ECCLESHALL PARISH COUNCIL – ENHANCEMENTS AND PRESERVATION COMMITTEE – Wednesday, 12^th August 2026

 DRAFT

A meeting of the Enhancements and Preservation Committee was held on Wednesday 12^th August 2026 at Eccleshall Community Centre, after the Planning Committee meeting, at 7.50pm.

  Present were:-

Councillor S. Perren (Chairman)         Councillor G. Dale

Councillor D. Hill                                     Councillor R. Taylor

Councillor P. Jones

Mrs S. J. Worden (Clerk)

No members of the public

1).    Apologies:-

Apologies were received from Cllrs. Langford, Reid, Hall and Ryan-Bloor

2).    Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 3^rd June 2026:-

The minutes, which had previously been noted by the Council, were agreed and signed.

3).   Asset inspections:-

• The Clerk provided an update on works completed to date, and asked councillors to submit any outstanding inspections as a matter of urgency.
• Perren agreed to take on any assets previously assigned to Cllr. Wilkins.

4).   Croxton Play area:

• Inspection Reports:

Previous works identified on the latest report have been completed bar the replacement of an end cap on the trim trail. The next report is due later in August.

5).   Outdoor Gyms:

• Work Updates:
  • Spray paint to touch up the chest press (Eccleshall Community Centre) has been received and work is pending. All other works are completed.

6).   Beech Road Community Park:

Inspections:

• There are no outstanding issues from the last operational report. The next report is due later in August.

Garden Project:

• Due to the recent high temperatures and concerns the new plants would not survive, the project has not been progressed for planting this year. The Clerk will obtain a costed planting scheme and suggested timescale for implementation to best suit the planting and weather conditions. Although the planting will be regularly watered alongside the bloom watering period, drought resistant species will be an important consideration.

Other items:

• Additional wire mesh fencing has been installed between two adjacent fences to the side of the main entrance, as pigeons were getting trapped between the two fences and unable to escape.
• It was reported that neighbours were parking on the land that forms part of the leased park land in a manner to obstruct use of the bike racks. It was agreed to write and request appropriate spacing was left.

7).   Pillar Clock:

• The slow clock face is due to the failure of a drive motor, and the movement and hands are currently in the workshop awaiting the decision of the council to the next course of action. A new drive motor will be a cost of £980 plus VAT. However, due to the age of the clock, there are likely to be more frequent repairs to microswitches and drive motors. In order to upgrade the clock and reduce the ongoing repair costs, it is proposed to replace the mechanism with a new time side clock system, with heavy duty slave movements, at a cost of £4,990 plus VAT. It was resolved to recommend approval of the refurbishment quote to replace the mechanism with a new system.

8).   Elford Heath:

• Members received and considered the draft arboricultural tree management plan for Elford Heath. Members noted that it was a comprehensive report and there were no changes required. It was resolved to request an initial quote for works to open up the pool area, to be undertaken in the autumn/winter.
• Representatives from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust have assessed the pool and reported that ‘the vegetation has responded brilliantly to the recent management, and the site is rich in dragonflies/damselflies. We think that there is a requirement to create some areas of open water and remove some of the broadleaved pondweed and bulrush but to plan it for autumn/winter 27/28 rather than this year.’ It was advised that a priority should be to discourage dogs from entering the pool and disturbing the habitat. At present there is an older information board and a newer pool warning hazard sign in situ. Options were discussed for further signage. The committee resolved to obtain quotes and designs for a new updated interpretation board to include some more nature information, as well as commission a separate sign to encourage owners to keep dogs out of the pool to protect the natural breeding habitat. The sign would be placed near the bank where there is a natural entry point to the water.

9).   Biodiversity Enhancements:

• Updates include:
  • The first Bat Walk was well attended and very informative. Three species of bat were identified during the evening.
  • The People’s Emergency Briefing film will be shown at 7pm on September 17^th at the Holy Trinity Parish Rooms. It is free but ticketed via Eventbrite to keep numbers within the capacity of the room. The Clerk was asked to contact Cllr. Reid to see what other methods could be used to book a space to make the event more inclusive, as not everyone will use Eventbrite.

10).   Other Planting:

• The replacement columnar Cherry Tree for the Stone Road been purchased but planting has been delayed until the weather is more temperate.

11).  Lengthsman Scheme

Areas to be requested for work were identified as follows:

• Tidy up of footpath and vegetation near to the bench located on the corner of the main road. Cllr. Hill to provide scope to the Clerk.

• General enhancements updates (not within scope of the Lengthsman scheme)
  • The overgrown hedge on Stafford Road has been scheduled for work by SCC to flail the encroaching areas.
  • A stone has fallen from the wall on Stafford Road and has been reported to highways for reinstatement.
  • The re-lining of the pedestrian crossing and two mini roundabouts continue to be pushed as a matter of urgency, and County Cllr. Pert and our highways liaison have asked for it to be rescheduled to a much earlier date than the current schedule.
  • Members noted the exceptional Bloom display this year, which is a testament to the hard work of the watering team during the extreme heat.

12). Correspondence:

• There was no correspondence to receive.

13).  Items for next meeting:-

Any items for consideration to be sent to the Clerk.

14).  Date of Next Meeting:-

October 7^th 2026, following the Planning Committee meeting.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8.35pm.