Visit www.saveourvillage.co.uk for the latest on the proposed housing developments

Mobile Police Station - Visiting Times 2012   |   Mobile Library Times 2012

With reference to the Village Development Plan (see below) there was a meeting of volunteers on 29th November the details of which can be viewed on The Village Development Plan page.
As work progresses we hope to keep you you well informed.

Uttlesford District Council have launched another consultation on housing requirements in our area starting on 20th January and finishing on 5th March.  Our previous efforts have been very effective in fighting the threat of an Eco town and the infamous Option Four.  UDC have moved towards a dispersal strategy which the Save Our Village campaign group have favoured from the outset.  Your continued support for this strategy is vital and we ask that all villages residents respond yet again in force.  In the next few days all houses in Henham and Elsenham will receive information packs asking you to respond and giving advice on the type of answers to the questions posed by UDC.  Please visit the Save our Village site at www.saveourvillage.co.uk for further information.

The HUSCH Committee is seeking your views as current or potential users of the HUSCH Hall on what additional facilities you might appreciate or need. They have worked tirelessly since the hall opened in 2004 to run it on our behalf and vibrant clubs, such as the Henham Dads' Football Team whose antics are regularly reported in the pages of The Dragon, have only been possible because of HUSCH.
 Fund-raising efforts, e.g. the biennial 10Km Run, have generated monies which HUSCH would like to put to good use but it will need to find matched funding through grant applications to make any significant enhancements possible. Their questionnaire really does only take a couple of minutes and a substantial response will be needed to provide the vital supporting data for those applications.
Please do make the effort to complete the survey by Monday, 20 February. Hardcopy forms are available as an insert in February's Dragon or from the village shop and school. If you prefer working on line, the questionnaire is also available electronically via the link above. Please complete it for each relevant member of your household. Thank you in advance for your participation.

Fiona Price

This month's Dragon will announce that Liz Griffiths-Jones is retiring after 13 years as Editor of the village magazine.  Personally may I thank her for her contributions and liaison to this web site and obviously for the sterling work as magazine editor over the years - Click here to see the Dragon Preview for February. BB

Hi everybody

As expected the Uttlesford District Council Cabinet met last night (20th) and approved the papers for the upcoming Local Development Framework (L.D.F) consultation. This action abandons the old L.D.F options including the infamous Option 4 and recommends a policy of sharing the housing needs across Uttlesford.  An exact housing figure is not as yet given.

The consultation on the new L.D.F starts on the 20th January and runs until the beginning of March. The J.P.C.S.G is meeting on the 12th January to help prepare the community on how best to respond to the consultation. Please do not respond to the consultation until you have read the recommendations we shall offer you. We expect to get something through your letterbox by the end of January.

Post Office Update

The Parish Council, at it's December meeting, voted unanimously  to support the funding of the Post Office, by an increase in the precept. The Councillors had been forewarned of the vote at the November meeting when a position paper had been circulated setting out the various options.

The amount of precept required to meet the funding shortfall was £6000 meaning an increase in Council tax for Henham households of £11 per household per year. The Council felt that the Post Office and Community Shops were very important to the Village, and that the loss of the Post Office could have a serious impact on the Shop. A small increase in the precept will assure the survival of the Post Office.

Nick Baker

CHRISTMAS BRING AND BUY

In aid of Carver Barracks Injured Soldiers Fund at Henham Village Hall on Saturday 19th November made a very creditable £300 (approx).  Well done Di, Rona, all the helpers and especially those who gave and bought.

A Very Welcome Message Received from Rita and David Morson

Rita and David Morson would like to express their heartfelt thanks to all those who have kept them in their prayers and concern.    The result has been ‘miraculous’ in that Rita has astonished the medical staff both at Addenbrookes and Stanmore Hospitals by her rapid progress, enabling her to come home after over three months.   Prayers are still needed for Rita to make a full recovery so please keep up the good work.
David has travelled a three hour journey every day to Stanmore to visit Rita only missing on two occasions.   In this, as well as looking after Sophie so competently, is again due to the strong support he has received.   Prayers indeed have been granted so thank you deeply for this.

Click Here to view a selection of some of my pictures of the evening
If you have any more good ones, especially of performers I missed, please send them to me.

RE:  Planning Application No: ESS/50/11/UTT for extraction of sand as an extension to the existing quarry with restoration to agriculture (without landfill), including retention of existing access, office and weighbridge.

We are contacting you to ask you to support us by writing to ECC (details on next sheet) to oppose this application.  For your guidance, the Planning Authority can only take account of representations based on valid planning reasons such as traffic or landscape impact etc, but not, for example, perceived impact on local house prices.

This application will be judged against the ECC’s Minerals Local Plan 1996 and against UDC’s Local Plan adopted 2005.  However, it is worth noting that Essex County Council are currently working on their future Minerals policy, and earlier this year Elsenham Quarry was rejected at that stage as a ‘Preferred Site’ for future extraction due to the environmental impact of the proposed site. (It must be noted that this consultation in on-going and the final list of ‘Preferred Sites’ is not yet known.) 

If you require any further information, please feel free to contact Cllr Maureen Lohmeyer, Henham Parish Council (lohmeyer.family@hotmail.co.uk).

We do hope that you will be willing to support the local residents who are trying to protect our beautiful area from such an invasive proposal.

On a final note, a builder attending a job at one of the houses in Pledgdon Green recently described the area as a ‘hidden oasis’.  Let us try our best to ensure that it remains just this!.

Thank you for your support.

Cllr Maureen Lohmeyer

In July of this year the Parish Council commissioned a survey of trees is the village.
  Please click here to see the report.

Nick then introduced Jan Cole from the Rural Community Council of Essex who explained the concepts of Village Plans, etc. which I will not attempt to reproduce here.  Essentially, in order to combat prospective inappropriate development we have to be proactive by producing a village plan in which we define what we need to take Henham forward in terms of development.

It was further explained that the Parish Council could not take responsibility themselves for producing the plan; it has to be the community at large and there has to be a consensus. To this end 38 people at the meeting volunteered to take an active part in its production and a meeting of these worthy people will scheduled for 20th October. 

On Saturday 17th September in the early evening, (believed 6-7pm), an unoccupied house in Church Street was forcibly entered and personal items and a TV were stolen.  The suspects are believed to be two young men, both tall and wearing tracksuits.  One had dark hair.  They were seen carrying a green plastic petrol can which was abandoned on the premises. They possibly had a vehicle to carry the goods away.

 If you have any further information, please contact the local police as soon as possible.  Remember, if you see any suspicious characters please use 999 to call the police.

Nick B. Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator
 

Super Fast Broadband

The following is a copy of and email to our Parish Clerk

In your role as Parish Clerk I am writing to update you on the innovative plan to bring a new Super Fast Broadband service to your area.

The project was approved by Uttlesford District Council during the spring and is now close to launch: http://www.saffronwaldenreporter.co.uk/news/rural_uttlesford_to_get_fast_broadband_1_834217

The service is provided by FibreWiFi and carried on the Buzcom Radio Network. No telephone line is required to receive the service and it is due to go live on Wednesday 31st August 2011. Full details of the service can be found at www.fibrewifi.com

As I am sure you can appreciate demand has been considerable and we will be contacting people to arrange installation in the order in which they registered their interest with Uttlesford District Council or via FibreWiFi.com

It is estimated that it will take 8-10 weeks to work through the several hundred people who have registered interest before we can return to our normal fourteen day lead time for installation. Patience is appreciated.

We provide a similar service to Maldon District and worked through the same initial backlog of customers when that service launched in the spring of 2010. The customers in Maldon felt it worth the wait and we hope that the residents of Uttlesford will feel the same.

Customers will receive an email during the next 8-10 weeks (depending on when they initially registered) asking them to click the, "Buy Now," button on the FibreWiFi.com website so that they can purchase the service and receive an installation date. They should not click on the, "Buy Now," button until they have received an email from us inviting them to do so.

In the meantime updates will be posted on the FibreWiFi.com website and the coverage maps will be updated.

We're excited about the new service and looking forward to bringing our Super Fast Broadband service to Uttlesford.

Should you have any questions we would prefer that you email us at: info@fibrewifi.com however if that is not convenient we can be called during office hours on 0845 363 2053.

Kind regards

Gary Disley
Managing Director
FibreWiFi Ltd

HENHAM POST OFFICE AGAIN UNDER THREAT

By now, hopefully a questionnaire will have been delivered through your door regarding your use of the Henham Post Office.  Below is the message from Chris Swain on that questionnaire.  If you do not receive the form or another member of your family wishes to complete one, please click here to find a copy.  BB

"Our post office is dependent on financial support from the County Council.  This arrangement is due to end in December.  We hope that some new arrangement may be possible, but it will be important for us to show how much the post office is valued by the village and to be able to back up our plea for continued support with some hard data.

Please spend a few minutes completing the questionnaire below and drop it in to the post office/shop or to me, at 55 Vernons Close or to Trevor Ellis-Callow at Badgers Cottage, Wood End Green."

Christopher Swain

Chairman - Henham Village Shop Association Ltd

Proposed Changes in Waste Collection Services
(This is a copy of an email received on 10.8.2011 from Uttlesford District Council)

I am writing to all parish councils about several changes proposed to the recycling and waste service from Uttlesford District Council. These changes may well affect your parish.

The council’s Cabinet is being asked to approve a package of improvements at its meeting on Thursday, 8 September. If approved, these changes will come into effect from Spring next year.

I have attached a press release to this email (click here to view) which sets out the improvements being planned, including the introduction of kerbside glass recycling, replacing the current brown-lidded bins with smaller kitchen caddies and a subscription-based kerbside garden waste collection service.

There is also an explanatory section on our website which you can read by clicking the link below:

http://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/recycling

In light of the proposed introduction of the garden waste collection service, we have reviewed the provision of the current weekend garden waste skip service, which is used by 21 parishes. This service is operated at a significant cost to the authority and under the proposed new service arrangements we would not be in a position to continue offering it for free.

Should any parish council wish to continue with, or start using, the weekend skip service, then it will still be available at an hourly rate of £50.52. We can provide a quotation to any parish council currently using the service if they wish to continue with or amend their current service level. We can also discuss potential levels of use with parish councils not currently using the service.

However, if there is not sufficient demand it may not be possible to continue providing the service at all so if your parish council is interested it is important you let us know.

In addition, because of the proposed changes we will be discontinuing the village civic amenity skip service from Spring next year, subject to the proposals being approved by Cabinet in September.

With the introduction of a kerbside collection of glass, there will be less demand for bottle banks in the district. Therefore we plan to remove the majority of council-owned bottle banks. We will however, not necessarily remove those bottle banks located in pub car parks. These will be subject to review.

If you would like a quotation on the cost of continuing with, or starting to use, the weekend garden waste skip service, please email the Waste Team at greenwaste@uttlesford.gov.uk or call 01799 510456.

I am happy to speak to any parish council with queries about these proposed changes – please use the greenwaste@ email address or the phone number above and I will get in touch.

Regards,

Ron Pridham

Head of Street Services

Option Four

Dear Residents of Henham.

I thought it is probably time to update you on the infamous 'Option 4' and the latest position on the housing development.  As you know the attempt by U.D.C to rid us of the 'top down' housing figures failed, after a developer took the Government to Court and successfully argued that, until the figures were revoked by law they should stay.  So, until the Government pass the Localism Bill, the top down housing figures remain with us.  The Bill is expected to become law in April 2012.

However, we are now faced with the Government's new planning rules, published last week.  In an effort kick-start the economy, the Government is creating a presumption in favour of development. Yes, the Government has ended the hated top down targets that imposed estates on unwilling parts of the countryside.  Yes the Localism Bill will push power down to local people.  But, the Government's national planning policy framework says that local authorities must approve all proposals wherever possible, changing the default on development from "No" to "Yes" or if not why not?

  For the first time since the 1980's, this will make it harder for local people to oppose the schemes.

It is not yet clear what will actually be built.  Architects and developers, like all of us, are confused by the conflicts within government policies.  The Government has simplified 1,000 pages of planning policy down to 52.  The 52 pages are open to wide interpretation and the balance between developer, local authority and residents is likely to be thrashed out in appeal hearings, case by case.

Ministers clearly hope to encourage growth, placate the building trade and convince enlightened communities that they are 'empowered'.  Well we know what we want in this community and we will not hesitate to fight any suggestion of this development returning under these new planning changes.  The formulation of neighbourhood plans where the community articulates the housing needs was the backbone of  election promises.

Our fight continues

Nick Baker

Recent Power Cuts

Dear All

Ray Gaubert has been very active on behalf the village in chasing EDR regarding recent power cuts.
Mark Methven of EDR has given him the following information (click here) in response to his ‘Mr Grumpy’ phone call.

Mr Methven identifies the causes of the cuts, explains some misunderstandings concerning the presumed higher failure rate of overhead power cable supplies and a immediate review for the Henham area.

Ray has highlighted the more important points in red. He has praised Mr Methvin for his quick response.

Thanks Ray

Email received from a chap named Dennis Owen who has written a book about his evacuation to Henham

"I have recently come across your webpage on the Henham website and have read some of the contents of the past.  I have recently had a book published about my evacuation to Henham from London's East End during the Second World War. I stayed on a farm and went to the local school.  My two sisters, who were older than me were also in the village and went to the local school.  The first 12 chapters of my book are about Henham, the people who looked after me, the Italian prisoners of war that worked on the farm, the land army girls also on the farm and a local dalliance with one of the Italians." 

On Thursday 7th July at 3.30pm, a very impressive gathering of Henham residents assembled at OSCA to show their appreciation to Marion and Dennis Camps for the service they have provided the village over an astonishing 41 years of delivering milk to our doorsteps.

An amazing fact that the couple have never failed to deliver, although they have on occasions had to resort to a tractor and trailer in bad weather.  A tremendous achievement.

All milk was British rather than imported.

Special thanks must go to Di, Rona and Sue for organising the event and their band of helpers, to John Savident our Master of Ceremonies, to Jane for the raffle, to the Army chefs for preparing the meal, to those who entertained us between courses, to the young people who waited on our every need, to Bob and Pauline in the bar, to all those who donated prizes and auction favours and most especially to all who generously successfully bid at the auction and donated money in a variety of ways to the fund.

This was to ordain him as a 'presbyter' which is derived from the old word 'preost' meaning priest.  Unfortunately I could not be present, but I am reliably informed that the ceremony conducted by The Right Reverend, Bishop Lindsay Urwin OGS was a joyful occasion before a large congregation of Dub's family, colleagues, friends and parishioners.

Dear All,

We are pleased to inform you that a trial of kerbside textiles recycling will be commencing across the district shortly.  Some of you may have already received recycling bags and an explanatory leaflet.  If you haven’t yet received this it should be arriving shortly.

The trial is being run in partnership between Essex Textiles and Uttlesford District Council and will run for 1 year as agreed by the Environment Committee in November last year.

Essex Textiles are offering two services to residents.  Those residents living in urban areas will receive a fortnightly collection of textiles on the same day as their recycling collection, and those resident living in more rural areas will receive a “call and collect” service, whereby they can call Essex Textiles if they have any items for recycling and book a collection.

The bags will be collected by Essex Textiles in their own vehicles which will be fully liveried with the Essex Textiles logo.

Any residents who have problems with missed collections, or do not receive bags or a leaflet should contact Essex Textiles on their free phone number: 0800 787 9071

This new service will be an improvement to the waste and recycling services offered to residents and will help the authority to improve on the already excellent recycling and composting rate of 55% which was achieved in 2010/11.

Catherine Auckland

Morris Men Come to Henham

Henham Village Shop
Now unbelievably in its 13th year of trading, the AGM of the Village Shop was held in the Village Hall on Thursday 19th May.  Click here for a report from Linda Peake.

May I extend many thanks to all involved in the running of the shop for such a valuable village asset.  To all residents, please give all the support you can.

Henham 10K Fun Run

Apologies yet again for not being in the village on Sunday 22nd May when I think for the second year running I missed the Fun Run. (My brother's 65th Birthday this time)

However, all is not lost as this year the organiser's have their own web site which can be accessed by clicking here.

Many, many thanks for the numerous excellent pictures of the event. 

Click for Dave Cutts pictures |Click for Isaac Rice pictures |Click for Norman Elson pictures

Special thanks must go to our vicar, Gary Townsend, for opening proceedings, John Fox - his contribution and P.A. system made a huge difference, and also to Carol and Norman Elson for organizing the rounders.  If anyone saw Gerry and Sheena Bigland pacing Woodend Green in the days before, they were marking out the pitch, and making sure that there was room enough for all the many stalls. 

It was a great shame that Tonto lost a shoe on the morning of the fete, so we were unable to offer pony and trap rides, but a big ‘Thank-you’ to the Hayden family for their donation, and also to the cider club for adding to the choice of beverage and donating the proceedings-thanks Dan! Thank you to all of you who had a stall and to the gymnastics, karate and Junior Zooky & Freaky Frogs and Sam Tier for entertaining us. Thanks to everyone else who contributed in any way – too numerous to mention by name, but you know who you are!

For the record, in the Wedding-themed cake competition, judged by Amanda Mower, Maybelle Townsend’s splendid three-tiered chocolate and smartie confection gave her the winning edge over her sister Evie’s equally marvellous two-tiered cake.

The nine entries in the fancy dress were; Alice and Molly Churchouse, Kevin Dunphy, Pia Gowin, Gracie and Jessica Robertson, Jessica McGorrell, Jolie Murrill and Emily Shaw.

Everyone was a winner, but for sheer originality in her wedding cake costume, Alice Churchouse was judged grand winner.

Winning numbers of the lucky programme have been posted in the shop.

Results of the rounders are as follows;

Round 1- Vernons Close beat Simon’s Sloggers 4- 1.5

Round 2 - Henham Dads beat Tennis Juniors 3.5 -3

Round 3 - School beat The Inbetweeners 5.5 -2.5

Round 4 -Dunmow Pinks beat The Misfits 4 - 2.

Semi1 - Henham Dads beat Vernons Close 3.5 -2.5

Semi 2 - School lost to Henham Pinks

Grand Final - Henham Dads beat Dunmow Pinks 4-1.5.

So at last! After four years, we have new winners - well done!