Its the time of year for an end-of-year terrace roundup.
2017 has been a year of change. The terrace, normally fairly static, has this year been unusually fluid, with departures and new arrivals, and currently with three homes currently awaiting new families. We have said goodbye to a handful of old friends, and a offer a warm welcome to those that have joined us. What is great to see is that the ‘terrace culture’ has not only survived intact, but is flourishing.
So here are our most prominent developments during the year.
2017 has seen the inauguation of our 17 strong Terrace Messenger Group - originally to assist preserve and advertise parking spaces - but now offering a wide range of instant messaging for warning information and requests for services. Recently, we have added and parcel delivery service. Do bear this in mind in the lead-up to Christmas. After consultation, we are staying with ‘Messenger’ rather than ‘WhatsApp’, but will keep this under review. We encourage residents to use this service for messages that have general relevance for the terrace.
On the topic of parking, most of us consider that our new on-street parking arrangements have worked well. Due to our proactive approach - preparing a plan and sending it to the council - we jumped the queue and got our chosen arrangement early. The three hour slots have proved invaluable for deliveries and service visits, and the reduced number of well managed ‘free spaces’ have been sufficient to keep at least one parking place available. It remains vital that we continue to keep control of our limited unrestricted parking spots. By doing so, we have seen a dramatic reduction in the use of the terrace as a public car park, with possibilities for our longer stay visitors.
2017 has also seen the inauguration of our sister group on Facebook ‘We live in Feethams’ currently with 26 members. This group straddles the new Feethams Green estate and South Terrace, providing a hub for topics of shared-interest. We urge you to join by following the link above.
Probably the most successful event of 2017 has been the development of the terrace ‘Junior Group’. Community building starts at an early age, when memories are made. Stephanie and I propose that for 2018 we put our minds to a summer programme for the children, to include a street party which we shall host. We have spoken about this before, but not taken the plunge. I sense that this coming year, with a new crop of residents, it would be timely.
Stephanie and I want to thank you for your support this year, and look forward to continued success for our community in 2018.
