War memorial

Need to check on the war memorial lettering. And yes it is 1914-1919 as the war only officially ended with the Versailles treaty in 1919. The German fleet in Scapa Floe scuttled itself because it thought hostilities were about to be resumed if the treaty was not agreed and it did want the ships used against Germany.

Response from war memorial letterists

Dear Rosie,

Weather permitting we will complete it next week for you, enabling you to relax.

Will confirm

Best regards

Chris

Meetings next month

2 September and 16 September. Both in Baptist Church. Officially 8 pm but with safety committee on 2 September and likely speakers on both nights more like 7 pm. Watch the blog for details.

The 'cruise' at the uni was reportedly noisy on Sunday night and it felt like a large part of it convoyed through Broad Green. The peelers have been told and we might get some feedback at the Safety Committee next month. Now that there are double yellow lines at the uni, it is supposed to be easier to see the joyless riders off the site.

Street Light

Hey - the streetlight in Broad Green that has been burning non-stop for six months has actually been taken away. Power to the People.

Parish Council Response to Health Centre consultation

This will appear in full in Cranfield Express

Bedfordshire NHS consultation on proposed health centre for Cranfield

Cranfield Parish Council response

INTRODUCTION

The Parish Council’s priority is a first rate health centre delivering first class services to the population of Cranfield. The proposals, as they stand for consultation, represent a major, lost opportunity to create a significant facility. The Beds NHS document indicates, for the most part, a continuation of services with only the potential for a few others. Cranfield needs not only the expansion of current services but also their substantial enlargement.

SERVICES

These could include, for instance, lifestyle clinics dealing with smoking, diet, exercise and cardiac monitoring, mental health, physiotherapy, podiatry, prostate monitoring and urology. There should be space for visiting GPs from other surgeries (if they will come) and visiting consultants and well man/well women clinics. The minor injury clinic should have a walk-in facility.

The Parish Council particularly believes there is a demand for physiotherapy and chiropody in the village. Specialist clinics such as radiology, ENT, audiology, and speech therapy would also enhance local health outcomes.

All of the services listed in the consultation are vitally important, but the Parish Council seeks reassurance that same-day access to a GP, currently provided, will remain. There should also be Saturday morning facilities, even if nurse-led.

NON-HEALTH FACILITIES

The BNHS consultation states “the Cranfield Parish Plan has highlighted a number of community initiatives which could work in collaboration with the new health facility.”

It is not BNHS’s role to deliver on the parish plan. That should be the responsibility of the Parish Council and the people of Cranfield. The Parish Council believes the health centre should maximise health facilities. No one will object to a café or eco-centre but they definitely would if it reduces space for much needed expanded health services. The move from 137 High Street is designed to create more space and it would be ironic to lose it at the new centre to non-health activities. The Parish Council supports the other facilities, such as a public library, but located elsewhere in the village. We believe there will be parking congestion issues if other facilities are introduced on this site and this will exacerbate access to and from the High Street. Bus services are generally poor and this increases the need for adequate parking.

HEALTH-RELATED SERVICES

The consultation adds: “In addition, there could be the opportunity for NHS dental and pharmacist services to be located in the building as well.” Cranfield already has a successful pharmacy and dental facility. To include these in the building will again reduce capacity for new services.

THE BUILDING

The consultation says: “We would look to provide these services in a modern, spacious, building that is fit-for-purpose.” The Parish Council wants good access by all methods of transport and easy parking, wide pathways for mobility users and pushchairs. With limited parking for houses as well as the surgery, people will park half-on and half-off the pavements. Dropped kerbs and bobbled pavement area (indicators of places to cross) for visually disabled are also important.

The building should be well-designed for ease of movement, fit into the landscape, be environmentally friendly and made from high quality materials. Cranfield wants a building it can be proud of.

But the Parish Council shares local dismay at the artist’s impression of the new health centre. While it welcomes an innovative and interesting architectural design, the building must sit appropriately within the proposed setting, as well as being fit for purpose.

The phrase ‘Landmark building’ is of particular concern. Functionality is the key criteria. The Parish Council wants a bespoke building whose lay-out and materials are agreed in detail with the local community – not an off-the-peg design (‘landmark’ or not) already used elsewhere.

USERS’ GROUP

The Parish Council supports the creation of a users group, representative of the community as a whole.

LOCATION

The Parish Council supports Option 2, to build a new health centre on the Central Motors site.

CRANFIELD PARISH COUNCIL

AUGUST 2009

Special planning meeting 12 August

Notes from special meeting of the planning committee 12.8.09

(Subject to confirmation at the Parish Council in September)

PRESENT: Delise Ball, Roger Baker, Alan Bastable, Ken Matthews, Peter Meadows, Roy Phillips, Laurence Pollock, John Savill, Jo Stannage.

18 members of the public in attendance

Apologies: Don Allan, Phil Bates, Sue Clark, Alan Morris, Jill Milnthorpe, Rosie Davey-Hunt.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST: Peter Meadows, Jo Stannage (both health centre proposal).

Mrs Ball, chairing, allowed 15 minutes for members of the public to speak. Issues raised included access to the Home Farm site and low cost housing. Mrs Ball stressed that in planning terms the accesses, via Lodge Road and High Street into the Goodman land area were set in stone. But the Parish Council was working with Persimmon to change this.

1. General planning matters

CB/09/05410/FULL

Create new ditches and pond facilities at land at Home Farm as an off-site surface water drainage scheme for the Home Farm development.

Decision: No objection but following conditions

1. That works are carried out within normal working hours to reduce disturbance and noise.

2. That vehicles do not access Lodge Road at any time and do not use Court Road until after school has opened (9.15 am) and not between between 3 pm and 4 pm (school closure and pick-up time).

3. That a full ecological survey be carried out on the land to be crossed by the scheme.

4. That further trees be planted and other landscaping, including walkways, be put in round the stilling pond and lakes to improve the look of the area.

CB/09/05504

Reserved matters application for a house consisting of two flats at 187A High Street in front of the three fast food outlets.

Decision: To object on the grounds that the parking at the back together with the very limited parking for the fast food outlets will inevitably lead to excess parking on both the access road to the new development and the nearby part of the High Street. The Parish Council fears the planned new house will make it difficult to see the fast food outlets from the High Street and this will mean further applications for some form of signage.

CB/09/05541/FULL

Two storey side extension at 77 Bedford Road.

Decision: Not to object to the revised application.

CB/09/05615/FULL

Extension to the car park on land adjoining building 243 at the University to provide 85 new car parking spaces.

Decision: Not to object, as we welcome existing car parking spaces on the campus as we have commented in the past on parking problems there, but to ask that a biodiversity survey be carried out on the meadow in case any protected species may be disturbed in the construction of the new car parking area.

2. Home Farm development adoption

Members agreed IN Principle, to adopt the proposed green spaces and neaps and leaps at Home Farm as proposed by Woods Hardwick subject to the following provisos:

1. Colour and materials of play equipment at Parish council discretion

2. The provision of satisfactory commutation sum

3. Further discussion on relocating the pavilion

4. Provision of a suitable sum for the Parish Council to acquire its own public art

5. Further discussion on adoption of the community building

6. Seek guidance from RoSPA on risk assessment and safeguarding childen in relation to a pond on the land for adoption.

It was agreed to invite both Woods Hardwick and Persimmon to attend a parish council meeting or meetings in September.

3. GP Surgery

It was agreed on behalf of the Parish Council to merge submissions from Sue Clark and Laurence Pollock and emphasise:

1. Opposition to proposals for a library, café and other non-health functions as detrimental to the expansion of health facilities. The Parish Council would like to see the building purely for health purposes with other facilities such as a public library, elsewhere in the village.

2. Need for a users group representative of the community as a whole.

3. Need for a walk-in minor injury facility.

4. Need for adequate parking as bus services generally unsuitable.

5. Need for space for visiting GPs from other surgeries (if they will come) and visiting consultants

Summer catch-up

Wow - 22 July since the last post. Where has the summer gone? We have been to Orkney and to an Irish wedding and England my well have blown the Ashes. Scattered them I suppose. The footie season has started.

The headlines since then, in no particular order are:

• The church clock is working again.

• We are writing to Persimmon asking them to come and see us. I had a conversation with a representative which seemed to contradict a conversation the chair and I had a little earlier with another representative. Obviously we are very keen to sort out the misunderstanding.

• We have agreed BUT ONLY IN PRINCIPLE to adopt the green spaces, merrily described as NEAPS and LEAPS (neighbourhood play areas and local play areas) on the Home Farm development. But we are in discussion with Woods Hardwick (representatives of Persimmon) about moving the proposed pavilion nearer the community building and clarifying control of this.

• We have responded to the public consultation as a parish council on the proposed health centre. Basically they should be increasing the range of health services and not packing it full of business development centres and libraries and cafes. See next post.

•The lettering is almost all faded from the war memorial - just a year since we had it done to some acclaim. Currently chasing the contractor but I will be blogging obsessively about this.

• The public consultation on traffic calming proposals will not go ahead in September but October according to Amey.

• We held a special meeting in August to deal with the Home Farm adoption proposals, other planning matters and the health centre consultation. 18 members of the public attended and it was a good evening.

• There is on-going consultation about the BEAR and Covanta energy to waste (incinerator) proposals for the Vale.