Bourne End Herts News

Thanks to all those who welcomed the carol singers and gave so generously.  We managed to raise around £430 which will be split between DENS (Dacorum Emergency Night Shelter) and The Pepper Foundation.  Thanks in particular to those who produced 'refreshments',  and of course a big thanks to those who turned out on first a dank night then a frosty night. BEVA Committee  

Join the carol singers this Wednesday (14th December), meeting at the Anchor car park.  We will be covering London Road from the Anchor eastwards, and Bourne End Lane. If you can't join us, make sure you have some cash ready. We are supporting two local charities, DENS (Dacorum Emergency Night Shelter) and The Pepper Foundation.

The story so far In 2006, a series of proposals were put forward to allocate areas for new homes in Dacorum.  These proposals included, amongst those selected, an area known as LA3, extending from Chaulden up to Pouchen End Lane and Chaulden Lane.  It would ultimately increase the size of the town by 900 houses.  A public consultation exercise took place in the spring and early summer of 2013. This included workshops and a public exhibition, the most local to us being at Gadebridge.  It is proposed that the development would be phased over a period starting in 2021 with housing close to the existing town, and aiming to complete by 2031. It is clearly a contentious issue as it takes up green belt land and has obvious implications for the whole of the west side of Hemel.  Despite considerable opposition it remains a major part of Dacorum’s planning.  At this stage, however, we are talking about a strategic plan.  If, or when the green light ...

This coming Saturday (3rd December) it's one of our regular litter picks.  Just a couple of hours always make  a big difference.  Meet in the Anchor car park at 10.00.  It promises not to be so cold by then ..... Hope to see you there!

You should be getting the latest Bourne Ender in hard copy over the next few days.  But here it is for you to peruse ahead of the crowd.  Reading it on line also means you get all the photos in full glorious technicolor.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT -  OCTOBER 2016 The AGM was well attended and, aided by the wine and cheese, turned out to be an enjoyable social occasion.  A new committe was elected.  Once details have been finalised they will be posted on the blog and circulated in the forthcoming Bourne Ender.     Chairman's Report As Chairman, I wish to thank the Committee for all their hard work through the year, and I would also like to thank my wife, Jean, for all the secretarial work she has done this year, Mike Pritchard for keeping the Accounts and Planning Sub-Committee in order and John Mawer for all his work in producing the Bourne Ender and flyer, as well as his work in the planning team. The year started with the  Remembrance Service last November and our thanks go to Jenny at The Anchor for sustenance after the event.  This was followed by two nights of carol singing in December, which raised £348.96 rounded up to £400, and was shared between DENS...

A member of Hertfordshire Highways met with Gordon Rolfe, Chris Mabley and John Mawer on Thursday of this week regarding the development at Bourne End Mills.  A number of issues were discussed, not least the importance of separating traffic between Upper Bourne End Lane and Bourne End Lane yet allowing pedestrian access. ·          The separation of traffic including motorbikes was seen as one of the fundamentals of the project from the outset.  There was no disagreement on this and an acceptance that bollards were not an adequate solution. ·          The prospect of moving the turning head back more towards Bourne End Lane had a number of advantages.  It would, o    create an more rural feel by introducing a green area between the industrial and residential areas; o    Increase the separation to the point that Bourne End Lane would not be visible from the othe...

On Friday 21st October the AGMs for both Bourne End Village Association and the Village Hall Committee will take place in the Village Hall, starting at 8.00 pm.  Make sure you are there to hear about what's been happening in your village, to express your views, to volunteer to get involved, or just meet others in the village.   Wine and cheese will be available to encourage you! On Saturday 29th October it's our Halloween Party.  You will be by now have received a flyer.  Make sure you get your tickets soon...    

Bourne End Village Association runs some occasional litter picks.  They make a huge difference to the village, but in between times the litter can accumulate.  Our borough council runs a 'Street Champion' scheme to support members of the community to keep the locality looking smart all the time. But it's much more than supporting litter picking.  To find out more, read the information below. If you decide to get involved, contact Nigel Brant-Wilcock Nigel.Brant-Wilcock@dacorum.gov.uk 01442 228526 07810814762 Alternatively, contact Jeff Norwood who is very involved and keen to recruit others. jeffnorwood@hotmail.co.uk

There have been a number of recent modifications to the proposed expansion of the Dog Day Care Centre in Upper Bourne End Lane.  As we have already expressed, the proposals represent an intensification of activity on this area of Green Belt.  The latest modifications involve; ·          Changes in the orientation of the vans in the parking area; ·          Specification of the parking area (the total area covered by barn and car park would be three times the current area); ·          A noise assessment which refers only to agricultural activity, ignoring the presence of a large number of dogs.  (Currently about 80 with proposals to increase.); ·          A modification to the size of the shelters. (Three shelters at 3.5m high one of which would be 3.5m x 7.5 m.). We do not accept that the modifications...

Some of the last remaining smaller units  loading the crushing machine Removing steel work Loading crushing machine Laying out reinforcing for the foundations Steel work separated from concrete Preparing base for factory unit Route for the Bourne Gutter created at the back of the site

After all the work put in to oppose the Little Hay landfill, we now have what appears to be landfill taking place in Upper Bourne End Lane.  This is purportedly about importing topsoil for a market gardening project.  DBC has been on site and has turned back lorries containing bricks and rubble.  Chalk subsoil is now being imported.  The attached will give you some idea about the state of the road. On the separate site, the usual six vans of the outdoor dog day care centre are there.  (The consent allowed only two, but Enforcement will not take action as a further application is in train). A load of rubble has been delivered and is being shifted purportedly for land drainage. The whole area is more like a construction site.  It is designated Green Belt land.  I would suggest you visit and encourage others to do so and pass your comments to the planning department.  

Those of you who walk along Upper Bourne End Lane will be aware of the actual use of the dog day care centre in conjunction with the agricultural barn.  The impact, both visual and noise on this agricultural area by the dog care activity has increased.  There is now an application in for this.  On reading it, one would suppose that it would involve improvement to this area of Green Belt land. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as this. In March 2014 the council granted planning consent for an outdoor dog day care centre (4/01997/13/FUL). At the time of the application there were no buildings on the site.  Conditions were attached to avoid damaging the openness of the Green Belt and breaching the Dacorum’s Core Strategy.  These conditions included no further buildings and no more than two vehicles on the site. There followed an application to revert all of the land to agricultural use and on this basis an agricultural barn (heated and with services) has be...

A big thanks to McDonalds staff and other volunteers for their sterling effort on the recent litter pick.  They went way beyond the near vicinity of the restaurant, round much of the village.

Those of you who attend the village church will already know of the retirement of Rev. David Abbott and his wife Isabel.  I am sure we all wish them a long and happy retirement.

At Thursday's Development Control Meeting of DBC, the proposals for the redevelopment of Bourne End Mills were considered.  Full planning permission for the industrial element was granted together with outline permission for the housing element.  

With any luck, at the Anchor car park at 10.00 a.m.  No, not for an early morning drink (although you may be able to get a coffee or tea later), but to smarten up our village with a couple of hours litter picking. See you there!

The application is now scheduled to be discussed by our councillors at the Development Control Committee Meeting on Thursday 25th February.  The recommendation of the Planning Officer is that it should passed. The agenda for the meeting together with the information presented can be found by following the link below. https://democracy.dacorum.gov.uk/documents/g212/Public%20reports%20pack%2025th-Feb-2016%2019.00%20Development%20Control.pdf?T=10 You may need to paste the link into your browser.

If you were planning to join us on the litter pick and went to put it in your diary you will have noticed the date given is not a Saturday!  It should have read  Saturday 27th February.  Hope we'll see you there. Apologies

While delivering the Bourne Ender, your rep will be collecting subscriptions and giving you your membership card.  He or she will also be selling tickets for the forthcoming Quiz Night. Have your money ready to secure your place as tickets are limited. We also intend collecting email addresses so that we can communicate with you more directly.  It would be helpful if you could give this to your rep.  The email will, of course, be used solely for Village Association matters.

The Bourne Ender is always more interesting when it reflects local issues.  If you have any articles you think may be of interest to other residents, then please let me know.  The intention is to issue the next Bourne Ender by the end of the month, so any copy to me please, John Mawer (j.mawer@live.co.uk) as soon as possible