Parking offers

One hour free parking

We have a new one hour free parking offer launching today (Monday 6 November) at Gardners Meadow car park in Bewdley. The offer is available Monday to Friday from 8am until 6pm - you just need a ticket from the machine (you can’t use the MiPermit app for your free hour). You can only use the offer once a day.

The scheme’s being introduced in a bid to help businesses in the town. The Environment Agency has introduced a one-way system into the town from Wribbenhall. This was put in place in October due to the construction of the new Flood Risk Management Scheme. The work is anticipated to last between 18 and 22 months. The town is open is very much ‘open for business’. It has a unique offering of independent shops, eateries, bars, restaurants and high street retailers, plus the attraction of the historic Bewdley Museum.  The bridge is open both ways for pedestrians and cyclists.

Christmas parking offer

We are also going to be introducing a parking offer in the run up to Christmas. Shoppers in the district will be able to park for free from 3pm – 6pm on weekdays from Friday 1 December until Friday 29 December. The parking offer applies to car parks owned by Wyre Forest District Council only. It is not available at Weaver’s Wharf car park in Kidderminster, which is privately owned. Tickets do not need to be displayed and any overpayments will not be refunded.

Later this month our plans for a new tiered green public space in Kidderminster town centre will go before the planning committee. The plans include a play area and a landscaped winding walkway. This connectivity project will improve the appearance, access and connection of Worcester Street with Bromsgrove Street and links to the wider Lionfields development site. It is being funded by the Future High Streets Fund (FHSF), and last month has received a financial boost  - we received £725,000 from the government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund.

Dive into nature

We are offering residents the chance to get involved with our nature reserves. We are looking for volunteers to join our practical conservation group and work alongside our rangers. From keeping the heathlands open, coppicing to create woodland glades, keeping livestock fences in good order, building new steps and paths to improve access for all and working on our wetlands there are plenty of opportunities. Volunteers meet on Wednesdays and Thursdays and can join in anytime between 10.00am and 3.00pm.  No experience is required.

Polling district review

If you vote in person, where do you go to vote? We are doing a review of the areas polling stations serve and places used for polling stations. For the majority of the district we are not proposing any changes to the current arrangements. We are suggesting a new polling district to accommodate the Lea Castle development and we would also like views on changes to one polling place in Offmore and Comberton. In Stourport the proposal is for a small number of electors who live in the Mitton ward to use an alternative polling station. Find out more about why we are carrying out the review and have your say on our plans by taking part in our survey. It closes on Wednesday 22 November.

Have your say

We are asking you to have your say in a new consultation on our Housing Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). The housing SPD will be used by the Council to give further guidance on the policies in the Wyre Forest Local Plan about development in the district until 2036. It  provides details on affordable housing, local housing needs, housing in specific areas such as Bewdley and rural areas, self and custom build and housing for older people and others with special housing requirements. Consultation closes on Monday 18 December.

Christmas lights switch-on

Support our local towns and pop along to the Christmas lights switch on events. Kidderminster’s is first on Saturday 18 November from 4pm. Stourport’s lights switch on and Three Kings Parade is on Friday 24 November from 6pm. In Bewdley the event is taking place on Saturday 2 December from 12 noon until 6.30pm. For more information and our guide to the festive season in Wyre Forest please visit our festive webpage.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The Museum gift shop is well worth a visit for affordable gift ideas, stocking fillers, jewellery, seasonal treats and more. Toast the season with a selection of Christmas Tipples, heart-warming Ginger Wine, local beers and Hinton’s of Bewdley Gin. Christmas gonks in their quirky attire are as popular as ever. New stocks of Nordic and woodland gonks  are arriving weekly. Christmas cards from Bewdley Ducks are available in packs of five and a selection of gift bags and wrapping solutions will turn your purchase into the perfect gift. Pop in for a browse. The shop is open daily from 10am - 4.30pm until Saturday 23 December.

There are two exhibitions running this month. Until 19 November you can catch a selection of Pauline Meade’s handmade linoprints on display. They are inspired by natural environments, plants, animals and gardens through the seasons. From Saturday 25 November until Saturday 23 December Arley Studios is presenting its third annual show. All the works are created by Sarah Stokes and her students at the studio. Works are in a variety of mediums and feature wildlife, portraits and landscapes.