It is no longer hot news that Cranfield’s church clock is chiming again. But time isn't standing still in the village anymore.
On December 7 there was a flurry of radio, TV and newspaper reports about the decision of Bedford magistrates to quash the noise abatement order imposed in July by Mid Beds District Council (MBDC).
On the whole, the media got the story pretty accurate although there was the usual confusion about bells and clocks.
But the press of course descend on a juicy story hang around for a day or two and then they are off. Today’s hot news on-line is yesterday’s archive material waiting to be googled.
For the parish council however it has been a long six months and a lot of time spent seeking a resolution at first and then preparing its appeal against the abatement order. This was a highly unusual case compared to most noise problems. It did not involve a business running a jackhammer in a residential area or a 16 year-old with a hyperactive drumkit. Whether a church clock chiming is the same kind of noise as an industrial process was a key issue in the hearing.
For many, the clock is a public sound rather than a localised ‘noise’ and it did not divide the Cranfield public into those who were bothered and those who were not bothered. There was a very vocal section of the population (90 per cent in the area affected by the parish council survey) who positively wanted the clock to chime during the night and day.
The Parish Council, therefore, felt it had to represent the strong majority views of the village who saw this as a quality of life issue affecting the whole community. Its argument was with MBDC throughout, not with its own parishioners who chose to make a complaint.
It was fortunate to have services of Palmers solicitors and barrister Philip Kolvin. The case was meticulously prepared by solicitor Simon Parrot and deftly presented by Mr Kolvin.
The setting, Bedford Magistrates’ Court, is an old, traditional building. But there was plenty of informality – no gowns or wigs or judges looking down on the world.
Apart from witnesses, there was a strong turnout from Cranfield. They heard opening statements from both Mr Kolvin and MBDC’s legal representative and then a series of witnesses for both parties. A key part of the case was the evidence given by MBDC’s technical officer. This has been extensively reported in the local media. The public complainants also gave evidence regarding the church clock and the court heard from an expert witness on acoustics.
There was an occasional question from the three magistrates and they listened intently throughout the proceedings. Towards lunch there was some discussion about how much was left to do. Legal representatives assured the bench that their closing speeches would be brief. They were.
The magistrates told us to be back for 2 pm and said they would give a decision between 2.30 and 3.00. Witnesses, lawyers, members of the public exited into St Paul’s square where the men with big cameras and furry microphones were still hanging around.
We were back for two, standing around, locked out of the courtroom. Eventually everyone was admitted and then there was some more hanging around. The usual debates took place about whether the magistrates were a long time deciding and what this meant.
Eventually the usher got us to our feet and the magistrates returned to their bench. The chairman then proceeded to deliver their judgement.
Judges, after all that sitting quietly, must enjoy the undivided attention they receive when giving judgement. You hang on every word. The early part was simply a historical reconstruction of events. Then the chairman moved into their assessment of the evidence.
There was a series of criticisms of aspects of MBDC’s case. This was looking good but you had to be on the lookout for the words ‘however’, ‘nevertheless’ or ‘notwithstanding this’. These could herald a veering in the other direction. But these expressions were not used and the chairman proceeded smoothly to his announcement that they were quashing the abatement order.
There were no unseemly scenes in court and a slight anti-climax as Mr Kolvin applied for the Parish Council’s costs to be paid by MBDC. After a short whispered discussion between the magistrates, this was agreed.
We spilled out past the furry mike folk and bigcams. I made a statement on behalf of the Parish Council and answered a few questions. Michael Barnicott-White, who gathered a great deal of the evidence for the Parish council case was interviewed on Three Counties Radio. When we arrived back at the church, Beds on Sunday was waiting. It did a picture outside the church which, like a lot of media images, showed the non-clock side of the tower. We will forgive them that.
Rev. Hugh Symes Thompson then led those present in a short prayer themed around time and its meaning in our lives. Mr Barnicott–White ascended into the bell tower and did his stuff with the relevant levers. The clock chimed at 4.45 pm. It was back in business.
At time of writing we do not know if MBDC will appeal. However the Parish Council is confident it has done the right thing and it will continue to preserve the village’s historic traditions and identity.
Laurence Pollock
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