Central Beds Updates

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Try this. It's too early to judge usefulness  but its a smarter way to keep up to date with what the council and your local councillors are doing, provided by CBC. 

Yellow liners clocked

http://www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/Bedfordshire/Sandy/SG19/News/Local-News/214547-Clamp-down-on-dangerous-parking-is-a-roaring-success

News report: A drive to make streets safer and clear of illegally parked cars has been hailed as a roaring success by Central Bedfordshire today (20 January).

Latest figures reveal Central Bedfordshire Council's new parking enforcement vehicles have made a massive impact.

In just two working weeks since the start of the year the cars have issued 326 parking tickets / Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) - averaging 30 a day per vehicle six times more effective than traditional parking enforcement methods.

There was a bit of local TV news controversy from Ampthill recently  where the new  CCTV illegal parking vehicle introduced by  CBC has nabbed some yellow-liners. Personally I can't wait for it to get to Cranfield as we constantly enquire when a parking  enforcement officer will be round and we get no answers. Double yellows are there for a reason. End of story

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. I've attached a short video of just one stretch on College Road to illusrate the muck.

Crane Way

Response from Amey regarding Crane Way (see previous post).


Pat and I met with Lawrence yesterday and I understand he will be responding back to the Parish Council.

However one quick action from our end is that I was disappointed with the
condition of the new kerbing and have spoken to our works team. As a result,
where kerbs have been damaged (by presumably the tarmac roller), these kerbs
will be replaced at no cost to CBC.

Cranfield traffic calming

Traffic calming. Yes its taken a  long time and we nearly missed it. The advert placed by  Central Beds Council in Beds on Sunday had the wrong weblink and we know that there are lots of BoS black holes where people don't get it. And if asked we would have said put it in our information rootstock Cranfield Express. So the notice with the correct details is going in out next Thursday in the Cran X Files. See details below (sorry its not a hyperlink) and please note that the closing date is now 5 March not 27 Feb as it says below. 

Traffic calming consultation

Bedfordshire Highways is undertaking a consultation on the features required to deliver a traffic calming scheme in Cranfield. 

The statutory consultation on the proposed orders and features is already underway, but to give local people an additional opportunity to comment the proposals the deadline has also been extended from 27 Feb to 5 March for local comments to be considered.

The original traffic calming scheme was designed to address issues associated with the continued expansion of the university and its negative impacts in terms of speeds and volume of traffic in Cranfield. This had received Cranfield Parish Council and Central Bedfordshire Council backing and approval. However, following the opening of the realigned A421 (dual carriageway) the volume of traffic using Cranfield reduced and there needed to be a review of the proposals to ensure that they were still appropriate.

In discussions with the Parish and Central Beds Councillors it was agreed that with the changes in traffic flows, wholesale traffic calming through the village was no longer the best way forward. Instead it was agreed that the measures would be targeted at those places in the village where they were most needed. This includes the features on Crawley Road where the highest speeds have been measured. The remaining features include four larger raised junctions and the two raised pedestrian crossings. It is also intended to extend the 30mph speed limit on Crawley Road past the football ground entrance. Both Parish and Central Bedfordshire Councillors have approved these changes.

PUBLIC NOTICE

HIGHWAYS ACT 1980 – SECTION 90A-I

PROPOSED RAISED TABLES, HUMPED ZEBRA CROSSINGS AND RAISED JUNCTION TABLE – HIGH STREET AND OTHER ROADS, CRANFIELD

CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE COUNCIL proposes to construct Raised Tables, Humped Zebra Crossings and a Raised Junction Table under Section 90 A-I of the Highways Act 1980 and all other enabling powers in High Street and other roads in Cranfield. These works are part of a traffic calming scheme, which has

been designed to reduce vehicle speeds and improve road safety and the environment for local residents.

The Proposed types of feature will be:

2 Raised Tables, 2 Humped Zebra Crossings and 4 Raised Junction Table as described below:

 Raised Tables at a nominal height of 75mm, approximately 8 metres long across the full width of the road (except for drainage channel) are proposed to be sited at the following locations in Cranfield:

 1. Crawley Road at a point approximately 156 metres north-west of Birch Close.

2. Crawley Road at a point approximately 256 metres north-west of Birch Close.

Humped Zebra Crossings at a nominal height of 75mm are proposed to be sited at the following locations in Cranfield (These are existing zebra crossings that are proposed to be re-built on raised tables):

 1. High Street at a point approximately 28 metres south-west of Plough Close.

2. High Street at a point approximately 55 metres north-east of Red Lion Close.

Raised Junction Tables at a nominal height of 75mm, across the full width of the road are proposed to be sited at the following locations in Cranfield:-

1. High Street/Court Road/Merchant Lane junction covering a length of up to approximately 45 metres of High Street and extending up to approximately 10 metres into Court Road and up to approximately 10 metres into Merchant Lane.

2. High Street/Mill Road junction covering a length of up to approximately 33 metres of High Street and extending up to approximately 27 metres into Mill Road.

3. Mill Road/Crane Way/Crawley Road junction covering a length of up to approximately 22 metres of Mill Road, up to approximately 16 metres of Crane Way and up to approximately 20 metres of Crawley Road.

4. Bedford Road/Crane Way junction covering a length of up to approximately 48 metres of Bedford Road and extending up to approximately 17 metres into Crane Way.

 Further Details of the proposal and plans may be examined during normal opening hours at Ampthill library, 1 Dunstable Street, Ampthill MK45 2NL or online at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/consultations

 Objections should be sent in writing to the Transportation Manager, Bedfordshire Highways, Woodlands Annex, Manton Lane, Bedford MK41 7NU or e-mail centralbedsconsultation@amey.co.uk stating the grounds on which they are made by 5 March 2012.

Basil Jackson

Assistant Director for Highways

239 Ampthill Road

Bedford MK42 9QQ

5th February 2012

Diamond Jubilee in Cranfield

The Parish Council and local organisations want to make sure everyone has a great time on the Diamond Jubilee. The plan, so far, is to hold a Diamond Jubilee Celebration in the heart of Cranfield on Tuesday 5 June in the playing field/park and the village hall and the church, possibly schools as well, if agreed. But that is down to you getting moving now.

On behalf of the Parish Council, parish councillors Roger Baker, Cranfield Girl Guide coordinator Claire Jenkins and I are collaborating to ensure that all individuals and organisations that want to set up an event get the help and advice they need. For instance the most urgent is money. If your organisation wants to apply to the Parish Council for a ‘Section 137’ grant for seed corn your application must be with the PC clerk Rosie Davy Hunt by Tuesday 6 March by the latest (for consideration by the meeting on 7 March).

Email cranfieldpc@btconnect.com tel 05601 534542

There is also liaison with Central Beds Council for road closures and health and safety matters.


Roger. Claire and I are setting up the Diamond Jubilee Forum a loose group designed to provide mutual support and help break down bureaucratic barriers to a successful Jube experience. Its first meeting is 6-7 pm on Thursday 8 March at 8 Broad Green. We’ll keep them short and sweet. 

To find out more contact:

Claire Jenkins 01234 751248 agent-jenkins@tiscali.co.uk

Laurence Pollock 07801 665961 broadgreen68@btinternet.com 
Roger Baker rl.baker128@yahoo.co.uk

A website is being specially created leading up to the events. It will continue for a period afterwards to celebrate and commemorate activities

Twitter. Yes twitter @diamondcran We dare you to follow it.

Facebook – under construction. But do hold your breath

Parish Council 15 February 2012

Other basics:

• We are recommending that misnamed Lodge Road in Home Farm will not be Thillans and the proposed Thillans in the Goodman Land will be Crow lane
• Slow progress on new dog waste bins
• Annual report is being printed and due for delivery 

Broad Band

A helpful bloke from CBC came to our PC meeting on Wednesday and we were joined by pcllrs from Lidlington, Marston and Salford. Basically the CBC plan is that areas not being served by commercial development of high capacity broadband (i.e the Vale) will have some seed money pumped in with a view to getting 90 per cent of us up to 25 mbps by  2015. Lots of talk about copper and fibre to the cabinet. Very techie. Basic message: don't hold our breath

Obviously we all want to know who is not in the 90 percent. :-(

traffic calming

Traffic calming. Yes its taken a  long time and we nearly missed it. The advert placed by  Central Beds Council in Beds on Sunday had the wrong weblink and we know that there are lots of BoS black holes where people don't get it. And if asked we would have said put it in our information rootstock Cranfield Express. So the notice with the correct details is going in out next Thursday in the Cran X Files. See details below (sorry its not a hyperlink) and please note that the closing date is now 5 March not 27 Feb as it says below. 

Crane Way

I met Amey, at Crane Way yesterday. 

They said the bollards, which local people complained about,  are fine because you are not allowed to park there anyway. Everyone was told that they would have their old low lying kerbs sealed up unless they handed over money for a new low lying kerb (aka a 'drop kerb'). The parking on Crane Way is not an issue because the Spanish lorry driver who caused the crash should not have been there (what about the buses?).

They acknowledged the cracked kerb stones (above) and the wooden edging (left) to the grass-tarmac interface. 

They said they were in consultation with CBC about next year's programme and a schedule of work will be published. 

My recommendations to the parish council are:

1. We engage with CBC to ensure village needs are met in next year's programme. 
2. We scrutinise the published programme and ask Amey/CBC what their plans are regarding parishioners' properties.
3. We press for repair of the kerbing and concrete edging on the grassed areas.
4. We engage with Beds Police, CBC, Chris Mollart Griffin about the increasingly serious issues of congestion and parking on Crane Way and finding a long term solution (this would take in  the bollard situation).

Traffic calming consultation

Proposal going to Cranfield Parish Council meeting tonight from Pcllr John Savill


The council  objects to the way the consultation (on traffic calming)  has been run as the
information on the website is incorrect, and there has been insufficient
time for an article to be placed in to the Cranfield Express to publicise
the consultation. The Cranfield Express is a key source of news for the
parishioners.



John has written:


Has anyone noticed that the most important (IMHO) part of the traffic
calming: the Mill Road / High Street junction is not on the consultation
website, and there is a repeat of the Mill Road / Crawley Road / Crane Way
roundabout and raised table.

Additionally the email address for objections is incorrect.

I don't think that centralbedsconsultation@amey.co.ukstating will work.

I would like to propose that the council objects to the consultation due to
the two issues above.

I think the consultation period should be extended.

I notice that the consultation period does not
allow the Cranfield Express to go out with the details of the consultationin it with any allowance for people to respond.




Meeting is a 8 pm at Cardington Room, Mitchell Hall, at the College

Full council February

Full council tomorrow night is at the university. We are grateful to Cran U for the facilities and we hope to hold one meeting a  year there to mark the fact that we represent both the village of Cranfield and Wharley End and its student population.

We will be looking again at street names for Home Farm and there is a speaker from CBC about the issue of broadband in the village.

Agenda for full council at the University

                                              

MEETING OF THE FULL PARISH COUNCIL 8.00pm

I HEREBY GIVE YOU NOTICE that a meeting of the above named Parish Council and its Committees will be held at Cranfield University, Mitchell Hall, Cardington Room/Senior Lounge 

on Wednesday, 15th February 2012 at 7.30pm

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

7.30pm – James Cushing (CBC) - Broadband

8pm Meeting of the Full Parish Council

^1.            To receive apologies for absence

^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

6.4.    Planning Committee

^7.            Correspondence

^8.            Financial matters and accounts for payment

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

^10.        Highway matters

Amey and Crane Way

Off to a meeting with Amey in Crane Way this morning to find out why they put in bollards without previous agreement and shifted people's drop kerbs around without consultation. We need some notification when they are planning to do work in  the village. Maybe there is some but its not obvious.

Home Farm access worries grow

http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/News/Path-row-leads-to-ghost-town-fears-for-estate-11022012.htm
Some local coverage arising from issues around pedestrian access from Home Farm to central Cranfield. The whole choice of this location rests on its pedestrian integration with the rest of the village.

What's in a name?

Central Beds have gone back to the drawing board  (or the computer screen these days) regarding the plan to borrow Lodge Road as a street name for the Home farm Development. That's scrubbed, Lodge Road is back to being just Lodge Road and we have to think of how to name the spine road. I'd go for Thillans - currently allocated to the Goodman land section. We could adopt the unused Crow Lane for that. We're discussing it on  15 February.

Tree grief

The Parish Council is getting some grief about trees that have been cut down at the entrance to the Recreation Ground.


It might seem grim but this work was only approved after a pretty careful inspection  of all the mature trees in the parish. Many of them were old, dangerous, dying or all three.


Ok just like the parish council I hear, noises off.  The action we have taken reflects our awareness of the need for constant maintenance of our tree population. They might look pretty but if your five year old grand daughter was under a falling trunk  you might feel differently. Damned if we do and double damned if we don't 

Stakeholder

Always sounds a bit rum 'stakeholder'.  Maybe the committee member designated to deal with Dracula perhaps? But its just the means by which Central Beds Council, developer Persimmon and local representatives deal with issues around the Home Farm development.

Last night's stakeholder shed no light on the key issue - if Persimmon do not strike a deal with Denison who own a key tranche of land the developer cannot deliver a section 138 provision (footpath access to Court road) and therefore no house can be occupied. If that does happen,  CBC will have to move against it through an enforcement notice. As Sir Alex Ferguson would say in his pithy made-in-Govan way, squeaky bum time.

No huge enlightenment on how Lodge Road has been rerouted into the development. One suggestion is that the remaining part would become Lodge Lane? One parishioner present objected vocally. Persimmon are denying responsibility for name choosing while Hannah Pattinson, planning officer is pursuing.

CBC Councillor Sue Clark pressed Martin Wright (Persimmon) on whether the wheel washing was actually taking place although her CBC colleague Alan Bastable felt Lodge Road had looked better recently. I haven't  cycled it since last week due to weather and other commitments.

School land  is unresolved but I did get a confirmation that under the local development framework (which allocates 135 houses to central motors and 22 to the university 'derelict houses' site at Lodge Road)  there is an additional plot of land allocated for a lower school near Central Motors. This will not have houses if a school is not constructed there.

If the school playing field on Home Farm is not used for educational purposes it could, however, be built on.

What's in a name?

Indeed what is in a name? The Parish Council was asked to suggest street names for Home farm some time ago. There were some nice ones including Ramsey Abbey Close and Thillans - relating to old landownership. Now Central Beds have come back and it would appear Persimmon are planning to take the existing Lodge Road name into the development.

Presumably the remaining Lodge Road from Pipers Lodge down to Ivy Cottage still stays as Lodge Road leading to endless  confusion and an untidy look on the map. CBC say they have already sent these new addresses out to the Royal Mail. What?

Land is what we need

Land is what we are short of in Cranfield. If you get planning permission for houses it makes you a millionaire. So people hang on to it even if just grows grass.

Current needs are allotments, enlargement of the cemetery, sports pitches for the colts, playgroup site (possible accommodated by Home farm), surgery and really vital accessible land for the Lower School. Of course the Home Farm planning permission 'solved' that by creating a playing field a quarter of a mile from the school across a busy road.  It's no surprise that the Lower School is still looking for space to expand.

I've already pointed out in Cranfield Express that the footprint of Holywell school is huge and the buildings occupy at just one third of it. So why not put the Lower School in there? The two schools are both Church of England and the C of E retains the land. Seems a no-brainer to me. 

Covanta

Watch out for a report in Beds on Sunday tomorrow about the petitions v Covanta collated by Cllr Sue Clark and presented to Parliament

Diamond Jubilee

Claire Jenkins from Cranfield Guides emailed me to ask about local plans to mark the Diamond Jubilee in the village. Claire wants to get guides involved and is keen to work with the parish council  and other interested local organisations and individuals.

I have asked for this to be discussed at the PC on Wednesday 1 February - feel free to come along (Holywell School, 8 pm).  In the meantime please contact Claire on  agent-jenkins@tiscali.co.uk and let me have your ideas and thoughts as well. broadgreen68@btinternet.com

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.   Issue of deliveries arriving at site before 8am, MW confirmed that the site manager has been turning delivery vehicles away to comply with conditions. Cllr Matthews confirmed that CBC would enforce against any further breech of conditions especially relating to mud on the road/wheel cleaning. MW stated that HP has given final warning with regard to breech of conditions, and the Enforcement Officer has been in contact with regard to this issue. It was agreed that the condition of the road will continue to be monitored and Persimmon would implement their new measures and if this was not sufficient to satisfy CBC then enforcement action would be taken. It was discussed that the paths were also muddy, MW said he would look into the issue, cleaning would take place if necessary. Cllr Bastable read out an extract from local news letter, about the works that have been carried out with regard to mud on the road by Persimmon, and the future works that would be carried out. MW agreed that it was a fair representation of what had been undertaken and the intention to continue keeping the road clear.

Next meeting

The full parish council will be on 18 January at 8 pm in Holywell Middle School. 

Crane Way

We have been chasing Amey about various modifications they made to Crane Way last year. They have either declined to respond or passed our comments on to the "Watchman in chief'. Who has not responded. The pursuit is getting hotter.

On that score where is the consultation on the traffic calming? Is it finished on January 18 or starting?  Sorry to be so in the dark 

Village Hall

Representatives from the Village Hall management committee attended out last meeting before Christmas. They have sought additional funds (allowed for in our current annual budget) for painting the  steel braces on the roof trusses. I proposed that we agree the £3,400 (approx) cost and members have authorised this. 
There are offers on the  former caretaker's house and with these funds the VHMC are hoping to open the hall in time for the Diamond Jubilee in June. We wish them good luck in their venture. 

Home farm

I didn't want to start the year with Home Farm but I'll sort the good news first. Cranfield's Battle of Passchendale, Lodge Road knee deep in mud,  seems to have ended for the moment. Lodge Road is reasonably clear and Lodge Road residents are not  raising any issues. If there are still problems I'm keen to hear.

However, I'm sure you knew there a however coming, I was amazed that options regarding the proposed community hall are only surfacing now. We knew that we could run it ourselves or devolve to a management company (selected by Persimmon) which would mean levying a charge on residents in home farm.

Now we learn we can also opt to either build it ourselves on Home farm or on another site, with money provided by the developer.

Choice is great. I'm all for it. But these additional choices were never made known to us by Persimmon/CBC-MBDC in the past. Two years ago we were rushed into agreeing a spec by Persimmon because it all had to be done and dusted. That urgency seems less understandable now. 

£270 million for a rail link between Oxford and Bedford

The title above was an eyecatching detail in the chancellor's autumn statement. Parish Matters wont go into the macro economics of structural deficits and yields on government debt but anything that improves the Bletchley-Bedford Cinderella line extending it to Oxford has got to be good news for our local economy, cars off the road and just plain days out. After that they can put in the jigsaw piece between Bedford and cambridge

Village hall

I attended the AGM of the village hall management committee on Wednesday. Earlier reports that the house had been sold have been dashed due to the buyer withdrawing in the light of a survey. This is hugely disappointing as a sale at a decent price is needed to progress the project. We have now missed the centenary tear

Dr Reddy

With hundreds of others I crammed into the parish church for the funeral service of Dr 'Gina' Reddy on Friday. It was a moving and poignant occasion and the affection the village felt for her was clear. That affection was also felt by her, it was clear, from her wish to be buried in Cranfield cemetery. She died tragically early before the fruitful retirement which she richly deserved. Our thoughts are with Dominic and Anita.