The Parish Council spends a significant amount of money annually on the maintenance of the Whitmore Recreation Ground, Children’s Play Areas, Jubilee Gardens and on grass cutting and the provision of planted tubs.
Over many years improvements have been made to the presentation of the parish and the amenities provided by;
- Installing and maintaining children’s play equipment
- Installing and maintaining outdoor exercise equipment
- Installing planting tubs along the A53 in Baldwins Gate and Whitmore
- Installing large planters on Chapel Green and outside the disused railway ticket office
- Improving the standards of grass cutting and verge trimming, where this has been possible, by awarding a grounds maintenance contract through a competitive tendering process
- Opening up the previously overgrown woodland area in Jubilee Gardens
- Improving the A53 entrance to Jubilee Gardens and clearing the footpath
- Installing Junior Football Posts and marking out the football pitch at Whitmore Recreation Ground
- Bringing the A53 Trentham Road roundabout into maintenance
- Gradually clearing the footpath along the A53 as it passes through the Parish making it safer for pedestrians
- Restoring the white railings at the junction of the A53 and Butterton Lane and bringing the grass area into maintenance
- Restoring the white railings at the junction of Madeley Road, Manor Road & Camp Hill and bringing the associated grass areas into maintenance
- Cleaning road signs and street name plates
- Bringing additional grass areas under maintenance in Butterton
- Increasing the frequency of grass area maintenance in Acton
- Introducing a planned tree maintenance program into the Jubilee Gardens woodland area
The Council appointed a Parish Appearance Group to oversee these initiatives.
Parish Appearance Group Terms of Reference
Parish Appearance Group
Members
Cllr Geoff Corbett
Cllr Colin Perry (Chairman)
External Reports Commissioned
FA Pitch Improvement Programme Report – Whitmore Village Hall (08-04-16)
Jubilee Gardens Tree Health Report
Parish Appearance Goals
Gradually clearing the footpath along the A53 as it passes through the Parish making it safer for pedestrians
The Parish Council is doing this by annually commissioning Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to undertake the following activities between Common Lane and the Parish Boundary at the M6 Motorway;
- Carry out weed killing along the base of all hedges.
- Use a mechanical road sweeper to clear the footpath and gradually increase its width.
The Parish Council has also included provisions in the Grounds Maintenance Contract for the contractor to; weed kill along the base of hedges adjoining footpaths and; to keep footpaths clear of any overgrowth and soil from the base of hedges.
Developing Jubilee Gardens as a local manicured neighboured park that is relevant to the local community
The Parish Council is doing this by;
- In response to requests from residents requesting Network Rail to cut back vegetation on the railway side of the Jubilee Gardens boundary so that children and grandparents are able to see the passing trains.
- Clearing the overgrown woodland area so that it is accessible.
- Working with Baldwins Gate Primary School to carry out bulb planting in the woodland area and Jubilee Gardens in general.
- Commissioning a Tree Health Report to ensure that the open woodland area is safe to use and that the trees are well managed.
- Working towards carrying out the resurfacing the footpath through Jubilee Gardens.
- Including in the Grounds Maintenance Contract requirements to keep Jubilee Gardens maintained as a manicured local neighbourhood park.
Developing Chapel Green as an attractive focal point along the A53
The Parish Council is doing this by;
- Building four large planters and planting these with a mixture of evergreen and annual bedding plants.
- Planting a Christmas tree and lighting this during the celebrations.
- Including in the Grounds Maintenance Contact the requirements to maintain this grass area in a manicured manner with crisp edges to the grass areas and for the grass to be finished in stripes.
- Maintaining the Bus Shelter in a clean and tidy condition.