June

A number of topics to touch on in this piece. First to report on, is the highly successful Civic Society AGM, which was very well attended and had a stimulating keynote talk by Freman College Headteacher Helen Loughran. In addition to members we also welcomed Cllr.Jane Pitman, Cllr.Stan Bull, Cllr.John Warren and Cllr. Eunice Woods. From the floor the Civic Society received numerous appreciative comments on our contribution to Buntingford and surrounding villages.

At the AGM we were able to confirm our founder member status of the new national body' Civic Voice' and shortly we will communicate with members additional benefits of membership such as a complimentary National Trust ticket. The Buntingford Journal revenue relieved members of an increase in their current subscription but that is unlikely to continue beyond 2010/11. We also advised attendees at the AGM that as soon as possible webmaster, Andy Sinclair, will establish e-mail contact with our members in order that consultation can be undertaken on major topics.

Thanks to everybody who helped on the Rib clean-up. The excellent article by Aliya last month showed the scale of the operation and it is irksome that within a week we had to go back into the Rib to remove further cans and bottles. It is only a minority who behave so selfishly and one wonders why they are so uncaring.

The Traffic Advisory Group led by Cllr.Jon Ling had a long awaited meeting with Cllr.Mike Carver and Andrew Pulham who has responsibility for parking management.The discussions were wide ranging but with no obvious solutions to the overall problems. Chaos in Bowling Green Lane when students come out from Edwinstree and Freman was exposed and hopefully on grounds of safety some traffic management improvements can be made.

At the Spring meeting of ANTAS (Association of North Thames Amenity Societies) a range of important subjects were presented. The Chiltern Society spoke knowledgably of the consequences on an area of outstanding beauty if the high speed train HS2 goes ahead. Hertford confirmed planning approval for ASDA, Sainsbury and Tesco application in the face of large scale objections. Bishop Stortford reported on the unwelcome relocation of schools by EHC and the imminent expiry of Stansted Airport's application to expand.

Finally, the Civic Society wish to record the outstanding contribution of Bob Jackson as an executive committee member for ten years. He stood down at the AGM and the loss of Bob highlights the need for successors and increased membership so that the Civic Society can continue to do its best for the Town.

This website and all the pages herein are © Buntingford Civic Society.