The Parish of Cranmore
Village Plan to 2026
Updated 28th April 2014
The Parish
The Parish of Cranmore sits approximately 2.5 miles to the east of Shepton Mallet and straddles the A361 with the hamlets of Waterlip, Tansey and Dean to the north and the village of Cranmore and the hamlet of East Cranmore to the south. Cranmore Tower sits to the north of Dean predominately on the highest point (275m) some 100m higher than Cranmore Village above Great Gains Woods and Battlefields Woods. This folly commands views across the Somerset countryside with footpaths to the village and hamlets in the Parish. The East Somerset Railway runs from Cranmore through Cranmore West Station to Mendip Vale Station. At the western edge of the parish, on the A 361, is a small quarry where the stone is used by stonemasons and at the eastern edge, also on the A361, is Torr works the biggest quarry in England with its own rail head and workshops.
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to identify the facilities and amenities that exist within the Parish of Cranmore and to identify areas for sustainment and improvement to support our Mission Statement.
Mission Statement
“The residents of Cranmore live in a safe, healthy community and in harmony with each other, the environment and the wider community”
Towards a New Vision for the Parish of Cranmore
“The Parish of Cranmore is an inclusive community where people support each other and participate in local activities. A variety of housing reflects local needs enabling residents of all ages who wish to remain in the Parish to do so and to contribute to a balanced and cohesive community. Residents value and use extensively the Parish facilities. There is a comprehensive communications and transport system with a safe network of roads and footpaths between Cranmore and the outlying hamlets which extends to Doulting and Shepton Mallet.”
Economic downturn.
This document was produced before the depth of the recession hit the level at which it reached in April 2009. Whilst the Mission and Vision remain the same the economic reality dictates that many of the objectives may not be met but every effort will be made to sustain the current level of services and facilities.
Towards A New Vision and Strategic
Objectives for the Parish of Cranmore
1. Highways, roads, footpaths and cycle paths.
The A361 runs west to east through the parish and divides the Parish in two. It is a major trunk road with heavy Lorries turning off the A361 at the junction with Cranmore and Tansey. This junction is probably the busiest, the most dangerous and most congested between Shepton Mallet and Frome. The traffic held up by traffic turning north has resulted in the verges being damaged as cars use this as a slip road to get past. There have also been numerous minor accidents at this junction with cars being shunted in the rear as they wait to turn right into Piers Road despite a 40mph speed restriction.
There are also 3 bus stops at this junction one on the south west side of the A361, one on the North West side on the road towards Frome and one just round the corner on the Waterlip Road. It is extremely dangerous for pedestrians crossing this road junction.
At peak periods parents drop their children off at the bus stop to catch one of a number of school buses. This results in congestion and further danger as they wait to ensure that their children get onto the coaches safely.
There are 3 distinct requirements needed:
a. A safe place to cross for pedestrians.
b. A means to allow traffic to continue flowing.
The local farmers have offered land adjacent to this junction to provide a turning lane for those cars turning right towards Cranmore.
The Parish Council to keep pressing for improvements to this junction.
The Hamlet of Dean lies on the A361 half a mile to the east of this junction. There is no pedestrian access apart from an unmade footpath across the fields to the community or facilities of Cranmore or Tansey. In fact they are an island with the only safe access being by transport along the A361. To allow the residents of Dean to become better integrated with the community and enable them safe access to the facilities within the village of Cranmore there is a need for a footpath/cycle path to Cranmore.
Footpath/ cycle path between Dean and Cranmore is to be sought.
To reach either of the bus stops at this A361 junction (described above) requires residents to walk along Piers Road. This is a busy road with no pavement and the top half of the road is not illuminated. A footpath running along the west side of Piers Road would allow safe access but this would need agreement from the local farmer to use part of his land.
Footpath along Piers Road.
Waterlip lies to the North of Cranmore and Tansey. Whilst there is a footpath to the end of Tansey there is no footpath or cycle path from Tansey to Waterlip, or through the hamlet, that affords safe access to each other and to the facilities at Cranmore. The footpath requires extending to Waterlip and through this hamlet to allow pedestrians safe access.
Extend the footpath to Waterlip and through the hamlet
A passing bay along Cooks Lane and an extension of the wider entrance off the A361would help traffic considerably.
Seek to obtain a passing bay and widening at the top of Cooks Lane.
Adoption of Roads
The roads in Dean have not yet been adopted by Somerset County Council despite efforts by the Parish Council. It is proposed that the Parish Council continue to press for the adoption of these roads along with the roads in East Cranmore.
Press for the adoption of the roads in Dean.
Maintenance of Highways
The highways and roads within the Parish have deteriorated to such an extent that the surfaces are breaking up and verges are encroaching onto the roads and blocking the gullies. Markings have worn and need renewing. Holes that appear are reported and repaired but it is considered that they will need resurfacing in the near future.
Continue reporting the roads that need maintenance or repairing.
Bulls Green Link. (Old Frome Road & Old Wells Road)
The Bulls Green Link is not used by the majority of traffic traversing from Frome to the A 37 and vice versa. The use of this route would alleviate heavy traffic through Waterlip and Tansey. It would also reduce the amount of traffic using the A 361, Piers Road junction and help to improve traffic flow during peak times. To encourage traffic onto this route requires weight restrictions, better signposting and straightening the road at Long Cross to allow direct access onto the Bulls Green Link and changing the traffic priorities.
Press SCC for better signposting and an improved junction at Long Cross.
Badgers
There is a badger set to the south west corner of the railway bridge that has undermined the corner of the bridge and the road. Extensive wiring has reduced the problem but it needs constant monitoring and the highways informed if the badgers continue to encroach under the road.
Continue to monitor and report any further damage caused by the Badgers.
Hedges
These need tending regularly. The local farmers ensure that their hedges do not extend into the road. It has been found that should a hedge need cutting back a simple telephone call normally resolves the problem.
Continue to monitor and report any hedges that need cutting back.
Parking
There is a lack of parking in Cooks Lane for people attending Church Services, Christenings, Marriages and Funerals. There is also insufficient parking adjacent to the Village Hall which competes with the visitors to the Strode Arms for parking spaces along East Cranmore Lane. On these occasions cars are permitted to park in Jill’s Close. In dry conditions this poses no problem but when the weather becomes inclement there is a tendency for the surface to churn up and become muddy. It is proposed to use a honeycombed system that can be grassed over to form a hard surface car park but retain the same controls over its use.
On occasions the bus cannot traverse Cooks Lane due to anti social parking nor could emergency vehicles get through in these circumstances.
Provide firm parking within Jill’s Close.
2. Infrastructure
Drains
Several houses in Cranmore, Dean and Waterlip have suffered from severe flooding. The Parish Council is currently trying to find out where the existing drains flow and where the land drainage runs and how it operates. This should then highlight maintenance that is needed, where there are choke points and how flooding can be prevented in the future.
Pursue MDC & SCC for the route of the drainage system.
Following a discussion with the person responsible for the drains from SCC in March 2009 he agreed that a new drain is required along the north side of East Cranmore lane with gullies that enable the water to run into them. He also agreed that a new soak away is required at the junction of Piers Road and the A361 to allow the water that runs into the old Dram Way tunnel to clear. He also advised that the edges of Piers Road need to be kept clear of debris and farm waste to allow the gullies to operate far more efficiently.
Ensure that A} the gullies are set at the correct level to allow water to run away.
B} a new soak away is provided.
C} The edges of the roadside are kept clear of the gullie runs.
Pursue the provision of a new drain along East Cranmore Lane.
Since the introduction of drains to the village of Cranmore the village has doubled in size and the recent increase in rainfall and the prediction for the future means that they are considered inadequate to carry heavy concentrations of rain water away as in May 2008. Dean is not connected to the mains drainage and before any further development takes place in Dean or Cranmore a new drainage system is required to alleviate the possibility of further flooding.
No further building until the drainage system is sorted out.
Land Drainage
Climate change is predicted to bring an increase in winter rainfall along with more frequent heavy storms leading to a higher frequency of flash flooding in the area. With the current land assessment of an annual probability of more than 1 in 100 or greater it is essential that all ditches, culverts and streams are maintained to help eliminate flooding.
Ensure that ditches, culverts and streams are maintained.
There are 2 streams that converge in Dean and then run across the fields and meet up with the stream that runs from the west of Cranmore, through the village and then down the south side of East Cranmore Lane. These streams and culverts need to be kept clear and flowing to alleviate flooding across the fields causing a back up to both communities. The culvert running under the A 361 at Dean is a particular bottleneck and needs regular attention. The culvert in the field to the south of the railway station, whilst allowing a free flow of water through to the back of the village pond, needs “choking” to stop flooding through the village and allow the water to back up across the fields.
There are 2 culverts in Waterlip that have caused flooding in the past and need regular maintenance.
Ensure that the culverts and the streams run freely.
The old quarry at Waterlip is subject to discharge from the surrounding areas and any new development needs to consider the impact and wherever possible oil traps need to be included.
Ensure that any further development in this area has adequate oil traps.
Sewers
As the housing numbers in Cranmore have doubled since the introduction of the mains sewerage system, there should be no further development in the village until the capacity of the system is checked and Tansey, Dean and Waterlip are connected to it.
Check the capacity of the sewerage system and press for Tansey, Dean and Waterlip to be connected before any further housing development is permitted.
Electrical Power
Electricity is transmitted to our homes via Western Power’s network. Two ‘Bulk Supply’ substations transforming 33,000 volts down to 11,000 volts are situated in Evercreech & Newbury (nr Coleford). A High Voltage (11,000v) network connects these substations which feeds the pole mounted transformers adjacent to our village and hamlets. These transformers in turn step the voltage down to 230v (single phase) & 400v (three phase). There is a third situation where the transformer used supplies two phase 400v and is quite common in this area.
The electric 230/240v network, installed in the 40’s and 50’s, keeps failing with ‘burnt off’ services. This could be overcome by replacing the existing cables with an insulated and bunched variety as has been installed by Southern Network when they were privatized. The Village Hall is being changed to this system as the old service wires are too low for the old ‘open’ type to comply with current legislation.
Replace the existing service with an insulated and bunched system.
Renewable Energy
The parish council are to investigate the provision of a wind turbine and consider any application for a wind turbine that does not mar the vista across Cranmore Tower. Due consideration is to be given to the affect on the community and the benefits.