Faster broadband on the way: find out more at Loton and Tern LJC
The next meeting of the Loton and Tern Local Joint Committee (LJC) is on Thursday 13 March 2014 at Alberbury Village Hall at 7pm, and will bring good news about high-speed broadband arriving in more areas of Shropshire.
Speakers from the Connecting Shropshire programme will be attending to speak about the project, which aims to provide high-speed broadband to 93% of Shropshire, particularly those areas with slow speeds. Areas such as Bomere Heath, Withington, and Upton Magna will be upgraded in the summer, and the LJC meeting will give more details of when this will happen, the benefits it will bring to local communities, and how residents can take advantage of the new high speed service.
Staff from Shropshire Council’s planning team will also be attending to discuss how local planning decisions are being influenced by the National Planning Policy Framework, after concerns from local councillors that local views on planning applications are not being listened to.
Councillor John Everall, chairman of the LJC, said;-
“We have two really important topics to discuss at our meeting in Alberbury. Broadband is increasingly important for businesses in our area, and residents also need high speed broadband for accessing services via the Internet. It’s great news this area of Shropshire will be benefitting from improved speeds, and we look forward to hearing more about the Connecting Shropshire project at the meeting.
“Planning is also a sensitive issue in rural areas, and the committee are keen to hear more about the challenges that Shropshire Council faces in balancing local views on development with those of the National Planning Guidelines, We hope the public will attend and let us know their views on the subject too.”
The public are welcome to attend and take part in the discussions and ask the speakers questions. In addition to the presentations, there will also be a review of funding applications recieved since the last meeting, which include a bid for funding to upgrade the play area at Bicton; installing new dog litter bins in Westbury and Alberbury; and support for a new community-led Automated External Defibrillator (AED) scheme in Bomere Heath.
