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Chalk Extraction Planning Application Spells Good News

The letter we have received from Hertfordshire County Council about a planning application at Wilbury Hill, spells good news for Fairfield residents and we urge you to support it.

The note accompanying the letter explains that planning permission is being sought to extract chalk from a 6 hectare site on the west side of Stotfold Road.  The chalk is required to construct the embankment for the new rail link which will carry the north-east bound Cambridge branch line over the east coast main line north of Hitchin station.

The important information which neither the letter nor note explains is that if this proposal if approved, it will eliminate the need for HGVs to bring fill material some 20 miles to the site.  These were due to come via the A507 and then past Fairfield Park to the site.  Some may remember that this was one of the principal objections to the scheme as there would be more than 200 HGVs per day going to and from the site.

The proposal for chalk removal would be carefully managed to ensure satisfactory restoration of the land involved.  All movement of material from the excavation site to the new embankment will take place off the public highway. The submitted plans show that the present convex slope will be replaced by a concave slope.  It appears that when finally restored there will be very little impact on the landscape.

Further information can be found through the Herts CC website https://www.hertsdirect.org/ePlanningOPS/searchPageLoad.do and then inputting the application number (1/****-12).

Adoption of Roads

Developers are at long last bringing roads up to standard to be adopted.

Dickens Boulevard is now under what's known as a section 238 agreement. This means that Central Bedfordshire Council have accepted that the road is now up to standard. A 12-month period now elapses before the road is formally adopted during which time it remains the responsibility of the developers.

Bronte Avenue is expected to follow shortly.

Sewers under Dickens Boulevard have now been accepted by Anglain water and are now their responsibility.

We are aware of problems being experienced by several residents in selling their homes and, therefore, also their respective purchasers. We are looking into this and will publish a definitive guide on the problems and the answers as soon as we have been able to obtain this from the respective developers.