Playground re-opened with a new zipwire, nest swing and climber
Refurbishing the play equipment in the playground is the largest project the Parish Council has undertaken, probably ever. Three phases have now been completed, first the new toddler area in 2022, then new football posts and nets in 2023 and now the installation of the zipwire, nest swing and new climber, completed in mid-July 2024. The final phase, to replace the large wooden cube in the centre of the playground, will have to wait until such time as funds are available.
The latest phase of improvements were formally opened for use on 19th July. Thank you to Payhembury Primary School for joining the Parish Council for the re-opening.
So far, the costs have been ~£50k and the Parish Council was fortunate to be able to fund the improvements thanks to large CIL payments, an S106 grant from EDDC, a Locality Budget Grant from our County Councillor and donations from parishioners. Thanks go in particular to Cllrs Phil Chamberlain and Rob Leach (Parish Council Playground Working group) for all their hard work in planning and organising the improvements.
Junior swings update
The seats on the junior swings need to be replaced. Unfortunately, to fit the new seats, the chains needed to be removed and it was found that some of the joints were rusting and therefore the chains also need replacing. Modern swing frames are not as high as the one in the playground, which has been in place for many years, so it has been difficult to find chains long enough. The Parish Council are trying to source chains of the right length and hope to have the Junior swings back in use as soon as possible.
Bridge at the bottom of Poffit Lane
The bridge at the bottom of Poffit Lane is in poor condition. DCC Public Rights of Way have had a plan in place to fix the problem by changing the direction of the water flow (so it doesn’t keep undermining the bank) and therefore removing the need for a bridge. However the wet weather has delayed the work. They are now hopeful the work will be complete by the end of August.
Road closures – August and September 2024
These are the scheduled road closures for August and September. Please check the Devon County Council Highways webpage – https://www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/traffic-information/roadworks/live-roadworks-information/ for changes:
- 29th July – 2nd August – road from Payhembury Cross (aka Alans Motors Cross) to Markers: for South West Water supply alteration.
- 5th –9th August – road from Tuckmill Cross to Payhembury cross (aka Alans Motors Cross): for Western Power supply alterations
- 3rd – 5th September – road from Tale House Cottage to Tale Common Head Cross: for South West water meter exchange.