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Kidmore End Parish Council Cane End Chalkhouse Green Gallowstree Common Kidmore End Tokers Green Newsletter Summer 2010 June 2010 No. 103 Jessica Dippenaar aged 4 - the youngest girl in school opens the KEPS spring fair with the fair committee members. Photo CourtesyPhoto of TaraTaylor Photography Inside this issue: Chairman's Report...................................2 Update on The New Allotments.............. 9 A Parish View From KEEP...............14,15 Council's £99 deal ...................................2 FISH....................................................... 10 Kidmore End Policing............................15 Editors Notes ...........................................3 KE Cricket Club..................................... 11 Local Weather Report ...........................16 Feature: Cross Farm ............................4,5 The Parish Church ................................ 12 Rats at Kidmore End .............................17 A Poem ....................................................5 Affordable Housing subcommittee ....... 12 Gardening ..............................................17 KEPS Spring Fair and Village Day....6,7,8 KE Pre-school ....................................... 13 Diary, Useful Info...................................18 The Reformation News............................9 Play Spaces Update ............................. 13 PAGE 2 J UNE 2010 NO. 103 Report from The Chairman of the Parish Council Dear Resident, It seems that summer is with us for the electors to hold the off hand, I cannot remember such at last! It is, of course, Council to account. a resolution in the past 2 years. particularly welcome this year, Clearly, the issues of affordable The agenda for meetings are after the severe winter we housing in Kidmore End and the posted on the notice boards in suffered. replacement of the Pavilion at the each village and on the Council’s In connection with the wintry Gallowstree Common Recreation website. The minutes of conditions in December 2009 and Ground led to some interest in meetings, even before January this year, your Council our meetings. These subjects confirmation, are posted on the has received some requests for will, I have no doubt, be covered website. the provision of salt/grit bins, so by other articles in this edition. I, and the Council, would be that local people can try to I have been intrigued by interested to know what further alleviate slippery conditions on comments made during public steps could be taken. the roads, in time of frost etc. question time at meetings, Essentially, the County Council is In the meantime, following the suggesting that the Council is not the authority responsible for General Election, it will be transparent in its dealings. Save maintaining safe passage on interesting to observe the in one particular respect roads. However, the County changes to local government and (comments on planning Council will sell salt bins to parish the services it provides (or is applications), the Council takes councils, will site them and will expected to provide). We are all its decisions at its monthly maintain them thereafter. Your already aware that the meetings. Unlike, for instance, Council is about to review the Government apparently intends the County or District Councils, County Council’s winter road to change the planning policy no decision-making powers have performance, before deciding to process, doing away with any been delegated to committees, proceed with the purchase of regional planning element or individual councillors or to our bins. guidance. This will, of course, be only employee, the Clerk. a major change: those of us with It has been good to observe a By law, all meetings of the long memories may remember well-filled public gallery, at recent Council must be open to the SERPLAN, which the Clerk tells meetings of the Council. Indeed, public. Specific resolutions have me existed before he became a it was good to see some to be passed to exclude the local government officer, residents, other than parish public, usually in connection with donkeys’ years ago! councillors, at the annual parish personal or commercial issues: meeting in March, the opportunity Giles Martin (Chairman, Kidmore End Parish Council) It pays to insulate with the Council's £99 deal Local homeowners could start pocketing savings within 12 months of taking up the Council's new home insulation offer. Under the deal, local homeowners and private tenants can get cavity wall or loft insulation fitted for a standard price of £99 each. At this price insulation pays for itself fast in reduced energy bills. The low price has been made possible by a performance related grant from central government. The £99 deal is subject to funding and offered on a first come, first service basis. If you are 70 or over, or receive means-tested benefits, you may get the work done free. The Council's insulation offer is being managed exclusively by Cocoon, a long standing partner of the Council. Cocoon offers a fast on-line self-referral option at www.cocoonyourhome.co.uk To find out more, call 0800 8048 777 and ask for the 'Oxon Deal'. KIDMORE END PARISH COUNCIL PAGE 3 Editor’s Notes Now it's up to you! that will accompany the meetings about As you know, the affordable questionnaire, so you can see what this matter until housing suggestion has been is coming. September, but trundling on in Parish Council "In these special circumstances we have all tried meetings. In the course of that, a we are asking all Parishioners to to secure transparency as to what subcommittee of the Parish express an opinion as to we are being asked to consider Council was set up and worked whether you are in favour of the and to ensure that everyone has a with ORCC¹ that would allow all proposal or not. Whether or not fair chance to respond at this early parishioners a say, and for views you consider yourself eligible for point in the process. As it was so to be transparent. I note today, the affordable housing, please take clearly stated recently: "The land in government is copying us! time to complete Q14* which is question is at Cold Norton Corner, about the issue of affordable Wood Lane, Kidmore End. At However, I also learned from housing at Cold Norton Corner; present, no other land within the ORCC that the response last time use the space on the back page Parish of Kidmore End has been was under 30%, which they to add any comments. identified by the ORHP² as suitable thought was good, but could be for affordable housing. Nor has called a disappointing turnout. We By completing this survey you the Parish Council been asked by are hoping that on this occasion are not necessarily supporting the ORHP to undertake any the response will be much greater, development of affordable exercise to identify what other land it would be a shame if the housing at Cold Norton Corner, might be suitable." response was again so low. Wood Lane. From this it follows that any further When the form comes around Everyone, whether in housing proposal would have to be started concerning affordable housing, the need or not, will be given the last question* is for EVERY opportunity to look at draft plans again from scratch at some future household to fill in and send back (which will be drawn up in the date and looked at entirely separately and it should not be the in the envelope provided. If you event that a local affordable case that targeted land could be are NOT in housing need, you do housing need is found to be switched within the current not have to put your name and present) and express their process. In any such restart address, so all replies to that last opinion on this important matter circumstances then it would be question will be anonymous. We before any planning application vital that any persons affected, or have been assured that all replies is made. potentially affected, would be to Q14 will be collated and made These surveys will be opened, consulted from the very outset and available for everyone to see, collated and analysed by ORCC, not caused distress. I add this answer by answer as they were so all personal information given because we are all be aware that written in their entirety. So we will will be kept confidential and all know what the balance of views the current proposal is, indeed, reported to the Parish Council causing distress, albeit is on the issue. anonymously" unintentionally I am sure. Here is part of the letter (as it was So there we have it. Probably at the time of writing this article) nothing more will happen at the PC Brian Knapp (Editor) *The specific question open to all to respond to: Q14. Would you support a development of affordable housing on the Glebe Land at Cold Norton Corner in Kidmore End if there was a proven need from individuals or families with a genuine local connection to Kidmore End Parish? Yes / No / Maybe See also: p12 ‘Report of the Affordable Housing subcommittee’, Cold Norton Corner p14 ‘A Parish View From KEEP’ ¹ Oxfordshire Rural Community Council ² Oxfordshire Rural Housing Partnership PAGE 4 J UNE 2010 NO. 103 FEATURE CROSS FARM You may remember, in an earlier newsletter, that I wondered if anyone could provide more information on Cross Farm. Suzanne Newell has kindly sent me this amazing record of its history. I am sure you will enjoy reading about it as much as I have. The story runs from 1158 to the start of World War II. [editor] ROSS FARM stands on land which was owned in 1158, the fourth year of the reign of Henry II, by C Walter Giffard, Earl of Buckingham and Ermigardis his wife. Together they founded the Abbey of Notley in Buckinghamshire, a monastery of Augustinian friars, on whom they bestowed this land and other land within what was afterwards the Manor of Caversham. The Giffards's original charter, in Latin, which survives in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, was confirmed by King John.