NEWS

Dear Neighbours,

We are delighted to inform you that, on Tuesday 26^th November at Foakes Hall, our Felsted Neighbourhood Plan was passed unanimously by Uttlesford District Council, is now ‘published’ and ready for you to vote on in a referendum.

Details can be read here, on the Uttlesford District Council website.

In practice this means that the Plan can now proceed to the final Referendum Stage.  If successful at referendum, the Plan become part of the development plan for the Parish alongside the UDC Local Plan.  Local planning authorities and planning inspectors considering appeals must make their decisions in accordance with the policies of the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The full details of the referendum will be published in due course by the Democratic Services Unit of Uttlesford District Council, but we expect it to be held on the 30^th January 2020. 

UDC will publish full details in due course, when they’ve finished with the General Election but here’s what we know now.

Voting in person

We expect that you will be able to vote in person in the parish at the Memorial Hall in the usual way.

Postal Votes

Postal votes are usually sent 2-3 weeks before the Poll;

Voters registered for both General and Local elections will automatically get a postal vote in the Referendum; and

Voters registered for General elections only, will not automatically get a postal vote in the Referendum.

If you want to vote by post, please check with UDC that your registration also covers Local Elections.

If you haven’t yet considered what the NP delivers, please try to do so between now and the end of January.  The Steering Group and the Parish Council believe that the plan delivers significant benefits and protections for the parish as a whole and we urge everyone in the parish to vote in the referendum.

The Steering Group and Felsted Parish Council

The Parish Council is looking to compile a list of volunteers who are willing and able to be called upon should the village experience an emergency situation.

The most likely cause of this would be extreme weather, such as snow or flooding.

Any residents who have access to vehicles able to clear roads, 4 x 4s that could access cut off areas, or anyone who has access to pumps or generators, are requested to contact the Assistant Clerk on 07425 142302 or email her on ku.vog.cp-detslefobfsctd@krelctssa to discuss what they may be able to contribute to any future emergency situation.

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We have been advised  that Essex Highways are making preparations to carry out necessary strengthening works to Thistley Green Bridge on Felsted Road, Felsted which is currently in a weak condition.

Work is due to commence Monday 14 October 2019 and is expected to continue
until early December 2019. During this time it will be necessary for a section of
Felsted Road to be fully closed to all vehicles at the bridge.

Advanced notices will be in place and a signed diversion route via Felsted Road,
School Lane, Dumney Lane, Main Road, Moulsham Hall Lane, Great Leighs Bypass
Roundabout, Bartholomew Green Road, Crix Green Road, Frenches Green Road,
Bannister Green, Burnstie Road, Cock Green Road, Causeway End Road and vice
versa.

Readers of the Church magazine, Interface, will be aware that the editor is standing down. Without a replacement editor, the magazine is at risk of closing down.

The Parish Council wants to support the continued publication of Interface and so would encourage anyone interested in becoming the editor, or being part of an editorial team, to contact the existing editor or the Parish Clerk.

Longer term residents will remember the previous quarterly Parish Council Newsletter. This was produced progressively less frequently, until it finally stopped a few years ago. Although it was partially replaced by a new Parish website, with regular news items, we were conscious of the lack of printed news and so began a regular news page for Interface.

We have considered restarting the newsletter in the past and found no way forward, due primarily to the lack of a volunteer editor and of course the fact that we had Interface and the website.

The Parish Council wants to support the continuation of Interface or, if not possible, then consideration of a broader newsletter.

If you would like to learn more about the role of editor for Interface, or have ideas about a quarterly parish newsletter, as editor or as a part of an editorial team to share the work, then please contact the Parish Clerk. 

We are holding our next little pick on Saturday 12th October. 

If you can come along and spend a little time helping keep our Parish clean, then meet in the Playing Field Car Park (off Jollyboys Lane North – CM6 3DU) anytime between 10am and 2pm.

You can choose which area you ‘pick’ and high viz vests will be provided, along with grabbers and refuse bags.

Any queries please ring Diane Smith (Clerk) on  01371 823071.

We continue to thank those who give their time to help in our regular litter picks. It really does make a difference. So, if you have been thinking about an odd hour you could spare to help the community, please come along.

Even if you can’t make the day, or perhaps you are a dog walker,  please  think about picking up that odd bit of litter you see, rather than walking past it, as every bit picked up will help.

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This year’s Felsted Primary School Art Competition saw 36 entries on the theme of ‘Space’, and over 60 visitors to see and admire them.

Graham Harvey, Frances Marshall and Richard Freeman, from Felsted Parish Council, took on the challenge of judging.

With the school back from holidays, the winners were announced and the prized awarded by Alan Mackrill on Friday 27th September.

Alan congratulated the winners, saying “I know it was a very difficult task to find winners from the very high standard of entries. Well done to all who submitted entries.”

Age range 4 – 6

• 1^st           Emmie Peart
• 2^nd          Obi Powles

Age range 7 – 9

• 1^st           Matilda Hulett
• 2^nd          Charlotte Holly Pascoe

Highly commended:

• James Malthouse
• Julia Collyer

Age range 10 – 11

• 1^st                           Rose Powell
• 2^nd (JOINT)          Eve Hodson and Ned Purcell

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Early last year the Parish Council completed extended negotiations with Enodis (the developers of Flitch Green) and took ownership of the Open Space off of Station Road between Felsted and Flitch Green. The picture below shows the site  as we inherited it, a blank canvas.

Work is now ongoing to develop this space as a Nature Area. A Working Group made up of members of The Parish Council, local residents and wildlife experts is overseeing this long-term project.

Funds from Enodis are enabling the Council to create a varied habitat for wildlife and much progress has been made over the past few months. Rubbish and fly tipping have been cleared. The area along the front has been landscaped and sown with a wildflower mix, including Yellow Rattle, Ox Eye Daises, Cowslips and Primroses, together with other wildflowers. These produced a beautiful display in the Spring, with much of it still on show as we move into Autumn.

To facilitate dog walking two sets of dog waste bins have been installed, together with general rubbish bins. One set is by Station Road and one set is by Footpath 59.

FP 59 is being maintained on a monthly basis, as are paths mown throughout the Nature Area. In order to minimise disturbance to the Nature Area and protect the wildlife habitat, walkers are requested to stick to the mown paths.

The Working Group is being advised by Essex Wildlife Trust. Following recent Barn Owl sightings, members have also met with The Essex Barn Owl Conservation Project, with a view to purchasing and installing nesting boxes in the Autumn.

Notices are regularly posted at the Station Road entrance and around the Nature Area to update residents regarding ongoing work and developments. We welcome any comments residents may have regarding how we maintain the area in the future.

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As the Neighbourhood Plan moves closer to public referendum stage, we are again reminded if its importance in the never ending fight and vigilance against inappropriate developments.

The latest attempt, to build 260 houses on the edge of Felsted, was objected to by Felsted Parish Council, refused by Uttlesford District Council (with the support of our District Councillors), and has now been refused by an Appeal Inspector.

The decision notice can be read here.

The battle goes on. Along with fighting applications for inappropriate developments within our Parish, we are now fighting an application to build 150 houses on our border with Rayne, which would put construction and resident traffic through Willows Green. Our objection can be read here.

We have been contacted by Uttlesford Licensing authority regarding an application for a broad event licence for Felsted School.

Summarising:

1. The application covers the whole Felsted School site and applies to films, live and recorded music, late night refreshments and alcohol (all both indoors and outside).
2. Films – Between 08:00 and midnight Sunday to Wednesday and 08:00 to 01:00 (1am) Thursday to Saturday to cover summer outdoor events where the films would not commence until the sun has set.
3. Live music – Between 08:00 and 23:00 Monday to Wednesday and 08:00 to midnight Thursday to Sunday.
4. Recorded music – 08:00 to 23:00 Monday to Wednesday, 08:00 to midnight Thursday and Sunday, 08:00 to 02:00 (2am) Friday and Saturday.
5. Late night refreshments – Up to 23:00 Monday to Wednesday, extending to midnight on Thursdays and Sundays and 02:00 (2am) on Friday and Saturdays.
6. Alcohol – 11:00 to 23:00 Monday to Wednesday, 11:00 to midnight Thursday and Sunday and 11:00 to 02:00 (2am) Friday and Saturday.

The message from Uttlesford Licensing follows:

I am writing to advise you about a new premises application that we have received from Felsted School. The application is for the exhibition of films, live music, recorded music, late night refreshment and the supply of alcohol. The school has multiple buildings and outside spaces and they are applying to licence the whole site. The application can be viewed in full on our website. Links below:

https://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/media/9750/Felsted-School-premises-application-August-2019/pdf/Felsted-School-application-r.pdf

https://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/media/9751/Felsted-School-Premises-Application-August-2019-Maps/pdf/Felsted-School-maps.pdf

The last day for public representations is Tuesday 3 September .

Any comments you wish to make must be made to Uttlesford Licensing, ku.vog.drofselttuobfsctd@gnisnecil.

Felsted Parish Council Planning Committee considered the application at their meeting on 20th August and will be objecting on the grounds of nuisance in a school and Conservation Zone area, citing the recent early morning noise nuisance from the Leavers’ Ball and asking that events be considered instead on a case by case basis.

Are you interested in the local environment?

Do you have a few hours to spare?

Would you like to help the local community?

If the answer to these questions is ‘YES’ then perhaps you are the person we are looking for.

The Council is looking for a volunteer Tree Warden to ‘keep an eye’ on the trees and hedges around the village, report any problems to the Clerk, organise occasional tree planting sessions and provide advice to the Council on tree related matters.

If you are interested in this role please contact the Clerk, Diane Smith on 01371 823071 or at ku.vog.cp-detslefobfsctd@krelc