July

SUMMER MISCELLANY

The Civic Society has responded to the consultation on the White Paper 'Heritage Protection for the 21st. Century' published by dcms (department for culture, media and sport). The White Paper sets out dcms's vision for a new heritage protection system. The intent is to have a more unified vision of the historic environment and a simpler and more efficient system of protection. You can see our comments on www.buntingfordcivic.org.uk.

As you know Buntingford is designated as part of 'Hidden Britain' and the first meeting on this topic takes place towards the end of June and too late for coverage in this edition of the Journal. Our position will be to welcome the opportunity to promote Buntingford but also to highlight growing concerns regarding the general condition of the town's fabric. An example is the dreadful road surface in the Church Street conservation area - not something to boast about to visitors, others have emphasised the condition of the High Street, especially cracked pavements and BCS's 'Save our Streets' report focussed on two residential areas with overgrown trees, broken pavings, poor repairs, also the lack of waste bins by the Ford and River Green and last, but not least, the shabby boundary signs at our town gateways. The saving grace is the attractiveness and variety of businesses old and new in the High Street which invites such favourable comment - long may they prosper.

We were pleased to read that a 'Pubwatch' scheme is being set-up by the police and local publicans.Initial experience of the consequences of the Licensing Act 2003 seemed to be OK but more recently there have been incidents around the town and most certainly an increase in litter and noise. Perhaps it is a simple case of midsummer madness ! Just as as reminder the four key objectives of the Act are: The prevention of crime and disorder, Public safety, The prevention of public nuisance,The protection of children from harm.

There will be plenty to occupy our attention in the coming months ( Ruth Kelly's decision on Harlow North, The White Paper on Planning and HCC Waste Development Plan) and the really rewarding actions to enhance the local environment using the finacial reources generated through your membership and readership. Thank you and have an enjoyable summer.

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