Tag Archives: Phil Coleman

£300 reward to catch the graffiti bandit

You may have seen some of the graffiti around Mile End on Turner Rise, Turner Road and North Station where around 26 different incidents of graffiti were recorded on various bus shelters, fences, houses and bins.

Most of this has now been cleaned up but wastes taxpayers money in having to carry out such an extension clean-up when resources could be spent on more valuable community projects.

Cllr’s Martin Goss and David King have offered a £200 reward for information leading to the apprehension and prosecution of the culprit. A local resident has also offered a further £100 bringing the total to £300.

If you know anything please get in touch with absolute confidence by calling Martin Goss on 07912 396335 or email Martin@MartinGoss.org.uk

Cleaning up graffiti and litter in Mile End

Martin Goss carries a graffiti cleaning kit in his car so when local graffiti is easy
enough to remove with graffiti wipes he will jump into action to clean up our area quickly.

Martin said “It is proven if we remove graffiti within hours of it being sprayed it can be demotivating to the “tagger.” If it gets left it is considered a badge of honour and gives the “artist” something to brag about.

If you see it, please report via www.colchester.gov.uk/recycling or contact any
member of the team.”

Mill Road traffic calming

We are still chasing Essex County Council to see what other suggestions they have for traffic calming on Mill Road. Currently a temporary one year 20 MPH speed limit is being considered for the stretch of road from Brinkley Grove Roundabout all the way to the Northern Approach Road junction. We will keep you updated on progress.

Our litter heroes

During lockdown and more recently there has been issues over the increase in litter being dropped around the ward. Dropping litter is an offence and can incur a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100. We have requested fines are increased to £150.

Our thanks to our Neighbourhoods team and all those residents who have undertaken litter picks or picked up litter on their walks.

Also thanks to our existing and new Litter Warriors who have volunteered to do regular litter picks. If you or your family would like to become Litter Warriors please let one of us know and we will provide you with the equipment.

10 screen cinema coming to Mile End!

Developers Turnstone Estates have revised their plans for the new leisure development on the land next to the football stadium.

Turnstone will submit their new proposals to the council planning department soon.

They will look to start building later this year,although given the current climate that may be delayed.

The new plans include a 10 screen cinema, 3 indoor units for bowling, putting and climbing, 7 restaurants including two drive throughs, a hotel, multilevel car parking and landscaped outdoor plaza area.

Trinity School Update

You may have read the good news that 120 places for September 2021 are now guaranteed at the new Trinity School. The school places will be served out of the Gilberd site for the first academic year and in order to ensure there is enough space some existing classrooms will be refurbished and an extension will happen to the school. Long-term this area will be used for teacher training once the pupils move to the permanent school site.

Frustratingly the school building won’t be open at Cordelia Drive for September 2021. There have been some delays between the Department for Education (DFE) and Essex County Council. Mersea Homes have ploughed on regardless with the site which they have to prepare prior to handover in September 2020. Mersea Homes will hand the site to Essex County Council who will then put in place legal “Heads of Terms“ with DFE for the building of the school. The school building will be ready for September 2022. The Primary School is now mooted to be September 2024, although this will be subject to the school places needed in the area. Currently pre-secondary school places, there are ample spaces at local schools.

You can visit the schools website at www.thetrinityschool.co.uk for all the latest information.

Parking issues in Mile End

With the General Hospital, main line station and a professional football club in the ward there are challenges with parking.

We meet regularly with the hospital estate managers who assure us they want to be good neighbours and are looking at travel plans for their employees to stop parking on nearby residential areas.

We have been contacted by residents on a number of developments asking for restrictions to be put in place. For this to happen the road or area would need support from 75% of residents before the plan could go forward to North Essex Parking Partnership for consideration.

We are happy to facilitate this but to date most residents do not favour restrictions. We would ask that drivers park considerately and any poor or dangerous parking is reported.

Dangerous parking or blocking the path can be reported to police on 101, all other issues can be reported to NEEP on 01206 282316.

Traveller incursions

Following two further traveller incursions in Mile End,
Cllr Coleman requested all potential sites be made secure
and asked the portfolio holder to look at additional measures.

This could include a borough wide ban as in Harlow or a transit site to
stop other sites being used with subsequent issues.

As trespass is not a criminal offence but a civil one the council or land
owner must apply to the court for an eviction notice. This normally
takes around 10 days.

Police can use their powers to evict if criminal behaviour is reported,
such as last summer on the rugby club site.

We will continue to push for a long term strategy to stop such
incursions.

A big thank you from Cllr Phil Coleman!

Thank you to all those residents in Mile End who took the time to vote in the May local elections. An even bigger THANK YOU to all those who voted for me and re-elected me with over 60% of the vote.

It really is an honour to have received so much support and recognition for my efforts over the previous three years.

We have a great team of councillors in Mile End and we all have the same ethos- to work for residents, to provide information, support and advice all year round. Myself, Martin, David and Anne will continue to work hard all year round for Mile End.

Mile End Secondary Schools update!

Schools update – the new FIGHT for residents. We fought for new schools and facilities. We said new homes must come with infrastructure – and on time. We were promised they would but Essex County Council planners have failed us all with school delays and a lack of school places in north Colchester. Now we must fight to reduce the delay and disruption.

We will INSIST that County commit to the new secondary school being here for 2021/22. We will demand that they make every effort to MINIMISE the travel for any child who cannot be placed locally, like at the Gilberd and that they provide help with transport for those facing a long journey. And we will make this personal – we will tell the County Council what is needed. We will ask that they write and explain. And we will get the County Education boss to come and LISTEN to you.

Anne Turrell is our lead. She has already emailed or visited over a dozen residents and will help others as they need. But, we will also get out to you our best advice – our ‘What to Do’ key points if you appeal against a school placement.

Phil Coleman said “As a teacher of over 20 years I’ve seen first hand how the decentralization and in-effect privatization of Education via Academies now leads to community wrecking situations like this where their own admission criteria can be set.

Sending children on two bus journeys to the other side of town in simply not acceptable. We need Government to fund the school now, not tell us we have enough school places across the town completely ignoring local community needs.”