Neighbours from hell?

Some details from the latest CBC-Amey customer service bulletin


People are ignoring markings and parking opposite our driveway on a narrow road making it very difficult or impossible for us to access our property.  As a result of the parking the grass verge outside our house has been seriously eroded. We raised the problem over a month ago but no progress seems to have been made



Response:
Anonymous report unable to respond to customer.    The Council has adopted policies and rules for managing the highway network through its Local Transport Plan.     This has been developed to reflect the key transport needs of the community.   From these key needs a works programme is developed to reflect local priorities in collaboration with Central Bedfordshire elected Councillors, and Town & Parish Councils.     Resources for implementing changes to the highway network are limited as there is a continuing need to target resources where they will result in the greatest benefit. Therefore for your request to receive further consideration, it is important that it:    a) Aligns with the general priorities of the Council.  b) That the request has wider local support from others in your area.  c) That the request receives the support of both your Central Bedfordshire Councillor     and your Town or Parish Council.    Requests that have this support may be included in a future programme of works when other work is also scheduled in your area, in which case you would receive feedback to that effect.
my own suggestion is that the complainant also involves Cranfield Parish Council. 


Nice people in Cranfield?

I would like to know how long before something is done about the trees which overhang all our gardens to the rear of REDACTED. We have all complained & NOTHING IS DONE. The trees are the property of the house to the rear. The owner has been asked politely to trim the trees & his response was "REDACTED off...I want my privacy."

Tricky crossings

Crossing? Don't cross me

One of the trickiest points in Cranfield's whole traffic management system and its long delayed traffic calming was the Coop Junction. Even when the scheme was competed there were still worries about pedestrian access, especially for older people, coming over from Portnall Place. A proposal for a proper "zebra" crossing has been the inevitable outcome and this is now going through its various hoops -  or stripes as it were.

Graham Taylor of  Amey's Consulting, Rail and Strategic Highways is investigating the request from Central Bedfordshire
Council (CBC) to implement a raised zebra crossing in Mill Road at Portnall Place.   He says a site survey and initial layout design has been carried out  to install the raised zebra crossing between Portnall Place and the Co-op supermarket.   

If approved by the Parish Council the next stage would be  a notice in the local newspaper (presumably Cran X)  stating that  Central Bedfordshire Council intends to install a raised zebra crossing.   If there are objections at this point the scheme will be referred to the CBC Traffic Management Committee.

Proposed Emergency Temporary 30mph Speed Limit – Crawley Road, Cranfield

I have a request for a Temporary 30mph Speed Limit at the above location. Details are listed in the schedule below and having assessed the application I am satisfied the request is justified.

The restrictions are to be in operation only when the necessary signs are erected on site. The Legal Order will be made to cover twenty one day period.

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:             Bedfordshire Highways – Silv Chelaru – 03003008049

Reason:                        Resurfacing works

Length affected:       From existing 40mph to county boundary

Date: The speed limit is expected to come into place on Saturday 1^st February 2014 – 24 hours.

Crawley Road closed again??

If you thought Crawley Road was all done and dusted, think again. This has just come into the PC



We have received instruction from Central Beds Council to carry out detailed design and programming for maintenance works at the following location;

Crawley Road, Cranfield over the weekends of 1st & 2nd, 8th & 9th Feb (08:00 to 18:00)

We will not be carrying out a letter drop as there are no residences within the closure, but Cranfield University have been contacted and Cranfield F.C. will be contacted prior to the start of works.

The dates provided are proposed dates and can be subject to change for a number of reasons.

Advanced Warning signs will be erected at this location prior to work commencing.

In the meantime, if there are any issues that you would like to raise at this time, please do not hesitate to contact me. However, please understand that I may need to refer any matters regarding budget or policy decisions back to the council.

Kind regards

Geoff Parrott
Site Supervisor | Bedfordshire Highways
0845 365 6000 | m: 07725445608 | e: geoff.parrott@amey.co.uk

When Marston Hill was too hot to open

We now have some feedback on the Great Marston Hill Shut Down. I have to say, I'm indebted to Lee Baldry, deputy head of highways contract service delivery at Bedfordfshire Highways. He gives an informative and sympathetic response to the issues I have raised. He writes as follows:

Hi Cllr. Spurr, Cllr. Clark and Cllr. Pollock

I'm a little concerned not to have been circulated this message before - has something gone wrong in our comms somewhere? I was aware of one complaint at the time concerning gatemen and the works period itself - which was addressed at the time of the works (July). However, post-completion, may I presume that the issue becomes one of explanation/reassurance?

If so, I will try to comment as helpfully as I can. I have copied Cllr. Pollock's observations in bold, with my comment following each.

1. In early July Amey closed Marston Hill for a day for resurfacing. There was not, as far as I was aware, a TTRO and they only put up signs saying "closed for one day over the next two weeks".
I do know a TTRO was published, but I will have to check the precise date (sorry I don't have it immediately to hand).

The sign onsite was an advance warning, which was attempting to provide the courtesy of an early warning of the impending works. Since these works, we have reviewed matters and found that in fact a sign of this type isn't as helpful to folk as much as we hoped. In essence, it is better to offer a reliable date - albeit perhaps at shorter overall notice - than it is to offer a longer notice, but less surety about the precise date.

Therefore, current advance notices should benefit from this point of learning. Essentially the message should be "closed xx/xx/xx" and erected around a week in advance.

I hope this accords with your views and shows the lessons learnt from instances such as this.

2. I assured callers that these closures were normally 9.30 to 3.30 to assist schools and the Cranfield "rush hour". Road remained closed  until after 6.30 pm 
This was a problematic shift, owing to the very high ambient temperatures that day (11th July). Essentially the road closure noted the high ambient temperatures, but perhaps not as high as those found in the road pavement that day (heat storage, basically). This meant that the new surface materials did not cool as quickly as foreseen, and accordingly that the road could not safely be re-opened as planned until sufficiently cooled.

3. There were no diversion signs put up
I'm disappointed to hear this, as it is contradictory to other messages we've had. I think a more in-depth check might be needed and I have copied in the relevant colleague.

4. We have had a number of complaints about Amey in recent years but this is one of their more cavalier acts.
Please let me know what these are so that I can investigate them from a Contractual perspective.

5. We need to find out if CBC finds their action unprofessional and unacceptable, why they did not follow correct practice and what assurances can we have that they will not behave in this way again.
The Council investigates complaints, and if shortfalls are identified robust corrections are put in place. I don't have evidence that the work was conducted unlawfully, but I do accept that the work on this occasion overran its allotted period and I have explained the circumstances surrounding this. I think this is an isolated case, but equally the risk is valid to address.

The complaint regarding gatemen was resolved and essentially the decision to begin the work (despite the risk of overrunning due to latent heat in the road pavement) was made for quite supportable reasons; since the resurfacing project was necessary. However, I do apologise for the overrun and any disruption it may have caused.

6. Incidentally there is no sign of Amey coming back to put on the road markings.
We investigate opportunities to minimise lining on new surfacing mats, as this can have a demonstrable link to reducing vehicle speeds. However, if this was the intention then perhaps Amey colleagues should have let you know this in advance, so that you were not chasing something which wasn't intended.

By copy to colleagues I will check what the next steps are.

I hope this offers a useful reaction in time for your Parish meeting.

Crawley Road closure

Talking of TTROs - here's a heads up.

 

Please be advised that the Proposed Road Closure of Crawley Road, Cranfield has been delayed due to land issues.
 
The works will now takes place from 27th November to 4th December 2013.
 
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
 
Regards
 
Gareth Hughes
Network Coordinator | Bedfordshire Highways
Amey

Small mercies on Marston Hill

We all know Marston Hill is a long steep road, a bit of a hairpin and the only practical way in to Cranfield from north and east. We also know that when it's closed we are stuffed. So the closure with hardly any prior announcement in July, by Amey until late in the afternoon caused huge problems. And no one, at Amey or CBC,  seems to want to explain when on earth was going on. 

I've written to CBC today as follows:

(In July) Amey closed Marston Hill for a day for resurfacing. There was not, as far as I was aware, a TTRO and they only put up signs saying "closed for one day over the next two weeks".

A number of people contacted me and I ascertained from Amey it would close on the 11 July. I assured callers that these closures were normally 9.30 to 3.30 to assist schools and the Cranfield "rush hour".

To my horror I discovered that the road remained closed  until after 6.30 pm  with massive congestion down to Salford as university traffic tried to find a way out of the village. There were no diversion signs put up and at RGR garages on the High Street I was told there were constant callers looking for directions. 

It was, in short, a shambles.

We have had a number of complaints about Amey in recent years but this is one of their more cavalier acts. We need to find out if CBC finds their action unprofessional and unacceptable, why they did not follow correct practice and what assurances can we have that they will not behave in this way again. It would be useful to have feedback for the parish council meeting on Wednesday evening.

Incidentally there is no sign of Amey coming back to put on the road markings.

Having said that, there was evidence today of some road markings being applied. We should be thankful for small mercies.  

Marston Hill post mortem

There is still a deafening silence from Amey about the "rogue" closure of Marston Hill two weeks ago, for roadworks. 

If you didn't experience it directly, it continued after the normal 3.30 finish which allows school and rush-hour traffic to flow. This time it went on, it has been reported to me, til after 6.30 and there was a massive traffic queue into Salford and beyond heading for J13 and the A421. 

In addition there were no signs down at the A421-Beancroft Road junction letting people know the road was closed much higher up. Nor were any diversion signs posted so if you didn't have local knowledge you were in big trouble.

So there were wasted journeys and tricky turn-rounds. Normally there is a TTRO (temporary traffic regulation order) which comes through to the PC for information but I cannot recall seeing one. That gives all the details and shows the conditions. 

Cllr Sue Clark asked Amey, the CBC Highways contractor about this two weeks ago and answer came there none. She says she has now escalated the query to the portfolio lead (senior councillor)  and senior officers and will share any feedback.

Nice work

The latest Highways customer service bulletin is interesting. The issue of insensitive motorists plonking their vehicles  in the middle of the 'island' at the Coop is surfacing.

An entry in the bulletin states:

"Customer has called to say that there has been a newly surfaced section of island in which vehicles have started to park on and cause obstruction for pedestrians with push chairs, wheelchairs and members of the public with mobility scooters. Have advised if the drivers are parking dangerously then the police should be informed to visit and ticket. But customer has asked can we inspect and is there any we can do to restrict people from parking here, i.e. Bollards."

The inspector's notes state:

"Area needs to be assessed for parking issue and if bollards would be appropriate."

I'm not the only person in the village to look on aghast at drivers who have just regarded this area of  footpath as a handy place to leave their car.

VXOs. What are these? Vehicle crossovers in highways vocabulary and dropped kerbs in plain English which is normally the first language in Cranfield. The service bulletin reveals a rich harvest of VXO - paid for by the householder - orders as part of the recent footpath works. Ironically they all already had dropped kerbs until someone told them they didn't. Nice work for Amey.

Marston Hill

Helpful feedback from Amey on Marston Hill closure

"The date for the treatment of Marston Hill will be largely dependent on the progress made over this coming weekend. The current forecast is for Marston Hill to take place
Wed 10th, and the likelihood of it happening earlier is remote. The works should not commence until 09:00 at the earliest, to allow the majority of peak time traffic to avoid any disruption.

"I will update you as and when I receive any relevant programme updates."

Patching works

So, is it good news or bad news? Looks like some long overdue action is happening on University Way at Wharley End. The bad news was almost zero notice that University Way would be closed, off and on, for five days from today. Surely they plan their schedules a bit further in advance than that? See the notice and diversion map below.

Proposed Emergency Temporary Road Closure

Technology Park Roundabout to College Road University Way, Cranfield

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

The alternative route 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 five day period. Access may be allowed from time to time according to local signing.

Mill Road footway repairs

Message from CBC (below) to residents about footpath work on Mill Road starting on 20 May for two weeks. My main concern is that Mill Road already has a lot of on-street parking and with people unable to get onto their drives (or fearing they can't get off them!) the congestion might get worse. Residents should also be aware that during Amey's last visit there were a number of peremptory requests for cash to finance new 'drop kerbs' with the suggestion that otherwise drives would be enclosed in an undropped kerb. I have highlighted key points in red Highway improvements that are due to start in your area. The resurfacing of the footways on Mill Road will commence on 20 May and is expected to take 2 weeks to complete.  Works are scheduled to take place between 08:00 and 18:00 but on rare occasions may overrun due to circumstances beyond our control.  The above section will be closed as a footway during these hours and will only be opened when it is safe for all users. Vehicles are unable to drive over hot material. Therefore, vehicular access to properties will be restricted at certain times. Pedestrian access will be limited but allowed when safe to do so. Access for emergency vehicles will be allowed at all times. Staff will be available on site throughout these working hours and will be happy to advise on individual restrictions. In order to carry out these works we must ask you to ensure that vehicles are not parked on this affected stretch of carriageway during these hours. Advance warning signs will be in place confirming the start date and expected duration although this is subject to change due to extenuating circumstances. If it is necessary to adjust these details, the warning signs will be altered accordingly. Should you require further information regarding these works then please do not hesitate to contact us during office hours on 0300 300 8049. We apologise for any disruption this may cause and thank you in anticipation of your cooperation. FAQs

Q. Will I still have access to my property? Pedestrian access will be limited due to the nature of the works but will be made available when safe to do so. Q. When can I drive over the new surface? The materials used in our resurfacing are laid at a high temperature and must be allowed to cool before trafficking. If you wish to travel over a freshly laid surface then please check with on site personnel. We would usually expect that normal cars can travel over our new surface in around 1 hour. Although this could increase in summer times with the higher ambient temperatures and will definitely increase for larger vehicles. Our contractors will not open a footway while it is not possible to drive over the new surface, so if the vehicle crossover is open then you should assume that you can use the crossover as normal. Q. Is the new surface safe to walk on? Freshly laid material can hold a higher temperature for several hours after laying and although able to be driven on we would ask you to use caution when walking on the material for 24 hours. Please do not let children play on the new surface for at least 24 hours and be careful when walking any animals over  the surface as their bare feet will be more susceptible to damage or injury on still hot material. Q. Will my bins still be emptied? We have no control over local bin collections so please contact you usual bin collectors for further information. Q. I have a business inside the works. Will clients, customers or deliveries still be allowed access? We will treat all visitors to site the same. If it is safe to do so we will allow access. If possible please arrange deliveries outside our working times. If this is not possible and you need to talk about a specific delivery then you can call the highways helpdesk on the number at the bottom of the first page. Q. I have a carer or helper who comes on a daily basis. Will they be allowed access? As above, we will treat all visitors to site the same and allow access when safe to do so. Please inform any carer or helper of the works so that they can allow a few extra minutes for any delays. If you have any concerns over care for yourself or any other person you know inside the affected area then please call the Highways Helpdesk on the number at the bottom of the first page and we will do everything we can to ensure that all care or help needed is delivered with the minimal disruption possible. Please be aware that working sites can be dangerous places please help us keep your children safe by keeping them away from our works.  (space for signature)

In and out of the Coop

Cllr Sue Clark has been working hard chasing Amey about de-snagging post  traffic calming. The areas of concern are  lorries churning up the grass at the Coop corner in Cranfield and the need for white 'in' and 'out' signs on the Coop car park entrance and exit. 

She also reminded Amey that they agreed to put bollards on the smaller areas of grass near Budgens to stop traffic running over them. 


The company has responded to the Parish Council as follows:


An order is with our lining contractor to install white ‘in’ and ‘out’ markings at the Coop and I will chase this up with them.
The installation of bollards and any additional ‘kerbing’ works will all need to go through our transportation and safety teams for approval before anything can be completed on site. I will be seeing these teams next week and will discuss the options with them and get back to you.

Entitlement or what?

I was pleased  an interested to read the report below to the last PC meeting.  Just before Christmas a massive great 4x4 plonked itself on the new footpath between the Coop car park and the road. Sense of entitlement or what?

After discussion with Amey, post-traffic calming, IN and OUT signs are to be erected in the parking area at the Coop.  CBC enforcement has also offered to come out with a camera and issue tickets to cars on yellow lines between the road and the Co-op car park. 

There will be no bollards put on the grass verge, which was destroyed by a lorry as the bollards will be knocked over.  But bollards will be installed near to Budgens.

Work will be carried out in Crane Way to stop ponding.

Next week the PC will be considering whether to find the 50 per cent cost of building a pedestrian crossing in Mill Road.

Looking back, looking ahead

Here's The Parish Matters highlights of the year plus my commentary.

You might have made different choices but you are welcome to scroll through the year's postings and comment on the big or lesser moments. I will be cranking up the blog again after the Christmas break and there will be regular Movers and Shakers bulletins for the less hard core internet users. LOL. You can contact me about content by emailing cranfield1985@gmail.com

Have a great 2013

January

It seems a long  time ago when we were going over the gritty detail of how Persimmon were conducting themselves on the fast-progressing Home Farm site. Now, of course, it is closed up and silent and Persimmon have been talking to Central Beds about a new  application 'Home Farm Lite' which parish council chair Delise Ball warned could create a 'housing island' cut off from the rest of the village. 

Minutes of the last Home Farm stakeholder meeting

Lodge Road Works: Almost all road works to Lodge Road now complete, some tidying up works to still be finished off.

Discussion with regard to the possibility of a “no left turn” on Lodge Road, concluded that the scheme makes it difficult to turn left, but not impossible especially for small vehicles. The road layout situation was judged better than previous situation.

Cllr  Bastable raised the issue of mud on the road. Martin Wright of Persimmon apologised on behalf of Persimmon, explained issues with regard to subcontractors not having regard of the road situation. Various discussions on the road situation followed, all agreed that the situation was improved after Persimmon hired a heavy duty road cleaning vehicle to clear back log of dirt.

Martin Wright outlined the method which will be used on site, from he believed today (28.11.11) which is a stoned area on the site for suitable drainage and a jet washer. Some concern was raised that this would not be a suitable solution, and that a purpose built wheel washer was required. There will also be once a day cleaning of the road, MW was not exactly sure of the timing of this, Cllr Matthews requested that the timing of the road cleaning by sent to members of the meeting once MW has confirmed. 

February
Central Beds let loose the dogs of verge trimming, exposing a mountain of roadside rubbish. It was truly disgusting and it took a while to get CBC out again to clear it all up. This is how it looked to the blog on 20 February

Rubbish rubbish everywhere

We complained about the state of the verges a few weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised to see full rubbish bags lined up on the Salford Road running  down from Cranfield last week. I had a call from Mr Chambers checking which roads needed done and I pointed out that in addition  to the Salford Road, College, Crawley and Moulsoe Roads were all in desperate need of attention.

It may be the cut these verges had a month ago exposed stuff but there is paper, plastic and carrier bags everywhere in the grass, among the hedges, spreading into some of the fields. Two days later however, the iron maiden and I were speeding along the traditional route and none of the verges had been touched. I rang CBC and asked 'when the contractors were coming  back'.  Well, of course they weren't. Thankfully we have been promised they are now and the remaining  litter strewn verges will get some attention - Tuesday I believe. 

March 

We have been trying to buy land from the Church of England to ensure that ultimately we have enough cemetery space and to consider allotment creation. In March I blogged:

Land purchase

The St Albans Diocesan Glebe Committee met at the start of February. We were informed that they were considering our request to buy land adjacent to the cemetery with a view to creating allotments and expanding the cemetery in the future. Since then we have been awaiting their reply.  Watch the blog.   

If you did watch the blog there was no joy. Thanks but no thanks. The established church's land holdings date back to the Conquest when Duke William, the Normandy mafioso boss grabbed England. He took half himself, divided a quarter between his 200 knights and gave the church a quarter.  We still feel the effects of that today.

April

It took a while but they got there in the end. The reopening of the village hall in its new shiny refurbishment was extremely welcome. It just missed its centenary but heck, who's counting?

Reopening of the village hall

Reopening ceremony for Cranfield Village Hall. Chair and treasurer Marjorie Cotton and Trevor Dimmock who did the bulk of the work are pictured. Marjorie Cotton writes in the latest Cranfield Express: "We were supported by the Parish Council and given grants by WREN and Central Beds for the essential repairs. The dry rot was eradicated and a damp proof course installed, thanks to a grant from 'Grassroots'. 

"It was a slower process raising the money for the roof and other work. We were given another grant from WREN. This was backed up by grants from the Lottery, the Wixam tree Trust, Bernard Sunley, The Steel Trust and a generous donation in memory of Jeanette Nash. We pressed on with sales and coffee mornings but it has been the sale of the caretaker’s house which has given us the rest of the money for the whole project, with little in hand. We are grateful to all those who gave us donations and supported our fundraising events."

May

Statement of the blinking obvious that young people are the future. But who does something about that? Well, Thriftvale Scout Group for a start. I spent an excellent evening with them attending their AGM and making fire with flints. Ray Mears watch out.

Parish councillor makes fire

I got into the spirit of Thriftvale Scouts (that includes beavers and cubs) open evening last night leaning how to use flint to make sparks and therefore fire. Talk about getting in touch with your paleolithic side?

However there is nothing stone age about the levels of organisation and commitment shown by the adult volunteers and leaders in the group and their open evening, awards ceremony and AGM was a fun-filled showpiece. If you want to get involved in helping to build the local branch of an organisation doing great work with young people email scout leader Phillip Stothart at pstothart@jarviscontracting.co.uk

June

The big one. The Diamond Jube and Cranfield's Party in the Park (followed in July by Cranfest) plus street parties in Harter Avenue, Townsend Close and Bourne End. The village shook its fist at the weather fates and went ahead and partied.

Picture of the Party

I think Claire Jenkins's photograph of the PITP fireworks at their height ought to be in for an award. Unlike a lot of the firework pics it captures the audience and the gazebo "village" giving a sense of scale and drama. Well done Claire, top snapper

July

Well Covanta has been given the go ahead  and the cynics said it would always happen. But a lot of people including Cllr Sue Clark put a lot of effort into explore the potential obstacles that could be placed in it way. In July I recorded:

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."

August

After many fits and starts it started. Traffic calming has been in the pipeline for years  but due to hold ups at CBC and Amey worthy of Dickens's Circumlocution Office (Little Dorrit), the money wasn't there, somebody couldn't remember where the piggy bank was or we'd miss our 'slot'. It took Amey an age and in the early days the buses were all over the place but it got done in the end. 

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.

 

September

You can pass laws about some things but unless we get a better standard of behaviour and human decency nothing will change. So no, I'm not talking about kids outside late shops and drinking in the park. I'm talking a few middle England dog walkers spoiling the pleasure of both dog ownership and the open air  for the vast majority.

More dog problems

Dogs are still high on the agenda after a parishioner last week reported troubling dog activity in the rec. We understand that a dog attacked someone who will not go to the police. This is very worrying as it means there is a danger of a repeat incident. The parish council contacted CBC but we have been told the dog warden would not be able to become involved.

"Our dog warden team only deal with issues of dog barking, fouling and stray dogs, and are not equipped to deal with issues of dangerous dogs, and the dog warden would be unable to make a visit to the resident for this reason. It would be best for the resident to contact the police, especially if they may feel intimidated or harassed."

October

Henry Chilver who died during the summer was the first vice chancellor of Cranfield University. He was successful according to his own terms and some others, well regarded by government and personally unfathomable. Here is my account of the memorial event held to reflect on his life. Please note that since the post below was written the current vice chancellor has announced he is leaving Cranfield.

Henry Chilver

On behalf of the Parish Council I attended the Memorial Event at the University for the former VC Lord Chilver. I heard a lot about Henry in my early days in Cranfield from a friend on the parish council and my other half who both worked at the uni. Opinions will vary about his style and legacy. I was struck however that there was only one brief mention from several speakers of Cranfield village - a reference by Henry's son John to Mrs Goodfellow who provided daily help at Cayley Lodge. Nice that. Oh and to Mrs Hatton from North Crawley who also lent support.

But apart from that nothing. The result was, I believe, a long period of estrangement  between the village and the Campus made worse by the very (at the time) busy airfield. 

Cllr Alan Bastable worked hard to build some bridges and he was responsible for setting up the airfield (now the university) liaison group between CU and the parish council. That helped.

But we are indebted to the present Vice Chancellor Sir John O'Reilly  who has been very pro-active in relations with the PC. He has presented to the PC, and personally given us a guided tour of the campus.

I bet not many people in Cranfield know that in the early 1950s the then principal of the College of Aeronautics was actually on the Parish Council.

November

Home Farm - we'll almost finish as we started, with Persimmon. This was from the planning committee minutes in November. Please note that despite the record below there was no sign, as far as I was aware of any public consultation 'before Christmas'.

Before the meeting started, representatives from Persimmon Homes, Pegasus Group and Woods Hardwick presented a proposed new planning application which would enable the Home Farm Development to move forward.  It was explained that the land upon which the footpath linking the village to the new development is not owned, nor is there an option to buy, on the land belonging to Denison Instruments.

The alternative scheme, which puts the community facility facing onto Court Road, and the footpath taking a long diversion around the Denison land, was put to members for consideration.  It was noted that the development is reduced by 20%, as the houses intended for the Denison land are not included in the new application; it follows that if the application was approved, the planning gain would also be reduced by 20%.  Further the allocation per house has since been reduced, thus this would bring down the planning gain further.

The proposed timeline for the new application is:  Public consultation before Christmas; submission of application in the New Year.

December 

We are not Dortmund or Birmingham but Cranfield did get its own Christmas Market held to raise funds for the Church of England Lower School Academy. Giant Snowman proved a No-Showman when he took his pump and went home but this very popular event plus mini-ice rink was lively and well attended. 

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

 

Tales from Brummagem

I have written plenty about Amey and their lack of responsiveness. Hopefully by the time the traffic calming is all finished they will prove me and all the other critics wrong. I believe Cranfield's own great wall of China - the steeply rising table coming into the village from Marston Hill, has been adjusted. I'm also hoping that the build up of water around the centre of the village is a temporary feature. So members of the jury are still listening to the case and have still to retire to consider their verdict. Normally in a court of law you are not allowed to know about previous convictions. But here in the Court of Cranfield we want to know the whole story.

So, readers might appreciate this tale from one of the leafier parts of Birmingham concerning Amey no less. The lack of consultation is a familiar and worrying feature. 

You can read it on the Birmingham Post website. 

Traffic calming issues

Comment from a parishioner...
 

Have you seen the Cranfield’s newest swimming pool?   Its outside Daniels Estate Agents where the new traffic calming works have failed to put in a storm drain!  Do you have any contact details for anyone who might be able to rectify this situation before the workmen go away?

As posted before, the clerk is trying to get in touch with Amey to make sure we establish what is going on and what they are doing to rectify any problems 

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?