NEWS

Following the resignation of Anna McNicoll the Council have a vacant seat on the Parish Council, which will be filled by co-option.

If you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor and wish to be considered for this vacancy please let the Clerk know by 14 August 2017.

Interviews will then be held and the Council will appoint the most suitable candidate.

If you wish to know more about the role and what it entails please feel free to contact the Clerk, or any Councillor, for more information.

Diane Smith

Clerk to Felsted Parish Council

Office: 01371 823071                                E mail: ku.vog.cp-detslefobfsctd-7b3b6e@krelc

The appeal made by the developers against the rejection by Uttlesford District Council of their application to build 55 houses on Land south of Braintree Road, Felsted has been REJECTED.

The Parish Council has fought hard against this application and we are  delighted that the Planning Inspector has refused the appeal, and refused the application by the developers for costs.

You can read the full Appeal Decision and costs decision.

Stansted airport has unveiled proposals to double the number of passengers it handles and to increase flights by over 100,000 a year.

The airport has released a press release which states, in reference to  the extra 100,000 flights, that “It should be noted that at this time no significant adverse environmental effects are predicted as a consequence of the proposed development”. This statement demonstrates the true lack of appreciation and understanding on the part of the airport for the levels of pollution, both noise and environmental, which would be generated.

Felsted parish Council has objected to the proposal. Whilst it may be inevitable that Stansted will continue to expand, we believe that they have shown disinterest in the problems they cause to communities and should resolve outstanding issues with nuisance from the flightpath changes introduced last year, before they are allowed to consider further expansion.

You can read our objection Letter to Uttlesford Planning here.

Anyone wishing to comment on the airport’s proposals can do so by sending their comments as an attachment by email to ku.vog.drofselttuobfsctd-6aad6f@gninnalp with the words CONSULTATION RESPONSE TO UTT/17/1640/SO in subject header or by using the online ‘Make a Comment’ facility on this link.  The deadline for responses in the end of July.

Stansted airport are also undertaking a series of public exhibitions, with a supporting questionnaire. SSE has raised the objection as to the bias of the survey, manipulating responses into looking only at positive aspects and not giving any time to a balanced evaluation of the downsides. Their news item and recommendation not to complete the survey, but to free write to ku.vog.drofselttuobfsctd-89b1c4@gninnalp is here.

Future Stansted exhibition event dates are:

Braintree, Wednesday 12th July 3pm – 8pm Braintree Town Hall, Fairfield Road, CM7 3YG

Takeley, Friday 14th July 4pm – 8pm Silver Jubilee Hall, Dunmow Road, CM22 6QJ

Thaxted, Saturday 15th July 12pm – 4pm Bolford Street Hall, Bolford Street, CM6 2PY

Saffron Walden, Monday 17th July 3pm – 8pm Town Hall, Market Square, CB10 1HR

Bishop’s Stortford, Wednesday 19th July 3pm – 8pm Methodist Church, 34B South Street, CM23 3AZ

Harlow, Monday 24th July 3pm – 7.30pm Harlow Leisurezone, Second Avenue, CM20 3DT

Save the Day – Friday 7th at 7pm

& Saturday 8th July at 10am

The Neighbourhood Plan group are holding a Public consultation event on Friday 7th repeated on Saturday 8 July to present a first DRAFT of potential Neighbourhood Plan Policies.

These first Draft Policies are based on the result of consultation and professional advice gathered over the last 2 years and ultimately the final policies will help shape the future of our Parish for the coming 20 years.

Congestion in village centre, the future of our amenities, our environment and how we meet housing demand are on the agenda. These are important issues and the consultation events are another chance for you to contribute and have your say about the future of our Parish.

Friday 7th July at 7pm

Saturday 8th July at 10 am

Held in the school hall at Felsted Primary School, Watch House Green.

Please note this is NOT a drop in session It will start with a 35 minute presentation explaining the current draft plan, so please arrive for the start of the session.

The Felsted Speedwatch Group is now active and has carried out weekly monitoring sessions (since the end of April) at various locations around the village, including Station Road, Chelmsford Road and Watch House Green.

Most drivers adhere to the speed limits, but an average of 4-7 drivers per session have been reported to Essex Police for driving too fast. Each will receive a letter from the Police advising them to slow down in future.

The purpose of Speedwatch is to deter drivers from exceeding the existing speed limits, which have been put on roads in the village for safety reasons.

Please help us to make the roads safer by driving within the speed limits at all times. Public support for the Group is considerable and 3 more residents have recently come forward to join the Group. However, more volunteers are always welcome as this will mean that we can undertake more sessions in more locations.

There are a total of 6 sites around the village which have been approved by the Police for traffic speed monitoring so you should expect to see us somewhere near you ….very soon.

Please see the following message from Anglian Water:

We may have some good news for those of your parishioners who have a private pumping station on their property, and have not yet registered it with Anglian Water.

Currently, homeowners spend hundreds of pounds every year for electricity running costs, maintenance and repairs to look after these private pumping stations. They may even have been flooded if it’s broken down in the past.  

As of 1 October 2016, many of these private pumping stations automatically transferred over to Anglian Water and became our responsibility. We have taken over all of the maintenance and the running costs too, saving customers hassle, worry and money.

We’d like to ask for your support in letting local residents know about this, and asking them to get in touch with us if they think they have a private pumping station. 

To help customers identify and report the pumping stations, further information can be found: www.anglianwater.co.uk/privatepumpingstation

If you have any questions about this campaign, please reply to ku.oc.retawnailgnaobfsctd-7f9ef6@snoitatsgnipmupetavirp.

For any other queries, please contact our Public Affairs Team on ku.oc.retawnailgnaobfsctd-575d57@sriaffa.cilbup.

Thank you 

FILLING OF CASUAL VACANCY ON PARISH COUNCIL

ARISING FROM THE RESIGNATION OF ANNA MCNICOLL

Notice is hereby given that a vacancy has occurred in the office of Parish Councillor for the above Parish arising from the resignation of Anna McNicoll.

An election to fill the vacancy will be held if notice in writing of a request for such an election is made by ten Local Government electors for the electoral area and received by the Chief Executive of the District Council of Uttlesford at the District Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4ER, by not later than 23 June 2017.

If an election is not requested by ten Local Government electors as aforesaid the vacancy will be filled by the Parish Council as soon as practicable after the expiry of the date referred to above.

Dated this 5^th day of June 2017

Mrs D Smith

Clerk to Felsted Parish Council

URC Hall

Stebbing Road

Felsted

CM6 3JD

The Chelmsford Local Plan preferred option consultation includes a plan for 750 houses adjacent to Willows Green. The consultation deadline is 11th May.

The area is identified by hatch marks in the below map, with Willows Green in the top left of the map, a single field away from the development.

The Parish Council is objecting to the proposal for the following core reasons:

• The A131 bypass cuts this development away from Great Leighs and will leave it closer to being viewed a part of Willows Green.
• This will  have a significant and unacceptable impact on this small hamlet, which currently has its own individual identity of low level bungalow dwellings.  750 houses will overshadow and dwarf Willows Green and, with only a single field separating them, Willows Green will soon become a suburb of the development.
• The additional traffic will swamp Willows Green, and further into the Parish of Felsted, as people look for ‘rat-runs’ to the west.
• The A131 is already at full capacity. The additional traffic from this development, and those proposed by Braintree and Uttlesford for 12,000 houses, are stated to require a new bypass north of Chelmsford. This is as yet unfunded. The development cannot be allowed without a full assessment of transport needs and demonstration that local hamlets will not be impacted.
• This area is also high quality agricultural land. It should not be put forward for development without a clear assessment and publication of alternatives which would not destroy such a valuable environment.
• The Moulsham Hall development would also be alongside, and in the shadow of, the Race Course. The Race Course has already been the subject of much local objection due to its obtrusive lighting. The lighting is still visible for miles around and, with planned expansion of the venue to include more live music and events, this does not sit well with the principles of a Garden Community environment for an adjacent housing development.

It is important that you have your say.

You can read the summary leaflet here.

You can have your say here.

The document is long, detailed and not easy to navigate. The Parish Council is going to submit comment under section 7, subsection: Growth Area 2 North Chelmsford. About half way down there is a box summarising ‘STRATEGIC GROWTH SITE 5 – MOULSHAM HALL AND NORTH OF GREAT LEIGHS.’

Even if you agree with the points being made by the Council, please do not simply copy the above bullet points. It is essential that points are made in your own words for them to be seen as your own.

Please also note that The consultation deadline is 11th May.

We have now been told that the review of Stansted flightpath changes, which led to a doubling of flights over the Parish, is to take place on May 4th.

Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) has produced a very good summary of the process and core objections, here.

We have been advised to ensure that we lodge all objections with NATS, which we have done for the Parish with our letter here, copying our earlier letters of objection, here and here.

Letters need to be addressed to: Martin Rolfe, CEO.  NATS, 4000 Parkway, Whiteley, Fareham, Hants, PO15 7F. Alternatively you can email ku.oc.stanobfsctd-4fee94@seiriuqne.cilbup, referencing ‘Review of Stansted flightpath changes Feb 2017’ .

This is the final push to ensure that our voices are heard. Please take this opportunity and write yourself, as, with Stansted’s expansion plans, it will only get noisier in the skies above us.

A huge thank you to the record number of volunteers who came along to the litter pick on 1 April.

Between them they collected 34 bags of rubbish (plus assorted larger items) and covered all the main areas of the village, including Station Road and Braintree Road, where the problem was at its worst. There were also additional groups who couldn’t make the day but headed out independenty to clean up their area of the Parish.

Everyone did a marvellous job but we want to give special thanks to Rosalind, who bravely tackled a ‘litter black spot’ near the Taylor Wimpey site at Watch House Green and to those who subsequently went along to help her.

The next pick will be on Saturday 21 October 2017. Please make a note in your diaries now.

Dog owners – Please use dog poo bags and dispose of them in the bins provided

In the last few months the PC has provided additional dog waste bins on Footpath 7 (past Whippersnappers Nursery near the Flitch Way), Footpath 55 (north east of Bury Farm) and at the Ravens Crescent Play Area. Dog walkers not picking up their pets poo is becoming an increasing problem in Felsted, as is the practise of leaving full dog poo bags hanging in hedgerows or on the ground. There is an extensive network of over 15 dog waste bins around the village and the PC would ask all dog owners to be considerate and ‘Pick up’ after their pets and dispose of the bags  responsibly. We can then all enjoy the countryside without worrying about what we might step in.