Wed September Parish Council meeting

Here is the agenda for next Wednesday's parish council committee meetings

7.15pm – Viewing of planning applications.

To receive apologies for absence:  CB/PCllrs: 

To receive declarations for Members in relation to: (a) Personal Interest or (b)   Prejudicial Interest in any Agenda item.

1.     General Purposes Committee

1.1.   Membership of the Council – Vaughan Crosbie-Ross

1.2.   Notice Boards

1.3.   Quarterly Surgery

1.4.   Cycleway

1.5.   Micro social enterprises

1.6.   MUGA

Reports - Correspondence - Agenda Items

2.     Environment Committee

2.1.   Allotments  - land purchase

2.2.   Recreation Ground tree quotes and contract

2.3.   Grass Cutting & General Maintenance Contract  - tender list

2.4.   Dog fouling

2.5.   Skate Park

2.6.   Play equipment maintenance

Reports - Correspondence - Agenda Items

 3.     Burial Grounds

3.1.   Cemetery Gates - quotations

3.2.   Trees – cemetery extension

3.3.   Cemetery storage box - security

Reports - Correspondence - Agenda Items

4.     Planning Committee

4.1.   General Planning Matters

4.2.   Home Farm

4.3.   Covanta environmental permit consultation

Reports - Correspondence - Agenda Items

5.     Finance & Grants Committee

5.1.   Policies Update – Inc. Health & Safety Policy

5.2.   Bank

5.3.   S137 Grants

5.4.   Wages review.  CS and PAI/AC

   Reports - Correspondence - Agenda Items

Speeding and traffic calming

A parishioner concerned about speeding in Crawley Road writes:

Reference the email below dated 12^th April, do you have any update on the 20mph speeding issue? It is now four months since I received your reply.

I understand that the traffic calming scheme is in progress ( of which Crawley is one of the last to be done ) but looking at the raised platforms so far which have been completed or partial completed, the traffic is still speeding over these tables ( especially at the junction of Mill Road/Crane Way.)and then down Crawley Road.

Even when it is all completed the traffic will still speed down Crawley Road to the raised table ( which we still feel are situated in the wrong places )  and then out into the country side. The same situation will accrue coming the other way, over the two table, speed up and over the table/roundabout at Mill Road.

If this scheme works it will be a miracle, saying that it might work in the village but not down Crawley Road  - reason being, 1^st it was watered down and 2^nd Crawley Road is as we have said before a relief road taking traffic from the village.  

So how about the 20 mph scheme. You say you are concerned about the speeding in Court Road and the lower school, what about the children living in Crawley Road who need to cross this busy road to school or to the play area – does that not matter?

This will come up under reports at the parish council next week. Holywell at 8 pm Wed 3 Sept. If you have views about the traffic calming come along. Is it a hit, is it a miss,  could they have done better? Let us know or join  in the debate

ATM machine

A parishioner writes:

You may like to include this in your next newsletter to ensure lots of support as we really could do with a 24hr ATM

 

Planning Application CB/12/02861/FULL submitted by Co-Op Cranfield on 8/8/12

 

Proposed installation of 24 hour ATM cash machine into elevation.

 

It would also be useful if the Parish Council could have some dialogue with the ATM provider to establish that this will be free to use machine, just like the two at Marston.

 

I couldn't agree more and thanks for bringing this to our attention.  I think machines that nick £1.85 to give you your own money are an outrage. And given that we don't actually have a bank in the village its needed all the more.

 

Jungle on Lodge Road

A parishioner has been enquiring about the overgrown state of the corner of Lodge Road Road. Of course its probably not on the Parish Council's grounds maintenance spec and is left over from the works to widen the village 'quiet lane'. 

The lane is now again 'quiet' due to the lengthening stand off between Persimmon and Denison. We have been assured that CBC is on the case and I would hope there is a report at next week's planning committee (3 September) promising some action. 

To respond to anything published in The Parish Matters you can either  enter a comment below or email Laurence Pollock at cranfield1985@gmail.com

Cemetery tap

We are still trying to get some action from Anglia regarding the dried up tap in the cemetery. A small thing but the parish council knows that its important to those who regularly tend graves of loved ones and have planted there. Progress report as soon as I have it.

Watering down developers' contributions

My apologies for the lengthy post that follows. The press release from the DCLG (Department for Communities and local government) contains a lot of details of a government consultation about allowing developers to 'renegotiate' S106 agreements. "Section 106" agreements are the contributions they make towards local facilities when they get permission to build a new development - I think its 24 houses or over. For example Home Farm came with contributions to health and education, transport and a new community hall. Any of these could be endangered.

My own view is that S106 agreements are hard fought as it is without having any  nibbling away afterwards. They are also based on an assessment of need. I don't think that need has gone away.We have already received warnings that some developers are trying to renegotiate S106 contributions to local public transport (previous blog posting).

I have to say I'm particularly sceptical about the reference below to "Brokers will begin work immediately with an initial wave of councils" and other allusions to "teams of intermediaries". I sense the emergence of yet another layer of consultancy with which all business and public service development is plagued. The words "fat fees" spring to mind.

We will be discussing this in the planning committee on Wed 5 September. A response needs to be in by 8 October.

Eric Pickles takes steps to kickstart stalled developmen

Published

13 August 2012

Expert brokers will spearhead a fresh drive to get stalled housing deals up and running and builders back on moth-balled sites, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles announced today.
Mr Pickles is concerned that too much development is being stalled because of economically unrealistic agreements negotiated between councils and developers at the height of the housing boom. This results in no development, no regeneration and no community benefits at all when agreements are no longer economically viable.
The deals, known legally as Section 106 agreements, require developers to make a financial contribution to the community or provide housing, amenities or infrastructure as part of their planning permission.
Teams of intermediaries will now offer a free-of-charge advice and support service to councils and developers and will be available to help kick-start renegotiations of these deals to stop them being a barrier to getting building underway.

Councils to benefit from expert advice

Brokers will begin work immediately with an initial wave of councils that are keen to address obstacles that are preventing development in their area before working with other councils around the country. The experts will:

• provide technical expertise to unlock negotiations
• act as go-betweens in disputes
• offer access to a range of support services.

The Government is today also launching a consultation that proposes giving developers the option to ask councils to renegotiate Section 106 obligations if they were agreed prior to April 2010. Currently these obligations cannot be renegotiated for five years once a council refuses a request for voluntary renegotiation by a developer.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said:

"Tackling problems with stalled development is essential to getting builders back on moth-balled sites and building the homes we need. There is huge potential in sites to boost local economies and we simply cannot afford to have them lying idle because of earlier agreements that are no longer viable.
"The support and advice the expert brokers will offer is one of the many measures we have introduced to get development underway and I hope councils grab this chance to make use of the support we are offering.
"Our reforms to the planning system are already cutting planning red tape and making the system simpler and more accessible to communities and businesses. And further changes we're introducing will simplify national planning policy even more and streamline the planning application process."

Councils in Leeds, Ipswich, Corby, Swindon, Ashford, Gloucester, Kirklees, Carlisle, Northumberland and Durham will the first to benefit from the support offered by the expert brokers and will identify key stalled sites they want to see back up and running.
And opening up the renegotiation process further will provide another new opportunity to help get developments back on track, provide affordable housing and bring wider benefits for communities.
Ministers are clear that any renegotiations of Section 106 agreements will not remove the developer's obligation to provide critical infrastructure or other contributions to offset the effects of the development, and they should not result in land banking.
Deals need to be realistic and deliverable and will take commitment from both councils and developers to ensure they are delivered swiftly. And councils need to ensure they continue to consider local decision making processes when agreeing new deals.
Teams of expert brokers, along with officials from the Department and the Homes and Communities Agency will join together to work with the councils.
Pat Ritchie, chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency, said:

"As a sector we need to see as many stalled sites as possible unlocked to deliver much needed new homes. We are currently using our investment to do this through Get Britain Building, while our support in unlocking large projects in the planning system - through our ATLAS team - is highly valued by local authorities and the private sector.
"So where sites are stalled because of agreements signed under very different economic conditions, we will work with councils to help see how we can get them moving again while meeting the needs and priorities of local communities."

It is estimated that there are currently more than 1,400 housing schemes of more than 10 housing units with planning permission that are stalled and unblocking these developments is a key part of the Government's Housing Strategy.
The support and advice being offered to councils is just one of a number of measures the Government is taking to help boost development. The £570 million Get Britain Building fund is tackling the housing shortage and creating jobs and the £770 million Growing Places Fund is providing local areas with flexible funding to get the infrastructure built needed to build new homes.
Today's announcement is a key step in encouraging all local authorities to consider renegotiating Section 106 agreements where development has stalled.
In March 2011, the chief planning officer wrote to planning authorities asking them to review agreements. The new National Planning Policy Framework requires councils to take account of market conditions and be sufficiently flexible to prevent development being stalled.

Notes to editors

1. The consultation document on renegotiating S106 agreements can be found at: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/renegotiationobligationsconsult.
2. The consultation proposes to amend the Town and Country Planning (Modification and Discharge of Planning Obligations) Regulations 1992 ("the 1992 Regulations"), in relation to England.
3. Glenigan Data, March 2012, estimates that there are currently 1,400 housing schemes of over 10 housing units with planning permission that are stalled.
4. Section 106A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows voluntary renegotiation of a planning obligation at any time. Where voluntary agreement cannot be reached there may be a formal request to reconsider an obligation when that obligation is five years old. The local authority must take a decision on such a request. If the local authority decision is not to renegotiate terms then there is a right to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.
5. The consultation proposes that for planning obligations agreed on or prior to 6 April 2010, the relevant local authority can be asked to formally renegotiate the terms one month after the introduction of new regulations. In effect this will mean that the formal period of five years is reduced to between two and half and five years for these obligations. For all planning obligations agreed after 6 April 2010, the period will remain at five years.
6. New statutory tests were introduced for most planning obligations on 6 April 2010 which ensure that obligations agreed after that date must only cover what is necessary to make the development acceptable, must be directly related to the development and reasonable in scale and kind.
7. Government's Housing Strategy is entitled "Laying the Foundations: A Housing Strategy for England".
8. The Government has already taken steps to improve the planning system through the National Planning Policy Framework and the Localism Act and recently announced a number of measures to kick-start growth and reduce planning red tape. These include proposals to make it easier to re-use some existing buildings without needing planning permission, streamlining the amount of paperwork needed for a planning application, speeding up planning appeal decisions and reducing the volume of planning guidance.
9. The Get Britain Building fund provides Government investment in developments that revive building. This investment takes the form of loans or equity investments and is administered by the Homes and Communities Agency, the body responsible for assessing applications.

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Sign of the Times

It might look like the plan for a crop circle but its an advanced warning that one of Cranfield's trickiest junctions - Crane Way, Mill Road, Broad Green - is about to get its roundabout. More fun to come in the next few weeks.

Ragwort threat on Home Farm?

A regular blog recipient writes below about a potential health hazard on Home Farm. I'm all at sea with plant species but  my correspondent seems to be on the case. Email me at broadgreen68@btinternet.com if you want to share a view or you have some specialist knowledge. 



If you walk round the Home Farm perimeter, it is immediately obvious that the area earmarked for later phases of building is becoming infested with what I believe is Common Ragwort.

You may be aware that this plant is toxic to equines & some other mammals, its also, allegedly toxic by cutaneous absorption to humans. As far as I can make out, it is Persimmons legal responsibility to control the weed, particularly when it is likely to spread downwind to areas with horses or other agricultural land , which may be the case at Home Farm.

There is even a special act covering it, which spawned a code of practice: see  invasive weeds

I've been out on the bike with a camera (see below) and without trespassing or taking a sample  to key up the plant observed, I am fairly confident that it is likely to be common ragwort (the other species are not covered by the Act). The plant is spreading in an Easterly direction from the site, with clusters springing up on the disturbed land to the East of Court Road where the large drainage soakaway was installed as part of the development infrastructure.

A quick Google around reveals that although DEFRA are prime movers re ragwort, Councils may be involved - though in some  its environment who take an interest and in others its highways. At CBC however, if you put in 'Ragwort'  as a search term you get nothing.

I'll get out a botanical key book and see if I can positively ID this plant - meanwhile do we have any botanists in the village I wonder?

Bring out your dead...kettles

A big reminder about Preen the community re-use facility which will be visiting Cranfield on 7 September and 5 October (village hall and round the houses) to pick up repairable, salvageable, reuseable  household items large and small and make them fit for purpose. In fact they even repair kettles and toasters most of which I end up taking to the tip because no one else will make them work again. I always feel bad about that. 

Take a look at Preen by clicking here. More info soon here on the blog, on Movers and Shakers for those subscribe (email broadgreen68@btinternet.com) and Cranfield Express, Petewilling

Fine Preen on Facebook

Lord Henry Chilver

There have been a  number of media obituaries of the former Vice Chancellor of Cranfield University Henry Chilver, who died last month.  The  Lord Henry Chilver obituary in the Guardian charts the life and achievements of the man who made Cranfield a national name in higher education and advanced research. One resident at the bloghouse  who worked at the uni from 1982 onwards remembers him as a very visible presence walking down Prince Philip Avenue from Cayley lodge every morning to the main campus. There will be a localised obituary in Cranfield Express, Petewilling,  at the end of this month. 

Traffic calming - just the start

Traffic calming is here. If you wiggled your backside while you were at the end of Crane Way you might miss it. But there is one "raised table" at the Bedford Road-Crane Way junction - the first piece of the village TC scheme to be completed. More delights to come in the High Street, Mill Road and at Coop corner etc. Keep an eye on the schedule (further down the blog).

I've had a letter from Persimmon in response to my letter sent earlier this month.  

It states: "We full intend to enter into consultation with the Parish Council and the local community in due course and I can assure you that we are fully aware of the need to provide all the appropriate community facilities and to provide pedestrian links to the village. 

"We will be in touch with the Parish Council shortly to discuss our proposals in further detail."

Beating the bounds

Bedford Road is closed off for the works beyond the Coop. No buses going there today LOL. Tap still not working in the cemetery but the dog waste has been cleared (TG) from the bin outside it. 

Walk the Vale - by train!

See these opportunities (link below) to get out and about in the Vale enjoying the fresh air and seeing some marvellous countryside

Walking festival

The 2012 Bedfordshire Walking  Festival is in its 3rd year, bigger and better than ever.

Between 8 and 16 September, a series of guided walks will take place aimed at getting you out and about, and enjoying the countryside. These range from strolls of a couple of miles, to two-day hikes, so there is something for everyone.

Many walks are accessible from the railways and the Bedford to Bletchley Rail Users Association’s own ‘Railway Ramble’ on 8th September – a 13.20 start at Ridgmont. A full programme of walks can be viewed on the Bedfordshire Walking Festival website - see link above.

As well as the guided walks, there are loads of other walks that you can easily do from the Marston Vale Line. So check them out!

Cemetery tap

Anglia water sorting our tap in the cemetery. 

Dog waste bins

Two handsome new dog waste bins in Broad Green and one in the Rec courtesy of Cranfield Parish Council. Dog owners please use them!

Pensions con

See this latest warning from Central Beds Trading Standards team about yet another way to con your money out of you. Heck, we are supposed to be a no cold calling area but they all bang on my door continuously. Zenith windows were the latest nuisances.

A scam artist will be persistent and persuasive, rush you into making a decision, appear to have slick, professional leaflets and letters. I.e. just like a door to door sales rep. See below

Latest scam alert from the Trading Standards team Pension collection telephone scam The Trading Standards team is warning elderly residents to be aware of a possible telephone scam, where the caller claims to be able to arrange the collection of your pension. For more information on this alert, please see our "Early Warnings" section at  Be Scam Aware. Please help prevent others from falling victim to this scam by mentioning this alert to family, friends and neighbours. Central Bedfordshire Council - Trading Standards team

Dog waste

New dog waste bins are in the Rec and Broad Green. They're like great square post boxes, unmissable. But we have an overflowing (old) bin at the cemetery. Central Beds being chased on that at the moment. 

Plumber called to look at the tap in the cemetery

Home Farm

Central Beds has reported no meetings with Persimmon or developments around the Home Farm Site nor details of any future plans.

Wind turbines in Brogborough

Here are Cranfield Parish Council's comments on the Brogborough wind energy project scoping report.

3.2.10
table 3.4 notes that the application for a wind turbine at Stewartby has
been withdrawn. At the most recent Marston Vale landfill Liaison meeting in
July, FCC confirmed that they were going to resubmit this application to BBC
in late July.

para 3.2.4
Consultees: should include all the parishes in the Cranfield Marston ward:
Cranfield, Marston, Hulcote and Salford, Brogborough, Ridgmont, Lidlington,
Millbrook, plus all those with the potential for visual impact, including
Wootton, Stewartby, Ampthill,  Houghton Conquest. As a major planning
application, we would like to see all parishes over a very wide area
notified of the application, even if not apparently directly affected.
Cranfield Airfield is not named as a consultee in Appendix A, but clearly
needs to be one.

Para6.2.6 Noise and vibration
The Parish Council would like to be involved in the selection of noise
monitoring sites around the Wood End area of Cranfield. The area is
especially quiet, particularly at night, which needs to be taken into
account. Also, there have been problems in Wood End with the electricity
generating engines at Brogborough. In certain meteorological conditions,
usually when the weather is very good and wind conditions very still, the
sound of the engines reverberates over to Wood End, and at times the noise
can be very loud.

6.6.10
The LVIA needs to be based on a large enough area to take full account of
the long distance views that extend across and along the length of the
Marston Vale, from the ridges that enclose the Vale.
Key viewpoints should include the impact on named long distance routes that
run adjacent or close to the proposed turbines at Wood End. These routes are
the National cycleway route 51, the Bunyan Way and Clay Way. The long
distance views from  the Greensand Ridge Way, at Ampthill should also be
assessed, along with views from  the picnic area, owned by the Marston Vale
trust, at Lidlington. 
The Parish Council would like to be involved in the selection of viewpoints.

6.8.3
States Cranfield Airport have raised concerns that the development could
affect the potential for it to install a radar system in future. But
Cranfield air field is not listed in Appendix A as a consultee - is this
information taken from their objections to the Marston Millennium Park mast,
or have they actually consulted Cranfield? Given that the secondary run way
takes off in the direction of the proposed wind turbines,  they should be
consulted on this scoping document.

6.10
Shadow flicker has the potential to affect a number of properties in Wood
End, especially as these are in an elevated position, so the blades will
effectively be at eye height.

Other issues

No mention is given of the potential effect on the approved restoration
scheme for Brogborough landfill site. This needs to be assessed

No rationale is given for the proposed location of the turbines. What
evidence supports the individual site choices? The scoping masts have been
erected since this scoping report was produced, and therefore no information
from these has been used in the selection of the proposed turbine locations.
This needs to be addressed in the EA.

A certain excitement

Another parishioner writes (on Wed) about the bus confusion. I like the old style touch about the 'Regal' (Ritz I think) - cinema built for the RAF base in the 30s which survived, I think, to the 60s and 70s on the site of the pharmacy. I think Marston Hill is the current belt and braces solution until the bus companies look at Amey's road closure diagram.  

I was advised by my friend that the Number 52 Bedford bus was bypassing Mill Road and going straight down Bedford Road today. He had been waiting in Mill Road near the Co-op (outside “the Regal”) and saw his bus go straight from the High Street into Bedford Road! An hour later I duly waited in Bedford Road at the abandoned bus shelter and then saw the 52 come out from Crane Way and disappear down the hill!

Whilst this adds a certain excitement to our daily lives it also causes considerable inconvenience.

There were no notices on the bus stops. A passer-by said that she had been on the bus yesterday and the driver had told her that all Cranfield  buses were using the Bedford Road route for the summer to avoid complications. She had also phoned the bus station who knew nothing about diversions.

My next plan is to wait in the High Street by the Cross Keys, or on Marston Hill to ensure it can’t avoid passengers wishing to use the service.

Home Farm - new application?

I have written to Judith Potter, deputy managing director of Persimmon Homes Midlands as follows:

We have recently received reports that Persimmon Homes is in discussion with Central Bedfordshire Planners about submitting a new planning application for the Home Farm site in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, which excludes an area of land owned by Denison Investments, currently the subject of a dispute. If this is untrue or I have misunderstood I would be grateful for a clarification.

However, if this is the case, there will be concern as the Home Farm site was agreed by Mid Beds (CBC’s predecessor authority) because of the pedestrian access, through the Denison land, to the centre of the village. The land in question is also the site of two key S106 elements the school playing field and the community building. This is another cause of concern. 

Home Farm

Update from CBC about Persimmon's pledge to vacate their house in Home farm...

Dear Mr Pollock,

I have not received the confirmation in writing of when the property will be vacated from Persimmon, and therefore I am unfortunately unable to give you an update at this time.

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From: Laurence Pollock [mailto:broadgreen68@btinternet.com]
Sent: 25 July 2012 12:40
Subject: Home Farm

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 to 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?

Traffic calming

Further tabular info on road closures this month and into October for traffic calming works


Amey writes:

"There are not intended to be any temporary traffic signals or road closures left on overnight or over any weekend (except for Bourne End Road), though there may need to be cones and signs to protect the works.

"It is intended to complete each section before moving on to the next to minimise disruption. 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. There can also be flexibility actual dates given to take account of actual progress - we may be able to complete some sections quicker than expected and be in a position to move on to the next section early – leading to less overall disruption. 

"Regular updates will be sent out to keep you up to date with progress and any alterations that may occur in the overall programme. Also the Advanced Warning signs warning of the traffic management can be revised if required so that the public can also be aware of any changes to the times and dates of expected disruption."

ection	Location of works	Expected Duration of works	Date/Duration of temporary traffic signals	Date/Duration of road closures
1	Crane Way/ Bedford Road	30th July to 9thAug	3 way lights 6 days (8am-6pm)	3 day closure (Tuesday 7th  – Thursday 9th: 9am-3.30pm)
2	Mill Road/ Crane Way	9th to 24th Aug	3 way lights 2 weeks (8am-6pm)	3 day closure. (Tuesday 21st – Thursday 23rd: 9am-3.30pm)
3	High street (War Memorial)	27th Aug to 13th Sept	2 way lights for 11 days (8am-6pm).	3 day closure. (Tuesday 11th – Thursday 13th: 9am-3.30pm) Localised closure to merchant lane and Court Road
4	Crawley Road	17th to 20thSept		3 day off peak closure (9am – 3.30pm)
5	Mill Road/ High Street	24th Sept to 8thOct	2 way lights for 2 weeks (8am-6pm)	3 day closure (Tuesday 18th – Thursday 20th: 9am- 3.30pm). Mill Road to be closed for 3 weeks (at the High Street).
6	High street (Cross Keys)	9th - 11th Oct		3 day off peak closure (Tuesday 9th – Thursday 11th: 9am- 3.30pm).
-	Bourne End Road (junction Broad Green)	Duration of works		Closed for use as site compound and welfare unit.