James Kirkpatrick

There was a Public Meeting in Little Gransden last month to allow residents to express their views about the relocation of the Luton airport holding arrangements and proposed expansion plans.  If you are interested in more detail a good place to start is the article Adam Zerny, our Independent CBC Councillor wrote last year which you can find here:

https://adamzerny.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5792c34beda77d6df3c5b79ee&id=be96f00e46&e=77e4d9e7a8

The meeting was well attended; the main presentation can be read here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/relas.ad6/files/files

Some of the key points to take away:

• The review process runs to September 2023
• Current flight volumes are “just the tip of the iceberg”. Growth to take advantage of under-utilised airspace (time) windows and addition of night flights could eventually lead to 2 aircraft per minute for 21 hours per day
• The outcome of the review is not a done deal. There are still plenty of opportunities to have your say – don’t assume others are doing this

There is a lot we as individuals can do to express our views. The official channel to use to lodge complaints is the TraVis portal (https://travisltn.topsonic.aero/), or send an email to noise@ltn.aero.  You must include your full name, address and postcode for it to be accepted.  And if you are going to complain you must include how you have been impacted, for example an interrupted conversation, being woken up, broken concentration while working from home or interruption to a zoom call, etc.  Complaints without any indication of impact will likely be dismissed.

Ultimately this matter rests in the hands of MPs so if you feel strongly write to our MP at:

Richard Fuller MP

MP for North East Bedfordshire

House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

I am very grateful to James Bonfield for his comprehensive report from the meeting, which I have taken this summary from.

Councillor Andy Ewens

Wrestlingworth & Cockayne Hatley Parish Council

The Wrestlingworth & Cockayne Hatley annual village tidy was on Saturday 11^th March.  The Parish Council would like to thank everyone who took part, it has made a big difference to our villages.  The Tidy Up was organised by the Parish Walking & Wildlife Group and particular thanks are due the Chair, Nicola Adkins for all her efforts in planning along with the PWWG Committee and for managing the activities on the day.  At lot was achieved, everyone felt we could do more, so planning is already underway for a bigger effort next year.  It would be good to see more village residents taking part next year.

Wrestlingworth & Cockayne Hatley Parish Council

Garden waste collections to resume from 27 February 

Following the winter break, we are pleased to announce the restart of household kerbside garden waste collections across Central Bedfordshire.   

Our crews will be springing into action to collect garden waste from 27 February, on your normal recycling day.   

Remember to place your bin out by 7am on your recycling day with all garden waste inside your garden bin/bags.  If you have any large branches, trunks or plants, these can be included if they are cut into smaller pieces.   

What can go in the garden waste bin/bags?  

Here’s a handy list of what you can and can’t include in your garden waste:  

Yes please: 

·       grass cuttings 

·       plants and weeds 

·       flowers, pot plants and prunings 

·       hedge clippings 

·       leaves and bark 

·       pond plants 

No thank you:  

·       food waste 

·       kitchen/general household waste 

·       compostable bags/packaging 

·       soil and turf 

·       rubble and hardcore 

·       wood or glass 

·       animal or pet bedding/waste 

·       plastic bags or plant pots 

You can find your next collection day by visiting the Central Bedfordshire Council website.  

The Election Act 2022 will come into force for the Local and Parish Elections on 4^th May.  The most significant change will be that all electors voting in person will require some form of accepted photographic ID.  We have updated our website to include all of the accepted forms of ID.

Electoral Registration and Elections | Central Bedfordshire Council

For those electors who don’t have one of the approved forms of photographic ID they can apply for the free Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) via the government portal.  Apply for photo ID to vote (called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

See page below for the first Village Link !

Village Link First Edition ! – Wrestlingworth & Cockayne Hatley Parish Council (wrestlingworthandcockaynehatley-pc.gov.uk)

Parish Council Changes

We have recently seen significant changes on the Parish Council, and would like to advise parish residents on the new structure:

We wish farewell to Sandra Williams who worked tirelessly to enable our Neighbourhood Plan to come to fruition. Sandra was a wealth of information on planning and council regulations, and she resigned from the council in late 2021.

We also wish farewell to Robin Barrett (resigned 11^th Feb 2022), who devoted much of his time to various village bodies, including a significant seven year tenure as Council chair. His energies, enthusiasm and hard work will be missed by us all, not only on the Council, but the myriad other committees and bodies he contributed to.

Many thanks to Robin and Sandra for their contributions to the village through their council work. We also wish Robin and Mary all the best as they leave the village.

The new council:

Chair: James Kirkpatrick

Clerk: Catherine Dear

Vice-chair: Vacant

Councillors:

Nigel Dodson, Kevin Puddephat, Frazer Dewey, Andy Ewens, Lorna Chapman, Simon Thorpe.

We welcome our newest councillors, Andy, Lorna and Simon.

Our next meeting will be at the Memorial Hall at 7.30 pm on the 14^th March, please feel free to come along.

Central Bedfordshire Council have announced a plan to install traffic calming measures on the High Street near the Chequers, and are consulting on local views. Please see documents below for details, and how to comment.

While the Parish Council welcomes efforts to reduce speed levels in the village, we will be objecting to the location of this ‘raised table’ measure. Our previous comments have pointed out that the area of most concern is in the Potton Road, and this is more so with the recent building of 5 houses on the new site. We will be requesting that the raised table is moved around the corner onto the Potton Road.

Please take time to read the attached, they are not very long, and if you wish to comment please do. 

A00189 Plan

A00189 Traffic Calming Notice