St Peter's Parish Council - Worcester

16/03/2026

Following on from reports from residents of cars racing along the A4440 Southern Link Road in recent weeks a cctv camera has now been installed at the Ketch viewpoint car park which has been at the epicentre of these car cruising events.

It is hoped that along with regular police patrols in the area this will dissuade participants from congregating in the car park which has led to regular night time disturbances for St Peter’s residents particularly those living in and around Ferrum Drive.

St Peter’s Parish Council would like to thank West Mercia Police, Worcester City Council and County Councillor Louis Stephen for their help and support in the speedy implementation of this measure.

14/03/2026

Registrations are open for Switch Together Worcestershire (formerly known as Solar Together), giving households, community buildings and small to medium-sized businesses the chance to invest in renewable energy through a trusted, collective purchasing approach.

This is the third time Worcestershire County Council have run the scheme. On previous occasions several St Peter’s households have made substantial savings on the cost of installing solar panels and battery storage as well as reducing their household electricity bills.

Register by 27 March 2026.

Find out more and register your interest at: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/council-services/environment/sustainability-and-carbon-reduction/tackling-fuel-poverty/solar-together

12/03/2026

The next St. Peter's Community Litterpick, organised by the Friends of St Peter's Parks on behalf of the Parish Council, will be held on Thursday 26th March from 10am to 11am, meeting by the entrance to St. Peter's Village Hall. New volunteers are always welcome and all equipment provided but please bring with you a pair of gloves. This litter pick will be St Peter’s contribution to the Keep Britain Tidy "Great British Spring Clean" campaign across the UK.

We look forward to seeing you!

08/03/2026

In the eight days since the latest incident of a vehicle coming off the road at the Ketch roundabout and ending up on the orbital pedway the story has featured in the Worcester News on no less than three separate occasions. It’s obvious from the many comments made by St Peter’s residents that issues related to the Ketch roundabout and the A4440 Southern Link Road more generally are of great concern to many of them as well.

St Peter’s County Councillor Louis Stephen has started a petition seeking support from residents to bring about several safety improvements on the A4440 Southern Link Road (SLR) including the installation of a crash barrier at this location. The Parish Council is working with Louis to bring about these improvements which we all want to see. In the last week the number of people signing the petition has increased from 683 to 858 and you can add your name to it here:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-lives-on-the-southern-link-road?bucket=memblast

Could more be done to make the Ketch Roundabout safer?

A parish council fear someone will be killed or injured soon id more isn't done to protect pedestrians.

06/03/2026

The next St Peter’s Parish Council meeting will be at 7.30 pm next Thursday (12th March) at St Peter’s Village Hall.

During the meeting there is a public participation session which allows local residents to raise any issues that may be concerning them.

All members of the public are very welcome to attend.

03/03/2026

A Vespa motor scooter has been abandoned overnight in Battenhall Park close to the exit to Malham Close. The scooter appears to have been vandalised prior to being dumped. The Police are aware of the incident.

This is the second incident of this nature in the last week. A motorcycle was abandoned nearby on Shrew Pedway by the exit from Battenhall Park to Battenhall Road last Tuesday.

If you own a motorcycle West Mercia Police have some excellent advice on how you can protect your vehicle here: https://www.westmercia.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/theft-motorcycles-scooters/

The next PACT (Police and Communities Together) meeting for St Peter’s and Battenhall will be on Thursday 5th March at St Peter’s Baptist Church from 7.30 to 9pm.

The PACT meeting gives you as local residents an opportunity to have your say on local police and crime issues which may be affecting yourself or others. If you have any concerns whether it’s anti-social behaviour, speeding on the A4440 southern link road, burglaries or theft of motor vehicles please come along. There will be a members of the local policing team at the meeting along with local councillors.

01/03/2026

Following yesterday’s incident where a vehicle came off the Ketch roundabout and came to rest on the orbital pedway, the sixth incident of this nature that St Peter’s Parish Council is aware of, parish council chairman John Renshaw has now written to Worcestershire County Council’ cabinet member for highways and transport Karl Perks. The text is as follows:

Good afternoon Karl.

It’s now been seven months since you met with County Councillor Louis Stephen (St Peter Division), County Councillor Martin Allen (Croome Division), District Councillor David Harrison (Kempsey Ward) and myself to review safety on the section of the A4440 that runs from the Norton to the Ketch roundabouts. At the time you expressed concern about a number of aspects of the road, in particular how exposed pedestrians and cyclists were to traffic when using the St Peter’s orbital pedway which runs alongside the Ketch roundabout. I recall that you said it was “a no-brainer” to install a crash barrier at this location.

Since then further incidents have occurred. Last night (27th/28th February) a navy blue Honda car came off the Ketch roundabout coming to a halt on the St Peter’s orbital pedway. It was only by good fortune that no pedestrians or cyclists were using the pedway at the time. The Police are aware of the incident.

This is the sixth occasion of a vehicle ending up on the orbital pedway by the Ketch roundabout that St Peter’s Parish Council is aware of. Action needs to be taken at this location before a pedestrian or cyclist using the orbital pedway is seriously injured or killed. Following our meeting last July you said that a review would take place of all the issues we raised and that you would be in touch. I would be grateful if you could let myself and the other councillors know how much longer we will need to wait to see County Highways take action on this?

Best regards

John Renshaw
Chair: St Peter’s Parish Council

As some residents may be aware St Peter’s County Councillor Louis Stephen has started a petition seeking support from residents to bring about several safety improvements on the A4440 Southern Link Road (SLR) including the installation of a crash barrier at this location. The Parish Council is working with Louis to bring about these improvements which we all want to see. To date 683 residents have signed the petition and you can add your name to it here:

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-lives-on-the-southern-link-road?bucket=memblast

28/02/2026

Overnight (27th/28th February ) a navy blue Honda car came off the Ketch roundabout coming to a halt on the St Peter’s orbital pedway. It was only by good fortune that no pedestrians or cyclists were using the pedway at the time. The Police are aware of the incident.

This is the sixth occasion of a vehicle ending up on the orbital pedway by the Ketch roundabout that St Peter’s Parish Council is aware of.

St Peter’s Parish Council chairman John Renshaw said: “I am beginning to sound like a broken record on this issue. The parish council will yet again be urging Cllr Karl Perks, county council cabinet member for highways and transport, to reconsider County Highways decision not to install a crash barrier at this location. Action needs to be taken before a pedestrian or cyclist using the orbital pedway is seriously injured or killed.”

(Photo: Parish Council chairman John Renshaw inspects the vehicle)

28/02/2026

The next PACT (Police and Communities Together) meeting for St Peter’s and Battenhall will be on Thursday 5th March at St Peter’s Baptist Church from 7.30 to 9pm.

The PACT meeting gives you as local residents an opportunity to have your say on local police and crime issues which may be affecting yourself or others within the community whether it’s anti-social behaviour, speeding on the A4440 southern link road or vandalism. There will be a members of the local policing team at the meeting along with local councillors.

We hope to see you there.

24/02/2026

UPDATE at 11:30am: The motorcycle has now been recovered by the Police.

A motorcycle has been abandoned on Shrew Pedway in Battenhall Park close to the exit to Battenhall Road. It’s not clear how the bike ended up there.

The matter has been reported by the parish council to the police and the city council. There are sharp pieces of debris in the vicinity so please be careful when passing .

23/02/2026

Thank you to everyone who has contacted the Parish Council regarding the illegal car racing that took place on the A4440 Southern Link Road last night. Judging by the spread of the reports the resulting noise could be heard the length and breadth of St Peter’s. The attachment in the comments below was sent to the Parish Council by a resident living on the Fishes and was recorded in her living room. The parish council understands that the Police attended at around 9:40pm

This is far from the first occurrence of this behaviour on the link road. Not only is it illegal and extremely dangerous both to participants and bystanders the resulting noice affects the quality of life of our local residents. The parish council will be raising this issue urgently with the Police and others partners in order to stamp out this activity.

14/02/2026

St Peter’s is easier to get around on a bike thanks to its wonderful network of pedways but how confident would you feel cycling on the open road close to traffic?

For a limited time, the Worcestershire Bikeability team are offering free sessions for adults and young people. For more information, go to the Bikeability page to find out about their 2026 available dates:

https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/council-services/travel-and-highways/walking-wheeling-and-cycling/bikeability-cycle-training