Go ahead for Central Motors?

See item 6  on the agenda for development managment committee (i.e.planning)  next Wednesday at CBC. Central Motors, the big one.This is for 135 houses beyond Flitt Leys Close but the design brief allows for access to a new school as well and the road would also provide access to a new health centre. Meanwhile the road is congested already thanks to the hot food takeaway customers who park any old way.  CBC did not consult on the location of the school and they cannot find the paperwork which confirms we were asked and didn't object. Interesting.

Check the agenda at Central Beds Planning

School parking rage. The future?

From Luton Today, today! There have been tentative fears expressed about the possibility iof 'parking rage' in Flitt Leys given the current pressures but what will it be like when the school run is in full swing, several years down the line? See this.


Parents and pupils were “shocked” when a fight broke out at the end of the school day outside Denbigh Primary School on Friday.
A group of about eight people were involved in the brawl in Denbigh Road at abot 3.15pm.
It is thought the fight started after two men were involved in a parking dispute as pupils were leaving the school.
More people became involved in the argument and started fighting and it is believed some parents filmed the disorder on their mobile phones.
PC Nick Foster said: “At this stage no one appears to have been seriously injured during the incident but it was a shock for parents and pupils to witness. Four people have been arrested in connection with this investigation but we need further information from the public. We believe some of the parents may have recorded the incident on their mobile telephones and I would ask these people to contact us as their footage may help identify those involved.
Anyone with information relating to this incident can contact PC Foster, in confidence, on 01582 394191, or Bedfordshire Police, on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/brawl-outside-primary-school-1-5636291 

Tales of Crawley Road

The other Crawley Road Closure...We might as well brace ourselves, this is going to be a tricky period up and down Crawley Road.

Anglian Water is proposing to carry out improvements to its foul water network on Crawley Road in Cranford to reduce the risk of flooding to local properties. The £255,000 scheme includes proving a storm overflow from Crawley Road and a storage sewer in the adjacent private field. Construction work is due to start next week (w/c 4^th November). The majority of this work will be in private land however, it will be necessary to close the road in order to connect to the existing sewerage system. The road closure will start on Wednesday 27^th November 2013 and last for 1 week.

As part of these works the following road closure is anticipated: Crawley Road from outside no. 44 Crawley Road to 50m south of the Pumping Station. The alternative route for vehicles will be signed via Crawley Road– Astwood Road – Bourne-End Road – Broad Green – Crawley Road and vice versa. This will prevent through traffic. Pedestrian access to properties will be maintained at all times.

Anglian Water and its contractor, Barhale Construction, are working closely with Bedfordshire Council and every effort will be made to minimise the disruption to the public.

If you have any queries or would like further information please phone me (number below) or use the following numbers:

·         Terry Warry (Site Manager Barhale) (7am – 6pm) 07903 818892

·         Anglian Water Customer Services (24 hr) 08457 145 145

 

Round the houses again

Right, here's the latest warning about closures on Crawley Road. Watch out,  it will close the College Road/Crawley Road and Bourne End Road/Crawley Road junctions. It looks like Newport Pagnell will not be accessible (unless you go via Moulsoe and the A509 or the A422

Road:                          Crawley Road, Cranfield

Application from:     Amey for CBC – Silv Chelaru – 0300 3008049

Reason:                      Resurfacing

Length affected:     From Cranfield FC to county boundary (Closure includes road to Bourne End and Cranfield University – both junctions will be closed at the same time)

    

      

Date: The closures are expected to be in operation on Saturday 30^th November & Saturday 7^th December 2013 between the hours of 0800hrs and 1800hrs.    

 

Mass missed thanks to St Jude

I have no reports of St Jude's Storm damage or mishaps in Cranfield. Of course Thameslink was up in the air or down on the ground and generally out of action on Monday. The Sunday evening mass for uni students was cancelled due to uncertainty ahout whether the priest would make it from Woburn Sands.

White lines

The white lines go all the way up Marston Hill again. At last. It's your choice whether you feel frustrated that it took this long or glad that it's happened at all. Same difference with Moulsoe Road, - frustrated that it is still closed for the cycleway construction or elated that it's happening? I'll go for glass half full. But I still get caught out at Nissan roundabout.

Mediaeval superstitions

A skateboard park or rink is going up the PC's agenda. Not the principle which we think is a good thing but the location.

The PC started off with an idea that it should go on the 'old' tennis courts or former tennis courts near the children's play area in the High Street Recreation Ground. However there was reaction which suggested that this is regularly used by casula footballers. An alternative is the Millennium Park in Lodge Road. But some people are concerned asbout noise near homes. For me the obvious place is elsewhere in the Rec, leaving the tennis courts intact. This brings up the mediaeval superstition that we are not allowed any more 'hard standing' on the  Rec after a meeting of some people in the 1990s.

Personally if the alternative was removing the in-use tennis court surface or putting the skateboard park in Lodge Road people would go for the new Rec location.

Anyway, you can have your say at a special Parish Council surgery on Wednesday 13 November at 7.30 pm in Holywell School, themed round the Skateboard park.

No Plan B

Beancroft Road? Yes closed for two days. I'm indebted to Cllr David Toland in Marston for flagging this up though I wasn't able to post that it would be closed during the day. I was Cranfield-bound on Monday but has a trip to London, Tuesday and in my usual, locally knowledgeable, smart-ass way decided to head for Luton Airport parkways , park there and pick up Thameslink, instead of Flitwick.

Anyway I didn't reckon  on a broken down coach near J11, two lanes closed and a 75 minute journey which usually takes 20 minutes. Ho hum. On the way home up from Salford,  I sped past the long miserable queue tailing back to the bowstring T junction. If you live or work in Cranners and Marston Hill/Beancroft is closed there is no sensible Plan B. :-((

Plan B? I don't think so

Polite notice?

I am indebted to a local member of the Corps of Citizens for sending these pictures and accompanying correspondence about the new sign outside Portnall Place. The citizen rightly has pointed out that Portnall Place is a public highway and has written to CBC to that effect.

CBC has written:

I have checked our mapping system and Portnall Place is showing as a publically (sic) maintained highway. Upon looking at the area the carriageway and the footpath on the right of the carriageway fall under Central Bedfordshire's Highways ownership. The garage bay and the area in front of it would appear to still be private.

The citizen has, therefore, written:

Thus the area of Portnall Place I have indicated in red above is private  but remainder is public thoroughfare.

I therefore, have to ask, upon what authority, do Aragon Housing Association have the right to erect the two signs declaring Portnall Place to be private parking for this sheltered housing scheme (2nd one is just visible through the window of the pickup truck above)?

I would have no objection if they erected a polite notice asking for considerate parking but not if this is just public road, like any other street in the vicinity.

I am unsure why they think they need to do this, in my experience of living here for several decades, I rarely see any problem with parking round there. I would concur that there is no frontage to the scheme on Mill Road or Bedford Road, upon which safe parking can be made and that parking for residents/visitors/emergency vehicles, has to be down the area above. However, most "non-visitors" parking over there, represents very short term parking, largely due to the inadequate parking available at the Co-op or Pharmacy on Mill Road & does not constitute a major issue.

I look forward to your observations

Trouble in Cranfield, blog readers and the Corps of Citizens also look forward to CBC's observations.  And you do wonder that if its possible to do this in Portnall Place surely some similar signage might be possible in Flitt Leys. 

Insufferable anti-social behaviour

There was another strong turnout by Flitt Leys residents on Wednesday at Parish Council and a tentative proposal for double yellow lines at the bottom near the High Street.  Unfortunately there is no consensus among all the residents about whether this is a solution and we are still struggling to find one that is. Anyway, that would not happen if agreed until the next financial year.

But the chair of the PC put it well - she reminded everyone that this problem is not caused by the hot food takeaways. It arises from the insufferable, anti-social behaviour of some patrons who turn up in Flitt Leys and frankly do not give a damn where they leave their cars or the effect it has on residents. Plus the abuse which a small number have handed out when they have been challenged. 

Now I write as a user of the takeaways. I park out on the High Street by the kerbside and not blocking anyone's drive. For five minutes. How easy is that? 

Delise also acknowledged that we are struggling to find options but we backed another go at a meeting between highways officer David Bowie and senior Councillor Brian Spurr and residents. This was supposed to have taken place recently but didn't happen. Don't ask.

And CBC councillor Sue Clark suggested that  repainting the lines on the takeaway parking area might use space more rationally. It's a small thing but we have to think incrementally. 

Bunyan boat blessing

It's good to see the Bedford and Milton Keynes waterway project making progress, symbolised by the John Bunyan. I'm not sure what  Pilgrim would have made of it but I, personally, think it could make a huge difference to Bedford, a town that has been looking for an identity and an economy since the 1970s. I say economy because it's only just got connected to the motorway system after years of relying on a dirt track AKA the "old" A421 and it has felt the usual high street shopping pressures from both Interchange and Milton Keynes. As a hub for a major recreational waterway system linking the Broads and the Grand Union the future looks much better. Bring it on.

Beancroft Road

We are on the alert all the time for unexpected road closures after Marston Hill in July. There is a closure planned on Beancroft Road near Marston on Monday and Tuesday this week but I don't have the times including whether it will be during the day.   More updates when I have them...

Brogborough wind turbines in the offing

Things are moving on wind turbine applications

FCC writes:


The Stewartby single turbine application has been submitted and is awaiting validation by Bedford Borough Council.

I will circulate the Council’s web link to the complete application following validation

In the meantime I attach the Planning and Design and Access Statements for your information

The Brogborough six turbine application should be ready for submission early next month

Regards,

Alan Bulpin - Planning & Estates Manager
Direct Dial: 01604 826378 | Mobile: 07825 364760 | Email: Alan.Bulpin@fccenvironment.co.uk
FCC Environment | Ground Floor West | 900 Pavilion Drive | Northampton | NN4 7RG | http://www.fccenvironment.co.uk/

 

All those balls in the air

Story today that John Lawson's Circus featuring Clumsy the Clown (wow all those balls in the air!!) has been told to take down posters in Leighton Buzzard by the town council because a woman complained of the frightening "Clown" images -  she has clownphobia. 

Well, by the windsocks of Cranfield that is probably the worst PCism I've heard recently. Ironically, in Cranfield our problem with circus posters was getting the owner to take them down after the circus has left town.

Your input to the Parish Council

 Parish council meeting on Wednesday at Holywell school. Is there something we are not hearing? Are we ignoring the voice of the people? PC meetings every 2 (or 3 weeks) are the level of government closest to you. We can't do much but we can make a fuss and Cranfield PC does on a  regular basis - as they know at Chicksands. But we want your input.

Wednesday, 23 October  2013 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

 

^1.            To receive apologies for absence  - PCllrs: A Morris, D Saint

^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]  Clerks Report 

^4.            Health & Safety 

^5.            Reports from Committees 

5.1.    General Purposes Committee

5.2.    Burial Grounds Committee

5.3.    Environment Committee

5.4.    Planning Committee

5.4.1.    General Planning Matters

5.4.2.    Flytt Leys Close – solicitor consultation

^6.            Financial matters and accounts for payment

^7.            Correspondence   

^8.            Reports from unitary councillors (and any other representative)

^9.            Highway matters

The past is alive

Top historical author Ruth Downie visits Bedfordshire next week for a pair of fascinating talks at local libraries with other authors. Forget the telly and the iPad (lol if you're reading this on one) and interact with acclaimed story tellers. Yes there is life outside Cranfield

16 October – 7.00 pm at Barton Library (Barton le Clay, Bedfordshire) “Writing the Romans” with Henry Venmore-Rowland. Henry is the author of “The Last Caesar” and “The Sword and the Throne,” bringing to life the tumultuous events of AD 69 when Rome had four emperors in one year. 

17 October – 7.00 pm at Putnoe Library, Bedfordshire – Crime Through Time. I’ll be discussing the appeal of the Romans and the Tudors with Rory Clements, author of the John Shakespeare series (yes, John is the brother of the more famous William, and a great character in his own right).

dog found

DOG FOUND....SORTED...

Who's dog is this?

Dog just found - Cranfield area face book post...

Please share in Cranfield! Springer Spaniel black and white bitch at rectory field. No tag on collar. With a kind friend in bowling green road awaiting dog collection by the dog warden 

 

 

could it be yours or do you know who's?

Teetee arrows

The hunt for elusive Teetee Arrows - TTROs - goes on. When and where will our roads be closed and to what purpose? I don't remember this one (below) being issued on 9 July and I have only became aware  of it becaus  the date has changed. It will means  big doversuion but bnot as bad as when Marston Hill is shut. And assuming they achieve what they are setting out to achieve - "flood alleviation". That has to be in a good cause.

PLERASE NOTE THE CLOSURE DATE IS NOW 27th NOVEMBER to 4th DECEMBER 2013.

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Proposed Temporary Road Closure – Crawley Road, Cranfield

I have a request for a Temporary Road Closure at the above location to enable flood alleviation works to be carried out in safely. Details are listed in the schedule below and having assessed the application I am satisfied the request is justified.

The alternative route available for this closure is as in the details below and will be signed accordingly. The restrictions are to be in operation only when the necessary signs are erected on site. This notice will cover a four month period. Access may be allowed from time to time according to local signing.

If you have any observations you wish to make I would be grateful if you could let me know as soon as possible.

Gareth Hughes. Streetworks Co-ordinator

……………………………………………………………………………………

                       

Road:                       Crawley Road, Cranfield

Application from:   Anglian Water – 01733414396 - Emmanuel Iwuamadi

Reason:                   Flood Alleviation Scheme

Length affected:     From number 44 to 50m south of pump house

Date: The closure is expected to take place from Monday 14^th October to Monday 21^st October 2013 for 24 hours daily during this period. Access may be allowed from time to time according to local signing.

Alternative Route: Proceed along Crawley Road in a northerly direction and turn left onto College Road continuing into University Way, at the first roundabout take the second turn right to remain on University Way and the first exit at the second roundabout, at the third take the first turn left onto Moulsoe Road. Turn left onto High Street and continue ahead into Bedford Road, turn left onto Crane Way, at the junction turn right onto Broad Green and continue into Crawley Road to reach site and vice versa.