Issue 146 of Pitstone Parish Post

Issue 146 of Pitstone Parish Post has been printed and is currently being hand delivered to all homes and businesses in the Parish. If you haven’t received yours over the weekend, it will be with you soon.

Link to the online edition for your future reference : Pitstone Parish Post Issue 146 – Ivinghoe & Pitstone Village Website

Parish Council News extract:

Final three public access defibrillators being installed thanks to Pitstone Town Lands Charity

We are delighted to advise that an additional defibrillator is now up-and-running at 1 Meadow Lane, opposite the junction of Church Road and Vicarage Road. This unit was funded by the Parish Council, and we would like to extend our sincere thanks to the resident who has granted permission for it to be located on their premises. This defibrillator is likely to be your nearest if you live at this end of the village or are taken unwell whilst visiting the church or whilst walking the surrounding rights of way.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the Pitstone Town Lands Charity for awarding us a grant of £1,500 towards the cost of defibrillators for the remaining two sites in Windsor Road and Crispin Field.   The parish council resolved to meet the remainder of the costs to complete this project, the units have been ordered and will installed shortly.  Both of these will be lamp post mounted. 

Pitstone Town Lands Charity provides financial support to people who need help in our community.  They offer grants to individual Pitstone residents, as well as local organisations who provide valuable services to them.   Please see the advert within this magazine for full details of how they may be able to provide you with assistance, should you need it.

Grant for the Ivinghoe & Pitstone Repair Café

Our sincere thanks to the Wing and Ivinghoe Community Board for approving a grant to fully fund the purchase of additional equipment for the Pitstone Repair Café.

Alex Razak says “The Repair Café volunteers have found this to make a significant difference.   The power supplies have allowed more of our electronic engineers to tackle challenging repairs simultaneously so speeding up the repairs.   Other tools have allowed repairers to repair items straight away rather than having to take them home.  All of this benefits the visitors and the environment as we now see over 60 items during the 3 hours we are open and have an average success rate well over the UK average!”

The Repair Café operates from Pitstone Pavilion on a monthly basis.

Suicide Prevention Bench – Legend on the Bench & PRS Office Furniture

Please see the separate article in this magazine about the Suicide Prevention Bench on the Recreation Ground donated by PRS Office Furniture.   We extend our thanks to them for this kind donation.

Children’s Art Competition to Design Road Safety Signs

On Saturday 2 August 2025 it was our pleasure to present the prizes to the children who won our Art Competition to design road safety signs.   The event was hosted by the Parish Council, Brookmead School and Thames Valley Police.    Each child was awarded a copy of their artwork made up into a sign and a certificate by the Parish Council, and a goody bag of treats from Thames Valley Police.   Copies of all the signs have been erected around the village to encourage motorists to slow down.   Very many congratulations to all our winners for their bright, colourful and eye-catching designs.

Submit your nominations for Volunteer of the Year 2026 by 19 January 2026

The Parish Council runs the Volunteer of the Year scheme to celebrate the unsung heroes within our community.  If you know someone who goes that extra mile and provides an outstanding voluntary service to the residents of Pitstone, please submit your nominations to the parish clerk (parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk) so that they can be taken into consideration for the 2026 award.     Please ensure all nominations reach us by 19 January 2026

Conclusion of audit for year ending 2024-25

Our external auditors, PKF Littlejohn, have completed their audit and no matters were arising.  The first layer is undertaken by members of the parish council and its staff.  The second layer is an ‘internal audit’ undertaken by independent experts appointed by the parish council – in our case this is IAC Ltd.  Finally, the accounts and supporting documents are submitted to an external auditor appointed to the parish council.  As our income/expenditure exceeded £200k this year, the council will be subject to an intermediate level review. Only following the third layer of audit, are the accounts declared ‘audited’.  All the information will remain available und on our website.

Replacement Slide for Windsor Road

Quotations have been considered and a preferred option has been submitted to Buckinghamshire Council.  We are awaiting their approval on our grant application for a release of some Section 106 funding towards the cost of this unit.  We will update you as soon as we are able. 

Improvements at the Pavilion

The Parish Council is working jointly with Pitstone & Ivinghoe United Football Club have install a pitch barrier around the senior pitch with mesh infill panels which will allow advertising signs to be erected, creating a new advertising opportunity and revenue stream to help fund the ongoing pitch care.  

Ivinghoe & Pitstone Safety Scheme

Buckinghamshire Council has advised that they have some highway maintenance issues to resolve before they can progress with any elements of the safety scheme along the section of Marsworth Road between Westfield Road and the roundabout.   We continue to explore options and timelines with them for these works.    

Consultation on Buckinghamshire Council’s Draft Local Plan – Have Your Say before 29 October

Buckinghamshire Council is consulting residents on the first draft of its new Local Plan. Once adopted the Plan will set the legal framework for making decisions on housing, green spaces and economic growth for the next 15 years – so it’s a significant document which potentially affects us all.  This is the first Plan since Buckinghamshire became a unitary council: in our case it will replace the current Vale of Aylesbury Plan (the VALP).  The consultation period is open until midnight on 29th October and everyone is encouraged to respond (the Parish Council, through its Planning Committee, will also submit its own response).

The draft Plan is a long document.  There are two parts.  Part A (“Spatial Strategies”) sets out Buckinghamshire Council’s vision for Buckinghamshire, its key objectives, and challenges.  Importantly, it contains a section on housing which explains the challenge the Council faces in delivering up to 95,000 new homes (as required by central government policy) and it suggests ways in which different communities (including villages) might contribute to the growth target.  There is also a section on economic growth (including proposals for potential expansion of existing employment sites).

Comments are invited on these proposals but at this stage the draft is very high-level.  A second version of the Plan will be produced next year which will have more specific targets and site allocations (however, there is nothing to stop respondents from commenting on what they would like to see on these at this stage if they wish).

Part B deals with “Development Management Policies” – in other words, the proposed policies which will apply to ensure that the strategies in Part A meet a high standard.  Eight topic-areas are covered in detail, including aspects of housing, transport, the local economy and the natural environment.

The Plan is drafted so that there are consultation questions after each proposal.  Consultees are then encouraged to use a link to an online survey to respond to them.  (You don’t have to respond to every question, if you choose this route!)  But you don’t have to use the survey at all, you can also simply let the Council have your views by letter or email.  A link to the draft Plan, with full details of how to respond, can be found at https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/local-plan/   If you wish to copy in the Parish Council on your response, then please do so.  It would be helpful to know what you think about the draft Plan, and we won’t otherwise see your comments.

(The parish council considered their response at the planning committee meeting on 16/10/25, the draft minutes of which can be found on this website).

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