Meeting 19 December Parish Council

Agenda for Parish council next week.

I HEREBY GIVE YOU NOTICE that a meeting of the above named Parish Council and its

Committees will be held at Holywell School, Red Lion Close on

Wednesday 

19 December 2012 at 8.00pm

All members of the Council are hereby summoned to attend for the purpose of resolving upon the business to be transacted at the meeting/s as set out hereunder.                                                                              

                  …………………………………….

                  Clerk of the Council

BUSINESS TO BE DONE

7.45pm – To review planning applications received

 

Meeting 8.00pm

^1.            To receive apologies for absence  -  A Morris

^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.    Grass Cutting Contract – to finalise specification

6.4.    Planning Committee

6.5.    Finance & Grants Committee

^7.            Financial matters and accounts for payment

^8.            Correspondence

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

^10.        Highway matters

Staying chilly

Freezing - minus 3 degrees in Cranfield overnight. Plus fog to contend with. Hope everyone was  very safe and very legal

True grit

Brrrrr...getting cold again. Check out the BBC weather for Bedford it will be roughly the same in Cranfield.  CBC reported at 14.57 (that's nearly 3 PM in old money)the following:



Full gritting run tonight
Bedfordshire Highways will be salting tonight as temperatures are expected to drop to around -2. 
We are expecting long clear periods overnight with patchy mist and perhaps freezing fog forming around daybreak. Mist and fog slowly clearing most places during the morning.

Former Holywell teacher

From Beds on Sunday online - former Holywell teacher dies:

Committed headteacher passes away 

 

BY KATHRYN CAIN

A FORMER Bedford teacher who was well liked by both her colleagues and students died suddenly in hospital last Friday.
Maxine McHugh, 80, from Bedford who taught in schools across the county for 17 years between 1974 and 1991, passed away at Bedford Hospital on Friday, November 30. Mrs McHugh went to Nonnington College in Kent, where she qualifed as a teacher in 1953. Locally she taught at Holywell School, Cranfield, Edward Peake Middle School and briefly at Kempston’s Up End Infants School in 1974. She was the headteacher at the former Park Wood Middle School in Bedford, before it became Beauchamp Middle. Following her retirement she contributed to Bedford College’s teacher training programme. Maxine’s funeral will take place on Monday, December 17 at 10am at St Andrew’s Church, Kimbolton Road, Bedford and all are welcome. Family flowers only, donations to Alzheimer’s Society (Bedford branch) via Arnolds Funeral Directors.

Christmas Market

Cranfield's Christmas Market went off on Friday in Court Road  with a selection  of stalls, a mini-ice rink and singing from Sounds Familiar.  There was tea and coffee in the village hall. A giant snowman welcomed visitors but alas he ran out of puff and deflated gracefully. Revelry continued, nonetheless, and the weather was kind. The only ice worth mentioning was in the rink set up outside the Swan. All photos courtesy of David Moyes

The event was staged to raise funds for the Lower School Academy parent teacher association (PTA).  Other Christmas events this month include Hands Across Cranfield Christmas Dinner and singalong at the University Social Club on Wednesday 19th December;  Carol Service at St Peter and St Paul,  Sunday 16th December  and Carols by Candlelight at the Baptist Church on Sunday 23rd December. See listings in Cranfield Express for full details. 

Home Farm-lite

Debate grows over Persimmon's plan for a second "Home Farm-lite" planning application that fails to tick key boxes for the controversial site - eg school playing field and access to Church Walk. The Parish Council, following its open-to-the-public meeting with Persimmon recently put out a press release. This was picked up by Beds on Sunday and you can read the full story at "Housing island fears"

Andrew Hammond of Persimmon is quoted saying "This may involve a new planning application; however it is premature and unhelpful at this stage to speculate what may or may not be included in such an application." Well, company reps went into some detail when they visited the PC in November and it was all written up and put into Cranfield Express (world exclusive).

Mr Hammond also said "Unfortunately the Parish Council has written to us refusing to have any further dialogue on the proposals". The Parish Council is happy to have Persimmon come to any public meeting to talk about their plans. The operative word is "public".

Parking in the village

I have blogged about parking problems in the village recently and issues have been raised about Lordsmead. It must be specially difficult with houses that were built with access to just a footpath as some in Lordsmead are. CBC responded to one resident and a copy was sent to parish councillors.

It stated:


"Local Area Transport Plans (LATPs) have been produced that reflect the key highways and transport priorities of communities on an area by area basis. The work programmes within them are developed in consultation with communities, stakeholders and elected representatives, and the projects included reflect those priorities. I can confirm that the additional parking restrictions you have requested are not currently identified in the Marston Vale LATP which covers Cranfield.

"Traffic Regulation Order works such as additional parking restrictions will generally only be taken forward outside that process if they will provide either a significant improvement to the traffic flow on key routes or offer a measurable improvement in road safety. These criteria are not met in the case of your request. Therefore, for any certainty of scheme funding, it would normally be necessary to put forward your request for consideration in a future LATP.

"However, since the approval of the council’s parking strategy earlier this year, Central Bedfordshire Council is providing some funding specifically for additional parking restrictions. This will be taken forward in partnership and cost sharing with town and parish councils. I have copied this email to the clerk of Cranfield Parish Council with a view to establishing a dialogue about the priorities for additional parking restrictions in the parish, and to establish cost sharing arrangements. You may wish to contact the parish council direct about your concerns.

"In the meantime, if you are experiencing problems due to unlawful behaviour by drivers, you may wish to report this to Bedfordshire Police on 101 or 01234 841212."



So, as I understand it, your area may not be included in the local area transport plan BUT there could be some matched funding requiring parish council involvement. It’s back to the parish.  

Cycling and electric vehicles

I don't know if you are facebook junkie - I am a purely social user LOL (that's laugh out loud not the Dave Cameron 'lots of love' version). CBC now has a facebook page for its Travel Choices project in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard. It's obviously a bit further away than Junction 13, the end of the known universe for Cranfield but there is interesting stuff about cycling road safety and electric vehicle charging.


Visit Travel Choices  to find out more

Carpenters Arms

The planning application to turn the Carpenters Arms into residential accommodation has been refused by CBC. It gives the reasons as follows:
 



The proposed development would result in the loss of a significant community facility in the centre of Cranfield, a Minor Service Centre which will be subject to housing growth. 

Insufficient clearly substantiated evidence has been provided by the applicant to demonstrate that there is no longer a need for such a facility, the loss of which would undermine community and sustainability objectives. 

The proposal is therefore contrary to the objectives of the NPPF and Central Bedfordshire Core Strategy (2009) Development Management Policy DM4 & DM8.

Neat n tidy

Pictures below show the Broad Green hedge after getting a proper short back and sides yesterday. We are aiming to keep it to the height of the gates to ensure visibility and ease of policing. Cutting is carried out outside of March to August to assist nesting birds.