Yesterday I attended the local Air Quality Group meeting where we learnt about some of the work being done around public transport to provide alternatives to car usage. One of the new projects is upgrading the bus service between Devizes and Pewsey. Those who use the current services will see a massive difference when it starts in July, with new buses and an option to book a seat via the new “Wiltshire Connect App”. After listening to users of the current service, it has been agreed that the service times will be extended to start at 6am and finish at 8pm, ensuring that in the future it connects with earlier and later trains from Pewsey satiation. The new system is also slightly more intuitive, as passengers using the system can advise what time they need to arrive, which is particularly important if you are catching a train which will also have the added benefit of helping to reduce journey times.
In terms of more general bus travel, Wiltshire Council is currently reviewing their public transport services throughout the County. As a local resident, they would like to hear your views on the future of bus services in Devizes as well as the county as a whole. This consultation is important as many of our local bus services are heavily subsidised to make them viable to operate and therefore to know where they need for focal financial support. It is important they know what residents’ priorities are in the way of the service. To give your views, click the Wiltshire Bus Review – stakeholder engagement survey link.
We have been given advanced warning by Wessex Water about their planned major investment of more than £1 million in water supply services in Devizes over the next two years, which should ensure improve quality and provide a more reliable supply for future years. The proposed work will involve replacing ageing cast-iron mains with new plastic pipes throughout a number of locations in the town and will be split into four phases, the first of which is due to get underway in August. Further phases will follow throughout 2024 with the entire scheme to be completed by the spring of 2025. Wessex Water is telling us they are planning an extensive program of engagement and publicity so Devizes residents know what is going on both before the work starts and then throughout the course of the scheme, which will include a public drop-in session in Devizes and potentially a stand on some market days. In a few weeks, Devizes Town Council will be meeting representatives from Wessex Water to discuss the project and in particular the impact it could have on the road network and what plans they have to mitigate this.
Don’t forget that on Saturday 17th July our friends at Sustainable Devizes will be holding a Sustainability Fair in Devizes Market Place to celebrate how we can have a more sustainable way of living. There will be experts on hand to give advice about how you can make small changes in your day-to-day routine which collectively can make a massive difference to the sustainability of this great planet we live on. Do come along, as there will be more than just information, with things to do and buy as well.
Town Clerk, Simon Fisher