Bishop's Stortford and All Saints Ward News Digest
PLAW HATCH CLOSE
Six years after Cllrs. Mike Wood, Andy Graham and Les Pinnell (now ex-councillor) first requested that the flats in Plaw Hatch Close be redeveloped it has now happened. The flats have been demolished and eighteen new homes, for people on the housing register, will replace them.
STORTFORD HALL PARKING
On February 15th Cllr. Mike Wood and ex-councillor Les Pinnell met a Highways officer by the old railway bridge in Stortford Hall Park to express local concerns regarding parking along the road from the bridge to the cul-de-sac leading to Easton House. As many as eighteen cars have been recorded parking along this stretch which, in the view of local residents, could lead to a serious accident and e-mails and photographs have been received expressing anxiety over the potential dangers. The problem is made more acute due to number of school children, from Birchwood, All Saints and Summercorft Schools, who use this part of Stortford Hall Park to access footpath 53, which leads through to the Dunmow Road. The area is on a forward list of schemes up for consideration for parking restrictions but no date has been set for a scheme to commence.
BIRCHANGER WOOD
Cllr. Wood attended the opening ceremony to mark the opening of a new footpath through Birchanger Wood. In spite of the cold weather a large number of people turned out for the event. The footpath enables wheelchair users and those who have difficulty walking to access the woods and, it hoped, will encourage all walkers to keep to the path and prevent damage to the flora on either side of it. Well done to the Birchanger Wood Trust, its members and supporters for the great deal of work done in connection with the project.
HERDERSON'S DEVELOPMENT at the current East Herts District Council office at Old River Lane
At a meeting at the Rhodes Arts Complex recently, the Town Council's Planning Committee considered the planning application for the redevelopment of the Causeway area, which as you may recall, was controversially sold off by the District Council. Some 60 members of the public, together with many representatives of local organisations such as the Civic Federation, used the opportunity to give their own views to the Committee. The Committee then voted to unanimously to oppose the application! The matter will now go to District Council and LibDem councillors have persuaded the District Council to hold the meeting that will consider this matter in Bishop's Stortford, at a venue and date to be confirmed. Keep an eye out for the date in the local paper or on the East Herts Council website (Eastherts.gov.uk).
POTHOLES
Residents have been complaining about the number of potholes in their areas with Heath Row, Beldams Lane, Linkside Road and Haymeads Lane among the many roads badly affected. Potholes can be reported direct to the County Council's website www.hertsdirect.gov.uk.
COUNCIL TAX
The Town council recently set its level of Council Tax and by reduced the level from £73.99 to £72.03 per household .The LibDems tried to reduce that figure even further by taking £68,000 from the Town Council's unnecessarily high reserves. However, despite Liberal Democrat Councillors and the Independent Councillor voting for this proposal, most of the Conservatives voted against the proposal.
At District, the Council at a meeting on February 23rd agreed a zero percent rise for 2011/12 and is looking, in 2012/13, to again freeze the Council Tax. Every Council Department has had to identify savings and all income streams have been re-appraised. The Conservatives will crow about the fact that Car parking fees have been frozen but we should not forget recent years when car parking charges were increased quite substantially. But there were no local elections in those years!
WAGON AND HORSES, Stansted Road
East Herts have rejected the latest application but the applicant has decided to go to appeal. The Appeal is scheduled for March 22nd. at the East Herts Council Offices at Wallfields in Hertford. The LibDems are amazed that an appeal about an application that only affects Bishop's Stortford has to be held in Hertford as there is little doubt that a venue for a hearing could have been found in Stortford - if someone had tried