Harlington Village Plan Is the Blueprint for the Future of Our Village
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Harlington Village Past, Present and Future The Village Plan of Harlington in Bedfordshire Contents 1. A Vision for Harlington 2. Introduction What is the Village Plan and what is its purpose Geographical area covered How the Village Plan was produced 3. A Brief History of the Village 4. Planning & Development The Village layout and its buildings Conservation area Planning & Development 5. Environment The Landscape setting Natural history Conserving & enhancing the environment 6. Living & Working in the Village Demographics Public Buildings Community & Leisure Education Health Crime & Safety Young People Communications Government 7. Transport Public transport Traffic Footpaths Appendices Survey results The Action Plan Conservation area detail Acknowledgements The Harlington Village Plan is the blueprint for the future of our village. It states where we are now, what we value about the village and our lives here, where we want to get to and what needs to be addressed, improved or preserved and how our vision can be achieved. 2 1. A V ISION FOR H ARLINGTON The preparation of the Village Plan has been driven by a Steering Group but has only happened because of the contribution of a very large team of volunteers aged from 14 to 85. The number of people who have so willingly agreed to help, and the way people have worked in partnership to prepare the Village Plan, is typical of the community spirit that makes Harlington special. 3 2. Introduction What is the Village Plan and what is its Purpose? The Village Plan is a statement of how we see ourselves developing over the next few years: • Reflecting the views of all sections of the community • Identifying which features and local characteristics people value • Identifying local problems and opportunities • Spelling out how residents want the community to develop in the future • Preparing a plan of action to achieve this vision So the Village Plan sets out a picture of where we’re at now; a broad vision of how we want, or don’t want, Harlington to develop and identifies the action needed to achieve it. As part of the Government’s agenda the Village Plan has the potential to influence a wide range of organisations and processes which affect the lives of rural communities. The Village Plan should complement and help deliver local planning policies, but cannot override adopted planning policy. The Village Plan should influence local strategies and inform how local services are managed and delivered. 4 Geographical area covered The rural village of Harlington lies in the south of the Mid Bedfordshire District of the County of Bedfordshire, approximately 38 miles NNW of London and 12 miles S of the County town of Bedford. In the immediate vicinity the small villages of Sundon, Sharpenhoe and Westoning lie to the south, east and north respectively. The larger community of Toddington lies 2.5 miles to the south west. The map below shows this relationship and the boundary of the civil Parish. 5 Chronology of events April 2005 Parish Council held public meeting to gauge interest in the idea of a Parish Plan; Resident offers to organise first meeting July 2005 Public meeting organised by resident to set up Parish Plan team - 90 people attend Name changed to Harlington Village Plan 6 steering group members appointed 64 residents volunteer to help with Village Plan September 2005 Steering group appoints officers Steering group plans consultation events Webpage set up on www.harlington.net Agreed to provide monthly updates in Contact magazine and on website. Grant application submitted November 2005 Grants approved for £2448 from Defra, £300 from Harlington Parish Council 1st consultation: questionnaire distributed to all residents of all ages to find out main likes and dislikes about the village; and suggestions for improvement December 2005 288 forms returned st Results of 1 consultation published nd January 2006 2 consultation: series of public road shows held (2 in the Har- lington Village Hall on different Saturdays; 1 in Harlington Upper School; 1 in Harlington Lower School) 600 residents and students took part All invited to place mini-flags in a large table sized map of Har- lington indicating what needs improving and where nd April 2006 Results of 2 consultation published May 2006 Local ‘Save Our Schools’ action group set up with support from HVP steering group as part of wider county campaign to stop change from three tier to two tier education system June 2006 Public meeting held by HVP steering group about two key is- sues: the Save our Schools campaign and the proposal to build a football stadium at Junction 12 adjacent to Harlington 250-300 attended; Nadine Dorries MP attended 6 July 2006 ‘Save Our Schools’ campaign successful and three tier educa- tion system is retained. (Harlington group was one of the most active in the campaign and played a key role in its success) rd October 2006 3 consultation: action plan part of Village Plan published in draft and distributed to every household for feedback rd December 2006 Results of 3 consultation collated January 2007 Public meeting held by HVP steering group to set up an action group to campaign against the development of Junction 12 for commercial warehousing and a football stadium 110 people sign up as volunteers for the campaign (later called CaSH) 18 people join the steering group February 2007 Campaign for Sustainable Harlington (CaSH) set up with sup- port from HVP Steering Group. CaSH steering group officers appointed CaSH action plan agreed Agreed that CaSH will run independently of the HVP steering group although there will be close liaison between both steering groups March 2007 Action plan section of Village Plan revised as a result of feed- rd back from 3 consultation exercise April 2007 Commenced writing of full Village Plan document April 2008 Harlington Village Plan document completed June 2008 Harlington Village Plan published and summary distributed to all residents with full version available on request 7 3. A Brief History of Harlington The village of Harlington is located around a hill just to the north of the easternmost outcrop of the Chiltern Hills, between Luton and Bedford. “Hill of Herela’s People”- was founded at some time after 500 A.D. by Anglo-Saxon settlers, and by the 9 th century Harlington had become a border town on the line of the local Danelaw boundary, which ran in a straight line from the source of the River Lea in Leagrave up to Bedford. At the time of Domesday in 1086, the Manor, formerly held by 4 Anglo-Saxon thanes, was taken over by Nigel D’Albini. The records show 12 village families, 6 smallholders and 10 slaves. Land was adequate for 10 ploughs, with meadow for a further 4. There was also sufficient woodland for 400 pigs, 1 ram and a pack load of oats. The value of the village was £10 (£4 in 1066, £9 in 1041). The Church of St. Mary was established on the highest point in the village by 1181, when the first incumbent, Phillipus, is recorded. A large moated Manor or Stewards House was built at Upper East End in the late 13 th / early 14 th century. Most of the development in medieval Harlington centred on the Church and down Sundon Road. In 1349 the Black Death came to Harlington and over 25% of the village, including Richard the Vicar, perished. John Benet, a famous chronicler, was Vicar of Harlington from 1443 –1471. Harlington’s longest surviving aristocracy, the Astry’s, came to the village in 1494 and remained until the beginning of the 19 th century. Today’s Manor House, at the crossroads, was built around 1500. In 1660, Sir Francis Wingate had John Bunyan arrested for preaching at Lower Samshill.; he was held overnight at the Manor House and brought before Wingate on November 13 th , who sent him to Bedford for trial. By 1671 the population of Harlington stood at 302. The first map of Harlington was drawn sometime between 1722 and 1739. The village underwent significant changes during the 19 th century: enclosure took place in 1808, and the first Methodist Chapel was built in 1836 in Sundon Road. A National School was built in Church Road in 1859 and extended in 1873, 1896 and 1900. The railway arrived in 1868 and brought some prosperity to Harlington, offsetting the agricultural decline. Housing conditions in the village, however, remained poor with some cottages “little better than inferior stables and lofts“, according to visiting commissioners in 1893. Industry came to the village in 1894 with the opening of Forders Brickworks, which operated until 1906. The population of the village steadily increased until 1960, but it was during the next 20 years that the village underwent rapid growth. During the 1960’s the “Model Village” housing development in Lincoln Way / Monmouth Road area was followed by Glebe 8 Gardens and the area around Robinson Crescent. In response to this, the Lower School was built in 1965 and in 1974/5, the Upper School. The Park Leys estate was built between 1976 and 1978. In this period the population rose from 862 in 1962 to 2440 by 1981. Today there are approximately 2800 people living in Harlington, occupying around 940 properties. The village currently sustains 2 pubs, a doctors’ surgery and a Village Hall; the original school is now the Parish Hall. The village acquired a public open space, Bury Orchard, in the 1960’s, and there is a playing field and a scout hut. The biggest employer in the village is the Upper School which, after recent improvements and extensions, now has places for 1200 pupils; serving a wide catchment outside the village.