Category: Notice

Road to be closed for bridge replacement in North Dorset

Drivers are being given advance warning of major bridge works which will close the road that links Child Okeford and Shillingstone in north Dorset.

Hayward Main Bridge, which carries Bere Marsh Road/Hayward Lane over the River Stour, will be closed from Monday 4 April until Friday 14 October while it has a new deck built.

Work will be carried out to replace the corroded deck and steel bridge beams, and the existing stone masonry abutments and central pier will be refurbished.

Safer vehicle restraint parapets will be installed on the bridge and on the bridge approach, and the south west retaining wall – which is currently being held up by temporary supports – will be rebuilt.

Dorset County Councillor Deborah Croney, elected member for Hambledon Division, said: “The condition of this bridge has been getting progressively worse and it’s time to replace it before any further restrictions have to be put in place.

“It’s essential that we keep our communities linked, for business, for leisure and for our day-to-day lives and, although the closure will prove to be an inconvenience for a few months, completing these major works now will prove highly beneficial in the longer term.”

The signed diversion will take drivers along Duck Street and onto the A350 to Blandford. Walkers and cyclists will be able to use other foot bridges in the area – one north and one south of Hayward Main Bridge

Due to the scale of the work, Raymond Brown Ltd will be carrying out the work on behalf of Dorset County Council. This will ensure that essential maintenance to other structures in the county can still be carried out while this £1.5 million major project is underway.

In December 1997, a bridge assessment of the strength of the deck found the maximum load capacity of the bridge to be substandard and the bridge was given a weight restriction of 38 tonnes. A further inspection in August 2013 led to the restriction on the bridge being lowered to 26 tonnes.

For more information visit www.dorsetforyou.com/hayward-bridge

PR 6376 – Mobile Libraries

DCCHave your say on the future of mobile libraries

A consultation with communities and library users is being planned to help shape the service for the future.

The number of residents using the public mobile library service has declined over the last few years. However the home library service mobile library, which goes to residential homes, has remained stable.

And residents can already access library services in a variety of ways including online, through the home library service, the public mobile service and of course within the buildings themselves

Cllr Colin Jamieson, Dorset County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and growth, said:

“Although the need to look at the service has come from current budget limitations, it is good business practice to reassess our offering, help us deliver a targeted library service to residents.

“We want to understand the impact of any changes on our customers and by working with communities and the voluntary sector, we will try to reduce the effects that any alterations may bring.”

The council will be consulting

  • On maintaining the mobile library service, which goes to residential homes, provided by the council’s Home Library Service mobile library
  • To understand the impact of removing the public mobile library services in more detail and to look at overcoming access issues by:
    • Extending the Home Library Service in partnership with the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS)
    • Consider the opportunities available within communities to create access to library services and contact with other people through car-sharing, good neighbour schemes etc.

Details of how to take part will be circulated throughout the library service and via parish councils. The consultation will take place during April and May.

A previous consultation had already looked at the numbers of people using the mobile library services and services are being withdrawn from areas with low levels of use. This has allowed a reduction in the number of vehicles from four to three and avoided spending on a replacement vehicle which would otherwise be needed. New mobile library timetables will start from 9 May.

The committee report can be found at http://www1.dorsetforyou.com/Council/COMMIS2013.nsf/MIN?OpenView&Count=1000&id=E701A6E15F7F1A9FD9CAA464DADCB156

Issued By:
Fiona King, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01305 224725
Email: f.e.king@dorsetcc.gov.uk

Community Litter Pick – 19th March 2016

Stourpaine Parish Council are looking for a team of volunteers to clear litter in the village on Saturday 19th March 2016 from 10.00am to 12.00pm. Meet in the car park of the White Horse Public House at 10.00am. Some equipment will be provided but please wear appropriate clothing and strong shoes or boots, bring along work/gardening gloves if you have them.

We look forward to seeing you.

Community Litter Pick Poster 2016

Your bus matters – a communication from Bus Users UK

Dorset passengers to have their say on local bus services
In response to the consultations on public transport being run across Wiltshire and Dorset, Bus Users UK is holding a series of Your Bus Matters events in Dorset. Each event is open to the public, and will give passengers in the region the chance to have their say on proposed cuts to local services.
Dorset County Council has been invited to send representatives and visitors will also have the opportunity to speak direct to their local bus operators. The three Your Bus Matters events are being held on:
Wednesday 3 February –
Bridport Bus Station, Tannery Road from 10am – 2pm
Thursday 4 February –
Shaftesbury High Street bus stop (outside Hine and Parsons) from 10am to 1pm
Blandford Forum opposite Corn Exchange (outside Clarks) from 2pm to 5pm
At each event, passengers using Class 2 mobility scooters will be able to get hold of a ‘permit to travel’, the permission needed to carry a mobility scooter on board a bus.
Bus Users, a non-profit organisation that champions the interests of bus and coach passengers, will be running further events across Wiltshire over the next few weeks.
To find out more about these events and the work of Bus Users visit: www.bususers.org

Further information on the Dorset consultation, which ends on 8 February, can be found at: https://consultationtracker.dorsetforyou.com/00,consultation,12145,330,00.htm

To find out more about mobility scooter assessments visit: http://www.transportforall.org.uk/news/newregulations-on-scooters-on-buses
For more information contact Vicki Pulman on 01622 816737 / 07785 768580

Notes
Bus Users is an independent group which champions the interests of bus and coach users and campaigns for better bus and coach services.
We have the ear of all the major bus companies and a lot of the smaller ones too, of their trade organisation and of the Government and local authorities.
We operate a complaints appeals service for bus users who are dissatisfied with the response they have had from bus companies, and we run events for bus users to meet their local bus company management and local authority staff. We act as a support organisation for local bus users groups.

Free Advanced Driving Lectures

Wednesday 13, 20 and 27 April sees the Institute of Advanced Motorists free lectures commence at 6.45 pm with an 8.45 pm finish. The lectures are being held at Committee Room 1, County Hall, Dorchester DT1 1XJ.  Entry to Committee Room 1 is through the glass doors at Colliton Corner and parking is free.

The lectures, given by a class one civilian ex-police instructor with many years’ experience and a sense of humour, contain information and advice that could save your life.

As we strive to better ourselves at most things in life, why not driving?  No need to book, just come along and bring your friends.

For further information contact Jane Percy on 01305 820963 or secretary@dorsetiam.org.uk.

Do not reply to this message directly. Alternatively, visit the IAM website for more details: http://www.dorsetiam.org.uk/​