Village name signs
Villagers may have noticed that the three village name signs are reaching the end of their life. The present signs consist of a light metal alloy plate with reflective plastic lettering/decoration over it. The plastic is degraded and fraying, and the metal plate has been damaged in some cases. These signs were grant aided by the National Forest more than 20 years ago; and nearby village nameplates have been provided by Lichfield District Council. Neither body currently funds name signs and so the Parish Council will need to provide for any new signs itself. A local designer has worked on some design proofs that would emphasise some elements of Edingale life and this would sit above the letters of the village name itself, which have to comply with design rules on legibility.
At the same time, the Parish Council has been considering the concerns of some villagers about traffic speed through parts of the village and has decided to explore options involving a “village gateway” entrance sign as there is some evidence that these forms of street furniture can have an impact on reducing traffic speed/heightening driver awareness. The Council is considering three proposals from specialist manufacturers that would involve new village entry signs being erected on “gates” sitting in an opposite pair, roughly where the present signs are located. Two of these sites (the approaches from the Lullington Road and Harlaston Road) are quite straightforward, but the village entrance from the Croxall Road is more constricted and would require some offsetting of the gate pair. The “gates” are around 1m wide and 1.2m high and are of recycled plastic in white (emulating wood – but more durable and visible). A similar gate at another village is pictured below for information. Consultations are currently underway with Staffordshire Highways. If the scheme goes ahead, it will be financed from the Parish Council’s capital account and have no bearing on local Council Tax.
The Parish Council will update villagers as these proposals advance.