The Chairman and Councillors of Rooksdown Parish Council would like to offer sincere congratulations to one of our valued Parish Councillors, Simon Bound, following his election as borough councillor for Rooksdown Ward. We wish him all the best.
Look out for the changes that have already started with tree clearance at A340 exit of Park Prewett Road. Once the Taylor Wimpey work to the road is complete there will be a major set of works here. The main features of this are:
Full details, including an illustrated guide can be found here: http://www3.hants.gov.uk/a340-aldermaston-road-improvements
Hope and Clay – Taylor Wimpey’s highway contractor for The Avenue works – will commence the Phase 2 works of the Avenue/Park Prewett Road this coming Monday 26th Jan 2015. This means that The Avenue will be closed to all traffic heading east out of Dinwoodie Drive/Basingstoke Hospital.
Traffic exiting from Dinwoodie Drive must turn left onto The Avenue and exit Limes Park via Rooksdown Avenue onto the A339. Diverted traffic signs will be erected prior to the works commencing, to ensure those leaving take the most direct route. Obviously the A339/Kingsclere Road roundabout is already congested at peak hours in the morning and unfortunately for the Phase 2 work period (next 4-5 weeks) is likely to come under more pressure in the evening as well. If road users can be encouraged to stagger their journeys this may help.
Fortunately Basingstoke Hospital have advised that for the period of Phase 2 they will be re-directing their staff and visitors using the main car park, to exit via the main entrance. For the period of the Phase 2 works, anyone using the main car park can leave the site either via Dinwoodie Drive (west) or via a new route out under the MRI Block walkway and out via the main entrance (east). This will remove some of the traffic from exiting the site via The Avenue. Paul Bond at the Hospital Trust has confirmed that the temporary exit route has been ‘signed’ and the new route publicised to all staff.
Please also see the Hope and Clay website for more details on Phasing and programme – the link is here: http://www.s278.biz
A number of people have raised concerns regarding the Traffic Congestion in the mornings following the start of works to improve the Aldermaston road and exit on that side of the estate. We have passed on some complaints and received a reply from the Deputy Director of Transport at Hampshire County Council:
To summarise, the main issue is the volume of traffic leaving the Park Prewett estate via the A339 roundabout, now being the only exit. Following a site visit by my engine…er during the day it is evident that the congestion is only an issue in the morning, with little or no traffic being held up during the day.
I will instruct my engineer to liaise with Taylor Wimpey to discuss the morning congestion and determine whether there are any available traffic management solutions that might ease the problem. I will also ask the engineer to keep you updated.
Parish Council Meeting dates for 2015 are now available from the web site: Meeting dates 2015.pdf
The master-plan for Rooksdown Park has been published on the web site and can be seen here: Rooksdown Park Masterplan.pdf
Useful Information from the Community Safety Team…
For further information please contact
NW & Police News-Sheet 16th November 2012.
All Coordinators are asked to please pass this message on to all of your NW members & local residents. This mail is from the Community Safety Office at Basingstoke Police Station in the interest of public information. Please note – The author cannot always action feedback on these issues. Please report anything suspicious by telephoning 101. Remember your call does count
Domestic heating oil thefts.
Thefts are being reported in rural areas of thousands of litres of heating oil being stolen from outdoor tanks. Please make sure that yours is properly secure and report any instances or information to the police straight away. Look out for unknown vehicles etc that may be used in such incidents and include details in any report to the police.
I’ve run out of petrol – SCAM.
Beware of being flagged down by Asians with apparently broken down cars, claiming to be out of petrol and asking for money.
The best advice is never to stop for such incidents, however much you might want to feel sorry for them.
Child Abduction reports.
Despite what may be reported on Social Media websites, we currently have no reports of this activity in our borough. We would still advise parents to make sure their children stay safe when out alone.
Theft from Cars
There have been incidents of handbags, wallets and purses being stolen from cars in the Basingstoke area. These are most likely opportunist thieves looking for valuables to steal, so Please don’t make their life easy.
Don’t leave ANY valuables on view in your car and always make sure the vehicle is properly locked and any alarm set, even if just calling at a friend/colleague or neighbour for a very short visit.
This is especially important as we approach the Christmas season.
Rogue Traders & Cold Callers
There are still instances being reported to the police about the activities of these persons. Please make sure that you always use a recommended trader and not someone who appears on your doorstep. If in any doubt about any Cold Calling trader, contact Hampshire Trading Standards Quick Response Team on 01962 833666. Also the police would appreciate the details, especially descriptions of persons and vehicles, being reported straight away via 101. Unwanted callers are required to leave your premises once told to go away. Their failure to do so is against the law. You do not always have to be polite.
Telephone & Email Scams.
Remember that the Computer fault scammers have not gone away, and every day scammers find new & novel ways to try to deprive you of your money or to get your bank information. Often a quick ‘Google’ of their telephone number can reveal helpful information. The best advice is to never agree to anything from a telephone caller you do not know.
There are email scams doing the rounds including (1) You have won an iPad Mini (2) Malicious fake Lookout app from the Google Play store (3) British Airways e-ticket.zip Trojan (4) Fake Google emails about your YouTube videos. There are many useful websites for info on scams such as http://www.urbanmyths.com www.snopes.com plus www.actionfraud.police.uk to report scams, rip-offs, cons etc.
General Personal Security
With Christmas approaching, a timely reminder to take extra care of purses, wallets, cash, presents etc. Don’t let shopping distractions make you a victim of theft at this time of year. Simple precautions with your valuables are always worthwhile.
If an incident occurs that needs to be reported to the Police then the 101 number should be called as soon as possible. If it is a “Life Threatening” incident then the 999 system should be used. A report of the incident will be taken by Control Room staff and they can decide the best method of deployment. The call takers can record all the information directly on to a computer and it can be quickly disseminated to numerous units and agencies, making it a very efficient system.
The community priorities that have been identified for Rooksdown are:
The overall reported crime for Rooksdown remains low. There has been a fluctuating issue with Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB). This has ranged from youths gathering and being rowdy to loud music and parties.
I would therefore urge residents to report these incidents of ASB to the Police as they are occurring. Please give as much detail as possible when contacting us. The exact location of the incident is vital if a Police unit is to be deployed. It is also assists in analysing which particular streets or areas are experiencing problems. The nature of the incident needs to be explained, i.e. loud music, children causing a nuisance, etc. If it is a group that you are reporting then descriptions of the group are important, i.e. numbers involved, their gender, description of their clothing, any names that you know or hear being called. If it is music from an address which address is it coming from. If it is in a block, which floor or window is it coming from.
Beat surgeries are usually held at the Rooksdown Community Centre. The forthcoming dates are on the police site.
