FIXMYSTREET IN BA22 7LD
The following problems have been reported on Fix My Street within 2 miles of BA22 7LD:
Lose drain cover, 21st April
Double drain cover when cars drives over it large loud bang, and cover lifts up and down as they drive over it. Very lose!
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by OpenStreetMap): Sparkford
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7 inch deep pothole which is damaging vehicles, 30th March
There have been three vehicles stranded on our driveway with split tyres over the past three weeks. One had two split tyres. The whole of Sparkford Hill Lane is in a dangerously degraded state, with cars grounding on the centre of the road. The problem has been getting worse over the past three years
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by OpenStreetMap): Sparkford Hill Lane, Sparkford
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Quite big pothole on centre of camel bridge, 3rd March
This pothole is slap bang in the middle of the bridge making it unavoidable for eveey car that goes over it
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by OpenStreetMap): A359, Queen Camel
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Sofa flytipped on highway verge, 15th December
A sofa flytipped on the highway verge on Sparkford Hill Lane just above the railway bridge.
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by OpenStreetMap): Sparkford Hill Lane, Sparkford
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The branches of the hedges are growing, 13th December
The hedges are growing a lot and it’s hard to get by them without scratching the car. It’s has been growing for months and no one has trimmed them down. Please can you take care of this soon as possible.
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by OpenStreetMap): Gason Lane, Queen Camel
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Traffic cone and its light has toppled into road - dangerous!, 30th November
Needs attention immediately
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Manholes with loose/broken covers in verge area, 27th October
Manholes with loose/broken covers in verge area
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Loose stones, 10th October
Loose stones on South East side of bridge A359 over River Cam in Queen Camel (accessible from private land unless someone wishes to paddle!). This is more than likely due to the flood we had in May. It is about time that the weight limit was enforced although I realise access is needed.
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Traffic Lights, 13th March
Tonight on the A303 at Camel Hill there are roadworks on a 3 way flow. There is no traffic coming from the direction of Downhead and your contractors are stood laughing at vehicles trying to get through, 3 at a time with a mile tail back in each direction at 2130 this evening. This is frustrating drivers who are getting angry and beeping horns, this is not acceptable behaviour and will cause an accident.
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): Camel Hill Cottage The Somerset Levels, Eyewell
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Access road surface is collapsing causing damage to the underside of cars, 28th February
This road is an access road and is inclined. It sits alongside Gason lane and over the years has started to collapse damaging the drain and there has been eroding of the embankment. It has collapsed to the degree that it is damaging the bottom of cars passing over it.
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): 2 Gason Lane, Queen Camel
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Pothole in highway, 27th January
Pothole in highway opposite vehicle driveway to Mill Farmhouse
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): Weston Mill The Somerset Levels, Weston Bampfylde
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Sub-standard repair to road on sharp bend, 13th December
Road was recently 'repaired'. The resulting road surface is dangerous.
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): Midknowle Cottage Sparkford Road, South Barrow
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Big branches from bushes, 3rd September
The branches from the bush on either side has growing a lot and its scratching my car. This needs to be cut ASAP please thank you.
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): 7 Gason Lane, Queen Camel
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Water leak from highway surface, 15th August
Water is seeping out from the tarmac road surface and running in a steam down the side of the road. Water emerging just beside corner of electricity sub station.
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): Lone Pine Church Road, Sparkford
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Veteran oak unnecessarily felled, 30th July
The Queen’s Camel Oak, recognised by the Woodland Trust as a veteran oak, has been incorrectly age-assessed and falsely designated as not requiring legal protections.
Please deliver a formal response to outline how you will deliver your environmental obligations to offset this devastating loss of biodiversity.
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): Higher Mead Gason Lane, Queen Camel
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Ancient Camel Queen Oak being unjustly felled. Enough is enough., 26th July
This oak is approximately 400-600 years old. An entire ecosystem all to itself. Felling it is madness - when will we stop this pointless road-building? By continuing we continue to bake in even worse societal collapse due to biodiversity loss and accelerated global heating.
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): The Somerset Levels, Queen Camel
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Destruction of important eco sysyem, 25th July
A six hundred year old tree of national importance It has been misrepresented by representatives of your organisation as not worthy of preservation It is currently subject to a high-level legal challenge as to this misrepresentation of its status Plans for the dual carriageway between Sparkford and Podimore must be amended so that the sliproad planned for this location does not require the destruction of the Queen Camel Oak
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): Camel Hill, Queen Camel
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A wonderful 400 year old oak is to be cut down to make way for a road expansion, 25th July
This is obscene and should not be happening in a climate and nature emergency - the world does not have enough trees - our wildlife need them - especially oaks - please do not decimate this beautiful ancient tree - think again!
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): The Somerset Levels, Queen Camel
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Avoidable habitat destruction and loss, 25th July
Please NH, adjust your plans accordingly to avoid irreplaceable habitat loss. T
RE: Queen Camel Oak at Hazelgrove, Sparkford, Somerset. The planned removal of this tree can be changed so it is INCLUDED in the planned works, ie; diversion of the slip road to allow a root protection zone for the tree, for the following reasons: Newspaper quotes suggest the tree is only 50-100 years old. However, the oak has been recorded on the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory as a veteran tree: https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/tree-search/tree... Clearly visible on first epoch Ordnance Survey maps, 100-150 years ago, the tree was considered important enough then to have warranted inclusion. The experience of recording 100s of trees for the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory, has revealed that these early OS maps painstakingly included notable trees drawn in precise locations. The tree's veteran characteristics and large girth of 5.65m indicate an historic veteran tree perhaps centuries old. It is clear from the early OS Map, that the oak is the last remaining tree which previously stood among other open-grown trees in a scattered wood-pasture. The site, remnant parkland in the grounds of Hazelgrove School – formerly the manor of Queen Camel belonging to Queen Gytha, mother of England’s last Saxon king Harold – was where she heard of his demise in 1066, and contains some important veteran and ancient trees showing a continuity of oak wood-pasture over many centuries. Not only are they living links to the area's rich history, they act as havens for wildlife. The decline of Britain’s biodiversity over the past 50 years is well documented, (UN, WWF, RSPB et al 2019). Veteran trees provide habitat for birds, bryophytes, fungi, invertebrates, lichen and mammals. Veteran oak in particular, provides more habitat than any other native tree, supporting over 2,300 different species, (Biological Conservation Report 2019). 320 of them are found nowhere else. Veteran trees are biodiversity hotspots. Additionally, these trees have been sequestering carbon for several centuries (which is released into the atmosphere on felling). While climate change is of grave importance and rightly dominates the headlines, a 2019 UN report cites loss of biodiversity as equally devastating to our future, habitat loss being a large factor in that decline. Veteran trees provide habitat, and help establish wildlife corridors, linking disconnected pockets to support a wide range of creatures. For these reasons, It is imperative that this tree is protected. Mitigation cannot possibly offset the benefits provided by veteran trees, either in terms of biodiversity or carbon sequestration. Additionally, The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (paragraph 175c1) states: “When determining planning applications, local planning authorities should apply the following principles: c) development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats (such as ancient woodland and ancient or veteran trees) should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons.” Furthermore, the site is designated as a BAP priority habitat – Wood Pasture and Parkland Priority Habitat – a rare and declining habitat renowned for wildlife, carbon sequestration and national heritage, on the DEFRA 'Magic Map' government website: www.magic.defra.gov.uk For these reasons alone, removal of the veteran oak is at odds with National Highways commitment to the environment and achieving net zero carbon: implementing the net zero plan; achieving net zero for corporate emissions by 2030, net zero for construction and maintenance emissions by 2040 and net zero for road user emissions by 2050 developing the long-term vision for an environmentally sustainable National Highways and a strategy to get there enhancing biodiversity reducing local environmental impacts from our network (National highways website 2022): http://www.gov.uk/.../national-highways-announce-new... Retaining the tree falls perfectly in line with National Highway’s commitment to the environment and achieving net zero carbon – please reconsider removing the tree, and move the planned slip road slightly to avoid the tree, and secure a root protection zone around it. There is no reason why this important heritage veteran oak cannot be retained and live for centuries to come. Case Study – The Brimmon Oak In 2009, a bypass was constructed to the south of Newtown in Wales. The route demanded removal of a veteran oak, however, after a prolonged campaign and public enquiry to save the oak, the route of the bypass was diverted, and the oak was saved."
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): The Somerset Levels, Queen Camel
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Habitat destruction and threat to biodiversity, 25th July
Current roadworks to expand the A303 at Sparkford roundabout are posing a serious threat to biodiversity and habitat in the area. A tree known as the Queen Camel Oak (‘tree 12’) has been designated for removal on the basis of inaccurate information about its age, importance for biodiversity and historical value. The Queen Camel Oak is at least 400 years old and stands on land designated by Defra as Biodiversity Action Plan habitat - ancient wood pasture and parkland. It is widely recognised by ecologists that mature trees of this kind provide irreplaceable and vital habitat for hundreds of species. According to research published by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Mitchell et al., 2019) a single oak tree can support a staggering 2300 different species. Of these 326 are ‘obligate’ species meaning that they are only found on oak. At 400 years old oaks are considered ‘ancient’ trees and are irreplaceable in their value to wildlife thanks to the crevices and hollows which provide homes for many species including birds, mammals, invertebrates, bryophytes and fungi. Research has also found that mature trees are important carbon stores with 70 per cent of all the carbon stored in trees being accumulated in the last half of their lives (Köhl et al., 2017). The conclusion that can be drawn from this research is that replanting with young trees cannot replace a mature tree in terms of carbon storage and biodiversity value.
As such I urge Highways England to halt plans to fell the Queen Camel Oak and instead reroute the planned slip road. According to your own website trees are only felled as “a last resort” (https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/environment/biodiversity/tree-management/). Highways England also claim that “our aim is that there should be no net loss of biodiversity through our activities” (https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/environment/biodiversity/). It’s clear that felling the Queen Camel Oak will lead to a net loss of biodiversity. Felling is not necessary as a “last resort” as it is possible to reroute the planned slip road.
Köhl M, Neupane PR, Lotfiomran N (2017) The impact of tree age on biomass growth and carbon accumulation capacity: A retrospective analysis using tree ring data of three tropical tree species grown in natural forests of Suriname. PLoS ONE 12(8): e0181187. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0181187
Mitchell, R.J.; Bellamy, P.E.; Ellis, C.J.; Hewison, R.L.; Hodgetts, N.G.; Iason, G.R.; Littlewood, N.A.; Newey, S.; Stockan, J.A.; Taylor, A.F.S. (2019). Oak-associated biodiversity in the UK (OakEcol). NERC Environmental Information Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/22b3d41e-7c35-4c51-9e55-0f47bb845202
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): The Somerset Levels, Queen Camel
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Pot holes. Anti social behaviour. Abandoned cars. Bins overflowing.
Few neighbourhoods aren't blighted with these types of problems that frustrate the local community. They're becoming increasingly common. Luckily, there's a website called 'FixMyStreet', which allows residents to complain to the local council about local issues in the neighbourhood.
We've got hold of the data from FixMyStreet, to show problems and issues reported within a couple of miles radius of BA22 7LD.
Useful Resources
- Gov.uk
Report a noise nuisance to your local council, including loud music, noisy pubs, rowdy parties or barking dogs. - Citizens Advice
Information from Citizens Advice about complaining about your neighbour. - HomeOwners Alliance
Guidance for homeowners how to deal with noisy neighbours who are making your life a misery. - FixMyStreet
Report, view or discuss local problems such as graffiti, fly-tipping, broken paving slabs or street lighting.
