Published: 20 November 2024
Dear Residents,
We, the Parish Council, are writing to inform you all of our intentions to turn the land behind the School Field into a community orchard .
This land was originally purchased with the intention of creating additional parking for residents of the village. However this has proven to be a very expensive option. I have detailed below a brief history of the site, together with the reasons why we now feel the community orchard is the better option.
This land was purchased by the Parish Council in 2006, and planning consent was obtained for 10 car spaces on the site, but with a number of conditions.
- At least 1 parking space must be designated disabled.
- The site had a history of attracting abandoned unroadworthy cars so no overnight parking was to be permitted- meaning this would not become resident parking.
- This is a designated green space so gravel was not considered an acceptable material . The surface materials used needed to be porous so as not to create any further drainage issues. This meant Grasscrete was the only option left to us (not be the cheap solution that was hoped for).
On site assessment led to concerns about the structural integrity of the wall on the school field, meaning it would probably have to be rebuilt with concrete foundations. In addition to this, no company approached either then or now, were prepared to be held to a price for the work. At the time they estimated that it would be around £30,000. Costs today would be more like £45,000.
The Grasscrete cost alone being £27000 plus vat
Your Parish Council precept is only £10,585 per annum meaning, in order to fund such a project, the Parish Council tax would have to rise significantly, or we would have to hold a large number of fund raisers to achieve this. In these times of rising living costs, it was not felt appropriate to do this.
The site itself is also quite awkward. Unfortunately it is just too narrow for vehicles to park on both sides of the track, especially now the hedge on the East of the site has matured. This means that vehicles would only be able to park on one side of the track, and would have to drive to the far end to turn around and get back out again. Vehicles are not allowed to reverse onto a highway from a public car park.. In practise this would mean it could accommodate no more than 8 vehicles, so would equate to approximately £5000 per space.
In contrast a grant of £890 for the trees at the proposed orchard has been awarded, and the Parish Council has claimed a £300 biodiversity grant which can be used to fund further planting costs. We have a number of volunteers for landscaping and other site work, and the upkeep of the site would be no more expensive than it is now. In fact the only additional expense would be for benches, raised beds and bins on site.
In total this would amount to roughly £4000,and is affordable from Parish Council reserves. We will also be asking if anyone would like to sponsor a bench, or dedicate it to a loved one.
We will shortly be holding an informal meeting, to which you are all invited, to finalize plans for the site. The plans which we are circulating are subject to change, your input here would be most welcome. It is hoped this area will become a sociable, friendly place that will become a real asset to the village.
Yours Sincerely
Wray with Botton Parish Council
