Theydon Bois Village News
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Issue 50 Produced forP argesei d1e nts Theydon Bois of Theydon Bois Issue 50 Village News June 2005 St. Mary’s May Fayre Village News is sponsored by James Sear Estate Agents, Theydon Bois Balti House & Woodland & Wildlife Conservation Co Ltd - see page 15 IIssssuuee 5500 Page 2 Cleaning Up Members of the Parish Council and volunteers from the Village spent several weekends clearing the considerable amount of rubbish and debris which had accumulated in the area behind the westbound platform at the Station Issue 50 Page 3 Cleaning Up Re-generation of Public Footpath along the perimeter fence of the westbound platform Theydon Bois Station The public footpath leading from the steps of the footbridge at Theydon Bois Station to Theydon Garnon Church had over the years fallen into a derelict condition, overgrown with brambles, long grass and nettles with low hanging branches blocking the route. In addition there had been a build up of litter and junk that made most users walk the private roadway to the first stile along the route rather than “risk” the public footpath. This footpath used to be the start of the cross country route past the old clinker beds to Theydon Garnon Church until the “Old Foresters” pavilion and the new road were built in the mid seventies. Nevertheless it is clearly marked and documented on the Definitive Footpath map of the Parish produced two years ago by Essex County Council which in itself constitutes a legal document. (A copy of which is held and can be seen in the Parish Office.) In order to encourage the public to use the route more we formed a working party of volunteers who over the course of three Saturday afternoons in March and April began to clear the rubbish. Both members of the public and Parish Council helped, which included a local farmer without whose tractor and trailer, the task would have been far more difficult and costly to achieve through the normal EFDC channels. In the end the trailer was full seven times and after the clearance one can still see the old boundary fence first erected by the Great Eastern Railway to delineate the path from what was the site of the old Allotments. As a bonus we also uncovered a concrete path which we believe was laid when the line was electrified to facilitate passengers exiting from the London bound platform to Station Hill and the Abridge Road. The other problem we encountered was that a few years ago London Transport fenced off the old Allotment site to discourage travellers using the redundant ground and their contractors brought the fence mesh round to return onto the railway perimeter fence and thereby closing the footpath off. This had been subsequently broken down by virtue of antisocial behaviour but nevertheless remained a threat to the continued existence of the path. However after discussions with LTU this last section was removed and the old steps along the path dug out, and with the help of Chris Camp at Countrycare, new way-marker posts were erected and the broken concrete public footpath sign at the edge of the footbridge was reinstalled. We now hope this encourages more people to use this delightful, definitive footpath across the fields through Parsonage Golf to Theydon Garnon Church as well as trying to reduce all aspects of anti-social behaviour behind the Station. ANTHONY PURKISS IIssue 50 PPaaggee 44 Parish Council Chairman’s Annual Report 2005 Meetings The Parish Council has again been very active this year. In fact, because of the amount of business to be conducted, we now hold additional administration meetings in the months when there is a Public Meeting.. There have been: 7 public meetings 9 administration meetings 3 meetings of the Finance and General Purposes Committee 26 meetings of the Planning Committee 2 meetings of the Cemetery Committee plus a working party in April 1 official and several unofficial meetings of the Highways and Environment Committee 5 meetings of the Youth Initiative Committee In addition Councillors have attended a number of local government liaison committees and presentations as well as representative groups. Planning The Planning committee have reviewed 89 planning applications during the year to which they raised 30 objections. The committee's work has been assisted by the valuable contribution made by Peter Newton and Jim Watts on behalf of the Rural Preservation Society. Most applications have been for extensions or conservatories. There has been just one application this year for a telecommunications mast at Parsonage Golf which has been granted although we have not officially heard. The saga of the proposed sale of the Youth Community Centre by Essex County Council continues. Ex District Councillor Roy Newland, on behalf of the Parish Council, has applied for the land on which the community centre and the Scout headquarters stand to be designated as a ‘village green.’ If this application was to succeed, Essex County Council would effectively be barred from selling it. Disappointingly, all the indications are that the application will fail. Essex County Council have recently put up notices saying ‘no ball games’ etc. denying the community access to land it has had for over 50 years. The latest news on Wansfell College is that a buyer has been found for the property but details as to who the purchaser may be and what plans he has for it are not available. IIssue 5409 Page 5 Parish Council Chairman’s Report (continued) Finance and General Purposes There have been two meetings of the full committee. The arrangement whereby the small working group examines income and expenditure and makes recommendations to the full committee regarding budget provision and precept, seems to be working well. It facilitates more in depth analysis of the finances and financial planning. Cemetery Income is now exceeding budget predictions for the year whilst expenditure on wages for the handyman was running at well below budget. This is mainly attributable to the illness and subsequent sad death of the previous handyman, Malcolm Harris. We paid tribute to Malcolm at the public meeting held on 30 September 2004. The Cemetery Committee is again entering the Garden of Remembrance in the Open Gardens Day. Replacement of some shrubs is to be undertaken and with the regular assistance of a handyman, we hope that a visit to the Cemetery will be a worthwhile experience. Village Strategic Plan The official launch of Theydon Bois CCTV system took place on Wednesday 19 May 2004 and the system is fully operational. There has been a marked decline in the anti-social behaviour in the areas covered. The system is now being extended to cover the Buxton Field and allotments. The system control has also been enhanced with the control consul now centralized at the village hall. As you know, it has been a concern of the Parish Council that there are no facilities provided for youth. John Knapman, leader of Epping Forest District Council, made an offer to help finance a youth facility and suggested that Councillors visit his Parish where a sports facility had been recently installed. This consisted of a hard play area marked out for b a s k e t b a l l a n d f o o t b a l l , IIssue 5409 PPaaggee 66 Parish Council Chairman’s Report (continued) surrounded by railings. After a due process of identification and elimination of possible sites, which included the participation of the Essex Police and tentative discussions with the Corporation of London, the site favoured for such an installation was at the back of the Green where the toilet block formerly stood. After formal consideration, the Corporation of London have declined permission for such a scheme and the planning application lodged with Epping Forest District Council has been withdrawn by the Parish Council. In the event that both the Corporation of London and Epping Forest District Council gave their consent to the plan, I would like to reassure villagers that the Parish Council planned for a period of full village consultation before any further decision was taken. We have said publicly that we would require the full support and consent of the village if we were to proceed. Our rationale in seeking the corporate views of the Corporation of London and Epping Forest District Council at this early stage was that if either body refused to give permission, there was little merit in proceeding further with the project. This has proved to be the case. Village Environment The long awaited one hour parking restrictions have recently come into force on certain roads in the village where there has been an immediate improvement. Led by Anthony Purkiss, a lot of work has been done in the allotments to clear rubbish, including asbestos which has been professionally taken away for disposal. Encouragingly, more plots are Elizabeth Drive being worked with further enquiries coming in. I would also like to thank our ex chairman Wilfred Shales for his continued input into Parish Council work in association with the Tree Strategy. Wilf seems to have got over his bout of ill health and I was pleased to hear from him that Gladys had been sent home on Good Friday. I am sure you join me in sending our best wishes to Wilf and Gladys. I would like to say at this stage that there are ever increasing demands upon Councillors time and that we would welcome any volunteers who would like to assist by attending as a co-opted representative one or more of the many Primary Care or transport liaison meetings held within the district.