Out and about

Last Wednesday evening a group of Dodington Parish Councillors took our summer minibus ride round the parish to make sure that we all know what we're talking about (well, hopefully)

We hired the minibus from Yate, Sodbury and District Community Transport - a group that the Parish Council has supported for many years. (Many thanks for an excellent trip!)

These are some of the sites we looked at, together with a brief update on several of the "hot potato" issues:

• Sea Stores - The government has put it up for sale, and is awaiting bids. When someone buys it we expect to see a planning application for housing, plus a little community land.
• Kelston Close Playing Fields - Should we upgrade the changing rooms, maybe get rid of the garage and put in some better storage?
• Westerleigh Road railway embankment - No, Network Rail haven't gone away and forgotten it. We're hoping to have another meeting with them soon about planting - watch this space.
• Beech Hill Farm (just in Westerleigh Parish Council's territory) - A proposed tipping site just the other side of the railway from the Westerleigh Rd embankment, Rodborough and Chedworth. More details to follow here shortly.
• Wapley allotments - They were looking very well-kept as usual - well done!
• Wapley picnic site - We get complaints from next door from time to time, when people camp out overnight, which they're not supposed to, and light fires other than on the barbecue. We have talked to the police about the incidents of rowdy behaviour.
• Wapley burial ground, next to St Peter's Church - the Parish Council runs the burial ground and the churchyard.

Then we toured some more of the South Ward, which stretches right out to the motorway. We glimpsed some deer in the twilight up near Dodington Ash. Finally we stopped for refreshment at the Codrington Arms. We can recommend the Codrington Codger, brewed just down the road at Cotswold Spring Brewery (no, neither of them sponsor this blog!)

Are there things in the Birds or in the area between Shire Way and Rodford Way that we should have looked at? Or do you have comments about some of the issues above? Please let us know through the feedback form - click here and fill out the form in the right hand column.