As you may know, Pitstone & Ivinghoe Entertainments (PIE) is run by volunteers from our community and they have been providing high quality entertainment to our villages for over 20 years.  They arrange the Summer Festival held on Pitstone Recreation Ground and the Bonfire/Fireworks held at the Pitstone Pavilion each year.   Any profits generated by these events, organised by the community for the community, are often given as grants to other community groups to further benefit our residents – in fact since 1999 over £13,000 has been donated to over 20 local clubs and organisations.  For a number of reasons, PIE required a helping hand towards the cost of the 2019 bonfire/fireworks and the parish council was pleased to award a grant of £2,000 in support of this event which is regularly enjoyed by 1,200-1,300 local residents.

Please do support Pitstone & Ivinghoe Entertainments and attend their events, so that these functions can continue.  This year’s summer festival will be held 14-16 June 2019 (events to be confirmed) and the bonfire/fireworks is normally held on the nearest Saturday to 5 November.

For more information about Pitstone & Ivinghoe Entertainments, or to volunteer your help, please visit:  http://www.events-pi.com/

DOG BIN ETIQUETTE poster

Dog bins are for the disposal of fouling from pets that are out walking only.

All waste collected from your home, should be placed into your normal green-lidded refuse bin where it will be taken to Greatmoor Energy from Waste and converted, along with your other refuse, into electricity.  For more information visit: http://www.greatmoor.co.uk/

All our bins are emptied weekly in winter & twice weekly in summer.

Should you find that the bin is full, please be considerate and take your bag to the next bin or take it home with you.

Please don’t turn the bin into a bag tree, pile bags on the top or leave your bag on the floor.  These may then become damaged and their content escape causing distress and posing health hazards.

Please do consider the neighbours, other residents walking/playing nearby, the contractors, other users and the environment – and use these bins responsibly.  Thank you.

The dog bin located at the top end of Windsor Road, near the cycle path, and before the junction with Westfield Road is regularly over utilised.  There are already additional dog bins located by the Hever Close playground, by the entrance to the Local Wildlife Site and by the Windsor Road playground.

We are trying to establish if there is a need for additional bins in this area and/or if there is a more appropriate location for this bin.  To do this, we need to hear from dog walkers in the area so that we can understand:

• which route you take (do you walk up Windsor Road itself, do you come along the cycle/footpath up the centre of the estate, or do you walk up Westfield Road itself?)
• why this bin is particularly over-used
• if you think there may be a need for a bin in another location
• if there is a more appropriate location for this bin
• etc

All our dog bins are emptied weekly during the winter and twice a week during the summer via a service contract with AVDC.  The bins are the maximum size permitted.  Bins must be located within 25m of the highway so that the collection truck can gain access.

Please email any information to parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk

Thank you.

 

This quarter’s message in PPP from the Parish Council Chairman, Dave Nicholls

I’d like to wish all our residents a happy and prosperous 2019.

Each year the parish council has to agree our budget, which sets the precept for the coming financial year.  We finalise it in January so it can be passed to AVDC, who then collect the precept as part of the council tax bill.  This year, for the first time in over 10 years, we have had to make a noticeable increase.  There are a couple of reasons why we have been able to keep the increase minimal up to now.  Firstly, growth in the village masked any increases because the precept is shared across all households.  Secondly, the council took the decision a few years ago to reduce our emergency reserves to an amount sufficient for 3 months of council business, which is the legal minimum allowed.  In the intervening years, we have slowly used these reserves instead of increasing the precept, but they are now used up.  For a Band D property the increase amounts to approximately £1.95 per month, which allows us to continue to deliver all services as we have before and accrue funds for longer term projects.

On another subject, at the end of 2019 the Parish Council will have existed for 125 years.  We wish to put together some information on the history of the council.  Councillors will be searching the county archives for interesting items but we would also like residents to let us know if they have any Parish Council related memories or documents that they’d like to share.  If you have anything, please contact the clerk.

 

You will have seen in the last edition of the magazine that Sue was stepping down as PPP Editor after many years of voluntary service.  The parish council would like to sincerely thank Sue for all her hard work and support and wish her well for the future.

We’d also like to introduce you to Stephanie Nicholls, our newly appointed Editor for PPP.  Stephanie is 19 years old and has a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art and Design.  She is creative and interested in pursuing a career in graphic design.   She will bring a younger perspective to PPP.

Stephanie designed the cover of the last issue of PPP, even drawings the poppies, and has undertaken other design work.  Forgotten what it looked like?  View the online edition here: http://pitstone.co.uk/ppcpubs/pitstone-parish-post-issue-118/

Stephanie has designed the cover of the current edition and all the content.  Looks fantastic.  If you haven’t had your PPP delivered yet, it will be with you very shortly.  Can’t wait?  View the online edition here:  http://pitstone.co.uk/ppcpubs/pitstone-parish-post-issue-119/

We extend a warm welcome to Stephanie and trust you will do the same.

The contact details for the Editor remain unchanged, please email pppeditor@pitstone.co.uk.

 

A large number of volunteers supplement the work of our staff and regularly help the parish council to turn our village from a beautiful place to live into a thriving, wonderful community to live within.  The council is most grateful to all the support provided by the staff and volunteers who help at the youth cafe, deliver/edit/manage Pitstone Parish Post, check street lights, sit on Pitstone Allotment Association committee, drive and co-ordinate the Pitstone Community Car Scheme, carry out litter picking, conduct asset checks, clean the pavilion, assist with the management of our trees and grounds, sit on our Sports & Leisure Committee and help with village planning.   We held the very successful annual volunteer thank you event on Thursday 17 January, which gave the council an opportunity to say thank you in person.  A good evening was had by all those that attended, with people enjoying the opportunity to catch up with other volunteers/staff that they may otherwise only see infrequently.   So a huge thank you once again to everyone who plays a part in shaping this vibrant community we reside within.

Applications for consideration at the 31 January 2019  meeting:

The plans may be viewed online by going to http://eplanning.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk and searching using the planning reference number.

Any comments, representations or objections you may have should be submitted directly to AVDC as the planning authority, by the date shown on the yellow site notice, quoting the planning reference number.  This can be done on-line or you can post comments to:

The Head of Development Control, Aylesbury Vale District Council, The Gateway,
Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP19 8FF

If you wish the parish council to take your comments into consideration when making our recommendation, please also supply the details to us before noon on the day of the meeting to allow sufficient time for the information to be circulated to all councillors.

Laurie Eagling, Clerk to Pitstone Parish Council

 

Both Pitstone Parish Council and Pitstone Allotment Association are delighted to announce that there will be no increase in membership or tenancy fees for the 2019/20 season.

The annual subscription to Pitstone Allotment Association will remain at £6.50 per quarter plot and the rental charge to the Parish Council will remain at £8.50 per quarter plot.   Therefore, the total charge for one quarter plot for 12 months will be £15.00, as per the last seven years.   Any funds collected by the parish council which are surplus to the running costs of the site will be ring-fenced for future maintenance and development work at the allotment site.

It has also been agreed to run an 18-month tenancy for the renewal this March, so that in subsequent years the tenancy will renew in October, which better suits the allotment growing calendar and thus brings benefits to tenants.

As per the terms and conditions of your Allotment Garden Tenancy Agreement, the renewal rental will be payable in full on or before 25 March 2019 on this occasion, running to the end of September 2020 (moving to October renewal date from October 2020).   New paperwork will be issued during February.

We hope that you continue to enjoy your allotment garden in this beautiful location and reap the benefits for your families.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk.

If you wish to join the waiting list for an allotment, please email: pitstoneallotmentassociation@gmail.com or visit http://pitstoneallotmentassociation.org.uk/ for further information.

Pitstone Parish Council (PPC) is creating a new Working Party dedicated to public transport services in and around our Parish.  This is an open invitation to all Pitstone Parish residents, business owners and employees in our Parish with interest about public transport to join this group.  This new working group is being formed due to an increase in concerns, PPC objectives and the need to bring in additional perspectives and expertise in this often technical area.

What is PPC currently doing?

• Liaise and lobby with Bucks County Council and public transport providers on behalf of the Parish
• Look after bus shelters
• Work towards providing new and better transport for the isolated, disabled and vulnerable (e.g. Community Buses and Dial-a-Rides)
• Working towards providing better access to Tring and Cheddington Stations, including new bus routes
• Communicate back to the Parish information from Bucks County Council and transport providers.
• Correspond with schools and colleges about school transportation
• Carry out local surveys

This list is not exhaustive, but should give you an idea.  Time and resources dedicated to the above have steadily increased due to more objectives being set and increased threats and opportunities that are arising.  As an example, the NDP set out the objectives to set up a Community Bus and bus routes to the local train stations.  Money has and will be received from recent housing developments (S106) towards these but it is a technical and time consuming challenge to achieve these objectives.  We have also had a recent significant change to our local buses due to Red Rose taking over the 61 bus route from Arriva, which presents both a threat and opportunity to our public buses.  Bucks County Council often change public transport policies; for example they are proposing significant changes to school bus provision and we are one avenue through which correspondence and lobbying can be achieved.

So we have decided to create a new Working Party to work towards public transport objectives and enable better understanding and correspondence between us and Parish residents so we can correspond with and when necessary lobby other stakeholders. I will be the Chairman.  My personal interest mainly arises out of previously being a regular bus user and a concern about the lack of services to stations and for vulnerable and isolated residents.  But I am also a good example of where we care and are keen to move forwards, but our collective technical expertise is lacking.

For information, a Working Party is a sub-committee group of the Council, which allows us to invite people outside the Council to become involved.  This is different from a sub-Committee as no powers will be devolved to the Working Party, as any recommendations will be passed back to the full Council to make a final decision.  Given PPC only has limited direct responsibilities, it was thought better to establish this as a Working Party.

The Council has set some provisional objectives for this group, but these can be discussed and changed over time.  However, it is important that this group does not become focused on any one particular objective, as the Council does have a responsibility to progress in a few different areas.

So if you are a regular user of local public transport services (or would like to be), have particular expertise or care about the provision of public transport and are 16+, live or work in the Parish, we would be very interested to hear from you.

Cllr Dr. Dave Frearson

Four new trees (Betula Pendula, Carpinus Betulus, Sorbus Aira Lutescens and Sorbus Magestica) have been planted on the Recreation Ground to replace some lost to vandalism etc over the past 24 months.  Once these have matured, their canopies will also provide extra protection to help prevent cricket balls escaping onto Marsworth Road.

 

An additional sign has been erected near the rear car park reminding users that golf is not permitted on the recreation ground for the safety of all our users.

AVDC approved the planning application for the residential development around the recreation ground just before Christmas.   This development forms the last major parcel of residential land identified within the Pitstone Neighbourhood Plan.  As part of the development, Nicholas King will be providing a multi-use ball-games court, new car parking, replacement woodland planting, footpath access through to Castlemead, primary and secondary educational contributions, sport & leisure contributions, additional on-site open space, affordable housing and a contribution to the Pitstone Safety Scheme.

AVDC had previously granted outline planning permission for a restaurant/café/pub and a private day nursery on the same overall site.  It is our understanding that Nicholas King will be placing these commercial parcels of land onto the open market, and that any eventual owners would then submit for full planning/discharge of planning conditions.

Full details of all applications can be found on the AVDC planning portal.

 

As you will probably all be aware, the Secretary of State has approved plans for the creation of a single unitary council for Buckinghamshire in 2020.  This will see the end of Buckinghamshire County Council and Aylesbury Vale District Council, and the creation of a new single council.  As part of this process, the District Council elections originally scheduled to take place in 2019 have been postponed by MHCLG until May 2020.   All Buckinghamshire parish and town council elections (including Pitstone) scheduled to take place in 2019 have also been postponed by MHCLG until May 2020, and our existing councillors will now serve an additional year in their term of office.

Due to the residential growth in the parish, an extra seat on the council is likely to be approved, raising the number of councillors from 10 to 11 at the next election.  If you have a passion for improving life within the parish, and plenty of voluntary time to contribute, you may like to consider standing for election in 2020 so now is a good time to get involved with the parish council and find out what is involved.   Please check out the initial information in our leaflet: http://pitstone.co.uk/ppcpubs/pitstone-parish-council-general-information-leaflet/ or get in touch with the parish clerk.

The parish council is delighted to have been able to provide a grant of £3,000 to Pitstone Memorial Hall charity to cover the majority of the cost of repairs to the soffits, fascias and guttering at the hall.   Work should commence in the next few months.

If you belong to a community group that could also benefit from a grant, please check out the parish council’s grant policy on http://pitstone.co.uk/ppcinfo/grant-policy/ or get in touch with the parish clerk.

Did you realise that the Memorial Hall was run by a charity, whose trustees are all local residents that care about the hall and the services it provides to the community?  If you are also passionate about this great local facility, and have time to volunteer, please get in touch with the memorial hall who will be able to provide some information about how you can get involved.

Remember to get your volunteer of the year submissions to the parish clerk by 15 January !

Thank you.

We would like to wish all of our residents, staff, volunteers, customers and suppliers a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The office will be open over the festive period, with the exception of the bank holidays.

The parish council is delighted to confirm that it has been awarded a grant of £800 from Aylesbury Vale District Council’s (AVDC’s) New Homes Bonus Micro Grant Scheme towards replacement games consoles and sports equipment for the Pitstone Youth Café including goal posts and basketballs.

The young people that attend the youth café asked for our help to source more up-to-date equipment and an improved range of sports equipment.   They have been holding their own fundraising events to contribute to the project and have successfully raised £40.00.   The parish council has also provided a financial contribution of £180.

If you would like more information about the AVDC grant funding available, please contact the grants officer, Jan Roffe, at  jroffe@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk.

To jump straight to the Police & Crime Commissioner website & survey, please click here: http://sgiz.eu/s3/Policing-budget-council-tax-2019-20

The information is repeated below for your convenience.

Dear resident

The Thames Valley Police budget has been cut by £101 million over the last eight years which has resulted in significant cuts to police officer and staff numbers. This year the Government has encouraged all Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to raise the policing element of the council tax precept by £2 a month for a Band D property (the increase for other property Bands is set out in the below table). To prevent further damaging cuts to policing and restore some important frontline policing capability I would like to make use of this Government advice and raise the council tax precept accordingly.

On Thursday 13th December the Home Secretary announced the provisional police funding settlement for 2019/20. In response to the exceptional operational demands on the police, particularly in areas such as Thames Valley, the Government is increasing the funding available to PCCs by up to £813 million. This is provided all PCCs, including myself, increase their council tax for a Band D household  by £2 a month, or £24 a year in 2019/20 (the increase for other Property Bands is set out in the table below) which, collectively, will raise £509 million of the £813 million increase in funding. This new settlement will mean that forces can continue to provide an effective service, against the rising tide of demand and complexity in their critical work to fight crime and protect the public.

Demand on police forces nationally has risen significantly in the last year as a result of higher crime numbers, the increasing complexity of crime, and the increasing reach of criminals both physically and via technology. This includes an increase in the reporting of high harm and previously hidden crimes such as child sexual abuse and modern slavery. The challenge from serious and organised crime networks is also growing both in economic value and the geographical spread, whilst nationally there has also been a spike in serious violence and knife crime alongside the increase in a gang culture.  A significant amount of the more serious crime is now being committed by foreign national offenders.

In addition the police are dealing with a large amount of non-crime business, especially in relation to mental health. My focus will continue to be on delivering strong neighbourhood policing for all of the communities across the Thames Valley whilst addressing the serious threats and hardship posed by criminals operating in, or out of Thames Valley on our communities.

Despite increasing council tax by £12 last year (for a Band D property) the increasing demands and price rises means that policing continues to be under significant financial pressure. Our costs continue to rise as a result of police officer and staff pay increases, price inflation, police officer pension contributions and committed growth items. We remain efficient and effective but having already taken out £101m of cash savings and cuts from our base budget since 2010/11 the process of identifying new cash savings is becoming ever more challenging, however we are committed to making policing even more efficient and have already identified over £4m of new savings in 2019/20. 

I am proposing to increase council tax by £24 for a Band D household and will ensure that all the extra cash generated from council taxpayers will be spent on operational policing. The draft budget for 2019/20 will provide additional funding to:

• Increase Local Frontline Policing – we will recruit additional officers and staff to respond to increasing crime demand and complexity and the impact of the reduction in the resources of and services provided by other agencies (particularly in the areas of mental health and children’s safeguarding).
• Improve our investigation capacity and process – stretched resources are operating in an increasingly expanding and complex environment with investigations at all levels growing in size and complexity.
• There has been an increase in organised crime which exploits the vulnerable as well as cyber enabled crime fraud and economic crime. We will recruit more investigators and invest in appropriate new technology and tools.
• Improve Contact Management – the rise in demand and the complexity of that demand have increased the length of time it takes to assess the threat, harm and risk and ensure every call receives the appropriate response.  We will reduce call handling times, particularly for 101 calls, by recruiting additional staff to deal with the additional demand and more complex crime and incidents being reported.
• Increasing our digital capability – we will exploit the modern platforms we have been investing in through the development of operational designed tools, expanding our mobile capability and improving connectivity will allow officers and staff to maximise the use of online digital applications facilitating the fast access and transfer of data, while investing in Intelligence technologies will improve the efficiency of transactional processes.
• Sustainable funding for the capital programme – to ensure the long term financial stability of the force we have to provide revenue support to the capital programme to ensure that we can continue to invest in new technology and other infrastructure projects in future years.

For more background information before answering the survey please click here

The majority of police funding (57%) comes from Government grants, with the remaining 43% coming from the Council tax precept. There are eight Bands of council tax depending on the value of your property.

In 2018/19 the policing precept was increased by £12 (7.0%) for a Band D property. The Government has again given PCCs the flexibility to increase council tax by up to £24 (13.2%) for a Band D household. The impact of this increase on your council tax is shown in the table below.

Band	Current Police share of council tax in 2018/19	Proposed council tax 2019/20	Proposed monthly increase
A	£121.52	£137.52	£1.33
B	£141.77	£160.44	£1.56
C	£162.03	£183.36	£1.78
D	£182.28	£206.28	£2.00
E	£222.79	£252.12	£2.44
F	£263.29	£297.96	£2.89
G	£303.80	£343.80	£3.33
H	£364.56	£412.56	£4.00

Anthony Stansfeld
Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley

To complete the survey, please click here: http://sgiz.eu/s3/Policing-budget-council-tax-2019-20

Please note that it is the last youth cafe of this term tonight.   May we take this opportunity to wish everyone who attends, and all the volunteers that support it, a very merry Christmas.   We hope you enjoy your school holidays.

Pitstone youth cafe will re-open at 6.30pm on Wednesday 9 January 2019.  We look forward to seeing you then.

Unfortunately we are experiencing ongoing problems, particularly in one playground, with someone who regularly allows their dog to exercise and foul inside the play area and fails to clear up.

Please note that all three of our children’s play areas have fencing around them.  Please ensure that any dogs remain on the outside of the fence and are not brought into the play areas.  Some children may be frightened by your dog, even if you think your dog is being friendly, and dog fouling can be damaging to children’s health.   All play areas have appropriate signage in place, and all have dog waste bins located close by.

Please show consideration to the youngest people in our parish.  Do not use play areas as dog exercise parks.  There is plenty of open space around the parish where dogs can be exercised.

 

 

The parish council is pleased to confirm that it has been awarded a grant of £370,000 from Aylesbury Vale District Council’s (AVDC’s) New Homes Bonus Funding Scheme towards the potential redevelopment of the pavilion site.

The planning application relating to the potential improvements to the pavilion site can be found on the AVDC’s planning portal (https://publicaccess.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=PHXDI9CLIQ800&activeTab=summary), or you can find all the  information on the parish council website (http://pitstone.co.uk/ppcnews/potential-improvements-to-pitstone-pavilion/).

AVDC will hold these funds until construction fulfilment, they are not held by the parish council.  We continue to explore other possible sources of funding and will keep residents updated on any progress.   It must again be stressed that the project can’t move forward to the next phase unless the project attracts sufficient grant/other funding.

If you would like more information about the AVDC grant funding available, please contact the grants officer, Jan Roffe, at  jroffe@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk.

We are pleased to report that the forth real-time-information panel has now been installed at the bus stop located near the Local Green Space on Marsworth Road.  All four units are now working and displaying live departure information.  The buses are fitted with GPS which feeds into the system to provide up-to-date travel information.  No more waiting around wondering how late the bus is running, or whether it has already gone, as you’ll be able to see at a glance.

The four units are located at the following bus stops:

• Travelling towards Dunstable:
  • The bus shelter by the Local Green Space on Marsworth Road, in front of The Crescent
  • The new bus shelter on Marsworth Road, by the junction of Rushendon Furlong
• Travelling towards Aylesbury:
  • The bus shelter almost opposite Masons store, between Queen Street & Albion Road, on Marsworth Road
  • The bus shelter outside the Recreation Ground, on Marsworth Road

The information panels have been provided by the housing developers off Rushendon Furlong and Vicarage Road, and are owned and managed by Bucks County Council.

 

 

Applications for consideration at the 3 January 2019  meeting:

The plans may be viewed online by going to http://eplanning.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk and searching using the planning reference number.

Any comments, representations or objections you may have should be submitted directly to AVDC as the planning authority, by the date shown on the yellow site notice, quoting the planning reference number.  This can be done on-line or you can post comments to:

The Head of Development Control, Aylesbury Vale District Council, The Gateway,
Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP19 8FF

If you wish the parish council to take your comments into consideration when making our recommendation, please also supply the details to us before noon on the day of the meeting to allow sufficient time for the information to be circulated to all councillors.

Laurie Eagling, Clerk to Pitstone Parish Council

 

The parish council Christmas lights in the tree on the Recreation Ground outside Pitstone Memorial Hall were switched on again on the first Sunday in Advent and will remain illuminated each night time until 12th night, bringing some seasonal cheer and welcoming those attending events at the hall.

May we take this opportunity to wish all of our residents a happy and healthy festive season.

The parish council offers grants to local community groups and charities that benefit Pitstone residents.  Applications are considered quarterly.   The next opportunity for grants to be considered is coming up on 31 January 2019.

Please see the grant policy on this web site (http://pitstone.co.uk/ppcinfo/grant-policy/ ) for further information or contact the parish clerk.

Applications must be received at least 10 days ahead of the meeting date so that the information can be circulated to all members ahead of the meeting and your application can be advertised on our agenda.

We are pleased to report that the new kissing gate has now been installed on the Local Green Space between Marsworth Road and The Crescent.  This is situated at the far end of the green space and therefore opens up use of the internal grassed area putting an end to people walking down to the end and then finding that there is was no exit.

The new wooden kissing gate is also suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs to ensure it can be utilised by as many residents as possible.

Extra daffodil bulbs have also now been planted along the inside of the fence line and around a couple of crab apple trees, and both the wooden fence and the mesh fencing have been repaired.

 

 

 

The young people that attend the youth cafe have asked for the council’s help to buy some new equipment. We have worked with them to apply for a grant, and committed some funding towards their target. The youngsters themselves opted to hold bring-and-buy cake sales over the next few weeks to raise their contribution and demonstrate commitment to the potential grant provider. If your child is planning to attend cafe over the next few weeks please consider supporting them by providing a donation of cakes and/or a few extra pennies for them to purchase a cake.

The parish council is pleased to announce that the Bucks County Council Great Brickhill, Wing & Ivinghoe Local Area Forum (BCC LAF) has agreed to allocate £7,535.50 from its Local Priorities Reserve towards the Pitstone Feasibility Study Scheme.  The parish council is also contributing £11,288.96.

As the flow of vehicles, bicycles & pedestrians affects both villages, this is a project we are working on in close partnership with Ivinghoe Parish Council.  The Ivinghoe elements have also been awarded BCC LAF funding, and Ivinghoe Parish Council is also making a financial contribution.

You will recall that concept studies for both parishes were initially commissioned from Ben Hamilton-Baillie Associates (available on our website), and the resulting consultation showed widespread support from both parishes.  Bucks County Council Local Area Forum then worked with the parishes to undertake a Feasibility Stage Road Safety Audit, which concluded in 2017, and outlines several other factors to be taken into consideration within any future design.

The next step needed is the current Feasibility Design Scheme which will aim to identify low-cost short-term measures and long-term structural suggestions, with layout plans of proposed options, commentary on the designs, recommended materials palette, cross sections where appropriate and budget estimates for implementation.

The Local Area Forum has placed the order for this Scheme with Transport for Bucks who will program the works, and we hope to be able to provide an update next spring.

As part of the neighbourhood planning process, and from previous surveys, we know that the community feels strongly that the pavilion site is developed and expanded to become a facility that can be utilised by a far larger sector of our local community.

At the moment, the site is home to senior and junior football pitches along with a changing pavilion.  The facilities were passed to the community many years ago as part of the leisure contributions paid by the developers of the Castlemead estate, but don’t meet the current needs of the football leagues or all the required legislation for public buildings.

The annual bonfire and fireworks event is hosted at the site, but the limited facilities restrict the number of other uses, both indoors and outdoors.

The parish council has been working with a number of partners to develop potential proposals that will provide adequate changing facilities; a multi-function room that will be available for local meetings, events and indoor exercise etc; a parish store & office to enable a wider range of services to be delivered to the community; required ground-keeping and storage facilities and improved parking & access.  The proposed facilities will enable a greater range of indoor and outdoor services to be delivered to the community, now and in the future.  A planning application has now been submitted to Aylesbury Vale District Council, a number of documents are attached below, and you can also view the full details on the AVDC website (https://publicaccess.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/online-applications//search.do?action=simple&searchType=Application) by searching for application number 18/04002/APP.   We encourage all residents to view the plans and submit your comments to AVDC.  The AVDC consultation is open until 10 December 2018.

It must be stressed, that for these proposals to progress to implementation, the council will need to be successful with a number of applications for grant funding to raise the necessary funds for the construction costs.

The council will keep residents updated with progress on both the planning application and our fundraising endeavours.

Attachments:

• Design and Access Statement
• Existing and proposed elevations
• Existing and proposed layouts
• Existing and proposed site plans
• Proposed visuals

You are self-motivated, able to work to a deadline, a good communicator and keen to be involved in your community.

No experience necessary.

It’s not a big job – only once a quarter.

You know you want to …

Call Sue on 01296 661910 or 07788662349

• Eat fresh food, grown yourself, with no hidden chemicals.
• The pleasure of seeing your own crops grow.
• Physical health from regular exercise, as part of a healthy lifestyle
• Do your bit for the environment reducing the need for transport and packaging of your food.

Visit the website for application forms and club secretary contact details: www.pitstoneallotment association.org.uk

or email: pitstoneallotmentassocation@gmail.com

 

Pleased to confirm that two new benches have now been installed on the Local Green Space between Marsworth Road and The Crescent.   We know that this area of public open space is important to local residents and hope that now more of you will be able to take a moment to sit and enjoy this area.

A new kissing gate at the far end, and further planting, will be taking place shortly.

100 years ago the First World War ended, and a new world began. The example and experience of those who lived through it shaped the world we live in today. In 2018 we join the nation in saying Thank You to all who served, sacrificed and changed our world.

Our thanks also to Pitstone Memorial Hall charity for allowing the Parish Council’s silent soldier, remembering the fallen of Pitstone, to be mounted onto the wall at the Memorial Hall (which is the site of the Pitstone War Memorial).

Our thanks to the Women’s Institute for the donation of a silent soldier to stand on Marsworth Road.

Our thanks also to the Women’s Institute, the children of Brookmead School, and all those who contributed poppies for the yarn bombing and bus stop decorations around the village.

 

Pleased to announce that the new bus shelter has now been installed on Marsworth Road, close to the junction with Rushendon Furlong.

The real-time information panels will be installed during November, so we’ll post another update then.

 

 

 

Perhaps there are a group of residents that travel to and from Tring station each day?  or a group of young people that need to get to and from the Aylesbury/Wing schools or one of the local colleges?
you could be looking to travel to work more efficiently?
maybe there is a place you like to visit regularly to dog walk or socialise or shop?
or perhaps you need a one-off lift to somewhere?

BreakfastPoster

Join 600,000 like-minded people saving money and the planet by car sharing.

• Join for free and find drivers or passengers to share with
• Save money (to get an idea of how much you could save, click here: https://liftshare.com/uk/savings-calculator )
• Cut congestion and pollution and help reduce CO2 emissions
• Reduce parking problems
• Reduce the stress of driving by sharing
• Make new friends

Register with Liftshare and travel happy:

• Add your journey details and filter your search to find the best Liftshare for you
• Use the messaging system to arrange with your potential Liftshare partner(s) how and when you will meet
• Start sharing – once you’ve accepted the request to share you are free to start your Liftshare journey

To find out what existing members say about their Liftshare experience click here: https://liftshare.com/uk/community/ourmembers

Click here if you have any questions: https://liftshare.com/uk/community/faqs 

Visit Liftshare.com via this link and Pitstone residents and join in helping each other: https://liftshare.com/uk

 

Applications for consideration at the 29 November  meeting:

The plans may be viewed online by going to http://eplanning.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk and searching using the planning reference number.

Any comments, representations or objections you may have should be submitted directly to AVDC as the planning authority, by the date shown on the yellow site notice, quoting the planning reference number.  This can be done on-line or you can post comments to:

The Head of Development Control, Aylesbury Vale District Council, The Gateway,
Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP19 8FF

If you wish the parish council to take your comments into consideration when making our recommendation, please also supply the details to us before noon on the day of the meeting to allow sufficient time for the information to be circulated to all councillors.

Laurie Eagling, Clerk to Pitstone Parish Council

 

 

All your nominations for the Pitstone Volunteer of the Year 2019 need to be sent to the parish council by 15 January 2019, so if you know of someone that is giving up their time and making a difference to the lives of the people in Pitstone, then please let us know.

A huge army of volunteers make our village special.  Did you know that volunteers manage the Memorial Hall; the Pitstone Heritage Park/museum; staff the Pitstone Windmill open days; are parish councillors; form the governing body of Brookmead school; deliver and edit Pitstone Parish Post; operate Pitstone Youth Café; form the management committee for Windmill pre-school; drive for the Community Car scheme; run mums & toddlers; run Brownies/Rainbows/Cubs/Scouts; are trustees for The Williamson Trust and Pitstone Town Lands Charity; run sporting groups such as I&PUCC, P&IUFC and P&IJFC; check street lights; provide ground-keeping on the cricket square; manage our allotment site; help at the Beacon Villages Community Library; are members of Pitstone & Ivinghoe Entertainments who organise the summer festival and annual fireworks; and form the Friends of St Mary’s church in Pitstone, manning open days and organising events.  Just think what our village would be like without all these facilities!

 

As well as being an opportunity for you, and the parish council, to thank our Volunteer of the Year in public, the winner receives £50.00 and a framed certificate.

Previous winners include: Rob Spiller, Margaret Cole, Klaus Ginda, Dave Clifford, Mary Saintey, Joe Marling, Michelle Lee, David Hawkins, John Groom and
Elaine Thorogood.

Please email or write to the parish clerk on: parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk or at
9 Warwick Road, Pitstone, Beds, LU7 9FE providing the full name of the person you wish to nominate and the reasons why you think they deserve to win.

 

If you have some spare time and would like join this volunteer army and start enjoying the benefits that volunteering brings, please do get in touch.

 

Local Green Space in front of The Crescent

 

Now that the parish council has purchased this land from Bucks County Council, work has commenced to repair damaged fencing, improve access to the site by installing a kissing gate which is also suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs, and providing additional seating for those residents that like to stop and enjoy this pretty space.  Almost 2,000 daffodil bulbs will also be planted over the autumn, to enhance the current planting, and should create a beautiful display in the spring.

 

Play Update

 

New pedestrian gates have been installed at the Windsor Road and Hever Close play areas and the Rocking Rocket has been repaired on the Recreation Ground.  Unfortunately, one of the swing seats on the Recreation Ground was vandalised and had to be removed, and the concrete for the new gates had to be replaced twice as somebody kept removing the protective fencing and writing in/walking in the new concrete before it had set.  Quotations are being sought to replace/repair the swinging plank in the Windsor Road playground.

 

We are aware that the play equipment in the Recreation Ground playground is getting tired.  As you know, there are plans to replace all of this equipment with a new play space which has been delayed because of a land issue.  The parish council will be progressing with these aspirations as soon as the other landowner is able to negotiate with us.

 

As in previous years, the Parish Council paid for two Play around the Parishes sessions during the summer holidays, which offer games and activities aimed at those <11 years, and these were well attended with up to 100 children at each session.   The council has resolved to repeat again next year.

 

Services Devolved from Bucks County Council

 

The current four-year contract with Bucks County Council (BCC) comes to a close at the end of 2018.  The parish council has resolved to enter into a new agreement with BCC so that we can continue to offer an enhanced level of service to residents.  At the time of writing, we have yet to receive the draft contract from BCC but hope to be going to tender for these works in the next month or so.

 

Getting Out and About

 

Pitstone and Ivinghoe Parish Councils are working on a joint initiative with the BCC Local Area Forum to undertake an engineering/feasibility study into the Pitstone & Ivinghoe Safety Scheme which developed from the Ben Hamilton-Baillie study and presentation which many of you attended.  Any such major changes are a long, slow, expensive process but we continue to move through the necessary steps and hope to have the results of this stage later in the financial year.

 

We continue to work with both Hertfordshire County Council and Bucks County Council to explore options for a cycle route along Northfield Road and will come back to you in due course when HCC have any information that they are able to share.  There may be a need for a questionnaire or event to try and gauge how many people would use the facilities, as grant providers need to assess how many people would benefit vs the costs involved, so if you have even a passing interest in improving the safety along this route then please take the time to respond/attend.

 

For those needing to reach their hospital and medical appointments without their own transport, the Pitstone Community Car Scheme provides a vital service.  The volunteer drivers fulfilled over 300 bookings last year!  There is often no timely public transport service available and knowing they can get to the appointment and back safely and on time, helps to reduce the stress of these appointments.  Due to a lack of volunteer support to run the committee & co-ordinate the calls, the scheme potentially looked as though it may close, but the parish council has now resolved to operate the scheme themselves.   However, we do need more volunteer drivers and it doesn’t have to be time consuming – so if you have enough time to drive an elderly person to their doctor’s/dental appointment in Tring, or can drive someone to the Pitstone surgery, we’d love to hear from you.  If you have a more time/flexibility and would be willing to take someone to their hospital appointments, that would also be great.  Drivers are refunded their petrol costs by the customer.

 

We are at the early stage of investigating whether there is any demand or support for a Community Bus within our cluster of villages, especially if such a service could help to tackle social isolation.   The first step will be to assess the level of interest from all the residents in all the parishes, so look out for a questionnaire or event coming soon.

 

To help those travelling by public bus, October/November will also see the installation of Real Time Information Panels besides the two existing bus shelters either side of Marsworth Road by the Recreation Ground, at the existing bus shelter opposite Queen Street/Albion Road and both a Real-Time Panel and a new bus shelter installed at the end of Rushendon Furlong to assist those travelling in the direction of Leighton Buzzard.  The buses are fitted with GPS and the information panels will show helpful information such as the time of the bus and the length of any delays.

 

Lighting

 

The LED roll-out continues, with lights now converted in the The Green and Chequers Lane, with another batch for Yardley Avenue on order which will hopefully be installed before Christmas.  We have a team of volunteer residents that help us monitor whether any lights are in need to repair, so if you’d be willing to join our Street Light Champions and check the lights near you once a month, please get in touch.

 

At the start of Advent, our Christmas lights will also be back in the tree on the Recreation Ground to bring some festive cheer.

 

First Time Sewerage for Cheddington Road / Forthcoming Road Closure

 

You may not have been aware that the properties by the railway bridge at the end of Cheddington Road and those at Wellington Place/Cooks Wharf have not been connected to the mains sewer.  Starting at the end of October, Anglian Water will be installing the necessary infrastructure to connect these properties including a pumping station by the T junction and piping back as far as Chequers Close to join the existing mains.   Works are anticipated to last several months and will include road closures for each section as the work is undertaken and diversion routes.   Road closure signs will be erected prior to the works.  Please be patient and allow extra time for your journey during the installation of this important infrastructure.

 

 

Who will you nominate for Volunteer of the Year?  Let us know by 15 January 2019

 

Our community couldn’t function without the small army of volunteers in our midst.  Do you know someone that goes the extra mile to improve the life of people in Pitstone?  Maybe they give up lots of time to help run one of our many charitable bodies (like the pre-school, memorial hall or scouts) or community groups (like the community car scheme or youth café).  Maybe they are someone that regularly checks on their elderly neighbours, does their shopping or takes them to appointments.   Every year, the parish council celebrates one local person with the honour of the Pitstone Volunteer of the Year which is awarded at the Pitstone Annual Assembly and comprises of a cheque for £50, framed certificate and local publicity to spread the word of their good deeds.  Help us thank our local heroes and send the name of the person you nominate, along with some information about why you think they deserve to be recognised, to the parish clerk by 15 January 2019 (tel: 01296 767261, email: parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk, post: 9 Warwick Road, LU7 9FE).

 

 

Remembering the fallen of Pitstone

 

The parish council is honoured to have procured a silent soldier silhouette to remember the fallen of Pitstone and the Memorial Hall Charity have granted permission for its location in the memorial garden at the hall (the hall obviously having been built as the parish’s Memorial, hence the name).  The council will also be welcoming the donation of another silhouette from the Women’s Institute to be located by the decorative Pitstone sign.  We have worked with BCC TfB and Taylor Wimpey to ensure that Westfield Road and Marsworth Road, along with the Recreation Ground, can be included within the WI yarn bombing.

 

There will be lots of local events, including remembrance services at both St Mary’s Church in Ivinghoe and Pitstone Memorial Hall plus the Beacons of Light events on Ivinghoe Beacon which we encourage you to attend.    Beacons of Light is an event is organised by the Ashridge Estate and honours the fallen of all villages that border the Ashridge Estate, more information can be found here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events/82364215-d442-44cf-a9b3-7e21aefbf214/pages/details

 

 

Bonfire and Fireworks on Saturday 3 November 2018

 

The council is pleased that Pitstone & Ivinghoe Entertainments (PIE) have again chosen to host an annual bonfire and firework event at the sports pavilion on Saturday 3 November 2018.  This event really seems to bring the community together and sees a lot of public support.  Any surplus funds raised by PIE are ploughed back into supporting local community groups, so please do support their events.

 

 

Can you help at the youth café on a Wednesday evening?

 

Our youth café offers a safe place for young people of secondary school age to hang out, meet up with friends, enjoy a snack, play sports/games/crafts etc.  We employ a qualified youth worker to run the café but it is very reliant on sufficient adult voluntary helpers to attend each week in order to be able to operate and meet the necessary child:adult ratios.  Many of our volunteers are retired and enjoy the company of the young people as much as they benefit from our helpers being there.  We can accommodate couples/friends who want an opportunity where they can volunteer together.   Volunteering can be very rewarding.  The council provides full training.   If you are able to join us from 6.30pm to 8pm on Wednesday’s during term time we would really love to hear from you.   Please call 01296 767261 or email parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk.

 

Adult Volunteers Needed

6.30-8.00pm Wednesdays at Pitstone Youth Cafe

Please come and join our team of volunteers at Pitstone Youth Café, 6.30-8.00pm Wednesday’s at Brookmead school during term time.  The café provides a safe environment for young people to meet with friends, try new activities, keep active and access the services of our qualified youth worker.  We’ve been able to provide services to over 725 young people aged between 11-17 years since we opened 7 years ago.

No qualifications necessary.  Just a willingness to play games, serve refreshments, or join in with sports, crafts or activities.   Suitable for anyone 18yrs or over – no upper age limit and many of our volunteers are retired.

If you can spare 90 minutes once a week, or once a fortnight, we would love to hear from you. 

Our much needed café can’t operate without volunteers, so please support the young people in our community and join us for a fulfilling and fun evening once a week. 

Further information about the youth cafe available here: http://pitstone.co.uk/ppcinfo/youth-cafe/

Please contact: Laurie Eagling, Clerk to Pitstone Parish Council, 9 Warwick Road, Pitstone, Beds, LU7 9FE. Tel: 01296 767261. Email: parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk

In Pitstone, we have a number of residents that are unable to drive, don’t benefit from local relatives, and find it very difficult to access their medical and hospital appointments by the limited public transport services in the village.

Pitstone operates a Community Car scheme, where our residents can phone and see if there is a volunteer available to take them to their appointment.  We desperately need more drivers to keep the scheme operating.  It provides a much appreciated service and helps to reduce both stress and costs for residents during often worrying times of medical need.  The resident pays the driver a set fee for the destination they need, to cover the cost of petrol/parking.

Drivers only accept the journeys that they are able to accommodate/fits with their diary – so if you only want to accept journeys to Tring or Pitstone surgeries/clinics that is absolutely fine & if you are happy to drive someone out to Stoke or Oxford hospitals, that is also much appreciated.  There is no minimum or maximum commitment required.  Please don’t feel that the time you may be able to contribute may be too small, every assistance is very valuable to the scheme.

Could you become one of our volunteer drivers, using your own vehicle?  Training and support will be provided.  Expenses paid.

Please get in touch with the parish clerk on parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk or
01296 767261 or at 9 Warwick Road, Pitstone, LU7 9FE

We hope that you have enjoyed cafe this half term. Cafe is now closed for two weeks (not open on 24 Oct or 31 Oct) to span the half term holidays in Bucks and Herts (different weeks this time) and allow all our wonderful volunteers to enjoy their holidays with their families. We hope you also enjoy your school holiday. Youth Cafe will re-open on Wednesday 7 November at 6.30pm.

Applications for consideration at the 18 October planning committee meeting.

The plans may be viewed online by going to http://eplanning.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk and searching using the planning reference number.

Any comments, representations or objections you may have should be submitted directly to AVDC as the planning authority, by the date shown on the yellow site notice, quoting the planning reference number.  This can be done on-line or you can post comments to:

The Head of Development Control, Aylesbury Vale District Council, The Gateway,
Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP19 8FF

If you wish the parish council to take your comments into consideration when making our recommendation, please also supply the details to us before noon on the day of the meeting to allow sufficient time for the information to be circulated to all councillors.

Laurie Eagling, Clerk to Pitstone Parish Council

 

The parish council is seeking quotations from local gardening firms, with suitable public liability insurance, to supply and plant approximately 2000 daffodil bulbs this autumn.   Will involve lifting turf in clumps and trenches, planting bulbs and then replacing the turf.  Will also need to be able to take into consideration the protection of tree roots and demonstrate an ability to work beside the highway and in public spaces.

Quotations required by 20 September 2018.

If your company is interested, please email parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk for further information.

At the parish council meeting on Thursday 6 September, the council voted to appoint Louise Stoddart to fill the current vacancy.

Louise says “I have been living in Pitstone for 7 years on the Castlemead Estate. I decided to join the Parish Council as I wanted to use my spare time to be able to give back to the community and make a difference for the future of Pitstone. My career with the Building Engineering Services Association, means I can use my expertise in planning, building and commercial activities in the Parish. I look forward to meeting more fellow residents and welcoming everyone to future meetings.”

We warmly welcome Louise to the council.

 

 

The parish council offers grants to local community groups and charities that benefit Pitstone residents.  Applications are considered quarterly.   The last grant review for 2018 is on 25 October 2018.

Please see the grant policy on this web site (http://pitstone.co.uk/ppcinfo/grant-policy/ ) for further information or contact the parish clerk.

Applications must be received at least 10 days ahead of the meeting date.

We hope you have had an enjoyable summer. Please remember that there is no youth cafe this week, as not everyone is back at school, but cafe will be open on Wednesday 12 September 6.30-8pm.

If you are unfamiliar with our youth cafe, further details can be found here:

Youth Cafe

 

Applications for consideration on 6 September:

The plans may be viewed online by going to http://eplanning.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk and searching using the planning reference number.

Any comments, representations or objections you may have should be submitted directly to AVDC as the planning authority, by the date shown on the yellow site notice, quoting the planning reference number.  This can be done on-line or you can post comments to:

The Head of Development Control, Aylesbury Vale District Council, The Gateway,
Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP19 8FF

If you wish the parish council to take your comments into consideration when making our recommendation, please also supply the details to us before noon on the day of the meeting to allow sufficient time for the information to be circulated to all councillors.

Laurie Eagling, Clerk to Pitstone Parish Council

 

Please see full details in previous post:

Would you like to join the parish council?

 

 

 

Thank you to everyone that attended the defibrillator training and football matches at the pavilion yesterday (29 July 2018) to celebrate the official opening of the new ball stop netting, boundary fence and pitch extension plus the installation of the defibrilator:

Our thanks to South Central Ambulance Service, the WI, Pitstone & Ivinghoe United Football Club and Pitstone & Ivinghoe Junior Football Club.

 

We hope you all have an enjoyable summer holiday.    Youth Cafe will re-open on Wednesday 12 September 2018 6.30-8.00pm in the grounds of Brookmead School.

Please note that there is no youth cafe on Wed 5 Sept.