The Parish Magazine of St Peter’s with All Saints’ Welcome to the October 2004 issue of In this month's issue... the Berkhamsted Review From an early age until I retired, my year was WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY shaped by school and later university terms. Fr Basil Jones encourages us to think Now, sitting in the editorial chair, occupied so positively during the vacancy at St Peter's p3 ably for the last fifteen years by David Woodward, I have a familiar beginning-of- HOUSES OR GARDENS term feeling - new opportunities and Ian Reay looks at the planning process …p5 challenges, but not without a basis of well- established policies and routines. I believe the BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS flavour of the review is just about right. Margaret Burbidge explains how the Keeping readers informed about activities in Mothers Union challenges poverty and our town and our churches and offering an oppression ………………………………. p7 opportunity for people to write about their interests and about Berkhamsted past and VSO IN NORTHERN GHANA present. I plan to maintain this balance. Rachel Davis describes a new Teachers' Resource Centre ………………………… p9 David in his final editorial emphasised that the review could not continue without an editor. JOHN NASH AND REGENCY That may be true, but equally essential are contributors. News of activities, recent or LONDON forthcoming is always welcome and so is Stephen Halliday continues the story .....p12 correspondence about topical issues. Also popular are accounts of travels, far or near, PHAKAMISA and items about the history of our town and Education and care in South Africa……. p21 neighbourhood. This month we travel across the globe to northern Ghana and back in time ... plus our regular features, to the second world war and Regency London. notes & notices and diary dates Christopher Green Cover photographs of Salisbury Cathedral by Tony Firshman Editorial Team: Christopher Green, 17 Cowper Road, Berkhamsted, HP4 3DE (863241) email: [email protected] Guy Dawkins, 334 High Street, Berkhamsted HP4 1HT (874108) email: [email protected] Tony Firshman, 29 Longfield Road, Tring, HP23 4DG (828254) email: [email protected] fax: 828255 Advertising: David Woodward, 3 Murray Road, Berkhamsted, HP4 1JD (862723) Circulation: Sheila Miller, 31 Lincoln Court, Berkhamsted, HP4 3EN (864277) Treasurer: Miles Nicholas, 46 Fieldway, Berkhamsted, HP4 2NY (871598) Parish office: The Court House, Berkhamsted, HP4 2AX Sec: Jean Green (878227) email: [email protected] Responsibility for opinions expressed in articles and letters published in this Review and for the accuracy of any statements in them rests solely with the individual contributor Next copy dates (all Fridays): 1 October 5 November 3 December 2 review leader When the When the cat's His wonders to perform (just look at away the mice the Old Testament) cat's away will play. When there is no We at St Peter's and All Saints’ are Father Basil Rector then fortunate in so many ways and it is lesser mortals tempting on such occasions as the Jones come out to present simply to raise the encourages us play. With that drawbridge, close ranks and in mind I can conserve our resources, our man and to think state that for me woman power and whatever other the word resources we may have. positively interregnum is during the much more You don't need me to remind you regal than that we are part of a much wider vacancy at St vacancy, which church and that our situation is not unique - there are interregna all Peter's smacks of a seaside B and B. around us. The Reverend David However if Abbott of St Michael and All Father Mark (sorry, The Reverend Angels, Sunnyside is the freshly Canon) should see this little piece I appointed Rural Dean and he has shall be corrected and perhaps the difficult job of managing the reminded kindly that Sarum is a much situation as well as possible. more ancient diocese than the new boy It is understandable that we are all a at St Albans. bit apprehensive. Very few people However, when there is no Rector like change. I am not immune as there is no one to blame or to you may have guessed. I have to apportion praise. We may find that we admit however that it is times like have to admit sometimes that the mote the present that can prove is in our own eye. People in unexpectedly rich. My hope glasshouses should not throw stones. therefore is that the new Rector will We might even find it surprisingly be able to lead us into fresh fields delightful to discover the names of and pastures new, which have been those around us, to smile and perhaps well prepared not just in the past but enter into conversation with them. right now - and by us. An interregnum can prove to be something of a turning point for the PARISH HARVEST LUNCH Christian family - which is us. If in THE COURT HOUSE something familiar seems to be Sunday 10th October at 12.30 p.m. missing, perhaps God has withdrawn it, for you and nobody else to fill. It Tickets: £4 adult £3 child may even mean some slight £10 for family of three reorganisation of routines. As we all know, God moves in mysterious ways from Carole Dell (864706) John Banks (871195) 3 Sarah Davey MSTAT, RCST Teacher of the Alexander Technique Cranio Sacral Therapist Tel: (01442) 250712 email: [email protected] BOOKS PURCHASED HARDBACK BOOKS WANTED OLD OR NEW LARGE OR SMALL AMOUNTS HOUSE CLEARANCE DISCRETION ASSURED PROMPT PAYMENT 01442 862036 D J PROCTOR Gorgeous Gardens Will Kimberley Garden design & 01442 255784 planting services for Herts, Beds and Bucks Grass cutting Hedge trimming 1 Small areas & entire gardens Patios cleaned 2 Ideas tailored to your Gutters cleared lifestyle & budget All cuttings and 3 Professionally planned clippings removed 4 Complete project management References available www.gorgeousgardens.co.uk Why not phone 07884 475303 for a quote? 4 any people across the bear in a process that is M town are selling off dominated and controlled parts of their gardens to by “experts”. In both have new houses built. systems there is a This is known as tandem “presumption” made. In infilling or backland the case of a criminal trial development. Infilling is, the innocence of the on the whole, good for accused is presumed. In the those residents who may case of a planning have a larger garden space Houses or Gardens application the than they need and also presumption that the new good for the community at Ian Reay describes the construction can go ahead large because more houses is made - except for listed become available in a part planning process buildings or conservation of the country where areas. housing is in desperately short supply. The borough council is increasingly under pressure There is one other similarity between the to provide for more new housing and infilling development control process and the is an important means of achieving this. judicial system - the possibility of making an appeal. But at this point the similarities However, a balance has to be struck. If too between the two break down. much backland development takes place it can, over time, lead to a deterioration of the The appeal judge will examine whether character of the area in which it occurs. The there was any new evidence that could not fact that there is an open and spacious outlook have been seen by the jury or whether the with a large amount of open garden space may process of the trial was properly carried be part of the reason why an area is attractive out. He or she does not overrule the to live in. Too much infilling can destroy this discretion of a jury. It is quite different in quality. So new housing has to be sensitively the case of a planning appeal. If a designed. committee quite legitimately rejects an application which, in their opinion, The borough council has guidelines on the applying their discretion, fails to meet the construction of new houses in each area of the policies and guidelines then a planning town. These guidelines determine such things inspector, on appeal, can apply his or her as the height, the spacing between houses, the own discretion and come to the opposite density of new developments, the length of conclusion. The decision of the appeal gardens and so forth. When an application for inspector is final. There is no “higher new construction is made it will be tested for court” of appeal. conformity with these guidelines. Many applications will be decided by qualified Whereas in the case of the legal process planning experts in the planning department of the jury has the last word - provided the the borough council. However, even when a process has been properly carried out. In decision is very largely determined by the the case of the development control planning policies, there will often be a need to process the common sense, local apply discretion, for example, in deciding knowledge and discretion of a dozen or so whether a new design has a “detrimental effect representative and accountable local on the street scene”. If an application is large councillors can be overruled by the or contentious, and there is a significant public discretion of a single “expert” who may interest, it will be decided by the borough’s live two hundred miles away from the Development Control Committee. This is a affected area. There have been several committee of elected councillors. They are such incidents recently in Berkhamsted not experts on planning matters - although and the open, spacious and woodland feel they will have had some training.