Basingstoke and Deane: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: 6th May
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- Parent Category: Notice Board
- Category: Coronavirus COVID-19
- Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 May 2020 12:28
- Published on Thursday, 07 May 2020 22:06
- Hits: 63
Wednesday 6 May 2020 – 6.25pm
Three ‘destination’ open space car parks to re-open
Car parks at Crabtree, Black Dam Ponds and the Lime Pits will re-open tomorrow (Thursday) in advance of the bank holiday weekend, so they can be more easily accessed by local people wanting to exercise there.
The council-owned car parks at these destination green spaces were originally closed on Thursday 9 April following concerns over groups of people gathering at the open spaces and not observing social distancing guidelines, as well as travelling distances to get to the locations by car.
Following further police guidance that people could travel short journeys by car to exercise and after reports that people are now observing social distancing better at the open spaces, the council is re-opening the car parks at these locations, with support from the police. However, we will not be proactively publicising the re-opening so that people living further away from them are not attracted to drive to these locations.
People visiting for exercise must follow the government’s social distancing advice and not to park if the car park is already busy. Signage will be placed at all three car parks to reinforce these messages and we will continue to monitor the use of these spaces to ensure the safety of visitors.
Play parks and outside gyms across the borough remain closed in line with government guidance to ensure social distancing and stop them spreading coronavirus through people using the equipment without washing their hands.
Wade Road Household Waste Recycling Centre to open on Monday
Hampshire County Council has confirmed that Wade Road Household Waste Recycling Centre will open on Monday 11 May for those who cannot store waste safely at home.
All sites will reopen under temporary revised daily opening hours of 10am to 4pm, with the following measures in place:
- Use of sites is only for essential disposal of waste whereby storing such waste causes a risk of injury or to health.
- As per government guidelines, residents in the specified vulnerable category (those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, people over 70 and pregnant women) are strongly advised not to visit a site.
- Restricted numbers of vehicles will be permitted to access the site at any one time and site staff will enforce this at the site entrance.
- There will be staff at the entrance to each site, wearing a body camera, to manage the flow of vehicles. Security staff will be deployed at all sites and there will be a zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse.
- New temporary barriers will be in place at the entrance to each site and used to mark out new parking arrangements with site staff guiding vehicles, from a safe distance, into spaces.
- As far as possible, only one person per household should visit the HWRC.
- Due to social distancing measures, site staff will be unable to provide any assistance with unloading material or carrying material. Residents are asked to bring only the amount of waste they can comfortably carry and empty into containers.
- Trailers are not permitted. Enforcement of social distancing on site means severely reduced capacity for manoeuvring trailers. Vans should be bringing no more waste than that which would fit in an average saloon car boot.
- Everyone must always keep at least a two-metre distance from others at all times.
- Sites will accept all waste material streams, except for chargeable waste – soil, rubble, asbestos and plasterboard. However, some processors have shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic and it is likely that some materials outlets may not be available in the short term. Please check the website before your visit to check if any specific material is not able to be accepted temporarily.
- Reuse sales areas will remain closed. Where possible, please continue to store items of furniture which could be reused, donate to local furniture charities, or use online platforms (for example, Freegle, Facebay or Gumtree). Please see the Smart Living website for more information on furniture reuse.
Where residents or members of their households have had COVID19 symptoms in the last 14 days, they should not travel to or enter a HWRC. After this period, any COVID-19 contaminated waste should be double bagged and put aside for 72 hours before being brought to a site. The start date for the HWRC vehicle registration scheme has been postponed in light of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. However, the online vehicle registration system remains open in readiness for implementation later this year.
More information at: www.hants.gov.uk/recyclingcentres
Grants of up to £3,000 available to parish and town councils
We were approached by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks about grants available to parish and town councils and have passed on the information to the council clerks as below:
In response to coronavirus, and to support the communities we serve, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks has made a grant fund of £350,000 available, for projects that support vulnerable members in society. As a parish council you are eligible to apply for a grant of up to £3,000 to support your council’s response to coronavirus, or to authorise a community group that operates in your area to apply in your place. Examples of schemes that would qualify for a grant include, but are not limited to, social delivery services, online advice centres or befriending schemes.
Applying is simple, through an online form available at www.ssen.co.uk/RCF/England/, which also contains further information about what does and does not qualify. The deadline for application is 18 May.