DUNSTABLE TOWN COUNCIL ALKIssue 67 March 2015 of the T TOWN‘Helping make Dunstable a Better Place’ New! Grove Skate Park Focus On Eleanor’s Cross How We Spend Your Council Tax Upcoming Events Plus lots more... www.dunstable.gov.uk DUNSTABLE TOWN COUNCIL Meet the Councillors CENTRALMeet WARD the CouncillorsICKNIELD WARD Cllr V Fildes Cllr P E Russell Cllr P Staples Cllr T C Colbourne Cllr J Kane Cllr G Martin Cllr T A W Stock Cllr N Warren Willowcroft, 44 Mayfield Road Priory Lodge 70 Crabtree Way 2 Ripley Road 70 Crabtree Way 8 Holliwick Road 41 Lowry Drive Byslips Road, Dunstable LU5 4AP Friars Walk Dunstable LU6 1UR Luton LU4 0AT Dunstable LU6 1UR Dunstable LU5 4RA Houghton Regis Studham LU6 2ND 07717 192398 Dunstable LU6 3JA 01582 666910 01582 510048 01582 666910 01582 665377 LU5 5SJ 01582 278281 01582 666703 Welcome 01582 864396 MANSHEAD WARD NORTHFIELDS WARD Cllr R Pepworth Cllr N Reynolds Cllr J Anklesaria Cllr J A Chatterley Cllr J Freeman Cllr J A Harnett Cllr J Murray 28 Great Northern Rd 57 Half Moon Lane Shernavaz 36 Roslyn Way 77 Hillcroft 8 Ashcroft 8 Westgate Court DunstableDunstable LU5 4BP Dunstable LU5 4AB 12 SunbowerTown Avenue Houghton RegisCentre Dunstable Dunstable 204-206 West Street 01582 538414 07963 377087 Dunstable LU6 1UQ LU5 6JY LU6 1TT LU6 1DX Dunstable LU6 1NZ As Dunstable is so close to London and comparatively easy to reach by road it was01582 chosen 662974 as a suitable place to 01582decide the867536 King's 'grete and weightie01582 cause'756060 and on 10th May07842 1533 791109 01582 690500 Cranmer rode into town to meet the Bishops of London, Winchester and Bath. Together with Prior Markham and their various advisors they sat in the Lady Chapel for nearly two weeks, discussing not only the legality of Henry VIII marriage to Catherine of Aragon but also the advisability of standing out against the wishes of the Pope. Their decision that Henry's second marriage to Anne Boleyn was legal, set into motion the break with Rome and the establishment of the Church of England. Dunstable’s Markets WATLING WARD Follow 900 years of tradition by visiting Dunstable's historic Charter Markets in Ashton Square on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays all year round. Priory House DUNSTABLE TOWN CENTRE The Priory Church of St Peter The original building with its vaulted ceiling Described as an 'architectural gem', the large was built in the late 1100’s, early 1200’s and and impressive Priory Church of St Peter is the oldest secular building still standing was founded in 1132 by Henry I for in Bedfordshire. It has had a chequered Augustinian Canons. The Norman West history including possible use in medieval front remains largely intact as does the nave times as a hostelry for pilgrims and travellers, and other elements which constituted the a private house known as The Manor House gateway to the great courtyard. of the Manor of Dame Sayers of Kensworth, a lunatic asylum and a hat factory. The building backs onto the beautiful Priory Gardens which cover the original site of the Cllr M J P Mullany Cllr B Whayman stables and outhouses of the Augustinian Priory Chew’s49 West House Hill Birch House and Priory Meadow where the underground BuiltDunstable in 1715, this LU6 house 3PN was 32a constructed Bull Pond Lane remains of the Priory can be seen in the lie of the as a charity01582 school 667797 for 40 boysDunstable from poor LU6 families. 3BJ land. Priory House is now the home of the Dunstable The adjoining Cart Almshouses07905 were 100932built 8 Heritage and Tourist Information Centre. years later. Chew's House is today utilised as the Parish Office for the Priory Church. Market Clock The Market Clock stands on the Square, the traditional market place. The site was once home to the local cattle market but today is used for occasional Old Sugar Loaf and speciality markets. In 1131, the Augustinian Priory was granted authority to regulate markets Yet another living memorial from the coaching in Dunstable; the authority is now held by the age and one of the oldest remaining inns in District Council. Markets have been held Dunstable. Built in the late 17th Century, continuously in the centre of the town, near it was partly rebuilt in 1717, although the the pre-historic crossroads ever since. largeCllr model P N sugar Hollick loaf above theCllr entrance L Jones porch is a more recent addition. 1 Carlisle Close 82 Jeansway Ashton Middle School Dunstable LU6 3PH Dunstable LU5 4PP Ashton Church of England Middle 01582 665133 01582 472044 School, is housed in a listed building which was erected in 1888. Plaques Old Palace Lodge commemorating Old Boys who died Successive Norman Kings found the unique in the both World Wars are found in location of Dunstable at the junction of the School's Memorial Library. Watling Street and the prehistoric Icknield Way an ideal place to visit. Methodist Church They maintained a royal hunting lodge, which today is the site of the The present church building dates Old Palace Lodge Hotel. from 1909 and is the third Methodist church to be built on this site; the previous two were destroyed by fire. Please note the impressive spire on this Wesleyan Methodist Church. Cllr C E Meakins-Jell Grove House11 Bernard Close St Mary’s Church This mid 18thDunstable Century building LU5 4HLwas originally Designed by Desmond Williams a coaching inn - the01582 Duke 526104 of Bedford Arms. and Associates, the church was officially The building then became the family home of opened by the Bishop of Northampton the Bagshawes who established engineering in 1964. The circular building is 100 ft Grove Theatre works in the town in 1906. Grove House is in diameter, 40 ft high, has a slender 02 For information visit www.dunstable.gov.ukThe Grove Theatre is a striking modern two and three-storey building with adjacent commercial HELPINGnow MAKE home to DUNSTABLE the Dunstable Town A BETTER Council PLACE spire measuring some 35 ft in height restaurants and bars that complement the existing Grove House Gardens, Leisure Centre and Go Bowling offices and the Dunstable and District and a seating capacity of 850 people. to create an exciting new leisure quarter called Grove Park. The Theatre which can accommodate up to 780 Registrar for Births, Deaths and Marriages. people is set on two levels and the stalls, balcony and box style seating create an intimate setting for audiences and performers. The stalls seats can be folded away to create a flat floor that can hold audiences of 1,000 people. The Theatre offers a diverse programme of drama, music, dance, comedy, musical theatre, family shows, film and community performances. DUNSTABLE Welcome TOWN COUNCIL David Ashlee Town Clerk and Chief Executive This is always a very important time of year for the Council as it is the period in which it agrees the annual budget. This year the Council has had to manage a range of unavoidable increases in costs of running the town’s services, but the Council has also enjoyed the benefit of a rise in Welcomethe Dunstable tax base (which is essentially a rise in the number of houses that now have to pay Council Tax). This – along with the identification of a range of efficiency savings and additional income opportunities – has meant that the Council has been able to set a budget that relies on a 0% increase on the Council Tax payable by residents to Dunstable Town Council for 2015/16. If you live in a Band D property in Dunstable you will pay an annual charge of £171.78 to Dunstable Town Council which is the same charge as was set for 2014/15. An illustration of the services provided by the Council is given later in this edition of Talk of the Town and I am pleased to announce that the Council’s range of services provided has been increased with the addition of the brand new £250,000 Grove Skate Park. Please watch out for full details of the grand opening of this new park planned for 21 March 2015. The spring sees the launch of the Council’s events programme and this year things will be kicking off with three events in April and May. St George’s Day will be celebrated with an improved range of activities centred in Priory Gardens and our history event entitled ‘The 1600s and All That’ will help celebrate Dunstable’s rich heritage. The Dunstable Beer and Cider Festival will be held at the end of May and will be bigger and better than ever, so please take the opportunity to sponsor a beer if you want to get involved. Details on all these events are given later in this edition. The Council will also be staging the annual Town Meeting on 30 March at Creasey Park Community Football Centre. Everyone is welcome to attend. Finally, I would like to remind everyone that elections will be taking place this year at national, district and local level. I encourage everyone to go out and vote on 7 May. I hope you enjoy this edition of Talk of the Town and please feel free to comment on any of the Council’s services using the comment form at the back of this edition, by visiting our website www.dunstable.gov.uk or following us on Twitter and Facebook. Happy reading! DDunstableavid Town Ashlee Clerk and Chief Executive Dunstable Town Mayor’s Upcoming Charity Events Sunday 22 March 2015 Civic Service, Priory Church of St Peter, 3.00 pm Saturday 18 April 2015 Charity Ball, The Chiltern Hotel, 7.30 pm £45 per person For more details please contact Michele Markus on 01582 891404 or email [email protected] Disclaimer: Whilst every care has been taken in compiling this publication and the statements contained herein are believed to be correct, Dunstable Town Council cannot accept responsibility for any inaccuracies and do not endorse any particular products.