Village Directory

I've been getting some new village images for the latest edition of Village Directory. Check them out below.

Quiz Nite

The Parish Council (with a few supporters)  entered a team at the Baptist Church's quiz night last night. It was a very successful, packed out event and our grey cells were left reeling. But I'm sure it raised a fair amount of money for a very good cause  (food hampers for those in  need this winter)

Churchyard

Spent a part of the morning with Church warden Andrew Pearson looking at potential tree hazards.  There doesn't seem to be any problem with the tree that was overhanging the north west path - well pruned back - but there is another tree over hanging the footpath and touching the telephone line

Clearing ice

Advice from the Parish Council insurer about clearing snow and ice is pasted in below. The good news is that we can do it. The bad news is well...read on. 

The advice from the Government is that there is no law preventing Parish Councils from clearing snow or ice from public spaces. They state that it is unlikely the Parish Council will be sued or held legally responsible for any injuries if the area has been cleared carefully.

When the clearance programme has been agreed, risk assessments must be carried out in writing and kept on Parish Council files.

Employees and volunteers must receive the correct training to clear snow and ice (this might need to include manual handling training) and must be in possession of any personal protective equipment that is required i.e. correct footwear.

If the PC does the job negligently, it will be liable for claims arising from its negligent actions.

Even if a Parish Council only provides the bins and grit and does not organise the volunteers, it cannot escape all liability if things go wrong and the council knew or ought to have known what was happening and failed to act with sufficient care.

Clear snow or ice early in the day, it is easier to clear soft snow than compacted snow. If you remove the top layer of snow in the morning any sun that day will help melt the snow or ice underneath. Apply a layer of salt before nightfall to stop the area refreezing.

Take care in deciding to where you move the snow - making sure that you do not block roads, paths or drains. Clear the middle of the path first so you have a safe surface to walk on. Then shovel the snow from the centre of the path to the sides.

There looks like more than enough to keep you awake at night. We already spend a mountain  of time (a mountain? maybe a set of Himalayan peaks) checking and rechecking the condition of the play equipment we have installed. The risk assessment/health and safety regime to clear some snow and ice looks equally forbidding. Ultimately insurers, and ambulance chasing legal firms are making just about any public action impossible. 

Of course the current government was on the case with Lord Young all teed up to look at the health and safety culture. Lord Young unfortunately hadn't noticed there was a massive recession and got blown away in the political blizzard. So he was probably not the best person to take this forward. 

Cycle path

Sue Clark had a question from the Parish Council (at the stakeholder meeting)  – how will the 106 money be split for highways projects, as the council wants to pursue the need for a cycle track to the university site and intends to broker discussions with the university.  Anne Samme explained the 106 had been intentionally non-committal because of the need to assess the funding options at the time, especially regarding any possible upgrading. 






See above from the recent Home farm Stakeholder meeting  - the cycle path is a long  promised and much needed development. The £100,000 set aside is also supposed to be spent on the path between Court Road and Church Walk but the break down is "intentionally non-committal".  Just how difficult does that make our job? 


Section 106 money - how hard can it get to extract it? Money for the village traffic calming, for proper school facilities (remote playing field, no use to anyone), health centre - nowhere to put it, PCT no longer interested.

Home farm stakeholder Group 18 October - minutes

Home Farm Stakeholder Group

Minutes of Meeting 6 : 18 November 2010 held at 6.00pm at Cranfield Methodist Church.

In attendance: Martin Wright (MW), Sue Clark (SC), Lionel Cooper (LC), Marjorie Cotton (MC), Jo Moore (JM), Anne Sammé (AS), Hannah Pattinson (HP), Trevor Dimmock (TD), Stephen Hobbs (SH), Janet Orchart (JO), Gerry O’Mara (GO), Lyn Davis (LD), Ravi Verma (RV), Cllr Alan Bastable (AB).

		Action
1.	Apologies for Absence Gary Surkitt Cllr Ken Matthews AS explained that she would be leaving Central Bedfordshire Council shortly, and so introduced Hannah Pattinson, a Senior Planner, who would be taking on the role of co-ordinating the Stakeholder Group.  Hannah is based at Priory House and her contact details are Hannah.pattinson@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk, tel 0300 300 4432.
2.	Minutes of Previous Meeting Agreed.
3.	Matters Arising Publicity for Planning Applications –use of Budgens.  A Master Plan illustration has been placed at the rear of the store in the only location made available to Persimmon.  MW intends to update the content as works progress.  SC said she would place an item in the Cranfield Express to advertise this. Timetabling of Works – MW advised (1) that the archaeological investigations will continue until end 2010.  (2) Off site works are also under way off Court Road where a haul road has been created to enable the creation of lakes to dispose of surface water from the site.  This will later become a recreational facility. (3) The Lodge Road S278 highway works will commence early January and are anticipated to take 8 – 16 weeks.  SC queried whether the road would be closed, and LD asked for good notification for residents, including those in Villa Park.  MW anticipated road closures unnecessary but narrowing to single lane should suffice. (4) Persimmon anticipate a start on site early 2011, across the charity land.  They still propose to use this as a means to create the main spine road and for access until occupation in that phase precludes by which time it is anticipated the spine road surface will be complete except for final finish.  Persimmon hope for first occupations by end of 2011, and anticipate development of the charity land will take around 15 months to complete. AS reported back on archaeological issues.  There had been no significant finds yet, but many less important pieces have been retrieved and will later be catalogued.  The Archaeologist has confirmed there will be “outreach” if there are any significant discoveries.  It has been suggested to the project manager, Joe Abrams, that perhaps he could speak to the Stakeholder Group once finds have been collated. Meetings for 2011 now fixed as per list at end of these minutes.  To be held at the Methodist Church at 6pm.	SC MW to ensure resident notification undertaken
4.	Submission of Reserved Matters Applications AS updated the group on the status of the various planning applications. Phase 1 residential – CB/10/01384 approved 21.07.10 Phase 2 residential – CB/10/02546 approved 04.11.10 Almshouses – CB/10/03467pending.  A traditional design is evolving and revised elevations are expected to be submitted shortly.  Consultaton will be undertaken with the PC once received. Community Building – CB/10/03469 pending Pavilion – CB/10/03466 pending Landscaping – details for whole site – submitted as three applications.  Phase 1 and 2 each relate to the two residential phases (CB/10/3462 and 3463), and a third phase for open space linked to the pavilion application.	AS to ensure case officer aware
5.	Any Other Business AS commented that the intention of CBC was to continue with the meetings being restricted to Stakeholder members only, but very willing to send out minutes to all on request.  TD queried whether the issues about landscaping around Ivy House had been resolved.  AS to query with case officer.  (Note following meeting – the inconsistency in plans will be pursued and additional landscaping ensured on the Landscape Reserved Matters drawings.) SC had a question from the PC – how will the 106 monies be split for highways projects, as the PC wants to pursue the need for a cycle track to the university site and intends to broker discussions with the university.  AS explained the 106 had been intentionally non committal because of the need to assess the funding options at the time, especially regarding any possible upgrading.  MC enquired about health funding through the 106 since the project for a new surgery for Cranfield has now been abandoned by the PCT. AS explained that the funding would have contributed towards the new surgery costs, but CBC is powerless to bring the surgery forward.  However, the PCT will be advised once 106 funds have been paid over, and every attempt will be made to ensure an appropriate spend of the funding at that time.  (Any such monies not spent after the defined time period of 5 years from the date of payment will need to be refunded to the developer.)  A number of members commented on how essential it is to expand facilities at the present surgery.	AS
7.	The meeting closed at 6.45pm. Next Meeting – 20 January 2011 at Cranfield Methodist Church at 6pm

Forthcoming meetings for 2011: 20 January, 24 March, 19 May, 21 July, 22 September, 17 November.

University Liaison meeting

A good meeting last night with an opportunity to say good bye to Dave 'Turbine Blade' Wilkins and news of plans for several wind turbines at Brogborough. I must burrow my way into Central Beds Planning Website to see what is going on.

http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/planning/apps/default.aspx
(if you are interested)

There was a brief mention of the cycle path.

Cranfield Express column December 2010

My December column in Mr Hinson's splendid periodical: What a trojan he is. (That might be unduly complimentary to trojans but they did have the ability to focus I understand)



Parish matters

There was a strong turnout at Cranfield War Memorial last month and wreaths from fresh directions. It is impressive how Cranfield's schools, under new management, have been become more involved in the local community.
Holywell’s head Peter Haddon escorted a pair of pupils to the Memorial to lay a wreath on behalf of the school and a lower school wreath was laid by a teacher. Due to the renovation going on in the church, the service was held in the lower school hall. Hugh Symes-Thomson told the story about the blitz and Coventry Cathedral being resurrected.
The salvaging of scorched nails from the destroyed mediaeval timbers and their re-assembly as improvised crosses was a brilliant piece of imagination and intense symbolism. Along with the intact shell of the old Coventry Cathedral, the crosses are the equivalent of the preserved remains of the Frauenkirche in Dresden which was utterly obliterated in a bombing raid in February 1945. The estimated death toll there (carried out by the city council, just this year) was around 25,000.
Coventry and Dresden were eventually twinned and their links reflected a strong impulse towards forgiveness and rebuilding.
It’s the same with the tensions between Protestant and Catholic in Tudor England which boiled over into the Gunpowder Plot. There is still theological disagreement today both between and within these branches of Christianity but nothing like the murderous hatred of the 16th century. One exception to that was Northern Ireland in the late 20th century where I grew up. Nevertheless, despite atrocities by extremists on both sides, by army personnel and the B Specials (the Ulster Special Constabulary) eventually a civic dialogue has produced a fledgling peace.
This is why it was a surprise to find someone writing in Cranfield Express, last month, in slightly leaden verse, resurrecting the whole Catholic nightmare story about November 5th and revelling in the capture, torture and execution of the conspirators. As for the securing of the Protestant throne, another outcome close to the writer’s heart - I’m not sure many people are worried about that these days with many larger global threats and national concerns.
Remembrance Sunday and the Football Club's fireworks night are practically the only times the village assembles in some numbers and we need to find more opportunities to do that. I think, to be honest Halloween has taken over from GF Day and good riddanceto it. It ceased to be a public holiday in the 19th century. But I wouldn’t want the Football Club’s spectacular and successful firework display to stop for any reason.

Marjorie Cotton

See below my article in Cranfield Express about Marjorie (Dot) Cotton's invitation to a royal rave up in Windsor Castle. Long overdue recognition for a lot of hard work by Marjorie on the Vill Hall.





Cranfield resident Marjorie Cotton made a special trip to Windsor Castle, last month, as a guest of her Majesty the Queen. The former village GP, now masterminding the village hall refurb, was nominated by the Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity (BRCC).

The invitation also reflected the work she has done in setting up the Hands Across Cranfield volunteer scheme. The reception was for those who have worked to support rural communities throughout the United Kingdom. More than 300 people took part. One woman came from the Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides.

Marjorie told Cranfield Express she was ‘thrilled’ to receive the invitation: “This recognition will galvanise the village and give it hope,” she said. There was the inevitable panic about what to wear and the excruciating security precautions, including strict photo ID before she could even get inside the Castle.

“They make absolutely sure you are who you say you are.” Once inside, however, the ancient glories of the Royal Household were progressively revealed. “We went through the Armoury and the Waterloo Chamber and then into St George’s Hall where the fire broke out in 1992. Everything was fresh and beautifully done. I’m going to come back as a tourist with a guide and study all them paintings.”

Marjorie met the Queen and exchanged the traditional royal small talk. She also chatted to the ladies in waiting who had time for a more extended conversation.

“They were talking about the royal wedding – everyone was so pleased. There was a nice atmosphere and everyone was very welcoming.” The refreshments were, as expected, tiny and exquisite, including little mouthfuls of salmon from the approved royal fisheries, all helped down with a mouthful of champagne.

Delise Ball, chair of Cranfield Parish, said the Royal recognition was long overdue. “Marjorie works really hard for the village but much of it is invisible and everyone is so pleased that she has had this honour.”

Submission to IPC on Covanta

The proposals are contrary to sustainable principles of local disposal of waste. They are contrary to long standing strategies of returning Marston Vale to a the rural setting it was before brick making started. There will be a huge growth in vehicle traffic from the surrounding region if the scheme is commercially successful. The application does not make any proposal for use of sustainable transport i.e. rail.

Chasing

The university has 14 days to pay over the S106 money for the traffic calming before debt recovery starts. And we are doing yet another chase on the quiet lanes.

Allotments

Things I didn't know about allotments:

• If we set one up and we want to move people on because it will become a burial ground, we have to find them somewhere else. This dates back to legislation in  the 1920s designed to provide protection to those who suffered under enclosures in the 19th century - "the deserving poor".
• Think about water supply - A horse trough with ball valve is the best way of stopping hose pipe maniacs.
• A pole (aka a rod or perch) is 300 sq ft. 
• Allotments tend to be either five poles or 10 poles.
• Subletting or joint tenancy is not good practice.
• No cockerells, goats etc thank you. Chickens will attract foxes and their food if left lying around will bring in rats.
• All dogs on leads.
• You can mono-culture - e.g just vines. 
• The Flitwick allotment shop is behind the leisure centre in Flitwick. 

Dave Empson who did the presentation at the Parish Council last night on behalf of the Flitwick Allotment Association was brilliant - very knowledgeable, good humoured and to the point. 

Cemetery extension

We have an update from Frosts about the cultivation of the cemetery extension.

"Further to our recent correspondence, here's an update on the progress to

the cemetery extension area.

We have carried out the spray application and it taken very well, we will be

shortly carrying out the next stage of cutting the excess grass and turning

over the soil.

"Once this is done we are going to leave this to over winter (i.e. let the

frosts etc break down soil, because of the nature of the soil in this area

being untouched of a period of time). 

Which will make for better cultivation results in early next year when the

conditions are right (weather dependant), 

"Then finish off the levelling and Seeding." 

Parish Council tonight

Parish Council tonight is starting off with a presentation at 7 pm by David Empson of the Flitwick  Allotment Association about the joys and pitfalls of setting up allotments. I  understand there are big issues about whether you allow dogs on and the size of sheds.
We are still trying to purchase land from the Diocese of St Albans to eventually extend the cemetery but which, in the medium term, could offer scope for allotments. It would be an excellent stewardship of land which is basically doing nothing at the moment. We have not had a formal response to our offer yet.

Remembrance Sunday

Strong turnout at the War Memorial yesterday. I shared the civic wreath laying with Alan Bastable (Central Beds) in weather that seemed like it was OK for November but got chillier. I was impressed at the way Cranfield's schools, under new management in the last couple of years, have been more involved in the local community. Holywell head teacher Peter Haddon escorted a couple of pupils to the Memorial to lay a  wreath on behalf of the school and a lower school teacher also laid a wreath. Due to the renovation going on in the church, the service was held in the lower school hall. 
Hugh Symes-Thomson told a good story about the blitz and Coventry Cathedral being resurrected  though he did talk about the bombing on "England". My father's house in Belfast was destroyed in the Belfast blitz of April May 1941. I'm sure sure it was just an oversight. 
Remembrance Sunday and the Football Club's fireworks night are practically the only times the village assembles in some numbers and we need to think of more opportunities to do that. A job for the Parish Council maybe? Time to start another to do list. 

Parish council powers

From Private Eye

Most parish councillors can only dream of this kind of power. We have been struggling for for three, four years to get a 'quiet lane' in Lodge Road, attended endless meetings and listened to many reports about officials who have not returned our phone calls or emails. 

Wind turbine

Central Beds' development management committee approved the Marston Millennium Park's application for a 120m high wind turbine today. There was a lengthy debate and contributions from Marston Parish Council, CPRE and Tony Talbot of the Park Trust. Most the councillors who spoke were against it with the exception of Tom Nichols, sustainability portfolio holder and Nigel Aldis. There were references to efficiency, the value of a single  turbine, the colour and whether it would result in extra traffic through Marston. There was some silly stuff like the man from the Campaign for the Preservation of Rural England  who warned of turbines falling over and catching fire. And there was some blatant nimbyism from those who thought turbines should all be sent to sea. Tony Talbot said the turbine was appropriate to a post industrial landscape and justified it on the basis that climate change weas the biggest threat to a setting like the park.

Cranfield Parish Council,when it considered the application  had voted to support it |(by a narrow majority)

Despite the imbalance of speakers, in the end it was a tied vote and the chair cast his vote in favour of approval.

A421

Balfour Beatty's current predicted opening date is 1 December.

Bus seminar

I went to the Central Beds bus seminar this afternoon, at the Rufus centre. It is clear that further public transport services face the axe but we were subjected to a lecture about choosing between greening society, reducing social isolation, helping economic development or helping the most disadvantaged as criteria for subsidising buses. The facilitator then insisted we take a vote about which was most important and the least important and carefully recorded the results. To every challenging quesion he replied 'Will you write that down?' (on a post-it note). He actually came across as a rather ineffectual woodwork teacher struggling to control the boys during the last class of Friday afternoon. But it was utterly pointless in getting to grips with the threat to our bus services.

A history of Cranfield in 400 words

I'm working on an intro to the new village directory. I've come up with the following so far:

Cranfield is a large village with a population of around 5,500 set halfway between Milton Keynes and Bedford. The parish includes Wharley End, the home of Cranfield University.

Historic roots go back to the Domesday book, reflected in the part-Norman Church. Like any community with such a long history, there have been many phases in its development. Ecclesiastical ownership of the Cranfield estate passed to local gentry after the reformation. There was small-scale brick making and a strong conconformist presence, including Quakers, in the 18th century. Ancient methods of land-use and tillage came to an end in the 1840s with formal enclosure of agricultural land. Later in the 19th century, the village’s historic, listed schoolhouse was built by the Church of England and the village hall was opened in 1911.

In the 1920s the growing Marston Vale brickworks offered significant new employment and gradually Cranfield became less remote from the surrounding area as transport links improved. The RAF base in 1937 and the successor College of Aeronautics in 1946, were dominant landmarks in the 20th century and remain so today as the airfield and Cranfield University.

In the 21st century the village is set in a busy, economically active region criss-crossed by major transport routes. That marks it out as classic commuter territory. Yet Cranfield sits on a distinctive plateau, surrounded by beautiful countryside and picturesque lanes. Culturally too, it retains its own unique identity with strong local opinion about decisions taken elsewhere that affect its quality of life. The Parish Council is at the heart of that continuous public discussion and there is vigorous community life.

If you are reading this as a newcomer to Cranfield we want to welcome you to the village and introduce you to local activities and services – sport, recreation, churches, civic affairs and education, for instance. If you are a long-standing resident this guide aims to offer up-to-date information on every aspect of local living and help you to enhance your life and, hopefully, make a contribution to general wellbeing.

The guide itself is a reflection of the Parish Council’s aim of making sure that everyone who lives in Cranfield and Wharley End feels at home here and can take full advantage of everything we have to offer.

The truly vulnerable

Central Bedfordshire Council's £12m cuts are announced

Continue reading the main story

Related stories

• Council spent £500,000 rebranding
• Council travel expenses revealed
• Beds road signs for sale

More than 100 jobs are expected to go at Central Befordshire Council as £12m is cut from its 2011-12 budget. Money-saving changes will include more volunteers for youth services, an end to the mobile library and switching off street lights. The council executive said it would try to save money through becoming more efficient.

Its the little things that Central Beds says it will cut that are most miserly. Did I get it right that there will be no disposable bags for food waste? Homework clubs are being hit and the mobile library service will be sitting on bricks in the future. But there is plenty of other stuff involving schools and social care. This is on top of the totally over-the-top comprehensive spending review. All the way through there are recurrent expressions 'statutory minimum service' and the 'truly vulnerable'. I dread to think what a tiny constituency the 'truly vulnerable' are but clearly there is a wider circle of needy, and marginalised people who will now not make the cut and are expected to help George O with his deficit reduction plans. Don't grow old, get sick, be young or need a lift. 

Community safety

Nice to see Dave Rollings, Central Beds crime reduction officer at the PC last night. Dave has been off for a while but he was in good form. The issues remain the same of course, drinking and debris in the recreation ground racing up at the Tech Park. Ken Matthews reported that some kind of traffic humps at the tech park might be a step nearer.

The question has come up about keeping the community safety committee going. It was originally a public forum when I first got involved with access to funding. But membership was transient and the funding was a bureaucratic headache. At one point we had to bid jointly with Stotfold and Sandy for money for kill-your-speed wheelie bin stickers. I must have spent weeks on emails agreeing specs and looking at bids from printers. Then there were always further delays. There are still some bins around the villages with these stickers on something happened in the end.

Traffic calming

The traffic calming saga goes on.

I would hate to try and calculate the number of hours we have spent going round the houses on this one. Just when it was all systems go it appeared that the "Section 106" money payable because of Tech Park development was not there because the university argued the trigger (occupation of offices) had not been reached. We then understood that this had been overcome and the money was available.

Now an Amey engineer has told us that on discovering the hold-up he told his staff to stop working on further modifications. As far as he is concerned there is no budget. It would appear that we are still two days away from a complete set of drawings of the revised scheme. And there is no sign of them coming. Its enough to make me believe in conspiracy theories.

Cemetery benches

I am struggling at the moment with a 'bench policy' for the cemetery. Burial plots are obviously very precious places to those whose loved ones are buried there. Some people never visit graves but there are others who can't stay away. Strong feelings arise.

We don't want a completely regimented site. At the same time graves can become surrounded by clutter and festooned with bits and pieces. Our bench policy is aimed at dealing with anyone bringing garden furniture to place near the grave of a family member.

However convenient it is, it is not ultimately going to work if that happens all over the place. So, back to the drawing board.

Street light repair

"I think that this is pretty poor performance & totally unnacceptable, given that the light is in a vulnerable location which needs illumination for security?
In the past we used to call the Parish Council Secretary because I think this light is probably funded by the PC but calling Central Beds has not been a good "customer experience" in this case.
Should we be calling the PC rather than Central Beds in fact ? With regard to "specialist equipment", 2 men + 1 ladder are all that is required or are we turning in to a nation of litigation-fearing pansies I ask?"

Well the parishioner who got in touch (above) has every reason to feel fed up as the complaint was made on 28 September and nothing has happened yet. The light concerned illuminates a pretty dark pathway. Anyway way one central Beds councillor, one parish council clerk and myself are all on the case. Hopefully this will survive deficit any reduction strategies.

I have to speak up for pansies incidentally as they are the hardiest plants in the garden, out in all weathers.

A421

Looks like the new A421 is nearing completion. At least you can see the signs for Cranfield now up on the side of the carriageway. Nice to have our existence confirmed. The turn-off from Junction 13 to Salford/Hulcote is dramatic and it has "Cran" in one of the carriageways. More proof that I didn't just imagine that I lived in there.