Reminder of Whitchurch Road closure from 13th - 19th January 2025.
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This is a continuation of earlier works for SPEN to provide a main supply to the new housing estate being built next to the medical centre on Whitchurch Road. Due to engineering issues discovered in the initial works, where we discovered a culvert on Whitchurch Road, we had to pull off and reassess our route and method of works to complete this scheme.
We will be revisiting the area between 13th January 2025 and 24th January 2025, with a road closure required for 1 week between 13th January and 19th January on Whitchurch Road between the 4-way junction at the post office, and the bus stop on Whitchurch Road, please see below.
Please see the attached Traffic Management CAD to show the diversion which will be put in place. This will send people down the A49 via Shrewsbury Street to avoid the closure.
Wrekin Housing announces that the two-bedroom bungalows on Whitchurch Road are advertised on its website and can be bid on NOW.
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Wrekin Housing has announced that the general-needs two-bedroom bungalows are now advertised for tenancy bids on their own website.
This should give a chance to all of those who could not apply through Homepoint to do so now.
Wrekin letting team say they will work through the shortlist on a first come first served basis.
The list of criteria that can prove Local Connection is attached.
Community-led build on Whitchurch Road: update
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Wrekin Housing has confirmed that the new homes at the Whtichurch Road site in Prees will not be ready for occupation until February 2025.
The final electricity connections bringing electricity to the site still have to be made and these need agreements between the parties; road closures; notices to residents etc. In addition there is a Christmas embargo on road closures county-wide in Shropshire.
For these reasons it will be January before the site gets electricity and this should enable hand-over of homes ready for occupation in February.
The delay does enable the very time-consuming checking of Local Connection claims to be done systematically and thoroughly by Wrekin officers, ensuring the criteria are properly implemented.
Two of the adapted bungalows have been allocated directly by Shropshire Council to persons whose needs are for Accessible/Adaptable properties, it has been confirmed that the people involved meet the local connection criteria.
With regards to the Shared Ownership homes, all six are now reserved. No applications had been received from any Prees residents, so applications were allowed from people living within the second localities band i.e. within 10 kilometres of the site, bringing in areas such as Wem and Whitchurch.
Re-advertised Wrekin bungalows 23.10.24
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The new two-bedroom bungalows available to rent at the new development on Whitchurch Road in Prees are being re-advertised following the decision to allow applications from single occupants.
THOSE WHO APPLIED FOR TENANCY BEFORE ARE ADVISED BY WREKIN HOUSING TO APPLY AGAIN.
Any enquiries please phone Wrekin Housing Lettings team on 01952 217336
Latest news on New Homes on Whitchurch Road
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At a meeting last night (8.10.24) it was confirmed by Wrekin Housing that NONE of the rental homes have yet been allocated to tenants as the Wrekin Lettings team is taking the time to carefully scrutinise all bids to ensure the homes are offered to those with the correct Local Connections.
If you have any concerns about whether your application highlighted your Local Connection please speak to the Wrekin Housing Lettings Team: telephone Zoe Prince on 01952 217336.
There is also one three-bedroom Shared Ownership home currently still available for purchase. For details of the house and the Scheme go to www.wrekin.com
Or if you are interested phone Wrekin on 01952 217444
The Audit for 2023-24 is concluded. Please find all documentation in Reports and Audits section under the Parish Council heading
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The Audit for 2023-24 is completed. Please see the Reports and Audits section, under the Parish Council heading, for the following documents:
- Notice of Conclusion of Audit
- Annual Governance Statement
- Annual Accounting Statement
- External Auditor's Report
SINGLE OCCUPANTS CAN APPLY FOR PREES 2-BED BUNGALOWS
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The 4 x 2 bedroom bungalows will be re-advertised on 2.10.24 on Shropshire Homepoint website.
Single occupants and couples/families assessed as having only one-bedroom need, as well as those with need for 2 bedrooms, will be able to apply for them.
Suitability will be subject to an affordability assessment.
IF YOU APPLIED PREVIOUSLY FOR ONE OF THESE BUNGALOWS YOU WILL NEED TO RE-APPLY.
More new Homes released for rent by local people........
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6 more Affordable homes at the new Whitchurch Road development have been released for bids from potential tenants (as from yesterday 18.9.24)
3 x 3-bedroom houses
1 x 3-bedroom wheelchair standard bungalow
2 x 2-bedroom accessible/adaptable bungalows
Applications must be made through Shropshire Council Homepoint.
These homes are intended for local people, and when applications are considered the priority factor is the Local Connection claim.
Applications must be made through Shropshire Council Homepoint, but it is not Homepoint who check the Local Connection claims. Homepoint presents Wrekin Housing with a short-list of applicants prioritised according to housing need, but Wrekin Lettings oficers then filter the list further to pull out only those applicants who meet the Local Connection criteria.
First batch of Community-Led-Build rental homes on Whitchurch Road available for bids.
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The first batch of brand new homes for rent, four 1-bed houses and four 2-bed bungalows, has been released for bids by potential tenants.
Please see Shropshire Council's Homepoint website for details.
If you are registered with Homepoint you can bid on one of these homes now.
Enquiries to Wrekin's Lettings Officer Zoe Prince on 01952 217336.
Homes near completion at Community-Led Build in Whitchurch Road
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The new homes on Whitchurch Road behind the Medical Centre, built for local people, are expected to be ready for occupation in November.
The ONLY way to apply to rent one of the houses as a tenant is through Shrophire Council’s Homepoint.
The first batch of homes is expected to be advertised on the Homepoint website on Wednesday 11 September 2024 and this will be the first opportunity to bid for one of the houses, as they are advertised. Please see the document attached below for a full explanation of the process.
Further batches of homes will be released at weekly intervals.
If you are interested in occupying one of these new homes you must first be registered with Shropshire Council Homepoint.
You can do this on-line: go to www.shropshirehomepoint.co.uk
Or telephone: 0300 303 8595.
HOMEPOINT IS CURRENTLY EXTREMELY BUSY PROCESSING APPLICATIONS, SO TO ENSURE YOURS IS CONSIDERED FOR THE NEW PREES HOMES PLEASE MAKE SURE TO FLAG UP THE INFO REGARDING LOCAL CONNECTIONS ON YOUR APPLICATION ( THERE IS A SECTION WHERE THIS CAN BE HIGHLIGHTED.) THIS WILL ENSURE APPLICATIONS FROM LOCAL PEOPLE CAN BE IDENTIFIED AND ASSIST WITH THE REGISTRATION PROCESS.)
For help please email the Parish Council clerk or phone her on 07526 962705.
There is also one remaining home available for Shared Ownership. This is a three-bedroom semi-detached house.
Details available from www.wrekin.com or www.onthemarket.com
or telephone 01952 476134
Audit 2023-24
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Please find all relevant documents pertaining to the financial Audit for the year ending March 31 2024 under Notices under the Parish Council heading.
Update on the roll-out of Full Fibre Broadband locally.
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Freedom Fibre is in the process of rolling-out its fast full-fibre broadband network to homes and businesses in North Shropshire.
Whilst the Company is largely able to make use of the existing network of telegraph poles and underground ducting, it is necessary for it to install some new infrastructure.
Under existing planning legislation, Freedom Fibre is able to install masts and poles less than 15m high in many locations without being subject to planning consent. It has provided the Parish Council with the geographical coordinates of some 160 telegraph poles it intends to install in Prees Parish. The attached pdf file states the coordinates of the proposed location of every new pole in Prees Parish. These can be entered directly into a number of computer-based mapping applications including Bing Maps and Google Maps. The coordinates are stated in degrees and decimal degrees as latitude (North) followed by longitude (East), with the longitude being a negative number indicating 'West'.
For example, the coordinates of the first pole on the list are stated as:
52.8748057 -2.6526637
This could also be written as:
N52.8748057 W2.6526637
Entering these coordinates into the 'Search' box in either Google Maps or Bing Maps shows that the proposed location of this new pole is on the A49 near to the junction of Nook Lane.
Freedom Fibre has stated that in line with statutory obligations, they will display official notices detailing the proposed telegraph poles on nearby street furniture for 28 days before their planned installation.
Freedom Fibre has stated that the Company is keen to proactively engage with residents and community leaders as much as possible.
Residents with questions or queries should visit www.freedomfibre.com/faq-poles
Updates to Prees Walks No 1 and 2, May 2024. Please note Walk No 1 is currently closed at point 11. Shropshire Council are aware and will sort .
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Prees Walks No 1 and 2 have recently been improved by the replacement of stiles with kissing-gates, improving accessibility for all.
Please note that Walk No 1 is currently blocked at point 11. Shropshire Council Footpaths officers are aware and the matter will be rectified.
Update on progress with community-led building development on Whitchurch Road
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Update on Progress at Community-Led development Whitchurch Road
Apart from one bungalow, which is being considered for early allocation to an exceptional case of local need, none of the other homes have been provisionally allocated.
The allocation process will not begin until 2-3 months before the completed homes are handed over for occupation. Completion will not be before November 2024.
Currently the builders are only able to do minor infrastructure works due to the fact that main electricity connections have not been completed to the site.
The previous building contractors had based their proposals on the belief that a connection to an existing transformer would be sufficient to service the new homes.
However, when approached, Scottish Power advised that a new separate sub-station would be required , and that they would not be able confirm their programme to install , until all necessary legal documents have been completed .
In order for the access road to be adopted (and thereafter maintained) by Shropshire Council, two small areas of land leased by the Medical Centre and owned by the Grocott Family Charitable Trust need to be encroached on as part of the access footpath and road.
Shropshire Council will not agree to adopt the road unless the footpath can be included.
Three sets of lawyers are currently working on the agreements and it is believed that their work is nearly complete.
If you are interested in occupying one of these new homes, the only application route is through Shropshire Council’s Homepoint scheme.
You must be registered with the scheme to be considered.
Go online at www.shropshirehomepoint.co.uk or telephone 0300 303 8595.
Chargers for Electric Vehicles installed at Prees Village Hall car park
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Shropshire Council has installed a number of EV chargers for the convenience of owners of electric vehicles in its car park at Prees Village Hall in Church Street, Prees.
All details are available via the ZapMap app or via http://smartkerb.com which is the company operating them.
Change to collection of green waste in Shropshire.
Collection of domestic green waste will no longer be a free service provided by Shropshire Council from October 2024. If you wish to continue to use this service you will need to sign up to pay. Please see attached leaflet for all details.