Posted by Richard Graham

Thank you to all who came to discuss the future of Well Hill. The meeting was well attended with 21 people from 12 households. The predominant view was that the future management of Well Hill and the Millennium Garden needed to be proportionate to the resources available within Tresham. A number of residents considered the present wild appearance of the hill side should be preserved as both a haven for wildlife and a visual amenity comprising flowering plants. All attending highly valued the area as a viewpoint and wished this to be preserved from impact from excessive overgrowth at the top of the slope or from allowing self seeded or excessive tree growth from existing specimens, namely ash and sycamore.

The idea of a new permanent path down the slope was considered problematic due to encroachment to Little Rock Cottage and the expectation that significant earthworks would be required to provide a safe and stable path.

Another suggestion was returning the site to a wild flower meadow but the work involved and the upkeep management was concluded to be beyond the available volunteer resources in the village. Also, an interest was shown in the possibility of building a pétanque court. No conclusion was reached but availability of space was questioned.

Some thought the steps were too steep to be of use to older or less able residents and this meant a safer surface for the bridleway was needed. Therefore, the repair of the current poor state of the bridleway was considered as a priority for gaining improved access to the garden. It was explained that the County Council had been approached recently via our County Councillor for a funding application to bring about repairs to the drainage of the road as this is the principal cause of surface deterioration of the bridleway surface.

Regarding the management of the village bonfire, there was near unanimous support for control of garden waste tipping. It was agreed by a majority show of hands that a notice would be erected in July requesting that only woody garden plant cuttings be piled on a marked area no earlier than the weekend preceding the night of the fire.

A majority show of hands was presented in agreement for the removal of coppiced ash to the left of the steps on descent of the hillside to return presently obscured views. Further consensus was reached that regular mowing of the upper slope in addition to Millennium Garden was a worthwhile start to preserve the amenity of the setting and view of the valley.

To achieve this, it was recognised that a volunteer rota would be required. It was agreed that a village wide request for help would be worthwhile. One or two days a year each would be a reasonable commitment with opportunity to swap dates on the rota if needed. A village owned mower would be needed and it has been aired at a recent council meeting and agreed in principle.

The identified next steps were to

Contact our a County Councillor to get update on possibility of bridleway repairs
Ask Parish Council to supply necessary equipment
Contact villagers to identify volunteers to establish working rota
Produce annual maintenance plan and identify necessary resources
Erect notice regarding bonfire etiquette

Watch out for a further email to residents in the form of a questionnaire to help compile a rota for general upkeep and other work this summer.