Introduction

On 31 August 2023, Holmes Chapel Parish Council agreed to select five projects / commitments that we would endeavour to achieve during the current Civic Term 2023-2027. Each area will be overseen by the relevant Committee and the Parish Council will assess progress on these commitments bi-annually to ensure they are moving forward.

Vision Statement

As a Parish Council:

• We aim to create opportunities for residents to make full use of the Village and its amenities;

• We will deliver projects which will enhance facilities across the whole Village;

• We will undertake projects that improve both safety and accessibility across the community;

• We will arrange and support events that bring people together for celebration or commemoration.

Commitments

1. Improve Footpaths in the Village

The Parish Council will aim to reclaim the pavements for the community by ensuring that hedges/vegetation are not impeding the footpaths. A Task Group has been established to work on this project for the next four years and will initiate a ‘Reclaim the Pavements’ campaign. The Village Infrastructure Committee will oversee this project.

2. Increase community use of the Community Centre

The Parish Council purchased the Community Centre as an asset for the village in 2015. It is run by Everybody Health & Leisure (EH&L). Over the last few years EH&L have been adding more activities which are suitable for the community such as monthly lunch clubs, baby/toddler sessions and being a warm hub. The Parish Council will work with EH&L to create more community use of the centre, publicise the centre and attract more residents to make use of this facility. The Amenities Committee will oversee this commitment.

3. Maintenance/development of the play areas

Cheshire East Council (CEC) are responsible for the 3 play areas in the Village, however, the Parish Council checks the parks every week and reports maintenance issues to CEC. Some of the equipment in the Elm Drive and Middlewich Play Areas are a bit tired and some in need of repair/replacement. This project will look at all the parks and investigate ways of improving them for residents in partnership with Cheshire East. The Amenities Committee will oversee this commitment.

4. Health & Fitness

To consider how to support residents in improving their health and fitness. This could cover promotion of the community centre in terms of fitness and installation of outdoor gym equipment at strategic points in the village. The Amenities Committee will oversee this commitment.

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5. Improvements to Street Lighting

Dark spots in the village can be a source of concern to our residents, especially in the winter months. As part of our commitment to safe walking routes to schools and around the village, the Parish Council will look at possible solutions to dark spots in the village and advocate to Cheshire East Council for improvements. One particular area of focus will be Manor Lane, which many residents have complained about, stating how dark the footpath is and that they feel unsafe. Back in 2021 the Parish Council funded a design for how lighting would look and went out to tender. However, at that point the costs were prohibitive for the Parish Council. Another idea has been for pathway lighting to be added to the footpath rather than streetlights - this will be considered under this project. The Village Infrastructure Committee will oversee this project.