Traffic calming works

Bourne End Road is closed off now for TC works. A parishioner reports that the Stagecoach bus driver yesterday would not go down Crane Way although that is clear at the moment. Hopefully s/he has been put right on that one. Stagecoach bus on Crane Way this morning.

Damming effect

We might stand at near 100m above sea level but Cranfield has its flood hot spots. This is from the latest CBC customer services bulletin with Amey's reply. 

XX-YY High Street   Cranfield: Dear Highways Department/Amey Contractors    This problem is related to a pair of sunken dropped kerb stones at XX High Street that promote the flooding of XX-YY in rainy weather.    Proposed Solution - raise the sunken kerb stones that have subsided.    However...    Last week Amey contractors raised part of the footpath and entrance to the drive of No XX with the addition of some tarmacadam to the existing footpath and drive entrance.  The result is that the water from the road still drains into No XX because the kerb stones were not raised to a suitable level and surface water is allowed to run over the kerb from the gutter into the properties.  Excess surface water now drains towards my own property No YY.  The damming effect of the new tarmac redirects the flow somewhat from the join at the junction of the grass verge and kerb.    

A site visit would easily confirm the diagnosis, proposed solution and show the wasted effort and resources to date (perhaps not entirely wasted but not addressing the main cause of the surface water run-off).    I look forward to hearing your views and your setting a date to raise the (minimum of) 2 kerb stones 15mm or so higher outside No XX.  I am also concerned that the soon to be introduced traffic calming might also have a detrimental effect too though I am not sure exactly where the road level is to be raised.   

Amey has replied:

thank you for the photos which seem to show the present low spot for water to flow over onto the path in extreme rainfall. Could you see if the gully in the layby was working? It is highly likely that in such weather conditions at the time, the rising water level would find the next low spot to flow over. There is also a very large area of paved area and footway that collects water as well, so it would be very difficult to prevent water building up on the path.   I will inspect the area again in rainfall.

Godiva in MK

Thanks to Pcllr Peter Meadows who has informed the Blog: " There is a large event, party and concert to celebrate Godiva Awakes at Campbell Park in Milton Keynes in the late afternoon and evening on 1st August- part of the Cultural Olympiad."

Godiva Awakes

1 August 2012
Venue: Campbell Park
Website 

www.imagineerproductions.co.uk

DOWNLOAD A FULL PROGRAMME HERE

Godiva walking through Coventry

Covanta consutation

Here are the dates for the Covanta consultation. 

Yes, that's 6 August for four weeks. The traditional British holiday period. Strange that. 

CB Cllr Sue Clark is working to get the date delayed or the period extended.

Alasdair FitzSimons-McKellar, PPC/COMAH regulatory officer

at the environment agency writes to parish councils:

"With regard to the message below, we will be going to the first stage of public consultation on the 6^th of August for a four week period. Copies of the applications will be held at the following places, Central Bedfordshire Council, Technology House, 239 Ampthill Road, Bedford, MK42 9BD and Environment Agency, The Public Register, Kingfisher House, Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough PE2 5ZR. 

"We are aware that these locations won’t be convenient for many people so I can make copies of the application available on CD for people who request them of me, also we intend to make a copy available at Stewartby Library (if they are happy to have a copy held there).

 

"We will be holding a drop in session on the 15^th August at Stewartby village hall for people to come and talk to us about the permitting process and our regulation, details to follow."

PREEN recycling

Provisionally PREEN community recyclers are due to come to Cranfield on Friday 7 Sept and Friday 5 Oct.Watch the blog for more details including  locations and how to request a bulky pick up.

cycling

Airfield circuit and Ball-Phillips loop on the bike this morning. Brilliant weather. Lungs have had a relaunch as I gave it an extra whack in honour of Wiggo. Mind, I'm well away from tackling the Col de Morte sort of thing in the Pyrrannees. 


Still staggered at family group cycling on Moulsoe Road yesterday. Mother and 2 children cycling the wrong way down this rather fast road. I assume they think its like walking, towards the traffic, for safety reasons. But it freaked me out as any moment I feared the youngsters would break out from behind the yellow lines. Not to be recommended. 

Bedford Community Boat

Message from the Bedford Community Boat Appeal.......

BEDFORD COMMUNITY BOAT APPEAL HITS ALMOST £90,000 - £30,000 NEEDED TO CLOSE THE GAP.

Anyone visiting the Bedford River Festival (July 21-22) couldn’t help being struck by the potential of the Great Ouse to be at the heart of a boating and tourist revival for the town and surrounding areas.

Perhaps visitors noticed some historical and picturesque narrowboats and wondered why they are so rarely seen along the river. All this could change when the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust (B&MK) adds new life to our local waterway heritage with the launch next year of a community boat.

This was first proposed in 2010 when teachers and other community groups enjoyed river trips along the Great Ouse towards Kempston provided by the B&MK. Since then almost £90,000 has been raised with donations or pledges from Bedfordshire businesses, local charities, Bedford College and individuals.

More details on the progress of the campaign, how to donate and how volunteers can get involved in all aspects of running trips on the new Bedford Community Boat, in the attached release.

 Claire Gathard

Project Officer, Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust

www.b-mkwaterway.org.uk

email: claire.gathard@canalrivertrust.org.uk

tel: 01908 302592

Godiva awakes

Tomorrow, Imagineer Productions' 21st Century Godiva will awake to a spectacular performance involving dancers, actors, aerialists, musicians and pyrotechnicians. 

On Sunday  carnivalists and 220 young people will process through Coventry in celebration at the unveiling of this Godiva for the modern age. 

From 30 July to  5 August, powered by 100 cyclists, Godiva (actually a double-decker bus sized puppet) will then journey to London to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

You can see it locally on Thursday 2 August when there could be  delays on the road between Woburn Sands and Streatley  as Godiva Awakes makes its way across the area.

Godiva Awakes is part of Artists Taking the Lead, a series of 12 public art commissions across the UK to celebrate the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, funded by Arts Council England.

.

Buses and traffic calming works

Transport officers at CBC say the road closures next week may affect the Stagecoach 52, Road Runner RR1 and RR2 bus services. No word on MK services.

They are advising that for the proposed closure period 8,9 and 10 August for Crane Way and 22,23,24 August for Mill Road, buses may need to divert along Bedford Road to the High Street.

They add: "The closure of the High Street from 19 - 22 September may preclude (stop) buses from passing through that part of Cranfield and buses may need to divert via Crawley Road.  Notices may be needed at bus stops in Bedford Road, the High Street, Mill Road and Crane Way advising passengers of the diversion."

Plans for traffic calming

Traffic calming work will be start next week. Amey says it is intended to complete each section before moving on to the next to minimise disruption with as much as possible being carried out during the summer holidays. 

It adds:"The programme will be monitored and should the need arise could possibly be altered to take account of any local or unforeseen issues that may arise."

Olympic celebration

St Peter and St Paul Church's bells joined in  the nationwide Olympic celebration this morning, led by Big Ben between 8.12 am and 8.15 pm. Its the first time Big Ben has rung out of schedule since George VI's funeral so a bit more upbeat this time. See link below




Well done the Cranfield Tower Team. Olymphomania is now in full swing in Cranfield. Roll on the synchronised pole vaulting.


Probably should have flown the union flag this morning but nobody thought about it. 

Big Ben striking

Home Farm

I have an unconfirmed report that Persimmon has had discussions with Central Bedfordshire Council about a modified Home Farm planning application that excludes the use of Denison land - which the community hall and school playing field would be built on and which offers access to the public walk way to Court Road. I have proposed that the parish council clerk contact CBC for elaboration/reassurances/denial 

University liaison meeting

Parish Council-Cranfield University liaison meeting tonight. We'll be checking/encouraging the campus to make students as aware as possible of the impending traffic calming upheaval. And the, at present, unknown impact on the buses, which many of them depend on.

In writing

I have just written to Central Beds as follows: "In your earlier email you reported that Persimmon pledged not to renew the current short term lease on the occupied Home Farm house and that you had asked for this promise not to reoccupy in writing. 

"Have you now received Persimmon's commitments in writing and is the house still occupied? If so, when will it be vacated?"

Re use PREEN

How often do you skip across the border to the Newport Pagnell tip ( AKA civic amenity site) and stand in awe of the mountains of STUFF we throw away. We are drowning in STUFF. Now I'm not in favour of hoarding either (as one or two of my family members will ruefully report) but there is a huge amount of waste.


The Parish Council has registered Cranfield with PREEN.


They describe themselves as follows:

PREEN is a social enterprise - a business that runs for the benefit of the community and fulfils a social purpose.


We do a number of things but our main project is the Furniture Bank, a community reuse service that provides training, reduces waste and most importantly, supplies low cost furniture and appliances to vulnerable disadvantaged people in Bedfordshire. 


To pay for this work we run 2 community reuse shops in Biggleswade and Dunstable which are open to the public. They’ve been described as ‘Aladdin’s Caves’ and stock all kinds of 2nd hand goods.  


info@preencic.org  01767 600332






PREEN also take away and repair all those household goods that end up in the tip because no one repairs that sort of stuff anymore.  


The Parish Council is identifying dates in September when PREEN will come to the village and pick up smaller household goods that are now 'broken' or damaged from a  central location  and take away suitable furniture from individual pre-notified addresses. The PC will be publishing these dates in the September Cranfield Express and I will also flag them up on the blog.

Central Motors School

DLA planning attended the parish council last week to outline the very broad brush proposals for 135 houses at the old Central Motors site. This includes space for a new lower school. Obviously a lot of attention focused on the school provision, which from its size looks as if it is meant to be additional to the existing school, not a replacement. The answers to most of these questions will come from Central Beds Council. 

On going maintenance

The latest from the customer service bulletin. Items 2 ands 3 reflect recent flooding in the area.

The road surface and the pavements in Coronation Road are in a very poor state with several small potholes and the surfaces dissolving in places. The grass verges are being badly churned up by the number of vehicles parking over them. PC request for this road and path to be assessed for rebuilding.

Crawley Road URN 298/110612  Flooding water above the low pavement........  File created at 11/06/2012 19:01    27 sand bags have put at locus. Call out crew to attend to location, put out sandbags to divert water away from houses

Folly Farm Storm Drains - flooding - Blocked - Weir Gully found at location -crew contacted duty engineer contacted for advice - crew advised responsibility off local pumping station and therefore unable to assist - property owner advised. Call out crew to attend to location, report of flooding

Crawley road is regularly threatened with localised flooding. CBC and developers were warned several years back that increased development would make this more likely

Flags

Matt Dolton wrote to the Parish Council to advise that the Union Flag was raised for Armed Forces Day and he has asked if it is possible for the Council to provide an actual Armed Forces Day flag for next year. This has been agreed

It was also decided that the current Diamond and 2002 Golden Jubilee flags should be framed and hung in the Village Hall subject to Village Hall Management Committee approval.  Now, who’s got that 2002 flag?

Niceties of housing allocation

There is no change for Cranfield, under the new local development framework (135 at Central Motors and 20 at Lodge Road) . According to CB councillor Ken Matthews, however, an allocation of 1700 houses has been kept back so that the Neighborhood Plans can be accommodated. 

It appears that if the neighbourhood plans do not absorb these additional houses then another site allocation process will be needed.

On (or off) the buses

Reaction from CBC about the impact of traffic calming building works starting next week on bus services. A CBC official writes [the blog's annotations in bold]: 

"I am trying to obtain full details of the proposed traffic calming scheme.  [on the parish matters blog, from CPC or from Amey] 

As soon as I obtain them, I will be able to consult the bus companies.   [as quick as you like]

At the moment, my basic understanding is that the scheme consists of three junction improvements (speed tables), which are unlikely to affect local bus services.  [probably]

However, there will be road closures and diversions arising from the road works and bus services will have to be diverted when these take place.  [all true]

We shall ensure that any bus service diversions are advertised at affected bus stops in a timely manner. [excellent]

I shall endeavour to notify you of any developments. [we are truly blessed]

Parish Council meeting tonight

Meeting 8.00pm - Holywell (possibly earlier if  DLA town planning  attend)

^1.            To receive apologies for absence. 

^2.            To receive declarations of personal and/or prejudicial interests in any matter

^3.            To confirm the minutes of the last meeting[s] [copy herewith]

^4.            Clerks Report

^5.            Health & Safety

^6.            Reports from Committees

6.1.    General Purposes Committee

6.2.    Burial Grounds Committee

6.3.    Environment Committee

6.3.1.    S106 monies – deadline for submission of application form 27^th July 2012

6.4.    Planning Committee

^7.            Financial matters and accounts for payment

^8.            Correspondence

^9.            Reports from unitary councillors (and any other representative)

^10.        Highway matters

Central Motors development

DLA Town Planning Ltd has written to the Parish Council: "As part of the pre-application process, we have identified the Parish Council as a key stake-holder in the process for assessing an application on (the Central Motors)site.   We have a Planning Performance Agreement with Central Bedfordshire Council and within this document we are required to make a presentation to your committee to brief members of the proposed development.   As you aware this site is allocated in the Local Plan for residential development and the provision of a possible new school.  I understand that you hold meetings on a regular basis and to this end I would be grateful if we could come to your next available meeting which may be on the 18^th July 2012 I believe?"

They have been invited to attend tonight.

Bogus callers

Please note this warning from Anglian Water about bogus callers and cold calling (you know the sort of thing, Jehovah's witnesses, parish councillors, Scottish Power etc)

The next time someone knocks on your door and says they are from Anglian Water, take just a little time to double-check their identity before you let them in.

Bogus callers may claim to be from Anglian Water or even from ‘the water board’ and they might look quite convincing too, but you can find out for sure with one quick free phonecall.

Please take their card and close the door while you call Anglian Water, any time of day or night, on 0800 145 145.

You will be given a description of the person at your door and a unique number. If the caller can not give you the number then they are not a genuine Anglia Water Empoyee.

Close the door and call the Police immediately.

For further details please visit.

http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/household/special-assistance/bogus-callers/

Cycleway to the Uni

We have just been told by Highways  that they have begun preparatory design works in order to provide a new shared footway/cycleway along the C75 Moulsoe Road from Cranfield Road/High Street to the roundabout at University Way, linking into the existing facility present on Cranfield Road to Lodge Road. 

The new path will run along the north side of the road alongside the boundary of Cranfield Airfield. Further details including a plan will be sent to the parish cvounciol at a later stage for further comment.

This is all out of the blue but not we are complaining if it all goes ahead.  Plenty of us have seen students hoofing it up Moulsoe Road and Crawley Road on dark winter nights and it's not good. Watch this space.

Cemetery gates

We are getting quotes from builders/metalworking companies to repair the cemetery gates which are now out of alignment. If anyone wants to suggest a potential contractor please email cranfieldpc@btconnect.com as we need to get a number of quotes

Even the police park on the pavement

Cheshire exile writes:

We are also fighting this anti-social pavement parking in our little corner of Cheshire, but the police aren't interested unless the whole pavement is blocked.  Even the police park on pavements, and that is on wide roads!  It has become the norm, sadly. Local authorities have been given permission by the govt to identify blackspots and put yellow lines/signs up so that their traffic wardens (and the police? not sure) can then ticket the offenders, but our councillors seem to be unaware of this or reluctant to do anything.  We are in a town where traffic wardens are already employed too.  Bit different in Cranfield.  

You could just publicise the new non-emergency police phone number (101) and ask people to keep reporting problems.  My angle is the disabled discrimination one - blind people will detect a bumper with their shins earlier than with their stick; partially sighted people will walk into wing mirrors; wheelchair users will have to cross the road. Is there a local disability group who can do a survey and present some data?  Also of course, health and safety for children - anyone pushing a pushchair and/or holding a toddler's hand has to walk around onto the road. Again, some data and photos of people having to use the road instead of the pavement may help the cause.

Thanks Cheshire exile, it's both reassuring to know that these problems go on elsewhere and depressing that they are so widespread. You have certainly captured the disability issue. 

Buses and traffic calming

A parishioner writes in response to the movers and shakers bulletin:




"No mention of how the traffic calming works will affect bus services - how these will be diverted or perhaps altogether to some parts of the village?  Last time this happened when the High Street was closed the bus company enquiry service was completely ignorant of how services would be affected.  Do you know who to ask?

Any info received with interest."




I've asked the clerk to check with the transport officer at CBC that Grant Palmer and Stagecoach have made contingencies. 

Home Farm - Denison

Denison statement


See comment from Denison investments about current deadlock over developing the Home Farm site

Join the debate

You can enter your views as a comment - anonymously if you wish - at the end of each post. Alternatively you can email your views to me. I will respond as parish councillor if that is appropriate. I sometimes use (unidentified) comments sent to me on the blog to illustrate local opinions and promote discussion.


Email broadgreen68@btinternet.com

Wind turbine applications for Marston Vale

Reports are emerging about applications for nine wind turbines in Marston Vale including eight near to Cranfield. These come from Waste Recycling Group and Spanish company FCC Environment. They are submitting the following:

1. An 87m wind turbine at Stewartby to be submitted w/c 23 July.
2. An application for eight 90m wind turbines around the edge of Brogborough landfill to be submitted later this year with consultation starting soon. Scoping masts are being erected.
3. an application for an anaerobic digester, capacity 10,000 tonnes at Stewartby will be submitted and a major application for landfill/additional waste facilities has already been submitted for Elstow South.

A former resident writes

A former Cranfield resident who still receives and enjoys Cranfield Movers and Shakers  writes:

Please pass on my congrats to whoever it is who made sure that the new Milton Keynes bus timetable is up on all the relevant bus stops.  I've been using this new service on my visits and it is so far, so good, but a shame it does a circuit rather than an out-and-back as it reduces the number of buses running from Budgens towards Broad Green.  Also a shame that it doesn't extend to the railway station except for the first and last bus of the day.

Re your update about the village centre bus shelters and Amey - it seems every time a shelter is put somewhere it is needed, the operator and the route change yet again!  Whatever you do is wrong. How to keep up?  Can't offer a solution for you really, sorry.

Re garden waste bags - our local authority here in Cheshire, now provide a wheelie bin for all recyclables (glass, paper, card, metal, plastic) plus another for garden waste, both collected fortnightly.  Brilliant.  We only have one supermarket bag of 'other' rubbish to go in the normal bin now. They started with boxes and bags but they and their lids ended up all over the place, so after recycling day you had to go on a long walk to try and retrieve bits and pieces.  In fact we gained as we have a garage full of very useful boxes that blew into our drive at various times, and we could never find out whose they were.  Hope you can persuade them to choose wheelie bins for all their waste, to keep the place tidy and help householders.

Thanks for these thoughts, very positive and thought provoking. My garden waste bags will probably be hitting Cheshire some time soon. Can you keep an eye out for them?

Stop signs at windsock corner

A parishioner wrote some time ago about putting a 'Stop' sign at the junction of Moulsoe Road and Salford Road - partly prompted by an accident there a couple of months back. Amey have responded as follows:

It would not be possible to provide a STOP sign at the junction mentioned below because it does not meet any of the criteria. The STOP sign is intended for the rare situation where there is little or no visibility and the view of DfT is that any site requiring a STOP sign should have one already and any new situation should be designed so that there is no need or requirement for one. An extract from the Traffic Signs Manual is shown below for your information

I have discussed the accident referred to below with the Police and they are quite satisfied that the layout and signing of the junction played no part in the cause of the accident, rather that there were other factors involved in the accident, in this case most likely was human error. For information, in this instance, one vehicle turned right (from Cranfield Road towards the University) and the other vehicle was travelling north towards Cranfield, hence the signage in the side road was not relevant.

This location has not come up in our annual cluster analysis and whilst in the 5 years prior 2011 there have been no recorded injury accidents, we will continue to monitor this location in the future. At this time therefore we propose no further action at this location.

Monty's

Brilliant meal at Monty's last night with family and old friends. Very reasonable, very prompt and here in Cranfield. Not in Domesday book admittedly but a real village fixture. Proprietor not to blame for us getting soaked on the way home. 

Traffic calming road closures

It's taken an age but it's almost here: works to construct Cranfield's traffic calming scheme. Like or hate it you won't be able to avoid it. 


These are the plans to close various roads between 1 August and the end of October to allow work to take place. There's a slight ambiguity about '6 ' which we are pursuing.

1.     Crane Way/ Bedford Road junction – Tues through Thurs 0900 - 1530hrs

2.     Mill Road/ High Street junction – Junction closed Tues through Thursday 0900 - 1530hrs. Mill Road closed for three weeks 24 hours until both Crane Way and High Street junctions have been completed.

3.     Mill Road/ Crane Way junction – Two week closure 0800hrs - 1800hrs.

4.     High Street – Tues through Thurs 0900 - 1530hrs. Merchant Lane & Court Road will also be closed except for access during the closure of High Street.

5.     Crawley Road (from Mill Road/ Crane Way junction to football ground - access will be provided to Broad Green from one end or the other)– Two days 0900 – 1530hrs.

6.     Bourne End Road – From junction with Crawley Road for a length of approximately 50m will be closed for the duration of the scheme when necessary to be used for storage of materials and plant. [We think this is the narrow end of Broad Green]

Two and three way lights will be used throughout the scheme but will not be in place at the same time as any closure. No two closures from 1- 5 on the schedule above will be closed at the same time.

Here are the alternative routes when closures are in place

Alternative Route 1: From Crane Way/ Bedford Road junction proceed in an easterly direction on Bedford Road, continuing on Marston Hill to the junction with Beancroft Road, turn right and continue to old A421 roundabout, take third exit onto old A421 and continue towards M1. At the junction with Salford Road, turn right and continue on Salford Road through Hulcote to Salford. At the staggered crossroads, turn right onto Cranfield Road and continue to the next junction, turn right onto High Street and continue to site and vice versa. (Crane Way traffic should use Mill Road to get to High Street and follow diversion)

Alternative Route 2: Proceed in a northerly direction on Mill Road and continue to the junction with Crawley Road, turn left and continue to the staggered crossroads, turn left onto College Road, continuing on University Way through the Technology Park to the third major roundabout, take first exit onto C75 Moulsoe Road and continue to the junction High Street, turn left and continue to site and vice versa.

Alternative Route 3: Proceed in a northerly direction on Crawley Road and continue to the staggered crossroads, turn left onto College Road, continuing on University Way through the Technology Park to the third major roundabout, take first exit onto C75 Moulsoe Road and continue to the junction High Street, turn left and continue to junction with Mill Road, turn left and continue to site and vice versa.

Alternative Route 4: Proceed in a northerly direction on High Street and continue to the junction with Mill Road, turn left and continue to the junction with Crawley Road, turn left and continue to the staggered crossroads, turn left onto College Road, continuing on University Way through the Technology Park to the third major roundabout, take first exit onto C75 Moulsoe Road and continue to the junction High Street, turn left and continue to site and vice versa. (during this closure Merchant Lane & Court Road will be closed except for access)

Alternative Route 5: Proceed in a northerly direction on Crawley Road and continue to the staggered crossroads, turn left onto College Road, continuing on University Way through the Technology Park to the third major roundabout, take first exit onto C75 Moulsoe Road and continue to the junction High Street, turn left and continue to junction with Mill Road, turn left and continue to junction with Crawley Road and vice versa

Anyone want a bus shelter?

A parishioner writes about the redundant bus shelter at the Swan ( see below):

Re the bus shelter – does that mean that there will no longer be a bus stop at The Swan?

Can the shelter be re-allocated to another bus stop or placed in Broad Green  or the Rec to provide some shelter for parents supervising their respective offspring?

I have replied:


Sensible suggestion and I've been trying to find a way of re-using this structure. Its not ideal elsewhere as its closed-in nature means we cannot put it on footpaths where it would block access to buggies and mobility scooters. We don't want to move it to the current bus stop at the Swan, in front of the war memorial for the simple reason that we think its wrong to block the view of the memorial. I actually thought it would make someone a great greenhouse!  

Developments on Home Farm

Central Beds planning officers met with representatives from Persimmon Homes last Friday. According to an email from CBC they: "Reiterated the Council's position with regard to the breach of the Section 106 agreement."


The council's officers add:


"At this meeting we set out the measures that Persimmon would need to undertake to remedy the situation, and the possible outcome of their failure to do so. Faced with this situation Permission agreed to end the breach, they have confirmed to us that they will not renew the lease upon the existing occupied dwelling, and they would not occupy any other dwelling until the matter was resolved. The Council requested this in writing from Permission."