Electrification of Little Waldingfield

Before Christmas a number of people in Little Waldingfield got in touch with me because of proposals by EDF to re-position an electricity sub-station on the small green adjacent to Croft Lea on the main street of the village. The site is pictured above.
The Parish Council, along with a number of villagers, have reservations about this and I have to say that I share their concerns. It doesn’t seem appropriate to clutter this pleasant green space, right in the centre of the village and on the main road, with what is effectively industrial equipment.
The land in question is actually owned by Babergh, and I am currently in correspondence with the relevant officers. EDF have to some extent sweetened the pill by saying that since the substation will be fed underground it will be possible to remove the overhead lines that cross the street at this point. This will to some extent improve the appearance of this part of the village, but is this a sufficient trade off?
The rules that govern this proposal are different to those related to planning permission for housing development etc. and I am currently ascertaining who actually makes the decision and what right of appeal is available to objectors.

Help for firms in trouble

Very sadly the most recent victim of the current financial downturn is Fleetwood Caravans who, until yesterday, operated from Hall Street, Long Melford. It is understood that some 60 people will probably lose their jobs, some of whom have worked for the company for many years.

Babergh can take some action to alleviate the situation for employees in cases such as this. The Council is part of the Suffolk Redundancy Network (SRN), an East of England Development Agency-funded partnership which includes local councils, Jobcentre Plus, enterprise agencies and local training providers. SRN provides support to individual being made redundant.

Despite the fact that Babergh met with the Managing Director of Fleetwood before Christmas there was no indication that the situation was as dire as it clearly was, and no contact was made with the Council ahead of yesterday’s announcement that the company was going into administration. This means that it is now probably impossible to hold large meetings of Fleetwood’s workforce to explain what help is available. Nonetheless the administrators will be contacted in due course to see what can be arranged.

If your business is struggling don’t leave it until it is almost too late to contact Babergh for help for those threatened with redundancy. You can either call Colin Spence or myself , who will pass your concerns on in complete confidence, or call Sue Dawes, Economic Development Technical Officer, on (01473) 825868 or sue.dawes@babergh.gov.uk. Further information is available on Babergh’s website.

As the experience of Fleetwood Caravans unfortunately demonstrates, early contact is vital in these cases to ensure maximum support can be offered to any workers laid-off.

The Year Ahead

When I worked as an investment analyst at this time of the year I used to have to write a ‘year ahead’ piece in which I would try to predict what was going to happen to my group of companies over the next 12 months.
Luckily these exercises in crystal ball gazing were generally taken with something of a pinch of salt, but since old habits die hard I thought I would have a stab at some predictions for 2009, so here goes:-
Firstly, I think that, despite the worsening economic situation, the Boundary Committee’s plans for Unitary councils going forward will be confirmed. My best guess is that the 2 unitary option will be chosen by Hazel Blears (although if she really wanted to save money she would go for One Suffolk).
Secondly, in part due to the above, the Belle Vue controversy will quietly fade away in the short term at least. It is unlikely however that this underperforming, publicly owned, asset will be allowed to remain undisturbed forever.
Thirdly I think that Bretts will decide to appeal against the second refusal of Planning permission for a quarry at Chilton. They will lose however since for once common sense will prevail!
Fourthly, the Sudbury Car Parking row will rumble on and gradually die. Most of the most egregious mistakes have now more or less been addressed. The lack of long term car parking provision in Sudbury that has been revealed by the exercise will become less apparent as the economic recession bites and there is less demand for spaces. Car Parking charges will not be introduced in 2009.
Finally Babergh will set Council Tax increases at between 2 and 3 percent, which will be higher than the rate of inflation. (Too high in my opinion, but, as mentioned on the blog at the end of 2008, the Council is suffering some cost pressures that are peculiar to itself)
In the world outside Babergh my main concern is that in the current economic climate charities are likely to find it very difficult to attract adequate funding. Some may be forced to close and others to cut back their activities. I am very concerned about this, and hope that all who can will continue to support their favourite good causes. The situation is not improved by the amount of lottery money that is being absorbed by the 2012 Olympics. This behemoth is draining cash from areas such as the arts at a time when people desperately need to have their spirits raised.

First Appeal withdrawn by Bretts

News today from Peter Clifford, the Chairman of Chilton Parish Council that Brett Aggregates have withdrawn their appeal with regard to the first refusal of their Quarry plans.

This is really good news, but it does NOT mean that the second application, heard just before Christmas, will not go to appeal. Brett’s have five months to decide whether to do so.

The Chilton site remains in the County’s Minerals Master Plan however, and the aim now must be to try to get it removed. A new Plan was introduced recently, and during discussions at the County Council, Colin Spence tried to get the site excluded. Since the site was ‘subject to a live planning application’ this proved to be impossible. However, the possibility of doing so if planning permission was refused was explicitly left open.

This makes the Chairman of Brett’s recent comment in the Sudbury Free Press that the site was ‘in the County’s Plan’ rather disingenuous since it is arguable that it is only there due to a technicality. Things have moved on in the area since the site was identified many years ago. At that time life in the Sudbury area was relatively tranquil and the nightmare that is the A134 a thing of the future. However, it has been successfully argued twice in recent months at the County Council Development Committee, that ‘times have changed’.

I took the photograph above, taken just before Christmas in Newmans Green, hoping that it might come in useful in the future. I am surprised to be using it so soon! It represents a Mexican stand-off between a Brett’s lorry and a farmer attempting to harvest his sugar beet.

Christmas Greetings

This picture of the Nativity was taken on our trip to central Spain in September.

Poor Joseph looks as though he is rather fed up with the number of visitors!

It is a detail from the late 12^th century tomb of San Vicente, the martyr, in the Basilica of San Vicente in Avila. Avila, which is 66 miles north west of Madrid, is best known as the City of St. Teresa

This will probably be my last ‘post’ before 2009, so I hope that all readers of the blog have a good Christmas and as prosperous and cheerful New Year as possible.

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Christmas country pleasures

In general I am rather unsympathetic towards those who live in the country and complain about essential features of rural life such as crowing cockerels or mud on the road. However in recent days I have been brought to the end of my tether (which is short in the days before Christmas in any event) by the goings on in the road outside our house in Newmans Green.
Suffolk County Council has, in its wisdom, chosen this week to close the road in order to fill in potholes between Acton Lane and the Long Melford by pass. In one way this is great because the road was becoming quite tricky in places and local residents had started to complain. Unfortunately the work has coincided with our local farmer taking the last part of his sugar beet crop off the adjacent fields. This, plus a bit of building works here and there, has caused not just frustration for drivers trying to do a bit of Christmas shopping, but also a Somme like mud situation and much angst for us dog walkers.
Today Rendle the Lurcher met one of his best mates and they skittered off across the countryside at speed, returning to their owners sporting thick, chocolate coloured tide marks. The kitchen floor is now covered with mud and Rendle has started to expect a nice warm bath every time he comes in from his walk!

Carol Concert for Success after Stroke

On Thursday evening I went to a candlelit carol concert in Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. As most readers of the blog know, Holy Trinity is a huge, and exceptionally lovely building which has the feel of a small cathedral. The church looked wonderful in candlelight, and was absolutely packed for the occasion. Funds raised by the concert were going to the local charity, Success after Stroke, which describes itself as ‘a thriving self-help stroke group, formed over 8 years ago to help survivors after they have left hospital.’

I was lucky enough to hear more about the charity from its founder. She discovered when her husband had a stroke some years ago that there was absolutely no support in the Sudbury area for stroke sufferers once they are discharged from hospital. This was true even though the ability of sufferers from strokes to recover and get on with their lives depends heavily on support from professionals such as physiotherapists and speech therapists. It is also important for them to socialise and maintain interest in life, and the company of fellow stroke sufferers can often be of great help.

I was very pleased both to be able to enjoy myself and also to be able to support such a worthwhile cause. I found the story of how the group has developed from a small start at the Bridge Project to its current situation, operating four days a week from the Stephenson Centre in Great Cornard, very inspiring. There are currently more than sixty members attending regularly. I will certainly try to support the charity's future fundraising activities if I can.

The Concert was first rate, with a choir from King’s College Cambridge and solos from Steven Varcoe and the soprano Esen Thorley. The latter bravely delivered the challenging aria ‘Regnava nel Silenzio’ from Donizetti’s opera Lucia di Lammermore. I don’t think I would have chosen to sing this particular number on a rather chilly evening but she managed very well. There were the usual Christmas readings and some less usual, two from members of the Success after Stroke Group itself.

SAS can be contacted by telephone on 01787 280753 or 01206 265954 or by e mail on successafterstroke@tiscali.co.uk.