Buntingford Civic Society

I'm not sure I ever saw 'The Wizard of Oz' but I believe the yellow brick road took Dorothy to the land of Oz where despite various trials and tribulations she and her friends eventually got what they were seeking. Could it possibly be true of our yellow lines along London Road? Following my piece in August the process appeared to stall again, but thanks to constant written pressure from Buntingford citizens I am reliably informed the paperwork is signed and the order placed. Maybe, just maybe, we may have a safer junction by the time the clocks go back and the nights draw in. When one considers that, for safety reasons, it was a planning condition that no property should be occupied until the 120 metre visibility splay was assured, I don't think it unreasonable to ask searching questions of our Enforcement Officers.

As predicted the Aspenden Road developers, Moult Walker, lodged an appeal at the eleventh hour. As yet no date has been set so it is unlikely that we shall see it before February 2015. I doubt I could find many people who use Aspenden Road who think it is suitable for the present level of traffic let alone adding another 100 or so cars to the mix. Fortunately our District Councillors agree and are prepared to defend their decision; to that end an independent traffic survey has been commissioned to support our case. Notwithstanding, Moult Walker have approached the Town Council for a meeting at the end of October to discuss their proposed development of the land enclosed by the A10 bypass south of Baldock Road. We believe this will effectively 'fill in' the area but perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself.

Congratulations to the team, fronted by Graham Bonner, who put together the case to force Wheatley Homes to go to appeal in January. The developer had hoped to bully EHDC into agreeing their proposal for a further 180 dwellngs behind Snells Mead by asking for an appeal on the grounds that EHDC failed to make a decision within the timescale. Despite supplementary discussions with the developer, after which the Planning Officers recommended approval, the Development Management Committee stuck to their guns and decided to defend the appeal. We're not home yet but we have bought some more time in which to prepare a robust defence.

Many thanks to Chris Eagle who during the last 10 years has been our membership secretary. Chris has done a great job making sure we know who to deliver the Journal to and overseeing the collection of our annual subscription fee - still only £7. His departure leaves a vacancy. If you feel you could give about 3 hours a month to help BCS run effectively then please contact us though the editor's email or phone 01763 271896.

Sunday November 9th will surely see a larger than normal turnout to mark 100 years since the beginning of WW1. I'm hoping many will join us at St Mary's in Aspenden where we hope to have our memorial renovated and cleaned for the occasion. For those able to to visit the Manor House the acclaimed WW1 exhibition will be, by special request, displayed again on Saturday 8th and Monday 10th November, 10am-4pm, and on Remembrance Sunday 9th November from 11.30 to 4pm.

Our library is under threat. Apparently we might be reduced to Tier 3 (small community and village) status which would mean dismissing the staff and operating a virtual library - whatever that is? In our view that would be a disaster, so if you agree please sign the petition and/or go along to the library on Monday November 3rd at 4pm when the proposal will be discussed. Also, BSC will be serving mulled wine and soft drinks at the library during the Late Night Shopping evening, which is on November 28th, so why not join us for a sip and sign up.

And finally, the Journal will be sold at the Co-Op again soon. We are now in possession of a bar code and once this is accepted into the retailer's system it should be business as usual. And we may have another surprise for the Christmas edition ...

One final thought: as light travels faster than sound is that why some people appear bright until they speak?

Paul Spears, BCS Co-Chair

If you have any queries about Buntingford Civic Society or issues you would like to raise, you can email the Chairman direct at chairman@buntingfordcivic.org.uk.

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