News
Haverah Park with Beckwithshaw Parish Council
Spring/Summer Newsletter 2026
Communal Areas & Overgrown Hedges
We continue to engage a contractor to maintain the grassed areas for which we are responsible and to keep the Copse accessible for everyone’s enjoyment. Contractors and NYC representatives have cut back hedges on the approach to Shaw Lane to ensure road signs remain visible.
In-house, the Parish Council (P.C.) will work to clear the Copse of undergrowth and repair the seat at Beckwith Head.
We encourage residents to trim trees, shrubs, and hedges on their land that could pose hazards to pedestrians, road users, and public footpath users.
Roads, Footpaths, Junctions & Infrastructure
We continue to report potholes, broken signs, and overgrown verges to NYC.
We are collaborating with Chris Blackburn, NYC Highways Customer Communications Officer, to address infrastructure concerns. In February 2025, Cllrs Ellis and Spence conducted a walk-through and drive-through of the village and wider parish to identify issues with roads, junctions, footpaths, verges, flooding, signage, and overgrown hedges.
Key priorities include:
- Safe crossing in the village
- Reinstatement of the “rural” footpath from the roundabout to the Cricket Club
- Improvements to the Shaw Lane junction
Chris Blackburn has created a Beckwithshaw P.C. “Actions and Request” spreadsheet, which will serve as a tracker for resolving these concerns.
Public Rights of Way
Landowners or occupiers where public footpaths cross are responsible for maintaining stiles and gates to ensure they are safe and usable, as required by the Countryside Act 1980 (Highways Act 1980, s. 146).
You must:
- Avoid placing obstructions such as fences, walls, hedgerows, padlocked gates, or barbed wire on the path.
- Ensure vegetation does not encroach on the path from the sides or above, considering different clearance needs for pedestrians, cyclists, and horse riders.
Obstructing a public right of way is a criminal offence. The Highway Authority can demand removal of any obstruction and recover costs if necessary.
If you experience a problem with a public right of way, contact the Rights of Way section of the Highways Department for the relevant area.
Planning
We continue to evaluate and respond to planning applications.
Cllr Spence has represented the P.C. at three NYC Strategic Planning Committee meetings to highlight concerns about infrastructure improvements for the three major housing developments now granted planning permission. He emphasized safety measures in the village, including:
- Controlled crossing
- Roundabout improvements
- Upgrades to lanes and junctions
These improvements should be funded from developer contributions (Section 106 monies) rather than public finances.
Website
Cllr David and our Parish Clerk have enhanced our website to be more interactive and user-friendly. We thank everyone who submitted photographs illustrating parish life and our environment and welcome more local-interest photos.
Notice Board
The notice board recently purchased has been installed outside the Village Hall. It is available for use by the P.C., the Village Hall committee, the Church, and other community groups.
Defibrillators & Speed Sign
We maintain defibrillators at the Smiths Arms and Squinting Cat. The Squinting Cat defibrillator has been used twice. Locations of defibrillators can be found at www.defibfinder.uk.
We are continuing efforts to repair or replace our vehicle-activated 30 mph sign from TWM, which has been pending for the past three months.
Boundary Changes
We are monitoring proposals and actively engaging with North Yorkshire Council to express our views, including challenging the removal of the Harlow Grange development from our Parish.
We invite residents to join our monthly meetings. The first 15 minutes are reserved for parishioners to voice concerns.
Next meeting dates: See www.beckwithshaw.org
Kind regards,
Derek Spence
Chairman