Issues

Last updated 30/12/20
Our aim is to encourage and maintain collective action involving any issues which affect life in the village. The list below covers what we think the current issues are, broken down by category:

A. Meadfleet

  1. Better selling/buying communications: We are aware of the covenant system used by Meadfleet to ensure management bills are paid by residents. Whilst we are uncomfortable with this approach, it’s commonplace across the UK with Meadfleet as both the landowner and management agency. We are working on a recent issue of additional “you gotta sign this” type approach for new resident into the village
  2. Increased transparency in how and what they do (FIXED): This issue is now well in hand. We have regular communication with Meadfleet, both at a corporate and regional level: this involves email to-from, escalation, and regular walkabouts. Most importantly, we are (mostly) consulted on all capital spend and asked if we wish to go ahead or not.
  3. Local contractors (FIXED): This is now resolved with Elite Gardening services from Ovenden the appointed contractor since May 2019
  4. Better bills (FIXED): We now get fully itemised bills and the option to pay via monthly direct debit.

 

B. Crime

Despite being a low-crime neighbourhood, residents have shared issues and we have the following on our list, as reported directly be residents. Caution: Don’t take the law into your own hands by intervening, making physical threats or attempting to confiscate items. You may make the situation worse and even risk committing an offence yourself.

  1. Speeding in the village (PART FIXED): This has largely been eliminated by the introduction of speed calming measures but these don’t extend to Maltings Road and a number of residents have reported speeding cars. We organused a speed watch to check the road during the 4pm to 6pm weekday period and the speed was deemed “acceptable” but the location of the check was less than ideal.
  2. Neighbourhood Watch: This was setup at the start of 2018 as an umbrella group for the whole village. It requires individuals at the street level to create their own local groups (like the ones on Admiral Way and Pilgrim View). We have the information and the process to go through setting your own up so if you need that info then email us please
  3. Anti-social behaviour (PART FIXED): There have been a number of incidents involving (predominantly) youths loitering or causing a nuisance including abusive behaviour, public disorder, drug-taking and drinking in and around the upper park area, Bat House and the old pumping station. The police are aware of this and will respond accordingly when called on 101. You can also email our local PCSO on Rebecca.sutcliffe@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.
  4. Fly-tipping (PART FIXED): This is a county-wide problem driving by various changes in council policy. You can report it directly using this link.

 

C. Parking, traffic, and roads

Like most new developments we suffer from a lack of sufficient parking and as a result, people use pavements. Whilst strictly not permitted, the police and council often turn a blind-eye unless it’s easy money via a PCN as this has been de-criminalised.

  1. Dangerous Parking: On or near junctions is deemed as dangerous as it restricts the view for vehicles and cars can be ticketed or removed (in the most serious cases). Our local PCSO promised a walkthrough but local police budget cuts means we no longer have a regular “beat bobby”.
  2. Obstruction of the highway: Where vehicles cannot gain access this is a police matter and they may ticket or remove offending cars. This is particularly relevant to bus routes (Ovenden Wood Road and Fountainhead Road) with particular attention to junctions on and around Ovenden Wood Road and Fountainhead Road
  3. Anti-social driving: This includes noisy exhausts and needlessly revving vehicles. This is covered under s54 and s59 of the Road Traffic Act and may result in vehicles being impounded.
  4. Blocked drains on Maltings Road (unadopted) have been reported back to DWH/Barratt via Meadfleet
  5. Obstructed Vehicle Sight-lines: The access in and out of some side and adjoining roads is hampered by inconsiderate and in some cases illegal parking as per the law.
  6. Received a PCN?: You can appeal local council tickets here.

 

D. Dog fouling

We have a few instances of certain dogs being left to foul at will. We are working on a plan to reduce this, but in certain cases, it involves out-of-villagers and professional dog-walking companies using our space as their own. If you see activity like this then, if safe, take photographic evidence and forward it on to the police.

E. The Bat house

This was required as part of the planning approval for the village. It causes a number of discrete issues.

  1. Upkeep: We, the residents pay for the maintenance of the bat house which, it seems, houses no bats. We are committed to getting this part of the planning regulations for our village changed so we have more control over its destiny. Longer-term, we hope to demolish (at a cost) it and remove the rubble from the site. In its place we will need tree-based bat boxes as this would better serve our large local bat population
  2. Anti-social behaviour: the site used to be used by youths for various anti-social activities, this has now been mostly rectified by the fitting of a security gate but recent vandalism and fire has made the removal of the bat house the only long-term solution
  3. Health and safety: The building is falling into disarray and this may represent a risk hazard to inquisitive children and youths. Again, the long-term solution is it’s removal.
  4. The current plan has been shared with the residents and, subject to extended Bat surveys in 2020 and 2021, we’ll move ahead with when we have consensus from the village.

 

F. Paths and steps

For Ovenden Wood Road, the responsibility lies with he council. For the rest of paths, steps and roads, the responsibility lies with BDWH and not with Meadfleet so if you see damage or work that needs doing please report it through your “Customer Care” line. We have been made aware previously of issues and every time we go around and around and it comes back to individual house owners reporting directly to the builder.

We’d like to have a better solution to this and we are actively exploring a single-point approach to maintenance but we suspect that when the council takes it over it will get easier to report, albeit slower to fix we suspect.

G. The Upper Park

Owned and managed by Meadfleet (which we pay for), there are some issues that we are aware of:

  1. Dog Fouling: As covered above, we are aware of owners allowing dogs to foul on the park. The park is private so the council will not bother enforcing it but we’ve had signs added and if anyone sees fouling then, if safe, photographic makes it easier to identify those who are guilty. Generally, if is felt that village peer pressure and education is the answer.
  2. Damage to play equipment: There have been some cases of damage caused by youths. We have to pay for the repair so education is the answer here unless we want to lose them altogether
  3. Parking: The park has a small car park that is sometimes used for parking vehicles that are not using the park. We assume this is driven by the absence of adequate parking in the village so a gentle word or reminder may suffice.
  4. Dogs off the lead. This is a private space and dog are not permitted off the lead. Education is the key here.
  5. Abandoned Vehicles: There has been a few instances of vehicles left there for extended periods (aka abandoned) – you should report them to the council.

 

Want to add anything?

Please email us on the link below and we’ll add where appropriate. Thanks for your help in keeping this list up to date.