Oakley Green, Fifield & District Community Association Www
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Oakley Green, Fifield & District Community Association Winter Newsletter January 2013 www.ogafcap.co.uk Find out more about your community From the Chairman Christmas trees and carols TO: This time last year, we were all looking forward to the Olympics and BRAY PARISH COUNCIL the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and probably none of us foresaw JOHN TRAIN PLANTS what a great, joyous and hectic time it would be. Then before we had BLUE ACRE HORSE RESCUE time to catch our breath, we had further successes in the Ryder Cup THE FIFIELD INN golf, English cricket in India and in Rugby at Twickenham. Phew – AUTO TECHNICS what a year! HORLER & ASSOCIATES ESTATE AGENTS This year we have a royal baby on the way and the 60th Anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation in June. Perhaps another opportunity for a Street Party – for the third year running?? Whose generosity made it possible to have our Christmas trees and Carol singing. The Bray Parish Neighbourhood Plan Initiative picked up activity throughout the year, culminating in a series of local Workshops where we were all able to voice our opinions. And then right at the end of the year, we had the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council’s Consultation on the Local Plan. These important activities are covered in more detail elsewhere in this edition. But we do know that there will be further Consultation on both in 2013 and we will continue to be engaged and keep everyone informed of progress. The work and membership of the Community Association has continued throughout the past year and slowly but surely, we are seeing some real differences and improvements in our area and environment. Our 8 Work Groups undertake most of the work on What is behalf of local residents and the Association and are always looking for Plenty of lovely being done new volunteers. gifts for all at to improve the Christmas wet spots in Fair our area? So here is the annual rallying call! If you have made a New Year’s resolution to “do your bit” and support the local community in 2013, then why not get in touch and help out. The OGAFCA newsletter is edited by Alison Brayshaw Printed by Uxbridge Press: www.uxbridgepress.co.uk Published by Oakley Green, Fifield and District Community Association Limited by Guarantee Postal address: OGAFCA, Broadacre House, Coningsby Lane, Fifield, SL6 2PF The views expressed in the OGAFCA newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the editor. The Oakley Green, Fifield and District Community Association Limited by Guarantee does not accept responsibility for products or services advertised in this publication. As well as the AGM in September, we hold several General Meetings in Now - the more observant amongst you may have noticed that this year, the year where anyone can come along and hear about what we are for the first time we put up not one but two Christmas trees - one on doing and provide input. The next one is scheduled for Thursday Fifield “Village Green” and the other at the crossroads opposite February 21st in Braywood Memorial Hall at 7.30pm. Everyone is Braywood Memorial Hall. OGAFCA and the local community are welcome. The Annual General Meeting will take place this year on extremely grateful to Auto Technics, Blue Acre Horse Rescue, Bray Thursday September 19th at 7:30 pm in Braywood Memorial Hall. Parish Council, The Fifield Inn, Horler & Associates Estate Agents and John Train Plants, for their help and Sponsorship enabling us to do this. Annual membership of our Association runs from April 1st to March 31st. Subscriptions are an important source of revenue for the Association The second social event was the Gathering round the Christmas and remain very good value at just £3 for a year and £5 for two years. Tree on Fifield Village Green on Saturday December 22nd. Over 50 Members are now entitled to a small reduction on participation in some people turned up - despite the wet weather and competition from the of our social events in the year. final of Strictly Come Dancing - and they enjoyed some mulled wine, mince pies and singing carols. It was great to see so many children come along and sing too. Thank you for your continued support. Grenville Annetts In 2012, we held more social events than ever and the Social & Recreational Work Group has already started to plan some events for 2013. Look out for more information in future Newsletters and on our Social Events held since our last Newsletter Website nearer the time. Since the Autumn edition of the Newsletter, we have held two successful If you wish to help out with organising these, please contact us via the social events. Social & Recreational Work Group on the Website or tel 01628 784441. Social & Recreational Work Group On Saturday November 24th we organised our second Christmas Fair. Our original Residents Survey told us that this type of event should be RBWM Local Plan Sites Consultation popular. Bill Collier was the organiser again this year – and we had a wide range of stalls selling very high quality products including:- Barbara Frame - Phoenix Cards, Carol Luscombe - Cake Decorations, As part of building the Borough Local Plan, RBWM established a Public th st Ellie Stevens - Dapper Dog, Jean Plumb - Recycled Material Products, Consultation which ran from November 19 to December 31 . The Julie Bens - Handmade Jewellery, Keron Nappy - Cakes, Marion purpose was to seek the views of everyone on the potential Heywood - Forever Living Products, Suzi Bhatti - Hand Packaged development of 75 or so sites across the Borough. 4 of the sites Sweets and Thames Hospicecare. identified were in Bray Parish and 3 of these are in our area – namely:- Land at Water Oakley Farm, Windsor Road, Bray (next to Bray Studios) All very impressive and a good place for Christmas shopping! Wyevale Garden Centre, Dedworth Road, Windsor Squires Garden Centre, Maidenhead Road, Windsor Every household in the Borough was supposed to receive a flier notifying us all of this very important activity – but alas, large parts of our area were missed out. Given this and the importance of the Consultation, we joined forces with the Oakley Green & Fifield Residents Association, Down Place Residents Association and the West Windsor Residents Association – and promoted participation in the exercise. We also organised two Workshops – on Saturday December 8th and on Tuesday December 11th - to explain about the Consultation and how it related to the Bray Parish Neighbourhood Plan exercise which is going on in parallel. Both Workshops were well attended (150+ came along) and lively and constructive discussions took place. Attendees were urged to make their views known to RBWM via the Online Survey or via hard copies of the relevant (local) parts of the Survey which were obtained from RBWM and handed out at the Workshops. The general consensus of the two events was that limited development within strictly defined parameters to limit the impact on the Green Belt would be acceptable on the land at Water Oakley Farm and development at the two Garden Centres was not supported. The Associations involved agreed to make these views known to RBWM. After pressure from various sources, including us, the closing date for the Consultation was subsequently extended to Friday January 11th to allow more time for residents to respond. We will continue to keep a close eye on the RBWM Local Plan and the Bray Parish Neighbourhood Plan and keep you informed. Grenville Annetts BPNP – into the final Stretch? O Come All Ye Faithfull........... The Bray Parish Neighbourhood Plan (BPNP) Steering Group have Last Christmas, whilst enjoying a convivial glass or two, I announced now completed the five Workshops across the three areas of the that we should have a Christmas tree on Fifield Village green. Parish, assisted by the Princes Foundation and the Final report has Everyone agreed that this was a splendid idea and drank a toast on the been accepted by the Steering Group. There was a proposal that a spot. Some eleven months later I wondered how I was going to make further Holyport Workshop would be beneficial and we are going out my rash promise come to fruition. We had never done anything like this now to ask Residents whether this is what you want, before getting before and it was difficult to know where to start. dates in place. After the last of these Workshops a Communications First things first, we had to ask permission from Bray Parish Council to Group was formed who have issued their first Update Email, with put a tree on their land. This was granted and then we wondered where more to come. Also on their task list is a refresh of the website and to find a tree. Amazingly, we were given not one, but two trees, by the the potential creation of a Forum. kind generosity of John and Sharon Train and the Blue Acre Horse Rescue and then the magnanimous gifts from Auto Technics and Horler & Associates meant that, not only could we decorate our trees At the last Steering Group meeting we decided that we were in a but also plan our carol singing event. The Fifield Inn supplied mince position, with further support from RBWM, to go ahead and ask the pies and OGAFCA supplied the mulled wine, so we were ready to go. Topic Groups to start to write the first draft of their part of the Plan. This work will take some time - writing as a Planner would write is a As the day arrived so did the rain and our committee arrived to set up in new skill for us all! And the next Steering Group Meeting on 21st raincoats and wellies wondering whether anyone would turn up.