By the time this newsletter goes out, New North Road should have been closed to southbound traffic between the junction with Longbrook Street and High Street/Sidwell Street (by the new John Lewis store).

In advance of this, signage will have been put in place at Cowley Bridge Road directing through traffic and traffic heading to the city centre to use Bonhay Road/Exe Bridges/Western Way. It is anticipated that local traffic will divert onto other routes such as Blackall Road, Longbrook Street and York Road.

Once New North Road is closed an archaeological investigation will be carried out above the underground passages to ascertain the depth of the top of the passages below the paving.

Traffic orders to restrict access to Sidwell Street between Paris Street and Cheeke Street will be enacted in June/early July, as soon as the Department for Transport have approved the required signage.

Keith Owen says: ‘I will ensure that the knock-on effects of these changes on traffic in St James are closely monitored, as promised by the County Council, and that whatever steps possible are taken to lessen the impact of them. I hope that the fears expressed by both myself and other residents of St James prove to have been overstated. Only time will tell.’

As mentioned in our previous newsletter, the next meeting of the Exeter St James Forum will take place at St Sidwell’s School in York Road on Saturday 9th June between 2 pm and 5 pm. The afternoon will comprise the Forum’s first AGM, plus an ‘Open Day’ to present and discuss the first draft of the St James Neighbourhood Plan.

Whilst a number of members of the Forum have been working very hard on the draft plan, it is being done for the benefit of the whole community. We would therefore urge all residents to actively engage in this and let the Forum have your views at this meeting. Refreshments will be provided.

In the meantime, the Forum has applied to Exeter City Council for the area of St James ward to be the designated area for the neighbourhood plan. The deadline for the consultation period on this is 25th June 2012.

For more information about the Forum and its work, visit its website at: www.exeterstjamesforum.org

There is a ‘Have your say’ (formerly PACT) meeting will be held at St Sidwell’s School in York Road on Tuesday 26th June between 6.30 pm and 8.30 pm.

The meeting will give local residents a chance to raise issues with local police officers, councillors and representatives of the university. Do come along and have your say.

During the recent election campaign, Keith Owen was asked by a resident of Edgerton Park Road for help in getting action to tackle a blocked drain (or gully as councils tend to call them). The problem was caused by muddy water running down from nearby building work during the heavy rain in April. Devon County Council responded quickly to Keith’s request, so hopefully this problem will not reoccur.

More recently we have also contacted the County Council about blocked drains at the junctions of Thornton Hill/Highcross Road and York Road/Pennsylvannia Road.

On 13^th May Hillside Avenue hosted a hugely successful tea party attended by an estimated 120 adults and children. They feasted on 50 home made cakes and delights and were blessed with glorious weather.

The afternoon included a Junior Master Baker Competition with the 15 children taking part producing entries of a very high standard. (Thanks to Thornton Hill & West Avenue Residents’ Association for this information.)

There was an excellent turnout of local residents at the latest St James ‘Have your say’ meeting at St Sidwell’s School on 14 March. They were given an opportunity to raise areas of concern with representatives from the police, Exeter University, Exeter City Council and Devon County Council. Rory Cunningham from the University addressed the issue of household waste and commented that where seagull-proof waste bags had been introduced in certain areas, they seemed to be working well. Bins left out on the pavements at incorrect times were a continuing problem, as has been mentioned by several residents to Keith Owen during his recent house to house calls.

Paul Osborne from the City Council explained about the imminent work to be done in York Road. Also raised at the meeting was the planned revamp of Queen’s Crescent. Both Rory Cunningham and PCSO Helen Harvey spoke about noise from student house parties. If you suffer from this nuisance, it is important that you let both the University and Helen know, otherwise they will think that all is quiet out there. Action can be taken to reduce the impact of these parties if the authorities know about it. Their contact details are:

University StreetWise Helpline: 01392 726252. Email: streetwise@exeter.ac.uk

PCSO Helen Harvey: Police non-emergency number 101, or email: helen.harvey2@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk

PC Alex Kennedy reported that thefts from cars this year so far have been fewer than last year. Bicycle thefts are up on last year and Alex stressed the importance of noting your bike’s chassis number, to help the police return it to you if it is stolen and then recovered. The priority issues for attention over the next quarter, agreed by the meeting, were late night student anti-social behaviour, household waste issues, student welfare concerns and the work being carried out in York Road.

Work in York Road began in early April and the County Council estimates that this will take between 6 to 8 weeks. The work includes widening the pavement on the east side of York Road, relocating the pedestrian crossing, resurfacing the road and removing the double height kerb at the junction with Acland Road, installing raisedtables to the side roads and alterations to the Sidwell Street junction to reduce congestion.

During the works the council will be undertaking trials to see whether they can plant trees within the pavement on the east side of York Road. If this proves impossible, they hope to be able to plant a couple of trees to the front of the mosque.

Following completion of the works to York Road, the County Council will enact the traffic orders to close New North Road to southbound traffic between Longbrook Street and Sidwell Street. They expect there to be some disruption to local roads following this closure as drivers alter their routes. The County Council will be monitoring the impact of the changes on traffic movements to allow significant problems to be addressed quickly.

King William Street car park will also be refurbished over the summer and the main multi-storey car park will be closed from April to September. Included in the refurbishments will be the installation of charging points for electric cars.

The council will also be implementing works to Devonshire Place over the summer/early autumn to address concerns raised by residents during the consultation period.

A public meeting is being arranged in the early summer to enable St James residents to discuss the council’s monitoring of the impact of the changes on pedestrians and traffic movements. The County Council will notify residents, businesses and other stakeholders of this meeting via the St James Forum and ‘Have your say’ meetings, posters on the street and via the local press.

The Forum’s meeting on 17th April was arranged to enable residents to hear about the work that been done by the various task groups on the initial stages of the neighbourhood plan. One of the aims of the plan is to create a more balanced community in St James.

The next meeting of the Forum will take place at St Sidwell’s School in York Road on Saturday 9 June between 2 pm and 4.30 pm. The afternoon will comprise the Forum’s first AGM, plus an open public event to present, discuss and ask for comments on the draft neighbourhood plan.

Keith Owen, a member of one of the task groups, says: ‘I would encourage all residents to get involved, so that the widest possible input is made to the plan. In this way, it will create a St James that everybody appreciates.’

For more information about the Forum and its work, visit its website at: www.exeterstjamesforum.org