Autumn 2015 Pitstone Parish Post Page 1 Editor Sue Nicholls Tel: 01296 661910 [email protected] Advertising and Distribution Klaus Ginda Tel: 01296 668911 [email protected] Next Edition Pitstone Parish Post The next edition will be Produced on behalf of Pitstone Parish Council and distributed distributed quarterly, free to every household, PPP during January/February aims to keep members of the local community 2016. informed about events and news that may affect Deadline is 20th January them. 2016 We are very grateful to the following distributors, who deliver the magazine to your door every If you wish to view the quarter: plans for any planning ap- plication currently under Gill Arney, Kathy Brassington, Martyn Bronziet, Barbara consultation by AVDC, Byrom, Mike Clayton, Dawn Eaglesham, Laurie Eagling, please visit Lynn Fountain, Klaus BZ Ginda, David Hawkins, www.aylesburyvaledc. Barbara Jacob, Sally Kapadia, Robert King, Norma gov.uk Leighton, Linda Martin, Nikki Mattey, Julie Mead, Sue Nicholls, Janet Nielsen, Vanita Patel, Louise Pope, Isobel Robinson, Sarah Smith, Annie Stack, Tracey Stone, Current PPP advertising rates (inc. VAT at 20%) Fiona Thompson, Linda Thompson, Louise Weatherill, Business card £9, Quarter Page Connie Wesley, Linda Willimont. Our thanks to Alison £14, Third page £17, Half Page Hawkins and Olive West who have retired, and £24.50, Full page £48.50, Inside colour half £30, Inside colour full congratulations to Vanita Patel for her return to good £60, Back page colour £65. For health. advertising enquiries please If you would like to help with the distribution then contact the Advertising Manager please contact the distribution manager (see left). or Editor above. Page 2 Pitstone Parish Post Spring/Summer 2015 WELCOME Bob Saintey, Chairman, Pitstone Parish Council I hope that all of us have been able to Windmill to close for the last three enjoy a summer break from the summer opening sessions, for health many responsibilities that we and safety reasons. This meant the undertake within the community. loss of much valued income and It seems an age ago now, but I must enjoyment. comment on the total success of our Immediate tree surgery was carried Party in the Park. Thanks to good out, and to try and save what is left weather, an estimated 1,000 people of this iconic symbol the remaining descended upon the Recreation tree was reduced by 30%. ground to enjoy good music, good After many, many years of frustrating food and a good time. developments, the land around the Congratulations to the Charities who Rec. and Memorial Hall, which is gained enormously from the event. known as The Pitstone Development May I thank the organising committee Area, is in the process of going to for their unstinting hard work. the market for future development. Here’s to many more events based Hopefully this procedure will release on a very successful footing. the Charity land for development, Many of you will have seen the and inclusion of a skate park and new graffiti on the Windmill and deplored play area. it’s appearance. The situation is now And finally, as we approach winter, under curatorial and expert advice with the clocks going back, plunging for it’s removal. Anther unfortunate us into earlier darkness, I would ask event beset the Windmill when the you to check doors, windows, locks 250 year old chestnut tree by the etc. and of course, keep an eye on entrance to the car park suffered your elderly neighbours. wind damage. This forced the Autumn 2015 Pitstone Parish Post Page 3 Page 4 Pitstone Parish Post Spring/Summer 2015 Autumn 2015 Pitstone Parish Post Page 5 COUNTY COUNCIL NEWS Avril Davies County Councillor, Ivinghoe Division Many people have asked if I am difficult services of: child protection, finding more time since standing elderly social care, public health, down from the District Council in education, roads, flood protection, May. There seemed to be no respite waste and quarrying, with libraries, until August, when everything is museums and archaeology added on quiet, but maybe now, this for good measure! September, I won't miss the planning I wrote most of this report in July to meetings that had become so catch the deadline for the Ivinghoe frustrating and futile, trying to Beacon. Since then very little has control development with every happened in the summer school local policy shot away by holiday period, although work has government and their planning continued on the child sexual inspectorate. Apart from planning, exploitation enquiry, and on the the bulk of my Councillor’s work flooding enquiry that I am part of. load had always been on County, The highway maintenance teams even before I was a County have been hyperactive across the Councillor! county, and progress has been made As well as Pitstone, this county on the A4146 project. division includes Ivinghoe, Ivinghoe Roads Aston, Edlesborough, Northall On Wednesday, July 8th I gave the Dagnall, Slapton, Cheddington, new cabinet member for Mentmore and Marsworth. The transportation at Bucks County County Council budget is 10 times Council, a guided tour of the that of the District, and apart from Ivinghoe Division. I pleaded with him planning is responsible for all the (Continued on page 6) Page 6 Pitstone Parish Post Spring/Summer 2015 at Council, half in jest, for the whole vulnerable to this, through social of the £3M released from council media and on-line games. The job of reserves for highway maintenance, to the select committee is to see if the be spent in Ivinghoe Division. As a Council is exploiting every possible new broom, his interest had been course of action to protect children sparked by his meeting with and young people. There are many Edlesborough, Northall and Dagnall opportunities on offer to learn about campaign group, who wanted to internet safety, so take them if you downgrade the A4146 to a B road, can. The recent Old Bailey trial of and raised all the HGV routing issues several men from the Aylesbury Area that beset this corner of the County. shows how hard it is to bring The downgrade is being pursued by perpetrators to justice. The County Hertfordshire county council, but the Council and Thames Valley Police officers at Bucks, although have been taking preventative action sympathetic, are adamant that such a and working to get robust enough step must not divert traffic onto evidence to bring people to court, other roads, particularly the B488. since at least 2005 when I requested There would be an opportunity, with a meeting about this because of some the opening of the A505 link from information I had been given. Leighton Buzzard to the M1 - the Ivinghoe Conservation Area Dunstable North bypass - but it I am elated and extremely relieved would need co-ordinated signage and that the revised Ivinghoe changing the designation of the Stoke conservation area policy has passed Hammond Bypass from the A4146 to all the hurdles, and been agreed at the A505. The three counties Aylesbury Vale District Council. This involved are working on this to see is an excellent piece of work, and if how it could be implemented. you are interested in the history of Preventing Child Sexual the village it is well worth investing in Exploitation a copy. Ivinghoe was one of the first I am participating, by special invitation villages in Aylesbury Vale to be from the chair of the Education, Skills designated a conservation area and Children's Services Select because of its outstanding merits, but Committee, in a review of this hot being an early prototype, did not topic. ‘R U Safe?’ and ‘RUWise2it?’, benefit from the scholarship, are not services or campaign slogans architectural expertise and planning operating in a vacuum. The police say policies that informed later that two out of three children, from conservation areas. The revision was pre-school age onwards, are long overdue, and thanks are due to Autumn 2015 Pitstone Parish Post Page 7 Karen Groom, chairman of Ivinghoe St Albans. I have been able to Parish Council, who left nothing to support this unusual step from the chance, and attended the final beginning, as the head teacher has decision making cabinet meeting to been good enough to engage me leave the Councillors in no doubt of from the early days, and reassure the importance and value of the me that not only will the school conservation area to residents. continue to serve the whole Dagnall School community, but that its presence With the endorsement of parents will be strengthened by being able and the community, Dagnall School to draw upon the resource of the has taken the innovative step to diocese, and partner with other become a Church of England nearby schools such as Little maintained school, in the diocese of Gaddesden. Page 8 Pitstone Parish Post Spring/Summer 2015 Autumn 2015 Pitstone Parish Post Page 9 PARISH COUNCIL NEWS Laurie Eagling, Parish Clerk Congratulations! Pitstone is Would you need assistance if Runner Up in the Best Kept there was an emergency in the Village 2015 Competition village? DeFraine Cup The Parish Council maintains a The Parish Council was delighted to Community Self Help Plan, produced announce in July that we had been in conjunction with the Resilience judged runner-up in the Best Kept Team at AVDC, to provide help Village Competition DeFraine Cup. during any emergency affecting the Our sincere thanks and community, when the normal congratulations to our litter-picking emergency response provided by the and ground-keeping teams, and all emergency services and local the residents who take a pride in the authorities has been delayed or appearance of our village and helped overwhelmed due to the scope and to keep it clean and tidy.