Rothbury Parish Council: Commemorative roses, crossings, bollards and trees

At the December meeting, the parish council agreed to plant an English oak tree and 41 red and white rose bushes, one for each of the fallen on Rothbury War Memorial, in the triangle on the Turk’s bank.

However, last Wednesday, Coun Jeff Sutton reported that some villagers had raised concerns that this was ‘segregating’ 41 people from the war memorial off from the others.

But Coun Peter Dawson, whose idea it was, said: “We are not making any distinction with people who fought and died in the Second World War or Korea or any other conflict, but we are marking the end of the First World War.”

• As a possible priority for funding from the county council’s Local Transport plan, officers are drawing up proposals for a pedestrian crossing following a meeting with parish councillors. Coun Jeff Sutton accepted that there were crossings needed in several places, but questioned if this was the first priority.

• Members agreed to buy some bollards to go along the edge of the village green to stop people parking on it. Coun Peter Dawson had found some second-hand ones for £35 per post, much cheaper than the £100 cost for new bollards. Coun Steven Bridgett said: “It’s our legal responsibility to protect the village green.”

• Parish councillors agreed to make donations of £500 to the Great North Air Ambulance Service, £100 to Coquetdale Amateur Dramatics Society and £50 to Community Action Northumberland, which supports village halls. However, members opted not to give support to either the Alnwick Playhouse or the town’s Bailiffgate Museum, as while parishioners in Rothbury may use them, they are not directly of benefit to the village.

• The parish council has agreed to a short-term loan to the Rothbury Joint Burial Committee. The committee made the request to borrow £4,000 due to ‘extensive, unforeseen work’ required at the Cemetery Lodge to enable it to be re-let. This relates to the failure of the central-heating system. The money will be repaid in full in April when the burial committee receives its first instalment of the 2018-19 precept.

• Three councillors are to go round the village and look at the trees that may need tackling first, based on the information provided in a ‘very comprehensive’ tree survey.

• Councillors are keen for a more interesting gateway feature to Rothbury to be developed. It comes after Robertson Homes sought permission to move the existing sign near its Garleigh Road scheme.