Work on the north half of the deck was originally due to be completed by the end of August. The earlier completion means that, rather than immediately moving the works onto the south half of the deck, four vehicle lanes will be operating between the afternoon of Friday, 27 August and the evening of Monday, 30 August to help ease congestion over the bank holiday weekend. The centre lane of the main deck will remain closed, with the  two east bound lanes and two west bound lanes open throughout the period.

As work on the south side of the main deck was not due to begin until the middle of next week, the decision to suspend works and return the bridge to four traffic lanes over the bank holiday weekend will not impact on the final phase of the programme. 

“We are delighted that we will be able to provide four traffic lanes on the bridge over the bank holiday weekend” said Councillors Martin Worth and Jonathan Drean, the Joint Chairs of the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee. 

“We know that this summer has been particularly busy as many more people than usual have chosen to visit Cornwall as a result of the overseas travel restrictions caused by COVID. We are also very aware of the significant impact of the resurfacing works on local residents, commuters, bus and coach companies and the haulage industry and are continuing to do everything we can to minimise disruption.  

“Our contractor has worked hard to complete this current phase in time for what is likely to be an extremely busy weekend. The opening of the additional lane will enable the control room staff to respond to any incidents or accidents on the bridge more quickly, reducing traffic build up and potential delays. “

Nathan Wakfer, senior project manager for VolkerLaser, said “We are pleased to be in a position where we can complete this phase earlier than programmed in order to free up an additional running lane for Tamar control during what is predicted to be a busy weekend”. 

Traffic management arrangements for the south side of the deck will now be introduced on the evening of Monday, 30 August so that they are in place for the contractor to start work on Tuesday morning.

The next phase will see the westbound lane and centre lane on the main deck closed to traffic, with the remaining lane used as the tidal flow lane to help manage traffic flows. 

The north cantilever will continue to be used for eastbound traffic from Cornwall and for local Saltash traffic, with lane 7 on the toll plaza acting as a tag only lane as normal. The south cantilever will remain open for westbound traffic travelling from Plymouth into Cornwall. The shuttle bus service will continue to operate as normal. 

As the move onto to south side of the deck and the associated traffic management arrangements will be unfamiliar to many users,  drivers are asked to pay particular attention to the new lane layouts, traffic signs and prevailing traffic conditions.  

Ends  

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Biffa have been monitoring the bins at Seaton very closely and it is clear that on some days, there are amounts of waste left alongside bins. There is always capacity in some bins when emptied in the mornings, so it is evident that people, when leaving the beach, are not prepared to place their waste in bins that have capacity; it seems that people  would rather leave their rubbish alongside the nearest bin to them at that time.  Biffa have looked to see if any of the bins can be moved to alleviate this issue but as there has to be adequate space for wheelchair users and pushchairs, the bins do need to stay sited where they are.

To try to help this situation Cornwall Council have instructed Biffa to place another large nexus bin at Seaton. However as there is capacity in bins at present we may still experience waste being left alongside bins when people are leaving the beach but unfortunately there are no other measures that can be put in place to prevent this happening.

Biffa are also monitoring the bins at Downderry  where, on certain days, they are found to be overflowing due to people staying on the beach much later in the evenings. These bins are scheduled to be emptied on the early morning bin run.  There is no option to place additional bins here as the bins are on the slipway so cannot place larger bins due to access.

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County Council representative: Cllr Armand Toms (Independent) - representing East Looe and Deviock Parish

Deviock Parish Council:

Downderry Ward.Cllrs Helen Brockback; Mark Cornwall: James Millidge

Hessenford Ward: Cllrsl David Cormack; Ann Robinson: Angela Thorpe

Seaton Ward: Cllrs Jim Candy; John Croft: Scott Parry

For more details. follow  http://www.deviockparish.org.uk

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County Council Nominations for Looe East and Deviock are

Cllr Armand Jean Toms: 

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Local  Council Nominations for Deviock Parish Council are*

*Downderry Ward: (5 seats): Helen Brockback: Mark Cornwall: James Millidge

*Hessenford Ward: (3 seats): David Cormack: Ann Robinson: Angela Thorpe

*Seaton Ward: (3 seats) Jim Candy: John Croft: Scott Parry

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*Where there's only one candidate for a council seat, councillors are elected without any votes being cast

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For full details visit  https://www.cornwall.gov.uk

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“We believe a subscribed membership scheme will greatly enhance the association’s ability to exercise influence on matters that affect the well-being of our community,” says Laura Done, chair of DaSRA. “It will also provide an appropriate channel for residents to discuss and act on issues of common concern and interest.The more members, the louder the voice when we are fighting for local causes or campaigning on local issues .” 

DaSRA provides a collective voice for residents living in Downderry and Seaton and acts as a focus for consultation to lobby for change
Membership fee is set at £5 per annum for single residents or £10 per annum for whole household. Associate membership is available at £10 pa to businesses and also to individuals who live outide the area but support DaSRA's aim and objectives. 

Leaflets setting out details of the scheme are being hand delivered to every household in the two villages in late February. The annual subscription is £5 per annum for a single individual or £10 per household.  Subscribers will have the opportunity to vote on future activities that affect the wider community.

Full details of the scheme are available on DaSRA’s website www.dasra.co.uk. Residents can also contact Jeanette Langfeld, DaSRA membership secretary, on 01503 250957 or Laura Done, DaSRA chair on 01503 250911. Or you can email DaSRA at info@dasra.co.uk

Museums and leading artists are inviting the British public to take part in what they hope will be the biggest art exhibition ever mounted.

The Great Big Art Exhibition is being launched by Sir Antony Gormley, who is asking people to make an artwork at home and put in their window or garden.

The Angel of the North sculptor said the ambition was to create a country-wide show of imagination and optimism, inspired by the rainbow images people made to celebrate the NHS and keyworkers during the first lockdown.

Details of how to take part, including a free activity pack, are available from Colchester-based arts organisation, firstsite.uk.
"At a time when all the theatres and galleries are shut it is wonderful to somehow tap into the extraordinary reservoirs of creativity in the country and celebrate the diversity of range and thought and feelings that exist," Sir Antony said.

Sir Anthony has suggested animals as the theme for the first two weeks of The Great Big Art Exhibition."We want to let the inner animal out," he said. "People will find their inner animal… it could be a whale or a dinosaur". The second theme of the Exhibition, which will run until the April, will be Portraits, and more themes will follow.

First Site wants to hear from individuals who want to take part. If you would like to be involved, log into https://firstsite.uk to request more information. There is no local organiser - participation is open to all, throughout the country.

DaSRA (Downderry and Seaton Residents Association) are helping to create a 'Community Fibre Partnership' with Openreach, with the aim of bringing Superfast fibre to homes in Downderry and Seaton.

DaSRA Committee Member Caroline Frith, with resident Caroline Walmsley, are co-ordinating a list of residents wanting their property to be included in this register. If sufficient households register their interest, Openreach will put together an obligation free quote. Openreach will pay a portion, the rest is for the community to finance and this can be funded by government gigabit vouchers, £1500 vouchers for residential properties and £3500 per business property (including sole traders.)

Residents who are experiencing slow and inconsistent internet service and would like to register their interest in this scheme are asked to provide their email and postal address by email to dsfibrepartnership@gmail.com or to info@dasra.co.uk so their address can be added to the list. They should also indicate if a business/sole trader is registered at their address, thereby being eligible for the higher value of vouchers.

DaSRA’s Facebook page will keep residents updated on progress. Anyone wanting more information should contact Caroline Frith 07747 602820

Census 2021

Households across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will soon be asked to take part in Census 2021, the once-in-a-decade survey that gives the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It will be the first census run predominantly online, with households receiving a letter with a unique access code, allowing them to complete the questionnaire on their computers, phones or tablets. Census day will be on 21 March, but households will receive their letter with the online code from early March.

Please encourage people in your area to take part. The information from the census helps councils plan and fund public services and can also be used as evidence to help charities and voluntary organisations get funding.

For more information, visit the census.gov.uk website.

It is important that people understand that they can identify as Cornish on the Census and how to do so. This will provide valuable information on the Cornish which can influence policy making and funding decisions. Cornwall Council, in conjunction with Census 2021, will be promoting this.