Welcome to Rolleston on Dove Parish Council

Rolleston Update 24-10-24

The below provides an overview of the activities/discussions that have occurred during the past month.

Channel maintenance works.

Just a short update on the maintenance works. The team are still intending to carry out work at a number of additional locations where they intend to conduct further works to remove vegetation, roots and overhanging trees. These locations are from the confluence with the Tutbury Mill Fleam through to the gauging station and also where the river passes through the old railway embankment. These further works have been approved, but the team will only return to carry them out in October/November.

Thank you for the very positive feedback from residents commenting on the good work that the team have done and we hope this will leave the village better prepared for Autumn/Winter. We have already had a significant rainstorm recently, but as far as I am aware, there was no flooding of properties as a result.

It has been pointed out that there is some vegetation in the channel at Brookside and our Asset team have cut back the overhanging bushes that were referred us to. (See photo below). We do not feel that the reeds in the channel currently represent a significant risk at this time, but we will continue to monitor the situation.

 

Business Case development.

Collaborating with our consultants, Arup, we continued to make good progress and remain on programme. As described last month, our focus has been on analysing all the potential options (long list) that are possible both inside and outside of the village and then undertaking a shortlisting process for those which warrant further investigation and economic analysis. This shortlisting is based on a number of factors but focusses on cost and effectiveness.

Questions have been asked as to why we are looking at Do Nothing and Do Minimum options. We have to look at these cases as it is part of providing a rigorous financial justification for spending public funds.

Programme.

Strategic Case Completion = January 2025

For further information or if you have any questions, please contact david.hughes@environment-agency.gov.uk

 

Please find the press and partners pack attached from the County regarding their Flu and Covid vaccination information over the next few months. The below link also details all the walk-in Covid vaccination clinics across the county, their times/dates and eligibility.

Walk-in Covid-19 Vaccination Clinics in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent – Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, ICS

Further information can be found here: Partner Pack – Flu and COVID final

People interested in exploring over a thousand years of Staffordshire’s history can do so when a new heritage centre for the county opens to the public on Wednesday 6 November.

The new £8.7 million Staffordshire History Centre project has been delivered by Staffordshire County Council and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund with a grant of £4,858,699.

Combining three important collections from the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archive Service, the County Museum, and the William Salt Library, the new History Centre will offer visitors the chance to access and research fascinating archives and artefacts that tell the story of Staffordshire’s past.

Located on Eastgate Street in Stafford, the centre includes modern search rooms, strong rooms capable of holding a further 55 years of archives and collections and a bright exhibition space for displays and exhibitions. The centre will be open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

The adjacent restored William Salt Library building, part of the new centre, showcases William Salt’s unique collection and the history of the library itself, which has been cherished by local residents for decades.

An exciting programme of activities and touring exhibitions will also take history into local communities right across the county.

Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture at Staffordshire County Council said: “We’re all incredibly excited about the project and delighted to be able to announce the opening date as 6 November.

“We’re extremely grateful for the funding from the Heritage Fund and we can’t wait to welcome residents and visitors alike to research and learn more about the rich history and culture that has shaped our great county.”

A Hub for History and Learning

The new centre is not just a place for historical collections. It features a remodelled research room, perfect for local historians, genealogists, and academics to delve deep into Staffordshire’s past.

The new education and learning space will host a range of school programmes, workshops, and events designed for all ages. During November and December there will be a range of activities for visitors to join in with including walking tours, spotlight talks and family friendly festive crafts.

People can stay up to date with any more news on the Staffordshire History Centre blog.

 

The consultation is available to complete online until 21 October.

Please visit Have Your Say – Staffordshire Commissioner (staffordshire-pfcc.gov.uk) to share your views, and see the full draft Police & Crime Plan, andFire & Rescue Plan 2024-2028.

Thanks to a generous donation from Rolleston Transport Festival committee we were able to award money to several applicants this year. We would love to hear from more students so here is a brief resume of how you may qualify for a bit of financial help.

Rolleston Update 26-9-24

The below provides an overview of the activities/discussions that have occurred during the past month.

Channel maintenance works.

Following repeated requests for work to be conducted on the channel downstream of the village from residents who have been affected by flooding, the Environment Agency’s Asset Performance team agreed to carry out a list of maintenance items to reassure residents that the channel will be in good condition to convey flows.

This consisted of removing the wire rope barriers in the channel, removing a fence built across the channel upstream of Rolleston Gauging Station and removing the worst vegetation and debris that was reported in the river from the village down to where it joins the River Dove.

The team have been working on the channel all this month and have removed all the obstructions that had been identified. As well as that, they are going to do a final run through with the tractor and mowing attachment.

And the team also identified a number of additional locations where they intend to conduct further works to remove vegetation, roots and overhanging trees. These locations are from the confluence with the Tutbury Mill Fleam through to the gauging station and also where the river passes through the old railway embankment.

These further works have been approved, but the team will only return to carry them out in October/November. I am pleased to report we have had a lot of very positive feedback from residents commenting on the good work that the team have done and we hope this will leave the village better prepared for Autumn/Winter. We have already had a significant rainstorm recently, but as far as I am aware, there was no flooding of properties as a result.

Business Case development.

Collaborating with our consultants, Arup, we continued to make good progress and remain on programme.

As described last month, our focus has been on analysing all the potential options (long list) that are possible both inside and outside of the village and then undertaking a shortlisting process for those which warrant further investigation and economic analysis. This shortlisting is based on a number of factors but focusses on cost and effectiveness.

Our long list consisted of:

1. Do nothing (HM Treasury rules – this has to be assessed.)
2. Do minimum (As above – this has to be assessed)
3. Raised defences – building hard flood defence structures at Brookside, Burnside and Brook Hollows.
4. Modification of the waterfall at Brook Hollows.
5. Modification of the weirs through the village.
6. Upstream flood storage – engineered flood storage facilities at a number of locations upstream of the village,
7. Dredging – dredging works upstream of the village, through the village and downstream of the village,
8. Temporary barriers – possible use of demountable barriers (we believe it would be impractical to install such a measure in the timescales usually involved)
9. Flood relief channel – possible diversion of flood flows around or under the village (this was quickly rejected as being probably the most expensive and least practical option)
10. Natural Flood Management (NFM) – the use of NFM in the upstream catchment of the river in co-operation with farmers and landowners and
11. Property Flood Resilience – individual measures on each property.

Programme:

Strategic Case Completion = December 2024

Stakeholder engagement.

• East Staffordshire Borough Council – council had a 3rd party survey the structural condition of the waterfall and features within Brook Hollows after damage was reported to them after storm events. The Council have conducted some repairs on the structure of the waterfall (See below) and have also installed monitoring points on the structures to monitor further whether the walls might be shifting or moving. We will continue to liaise with East Staffordshire.

Ground reinstated and seeded

For further information.

If you have any questions, please contact david.hughes@environment-agency.gov.uk

 

This year, Stoptober is back with a new national campaign: ‘if you quit smoking for Stoptober (i.e. 31 days) you are five times more likely to quit for good.’

Download for further details: Partner Pack -Stoptober 2024[79]