Posts

Aspley Guise landowners fined for abusing allotment land

-
Two owners of land at Gypsy Lane, Aspley Guise* have been fined more than £1,400 after failing to comply with an enforcement notice issued by Central Bedfordshire Council to clear allotment land of building materials and metal containers. The landowners, Mr Paul Hughes and Mrs Helen Hughes, Directors of HPH Estates Ltd, were served with an enforcement notice in October 2019, by Council enforcement officers, because their land which is meant to be used as an allotment had instead been used to store building materials and storage containers, which goes against planning regulation for allotment land. To comply with the notice all of the items should have been cleared from the land by the end of January 2020. Enforcement officers liaised with the landowners during 2020 and some clearance of the site did take place, but two large metal storage containers, as well as some plant equipment, remained.   A final warning was issued for full compliance to be achieved by August 2020, but after a si
Post a comment
Read on ...

Labour and Lib Dems to Contest Vacant Houghton Regis Town Council Seats

-
Image
When local elections were last held in Houghton Regis, Tim Welch was elected for Labour on Parkside . His subsequent resignation caused a vacancy which was to have been contested in 2020. Due to the COVID-19 regulations that bye-election was postponed. David Abbott was nominated by the Conservatives to contest Tithe Farm at the last set of local elections. In recent months he resigned from Houghton Regis Town Council to care for an elderly relative in a distant town. Houghton Regis Town Council ordinarily elects 14 people to serve the town for a period of 4 years. Whoever is elected on 6th May 2021 will serve until May 2023 when fresh elections for the whole council will be held. These are the candidate details: Parkside candidates: Rigerta Ahmetaj and Elaine Cooper. Tithe Farm candidates: Brendan Gilmartin and Chris Slough If you have news for Houghton Regis, please send it in
Post a comment
Read on ...

New Schools For Houghton Regis "Progressing Well"

-
Image
SCHOOL BUILDING UPDATES Drone image of Thornhill Primary School in construction Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Thursday, 18th March 2021: Central Bedfordshire Council Webcasting Today, at a virtual meeting of Central Bedfordshire Council, Cllr Eugene Ghent said, “At Thornhill Primary School in Houghton Regis the timber frame installation is going well with construction at the second floor, and by the way it's progressing it should be completed by the end of the month. At the end of the month windows are going in and the building is really taking shape ahead of the completion by the end of the summer. So, it's going to look pretty fantastic when it's completed. “Following DMC's approval for the new secondary school on the Kingsland campus in Houghton Regis the Secretary of State has now ratified the planning approval. We expect site enabling work to commence in the middle of April which includes groundworks for the road, wat
Post a comment
Read on ...

Two weeks left: have your say on Council’s home to school transport policies

-
Image
There are two weeks left for parents and carers to give their views on proposed changes to Central Bedfordshire Council’s home to school and college travel assistance policies. In certain circumstances, the Council helps school pupils aged 5-16, and students attending post-16 education, get from home to school or college. The Council is proposing changes to the policies that outline who is eligible for this support after parents, carers and professionals gave feedback on the existing policies during engagement sessions to review them. The Council is proposing to: · Update its policy for children aged 5-16 to extend the eligibility criteria to cover more groups of children. This will include support for those in joint custody arrangements, and children with special educational needs. · Update the policy for 16-19 year-olds so that it is clearer for parents to understand, with the eligibility criteria remaining the same · Create a policy document outlining the clear eligibility criteria
Post a comment
Read on ...

Path Clearance Volunteers "Back To Work" near The Fancott Arms

-
Image
On a snow covered Wednesday morning the NCPMVs ventured back out returning to work on the welcoming Chilterns for the first time since the release from the imposed COVID-19 National Lockdown. Led by Sylvia with support from Robin (CBC) the PMVs met under COVID-19 guidance and ruling at The Fancott Arms, Toddington after a somewhat fraught start to the day as  a) it was -2C and white on the ground  b) a trailer wheel was jammed on in our storage barn over the COVID-19 hibernation period so we had to quickly decamp tools into the back of our cars  c) the pre-planned workload changed as the local farmer had cut the hedge that had been previously recce'd.  Robin and Sylvia however quickly turned this matter around finding adequate local replacement work. The work undertaken, which was all duly completed, was on 3 nearby locations within close proximity and therein walking distance.  The full arsenal of tools, hand and powered, were used except for the mower which had to be left behind.
Post a comment
Read on ...

Meet the New High Sheriff of Bedfordshire 2021-2022

-
Image
The new High Sheriff of Bedfordshire for 2021/2022 was installed today, Wednesday 7 April 2021. Eric Masih, who succeeds Susan Lousada DL, was sworn in at a virtual ceremony in the presence of Mr Simon Smith JP. Eric was born in Punjab, India and was brought to the UK by his parents in 1967 where he was educated locally. Eric has continued to live in Bedford with his wife, four sons and four grandchildren. His hobbies include Asian classical music and martial arts, and he continues to practice as Southern Region Area instructor for the Tetsudo Martial Arts Association. Eric has been a well-respected and well-known face within Bedfordshire for a number of years. He started his working life within the Geophysical Services Institute before moving into the insurance industry where he held a number of managerial and financial roles. Eric’s true calling came in 1996 when he entered the Property and Mortgage sector and established his current business, Gold Crown Estate Agent. Within th
Post a comment
Read on ...

Missing Milo