, will improve the drainage along the road in an area that is very susceptible to flooding. Whilst the road surface will be safer for pedestrians and cyclists, the narrow entrance to Eastfield Lane is still very tricky and requires caution. We had hoped that this week’s work would have included the resurfacing on the High Street near that junction with the new virtual footbaths, but we are now told that, due to contractual issues, it will be done separately, hopefully in the very near future.

Apologies, Chris. I have amended the announcement to include the following info: Sally's funeral will be held at West Berks Crematorium, Friday 24th July 1:30pm.

I have 3 large cardboard boxes in my garage. I’m at Bay Tree, Old Gardens. Old Gardens is the first left turning on Manor Road.

Thank you for the kind offers of packing boxes - and we no longer need any more.

Hi Barbara, There is no reason to presume this is the case. The person leading the project is a Pangbourne resident, I understand, hence the placing of the announcement. This website has made some contact and been assured of more info at the appropriate time, at which point you will be able read it on this site.

We’ve lost our tortoise so he may be ours

Updates on the cats welfare are being posted on the go fund me page for the vet’s bills, it says there the incident was reported to the police link

As I have noted on these pages before there is at least one person in the village who sneakily tears down posters. Whilst I wouldn't suggest a free for all with putting up posters, I really can't believe that anyone can be genuinely offended by a poster for the Arts and Crafts, a quiz night or a spire fund raiser, but yet they have all been removed at times and I'm sure there are lots more examples. This vibrant village is our home and not a museum! I'm not aware of anyone who has actually requested an advertising policy and yet one may be thrust upon us for the "greater good" presumably.

I agree with you Geoff. There is also appears to be an assumption these days that everyone has access to the internet (or a desire to be on social media) neither of which are true. It’s more inclusive, and also creates a more vibrant local area, for event organisers and small businesses (of which there are many operating from houses in the village!) to advertise on notice boards…

All, As you may be aware the village has recently had a Conservation Area Appraisal and now has a designated Conservation Area within which the noticeboards are situated. This means specific legislation applies to advertising which is set out in the Parish Council’s Advertising Policy. Outside of the Conservation Area individuals or organisations are welcome to publicise their commercial events if they meet the requirements of the legislation (as set out in the Advertising Policy). The village Art and Crafts exhibition, spire fund raisers or quiz nights are non-commercial events so could be advertised on either of the existing notice boards. Placing advertisements on utilities poles and highway signs is considered flyposting which is a criminal offence which as a Public Body the Parish Council cannot support. The Advertising Policy distils a large amount of Government guidance in order to make the requirements more accessible. If you would like to discuss this further please e-mail Cllr Higley. The Parish Council is currently considering the future of the noticeboards both in terms of replacements and their location.

What would be helpful is a rather more supportive (and shorter!) Notices Policy eg local groups only allowed (encouraged?) to post, poster size max A4 (not 0 .6 sq metres, which is about 10 XA4!) etc. We don’t need chunks of overbearing and mostly irrelevant Government legislation on our Village Noticeboards, especially as the PC has no enforcement powers to remove Notices etc other than from its own property.

A notice board, in a location with plenty of footfall, that local business and event organisers are allowed to post on would be very much appreciated by many, especially in the current economic climate…!

Many Thanks to Councillor Higley for clarifying the law about fly posting. I had no idea it was a criminal offence. Considering the number of posters I have put up over the years for school related activities, the Art & Craft Exhibition etc I feel lucky to have got away without a criminal record! I am a little bit sad that the Parish Council never pointed this out before, which would have saved time, money and resources, all in short supply. Whitchurch is a wonderfully vibrant place to live, with lots going on. If we want it to stay that way we need a means to let everyone know about upcoming events. So please, please Parish Council, can we have two nice big noticeboards - one on Hardwick Road, full of walkers of all ages, and one by the school where parents and carers have kept up to date for generations.

Councillor Higley’s message appears to justify the removal of posters while making legal pronouncements that could suggest to a casual reader that she personally, or the Parish Council (PC) as a body, has significant legal authority to do so. This is misleading. The PC may lawfully remove notices only from its own property. Individual councillors have no power to remove notices, however, and under s.101 of the Local Government Act 1972 the PC’s power to remove posters cannot be delegated to an individual councillor. The PC has no power over posters on highway furniture, private fences, posts, trees or windows. The PC cannot authorise removal of such posters, because the PC cannot confer a power it does not itself possess. Removing posters in these circumstances risks liability for trespass to land, trespass to goods, and potentially criminal damage under s.1 Criminal Damage Act 1971. Councillor Higley states that “the Parish Council cannot support” flyposting. The relevant question is rather what the PC can do about it. Posters on utility poles and highway signs would be enforced by SODC as planning authority and/or OCC as highway authority , in each case through the officers of these authorities and their statutory processes. Fly-posting cannot be enforced by the PC, and certainly not by an individual councillor. The conservation area designation makes no difference to the PC's powers. A councillor who removes posters could be in breach of the PC’s adopted Code of Conduct, which is available under the Parish Council page on this website. If the PC has not already done so, it should consider resolving who is authorised to remove notices from its noticeboards and on what grounds, ensure that any such resolution complies with the Local Government Act 1972, and record any resolution accordingly.

Good idea, Sarah. Also, I wonder whether an alternative solution could be that the Parish Council obtains planning consent for the notice board, to cover small scale, local commercial activities. Examples of these would be fitness classes and arts activities, where they are run by Whitchurch residents and considered to benefit the community. The Parish Council would own the board and would be in a position to determine what activities would be acceptable, including those where small payments are made to the organiser/operator.  

Yes. She has been found and is being cared for at the vets.

Hi Elizabeth, The recent work on the Village Green has been for the replacement of its water piping infrastructure. Despite previous attempts to repair water leaks on the Village Green, recent water bills indicate that there are still severe leaks in the plastic water pipe infrastructure that runs beneath the Village Green. The Parish Council and Cricket Club have been working together to have water contractors investigate the likely cause of the leaks. The feedback we have had was that the plastic material used for the pipes dates back to the 1980s and is known to be prone to leaks, especially given its age. To avoid ongoing problems, the Parish Council approved funding of a replacement system with modern piping material under the length of the Village Green that should last for several decades. This work was successfully completed in the past couple weeks. Regarding the two benches that have been remioved. These were damaged in recent years, partly due to vandalisism and partly due to insufficient quality of the original benches. We are investigating options to replace them with better quality benches, but in the meantime, they were a safety hazard so needed to be removed.

Thanks Jim

I asked the guy today who was painting the front and he said they’re opening the end of the July. It’s the same people who own the Swan in Pangbourne apparently!

Oh that sounds promising!

I spoke to them as well. One of the ladies is from the Pangbourne Club. they didn't mention the Swan, but they were all from Pangbourne and did seem committed to it for the long term. They knew the previous landlord Graham very well so know what it was capable of.

Many of the recent repairs were second attempts on repairs done around 3 months ago that had failed, so perhaps the contractor who did the original shoddy work was forced to go back and remedy? I’m glad they are fixed between now and July, as some of them were worsening dramatically and becoming dangerous to vehicles and pedestrians…

Pangbourne And Friends Facebook shows full details, closure 8 - 29 July but mainly affecting Eastfield Lane which is being resurfaced. I am sure full details will be posted here shortly

Details will be shared on the village web-site shortly.

103 kennedy drive Pangbourne has a To Let sign in the garden...3 bedroom.

I'm looking for Whitchurch side of possible.

Gone now, thank you!

One thing you can do Charlie, is to check with local lauderettes (a photo would be useful), as the person who took may well wish to take it for a dry clean before wearing it